Have you heard...

...what my God did for me? He sent His son down to me, to be my Savior.
For me, He came down to this earth and became a little baby.
For me, He grew up to be a man.
For me, He somehow resisted the temptation of sin.
For me, He was silent during his trial.
For me, He carried His cross.
For me, He died on that horrible day.
For me, He bore the wrath of a righteous God, so that I could go to heaven.
He did something that I didn't deserve, that I didn't earn.
He loves me. He conquered death and hell for me.
He did it for you, too.
He loves you and me, more than a fear of death and hell can shake.
I love Him, enough to live and die for Him.
Have you heard about Jesus? He paid the ultimate price and faced a just God's wrath. For you and me. For everyone.


♫♪ Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.♫♪

Update

Were you expecting a boring "I'm-still-alive" post when you clicked on this link? Well, too bad. I'm sure you're disappointed to know that it won't be that sort of post. :)
I spent my (mostly) week-long blogging break at the beach. Hilton Head Island has a great one. It was real, real fun. We rented bikes and rode them to and fro, up and down, in and out. You don't know how powerful you feel zooming down the beach on a bike until you try it. 

Just a glimpse of how truly lovely it was there. I don't see how you could doubt God's majesty while looking at the ocean.

A cute bird, one of the many seagulls we saw there. They're much cuter in person. :)
It was a good vacation, with lots of Oreos and peanut butter Cap'n Crunch cereal, which is the epitome of vacation for us.
And now for a list, because lists make any post better, right?

~Unusual Things to be Thankful For~ a list

• for washing the dishes, because that means you have food to put on them.
• for vacuuming, because you have a house to vacuum. 
• for schoolwork, because that means you are able to get an education.
• for annoying little siblings, because that means you can build patience.
• for laundry, because it means you have clothes to wear. 
• for a bed to make, because that means you have somewhere to sleep. 
• for gloomy days, because you have something to compare the sunny ones to. 

  With that, I will leave you, to the sadness of all who read this blog. :( 

*weeping and mourning* 
*sighing and sadness*


Don't cry! I'll be back soon! 
Bye bye...





*photo credits to my sister Leah*

Word of the Week: school...

Yes, I know it's been a while since I've  posted. No, I'm not going to say I'm sorry. Because I'm not. I guess blogging has become sort of a chore. I have other, better things to do. I will probably be posting less and less as I get older, or perhaps I'll fade out of blogging forever, or maybe I'll post more as I finish school, or maybe it's just a time in my life when there's not much to say. I don't know. I will still read your blogs with the same frequency, and probably comment too. I'm going to be taking a week-long blogging break, starting Saturday. I might post before then, or not. It depends if I have something to say. Well anyways, on to the interesting part!

The word of the week is: School! What a wonderfully inspiring word, don't you agree? (that was sarcasm, big-time) Math is not going too well, I'm still stuck on Algebra 1, wondering if I'll ever finish. I think after Algebra I'll move on to Business Math. I want to have my own business someday, co-run with my husband, of course. Maybe if I'm nice, I'll even let him take over the math part! :) Just kidding.
I'm finally done with last year's reading curriculum. It took a long, long, long time... It included books such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Maniac Magee(that one was weird), and The Green Book. Looking back, none of those books really seem like history. Maybe they were just put in for fun.
Latin's going well too. Here's a sentence: Non es agricola. Cookie points to the blogger who can tell me what that means without looking it up! (oh, and I wrote that from memory. You can tell I'm learning something!)
What's going on in your life?

Have a great week!!!

Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Love that!   ↓

via

The Randomful, Pictureless Post (not as boring as it sounds, truly!)

Autumn. The time of leaves, acorns, sweaters, and deliciously cool breezes. Oh yeah! And deliciously yummy baking. Seriously, why does Autumn trigger baking instincts in people? Not that I'm complaining, of course... anyone have some extra cookies lying around that they could send me? :) If I make anything, I will take pictures. Have you made anything lately?

Just kidding. Anyway, today we made some yummy ham-and-cheese sandwiches for dinner. They're baking in the oven and I can't wait to eat them! Also, our neighbor dropped by and gave us a chocolate torte... one bite=heaven. Maybe I can get the recipe to share. :)

Yesterday we did hand bell choir, which was SO FUN! I love it. Something about ringing bells is very magnetic. We're working on Do You Hear What I Hear and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I have two notes, E and F.

Here is a list of things that I see right now:

1. A lamp
2. My brothers playing the piano
3. A science CD case :P
4. A music stand
5. A baby (my sister!)

And things I hear:
1. The piano
2. My brothers exclaiming
3. The TV going in the background
4. The baby pacifier being sucked on

I'm in the office right now, finishing this post. Today's been a busy day, with trips to the grocery store, dropping off my sis to babysit, that same sister's violin teacher coming over, and trying to get some school done. Lately I've been listening to bluegrass on Pandora while doing math. :) It's fun. Ooh, and Latin is fun too! Anyone learning that this year? Sum! (that means 'I am')
Oh yeah! Nearly forgot! I'm getting baptized on Sunday the 9th. :D I can't wait! I've been baptized as a baby, but I believe baptism is a public sign of faith, so I'm doing it again. I'm SO excited. :) :)
Well, that's all on the update of my exciting life. :)
Have a great week!!!

