Discontentment

In the past, I have really struggled with contentment, even though I had not realized it until lately. Several times I thought about how I wished this or that in my life would change.

I was getting bored with school, chores, and other trivial things. I couldn't understand why, because I have always loved school and taking care of my jurisdictions in our home.

I was experiencing discontentment at its finest. I can see now that God had been trying to show me for some time, but I had been too busy wishing for change that I wasn't paying attention. I missed the bigger picture! He wanted me to rely on Him!

Jesus wanted me to lay my discontented spirit at His feet, and place all other things aside. He wanted me to have a servant's heart, and through contentment in Jesus, I am now excited for new things headed in my direction, and I have learned to enjoy every moment- even the little things.

Since I laid that discontentment down, new opportunities have been coming my way. It is incredible what the grace of God will do if you simply listen and obey.

When I begin to feel discontentment creeping in, I take those feelings and talk to Jesus, and through His grace, I am humbled and restored.

For His Glory,

~*~Courtney~*~

On the Gift of Song...

Mine is a very musical family. This is not to say that we are particularly talented family, but simply one who takes great joy in music and the making of it. My siblings and I love singing with each other and each of us devotes an hour or so a day to the study of the piano and sometimes other various instruments. Music is an extremely worthy and fulfilling hobby for a young person, especially the stay at home daughter. It allows one to express her sincerest emotion or simply to relax after a long day.

Classical music is quite soothing and provides a pleasant atmosphere to the home during the daily duties. My mother loves to put classical music on during school hours. Whenever one of us has a lag between subjects we can quietly comment and converse about the composer or the particular section in the song. It's a very easy way to learn about music and their composers.

Apart from classical music, my family also enjoys opera. My mother's current favorite is Paul Potts, but we love most opera in general. Poppy and I love show tunes a lot, and we sing them constantly. We are quite fond of musicals! But, I think the best kind of music is the kind that you make yourself. Playing an instrument is a very satisfying past-time. We start our music education from birth, we've been singing to Noah his whole life! He loves music and smiles from ear to ear whenever we sing or dance. We make up little songs for him and sing all the little rhymes we used to hear when we were little. My mother and father also make up songs on the spot, as do my siblings and I. We actually have quite a few songs that we sing which are only known by our family and singing in the shower is considered a necessity by those who occupy our household! (Except for my dad ~wink~)

Once the children turn five, they start piano lessons. I help my younger sisters during the week and when the work is finished, we play fun songs and sing. Reading music is an excellent skill to have and it's as easy as learning to read English! It comes in quite useful. In our church young girls play the piano during the services and a few of them teach piano lessons as well.

Singing is also one of our favorite things to do. I've done some research on the proper breathing techniques and such, and Poppy has taken some voice lessons in the past. We love to teach everyone to sing in harmony or rehearse a number with choreography to perform for Noah! Talent is not important, it's only necessary to have fun and glorify the Lord in your music. The quote, "God said, 'Make a joyful noise' not a beautiful one." is one that I've known for so long I don't even remember where it's from.

Music is mixed into every one's daily lives. Whether or not you consider yourself a musical person there is always some points in the day when you are exposed to it. Whether or not you pursue music as a hobby, it can still make your life most enjoyable. I encourage you to take a moment to appreciate the music around you, it is quite a marvelous gift of the Lord.

May the Lord bless you and fill your heart with song.

Enjoying Everyday Moments.....

Hello to all of you! I hope that your weekend was refreshing and blessed!

Yesterday, I woke up to to a somewhat rainy day. I simply just listened and watched the raindrops rolling down my window, and reflected on what a precious gift God has given us with rain. No two raindrops look alike, and every rainstorm has its own unique features. I said a silent prayer thanking Him for this sweet and wonderful gift, and went on with my day.

I never realized how many little moments can slip through your hand if you are not paying attention, or how lovely these little moments can be.

I find that I have several of these moments everyday, whether I realize it or not.

Somtimes it is the beautiful sunset, the baby's sweet little smile, a little hand held in mine. Perhaps it is little Emma (who is 2), singing her cute little songs, or maybe it is watching viewmaster reels with your family on Friday nights.

It is so important that we do not take life for granted. On any moment, things can change so fast- we do not have forever.

Do you have an "Everyday Moment" to share? Leave a comment below!

Wishing you a lovely Monday!
~@~Courtney~@~

Finding Joy in the Home

One of the pitfalls facing young ladies today is the yearning for something outside of the home. So many young ladies say, "Oh, if only I could get out of this house and travel the world!","I need to use my skills in the workplace!","I could accomplish great things!" It's easy to lose focus and become distracted with the glamorous temptations of the world. Satan can make so many things look appealing and harmless. Proverbs 23:17-18 says, "Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off." Remember that God's calling for women is to be in the home, whether as a daughter or a wife and mother.

A lot of girls have trouble being content in their role as daughter. "I'll be happy once I have a husband." If you aren't happy in this season of your life, you won't be happy in the next season either... contentment must be cultivated early. God wants us to make the most of our time now, not when we finally get married. Spend your time making the most of being an unmarried daughter by serving your family and your church with joy and not pining away the days yearning for marriage and children.

Though marriage is most commonly a lady's calling, sometimes God calls girls to singleness. While this may strike terror in the heart of many young ladies, it's important to keep your heart soft and turned to the Lord for His guidance. If He were to call you to singleness, would you be content? If you are content as an unmarried woman now, it will be much easier should you be called to remain single.

