Lessons

For the past month or more, the Lord has really been teaching our family a lot. The biggest lessons are:

Family Relationships~ How close are you to your family? Do you laugh together, cry together, and confide in one another? Do you edify your siblings? Do you look at them as irritating, or as blessings from the Lord? Do you talk with your parents, telling them your thoughts, praying with them, and for them? Recently, I read that "your relationships with your family now, is how you will treat your relationship with your spouse later." Wow! Talk about convicting! I never thought of it that way. I have been guilty of not thinking of everything I do as "unto the Lord". I have been thinking about me, and my needs, and my wants, not my family's.

Which leads into the next lesson He has been teaching me personally.

Are you ready for Marriage?~ I know, I'm only 19, that's still young. But, I am preparing for this as I believe the Lord calls most everyone to marriage. If my relationships with my family are not good, and I think on me before anyone else, I am still "me" focused and not God focused. Sure, I can cook, clean, do all of the physical part of it, but am I spiritually and emotionally ready for it? Am I using my single years to get as close to God as I possibly can? Do I show the love of Christ where ever I am, in all circumstances? Do I put others before myself? Are my convictions and beliefs my own, not my parents? Am I doing my husband good, and not evil, in my single years? These are sometimes hard questions to answer, because it shows us our heart, and the things that must change if we are to be called the children of God.

So, these are a couple of things the Lord has been teaching me.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be posting what I am looking for in a husband. A blog I read http://allauthority.blogspot.com/2011/12/thoughs-on-biblical-femininity-pt-1.html, posted what he was looing for in a wife. I thought I would give my thoughts on the subject. I want it to be a topic to discuss, so please, let me know what you think.

In Him Always~
Kaitlyn

A Wonderful Giveaway!!

Vision Forum is doing a great Christmas gift card giveaway!

Our family has benefited greatly by all the wonderful resourses Vision Forum has to offer! Wonderful Christian books, toys, great history resourses, and much, much more!!! Vision Forum is also starting their Black Friday Super Sale-which goes on all week long!! Buy two items and receive the third item of equal of lesser value FREE!!!! The sale ends November 26th at Midnight.

Now, there are some rules to this giveaway! Vision Forum has generously offered to give away $600.00 in gift cards through the Modest Mom blog! (Which you can get to here) There will be three winners in this giveaway. One person will win a $100 gift card, another a $200 gift card, and yet another a gift card worth $300 good for any purchase from Vision Forum. Per the request of Vision Forum, the person who wins the $300 gift card needs to have blogged about this great giveaway, using the words "Christian books" in your post with those exact words linking to www.visionforum.com . So if you have a blog I'd suggest you get busy and write a post about this awesome giveaway! If you don't have a blog, don't despair - you still have a great chance at winning the $100 or $200 gift card!

I hope you all have a very blessed Christmas this year!! Please, go and sign up and try to win!

Last Weekend, and Then Some!

It's been a long time since I wrote. I'm not very consistent with this am I!! (sorry!)

The Lord has been teaching me a lot lately. Mostly on waiting on Him for His perfect timing. I know that God has everything all worked out, but it is rather hard to wait, and wait well for His will to be made know to you! I know that God's plan, is worth waiting for! A verse that has really helped me is:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Last weekend, we went to Willmar and had a Bluegrass jam at a music store. We had a great time and learned a lot form a lot of experienced musicians! Talk about a humbling experience! :o) We are going to go there at least twice a month and jam!

This weekend, my family is going to Itasca to go to a 3 day Bluegrass Festival. (If you haven't noticed, my family LOVES Bluegrass! ;o) We are heading up there early Friday and will be getting back home late Sunday night. We haven't been on a family vacation for a few years, so we are all really excited! We definitely need some family time! Hopefully, all our dogs won't miss us to much! :o)

Well, got to go and do something productive!

I Have Graduated!!

Here I am at my table

On Sunday I had my graduation party. It went really well! I had a ton of fun. I got asked the question, "So, what are you going to do now?" a lot! In the fall, I am going to start my studies on becoming a Certified Family Herbalist. I am really excited to learn more about it. All this summer, I am going to show some of our dogs in dog shows around here.

At my graduation, one of my cousins was asking me if I had a boyfriend. (All of our relatives ask that. They must think it's kinda strange for an 18 year old girl to not have a boyfriend and has not gone on a date! Whoda thunk! ;o) It was the perfect opportunity to share with him all about courtship. We had a wonderful talk. I hope it got him thinking.

Don't you think it's amazing the way God orchestrates things in your life? We just met a family through the internet that lives 1,287 miles away! We are so blessed to have met them. We have so much in common. Hopefully, we'll be able to meet them in person some day soon!

Well, that's a little update on whats going on in my life. I have a really bad cold, so I think I'll go and lay down! When you're not feeling well, it's always a good time to do some extra reading and having a lot of quiet time with the Lord.

Waiting For My Issac

Our family just got done reading the book "Waiting for Her Issac" By: Mr. & Mrs. Stephen B. Castleberry. It's a courtship story that is more about a young woman's journey towards a deeper relationship with GOD and what she learned along the way, with the underlying story being her courtship. A lot like the girl in the book, the Lord has been challenging me to take bigger steps in my relationship with Him. Learning to trust Him for everything, and not on my present circumstances. While I am "waiting for my Issac" I need to be challenging myself everyday to take up my cross and follow Him. It's not always easy, and some days I struggle to bear my cross. But I have great joy in doing so, knowing that whatever I am going through now, will pale in comparison to what I will have in eternity. So, as I take my journey to a new level with my Lord and Savior, I know it will not be easy. I must dye to self each and every day. So with the Lord's help, I press on.

If you would like to read some courtship stories, I highly recommend "The Courtship Series" By: Mr. & Mrs. Stephen B. Castleberry. They are wonderful books that have helped me a great deal.

Here is another wonderful courtship story. Enjoy!
One of My Favorite Love Stories Doorposts of Your House

Graduation Pictures

Here are just a few of my graduation pictures. My sister, Kristina, is an amazing photographer. You can visit her webiste http://kristinaautumnphotography.weebly.com . I hope you all enjoy!

A Milestone

This is where I am in my life right know, the cross roads. A big 'milestone' is here. Graduating from Homeschooling. Then, there comes the question that everyone asks you, "So, what are you going to do now?" I used to answer, "I'm JUST going to stay home." Then I thought, "I'm not JUST staying home. There's a lot that I'm doing." I am answering my calling by following GOD's Word of what young women are to do. I am prepareing to be a wife and a mother, the greatest calling a woman has. I'm serving the Lord any way I can through my family and community. Since I don't believe women should work out of the home, I also work in our family business. We raise and breed yellow Labrador Retrievers. I am also writing a book about living a more agrarian life. So, now my answer is "I am staying home and serving the Lord any way I can and am preparing to be a wife and a mother."

As I have reached this milestone in my life, I have realized a lot of things. My relationship with my dear Lord and Savior has deepend to a new level. My beliefs and convitions have become my own. The Lord is always so faithful to bring certain things into your life just when you need them the most.