"Happiness is a full soap dispenser..."

Grace be with you,
Abby :D

ps. the sandwiches were scrumptious...

Hi, folks! Ready to go on safari?

Hello! I suppose you're here for the safari. Well, step right onto this bus and we'll get going. Today we'll be taking a tour of Abby's backyard! It's all right, you'll be viewing these perils from the comfort and relative safety of the bus. Here we go!

 On this steamy hot day, all the creatures are out and the grass jungle plants are growing big and green.

Sorry folks, it's a bit of a bumpy ride. There are no trails in this jungle grass.

All right, here we are at our next stop... the asparagus bed! Everyone pay close attention.
Look to your right, there it is.

 Look very closely... there they are! Do you see them?

The ladybugs!!!! It's all right, sir, we're safe in the bus.

Look at the beady eyes, the crawling legs...

And the most horrible of all, the mandibles of death! AHHHH!!!! AHHHH!!!

*shiver, shiver* Sorry, folks, got a little carried away there. Next, we will be viewing the bees. No need to scream, ma'am. Here we go!

Don't worry folks, it can't hurt you in here.

Watch out for its poisonous stinger and mighty wings!

Of course, there is also the terrible mosquito and the disease-ridden flies. But we don't have time to see those right now. Would you like to see the plants now? All right, let's go!

This is the fire pepper. Don't try it folks, it'll give you heartburn for years.

Watch out for these! They may look like normal tomatoes...

...but they can actually eat you, just like Venus Fly Traps!

This is called the Seed of Death flower. NO! DON'T BLOW IT!

It may look like dandelion, but if you inhale the seeds, you'll get a horrible migraine. No, ma'am, I don't know why they call it the Seed of Death flower. It doesn't kill you.

Well, that's all for today, folks. Here's the drop-off point. Hope you enjoyed the tour of Abby's backyard! Come back soon. Watch your step. All right, bye now!


Grace be with you,

Abby :D

"It's what's on the inside that counts..."

Discontent is very common nowadays. You are constantly seeing advertisements for weight loss programs or wrinkle cream. Movies and TV shows have perfect model-like men and women. The world tells you that this is what you need to be happy and fit in. Why is this? Why do we feel that we need peer approval to be happy? Recently I have been slightly discontent with my rather ordinary life. These thoughts were running through my head:

Why couldn't I be the best blogger in the world, with hundreds of followers and tons of comments, turning out funny, interesting posts with great pictures?

Why couldn't I be a really popular cool person, friends hanging on my every word and laughing at my witty comments, someone that everyone admired and envied?

Why couldn't I be a fashionably stylish person with perfect outfits and a model's face and body?

Why couldn't I be an amazing missionary, with awesome stories of miracles and redemption, someone that had the perfect relationship with God and never ever doubted His grace and love?

So in other words, I was asking myself this, "Why can't I be someone else? Why am I me?"

I constantly have to remind myself, "Real life is not like this. No one is perfect. And God does not want me to be worried about this." Yes, it's a bit cliché, but it doesn't matter what is on the outside. God only looks on the inside. Your whole purpose on earth is to please and glorify God. If you are doing that, what you look like doesn't matter at all. So the next time you are feeling discontent, remember that your friends love you, your family loves you, and most of all God loves you, even if your nose is five inches long or you forget to brush your hair in the morning. And that is what counts the most.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30 NASB


Grace be with you,

Abby :D

Sunday Song

This is the song that has been floating around in my head lately. It's really catchy, too! I heard it on the radio a couple of times, then found it on another blog, so I decided to share. Enjoy!


You say love is just a word,
just four letters in a row.
Just a thing that people say,
or they never tell you so.
And you use every excuse, to let nobody in.
Now this cloud you bring around, has become your only friend.

And everybody's saying that it's gonna go away, but it don't go.
And everybody's telling you one day it's going to change, but you don't know,
if it's really going to end.

But there is a way, there is a spark,
there is a hope that you can hold on to.
There is a lifeline come to the rescue,
just like a hand that's waiting for you.
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone.
There is a way, the Truth and the Life, and the Way.

But if love became a man,
if the Word had flesh and bone,
Would you recognize His face,
if He came to bring you home?

You think you're all alone, gotta do it on your own, riding solo.
Is there someone you can call, when you stumble and fall?
'Cause you don't know, if you'll be getting up again.

There is a way, there is a spark,
there is a hope that you can hold on to.
There is a lifeline come to the rescue,
just like a hand that's waiting for you.
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone.
There is a way, the Truth and the Life, and the Way.

Don't you think your life's worth saving?
Don't you know that love's amazing?
Don't you want to lay your troubles down?
Lay them down.

If I thought love was just a word,
I might feel the same way too.
But there's so much more than that,
and it's waiting here for you.

There is a way, there is a spark,
there is a hope that you can hold on to.
There is a lifeline come to the rescue,
just like a hand that's waiting for you.
And if you believe in this I promise that you won't be alone.
There is a way, there is a way, there is a way.
The Truth and the Life and the Way.

 Grace be with you,

Abby :D