As much as I hope to be married one day with my own children, I absolutely adore my family and would be happy to stay here forever. A very wise lady once told me, "Bloom where you're planted." And that's exactly what I try to do on a day by day basis by serving my family within my home. I find great satisfaction and joy in cooking a simple dinner, clearing land for a garden, and playing piano with my siblings. Finding joy in my work is the first step to finding joy in the home. My mother has been teaching us to do our work cheerfully ever since we could walk! No matter how we hated to do the chores, if everyone did them with a cheerful heart, soon we were all smiling and conversing with each other during our work - which made it much more fun! Whether or not your work is a pleasure or "household drudgery" is up to you.

I would encourage you not to dwell on the petty inconveniences that come with homelife. Let those things be quickly forgotten and sometimes even laugh at them! Take time to step back and not only analyze the big picture and true vision, but keep the wonderful aspects in the forefront of your mind. In my house, there is absolutely no way anyone can be in a sour mood when my baby brother has a laughing fit! Everyone of my family members has a brilliant personality and is a tremendous joy! Our home is filled with music, laughter, and playful drama. When the weather is nice, I love nothing more than to be outside with my family enjoying God's creation. Sometimes it's the small, simple things that can bring the most joy to my heart. Most importantly, I take joy in my work because I know it's a blessing to my family. It's just another way I can show God's love to them through my own attitude of contentment simply by finding joy in everything I do!

Look to the Lord for your strength and your encouragement. With constant prayer and trust in Him, He will grant you a truly contented heart.

For those of you who are already content in the season of unmarried womanhood, praise the Lord! It is so wonderful to have blessed friendships with like-minded Christian girls. It has been such a blessing to glean wisdom and encouragement from other girls following the same path. My mother has always been the most influential person to me in this manner as well. I especially love to sit at the feet of the older Titus 2 women in my church. They have so much to share about their lives and their spiritual journeys. It's amazing to look back and see how far the Lord has brought them, and it reminds me how far I still have to go!

The Lord is good!

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

Guest Blog!

I was published on Crystal's blog yesterday! In the midst of her Valentine's Day contest, she posted several guest blogs that pertained to the topic of unmarried daughters.You can view my article here, and be sure to vote for the winner of her annual Valentine's Day contest for the unmarried!

Graphic taken from Crystal's blog - from Allposters.com

The Blessing of Younger Siblings...

My baby brother and I enjoyed a beautiful day on Tuesday!! I just love having younger siblings. They are such a wonderful blessing!

Valentine's Day for Stay-At-Home Daughters

Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite times of the year! Even though it's emphasized as a holiday for couples, we always make it a wonderfully fun day for everyone in our house! Each year we make our own home-made Valentines and pass them out to everyone in the family... it's become quite a fun tradition! We try to 'out do' last year's Valentines with new fresh ideas!

Here are some of the cards I made for my family this year.

I can't wait to see what the rest of my family has come up with!!

Recently, I've been thinking about ways that a stay at home daughter can reach out to others on Valentine's Day. Last year, a good friend from my church held a Valentine's bake at her home. All of the single girls in our church got together and had a wonderful time socializing while baking cookies for the older members of our church, as well as those who were stuck at home or sick. It was wonderful fun and those cookies were such a blessing to our church members! I also love to voluteer at the local assisted living center and nursing home. The people there love to hear hymns and I love to play them on the piano. It's so much fun to spend time with older people-- they are so wise and have so much to tell!

This year, I've already been preparing and planning ways that I can glorify God on Valentine's Day as an unmarried daughter. First of all, I made Valentines and wrote lengthy letters to some of my more distant relatives telling them all about what our family is up to now and how much they mean to us. I know they'll love to receive those, especially my great-grandmother and great-aunt! I also helped my younger siblings with their letters and valentines for our relatives.

I love to serve my family by cooking and baking, and this year (shhhh, don't tell) I'm making a surprise Valentine's day dinner complete with a fancy cake. I even bought a special tablecloth to decorate our table.

Be sure to check back, I'll post pictures of the finished cake (and supper). Hopefully it will turn out well! I've already bought some frosting.... mmmm....


Another way I've helped others celebrate Valentine's Day is by babysitting for my family or the neighbors so that parents can enjoy a night out together. While their parents are gone, I help the children make special messages for their mom and dad... and leave them on their pillowcase! My parents love to receive cards and surprises from us!

These are just a few ideas for an unmarried young lady to be a blessing to others on Valentine's Day! I'd love to hear your suggestions! Leave a comment below!

Crystal from Biblical Womanhood is holding a great Valentine's Day contest for the unmarried, the deadline is tomorrow! Head on over there and take a look!

--Flibby

Why I Wear A Dress

A lot of people ask me why I wear dresses, and why I prefer them to pants. I decided to post some of the most common questions I receive about the dress/pants issue.

Why would you want to wear a dress/jumper/skirt? Wouldn't you rather have the "freedom" of wearing pants?
I find that I can still do everything I could do in pants in a skirt or dress. I can do home construction, ride a bike, mow the lawn, and do it all in a skirt! There is very little that I "can't" do in a skirt. Right now, I can't even think of one thing.

Pants are more comfortable and less constricting, right?
For me, I found that this was totally different. There was actually more room to move about in most skirts. There are some skirt styles that do have less leg room, but I find that it helps me to take small, lady-like steps.

OK, I like the idea of wearing dresses, but I can't find anything decent!
Most of my skirts/dresses are found online or secondhand. I also have sewn many of my skirts/dresses. One of my favorite skirt patterns can be found for free here, and I would also like to make this pattern here. It really is easier than it looks.

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A few reasons I like to wear a skirt
They are more feminine
They are more comfortable
They can be dressy or casual
They twirl so nicely
My list could go on and on!

How about you? Why do you like/dislike dresses and skirts?

Have a great day!
~@~Courtney~@~