Simple Pleasures

Last night I was lying in bed, cuddled up in my freshly washed blanket and breathing the sweet aroma of sun dried laundry. As I was being intoxicated by this sweet smell I heard the sound of crickets chirping and began to think of the simple pleasures in life.

The next morning when I awoke I heard birds singing praises to their maker, I’m not really a morning person unless I have something that needs to be done, yet I could not help but smile at the sound of cheerful birds. Then when I went out to the garden and felt the warm summer breeze I inhaled the scent of the herbs my Prince had sent to my garden. I looked up at the sky admiring the heavens and the beauty of the Master artist. I then heard the sound of children giggling I looked two house down and saw some little girls playing in their backyard.
If any of you had seen me you would have wondered what had placed such a huge smile on my lips and the distant look in my eyes. My Prince was showing His love to me! He sent these things to me everyday but I rarely took the time to slow down and just inhale and soak up the wonder of it all!

I began to wonder what other gifts had my Lord given me that I over looked and I came up with a list of the simple pleasure of life.

A baby’s laughter and smile
Children playing.
The smile of a friend from across the room.
The smell of line dried wash.
The feel of the warm sun against my skin.
The breezes that teased my cheeks and played with my hair.
The sight and sounds of birds in the trees.
The sound of water.
My family.
The taste of blueberries (and food in general).
A hug of a friend.
Music.
Smiles.
Nature.
People.

I could go on and on with my list but I think I’ll end here. What simple pleasures do you have? I’d love to hear them!

TAG! I'm it!

Hello dear readers! Its been a little over two weeks since I've last written here! I've been tagged so here it goes: I was tagged by Mackenzie (aka Grl4God) and by SamanthaMarie.

Here is what I (and whoever else I tag) have to do:

Answer some questions from whoever tagged me

Link her to my blog

Tag six more other people and comment on their blog to let them know!
Ok, the first question.


Who is your favorite author and why?
It would have to be Jane Austin! I love all of her books! They really make me long for days past and inspire me to act more feminine!

Who was your first favorite author and why?
I have to agree with Samantha on this one and say Ann M. Martin. For those of y'all who don't know who she is she wrote the "baby-sitters club" books. I used to LOVE those books and would check all of them out from the library and read them over and over!

Who is the most recent addition to your favorite authors and why?

This is gonna sound strange but I would hae to say James W. Loewen, He wrote "lies my teacher told me" it is a history book and its is wonderful! I would highly recommend it! Also Leslie Ludy author for "Authentic Beauty". I really enjoyed this book just because of the heartfelt honestly from which the author wrote, I would recommend this book to y'all as well. Then John and Stasi (I really like that name) Eldredge, authors of "Captivating". The reasons I love this book goes beyond words, If you haven't read it yet then read it!!

So lets see I tag...

Mia

Lydia

Paige

Lauraboralice


I'm working on a post that will be about learning how to knit. I plan on posting step by step pictures and maybe a video. So keep your eyes open and get your needles ready!

What to do??

Monday night while I was at work something happed that I'm sure has happened to all of my readers at least once. A group of teenage boys from about 15 to about 18 came in and while I was cutting fabric kept talking very loudly trying to get my attention. After I had finished cutting fabric and went to run the cash registered the eldest of the boys leaned on the counter in that cocky way that guys have and asked me where my boyfriend was, I proceeded to tell him that I didn’t have one and before I could tell him that I didn't date he asked me if I was interested in going out some time. I quickly told him that No I was not interested and that I didn't date, his friends started laughing at him a bit so I told him that it was nothing personal against him but that I just wasn't interested in dating and that I explained that I did not believe in dating. He got the idea and thanked me for his purchased and left. So how can you turn down a date with out hurting a young mans feeling? Well if it is a total Un-Appropriate person, then its best to just say no politely yet firmly enough for him to know you’re serious. If it is a person close to your age then again say no politely and assure him that he is not the reason your turning him down but your believes or just tell him that you don't date yet if you don’t wanna explain courtship and such.

So what if it’s a guy that you like and would like to get to know later on? I've yet to experience this one but here are some ideas that I've heard/read that I thought sounded like good ideas. Tell the young man that you’re flattered but that he should ask your father first and get to know you and your family better before you can consider accepting his request.

Flirting is something that is MAJORLY affecting your youth today. Even in church groups you see young teenagers flirting with each other. If a young man is flirting with you it can be VERY tempting to flirt back or tease back to get attention, trust me I know! Flirting, as harmless as it may seem can lead to some serious problems; what if a guy is flirting with you and you flirt back "just for fun", maybe he really does like you yet you don't care for him and probably never will. This would be very painful and confusing to the young man that you lead on with your "just for fun" flirting. If a young man does start to flirt with you then quickly correct the behavior. How do ya do that? The way that I find easiest is to simply play dumb and oblivious to the flirting. That’s easy as long as it’s just light flirting and nothing that’s totally wrong. If he doesn't get the hint and carries on then try giving a "stop that" look as discreetly as you can. If he still doesn't get it then its best to just leave lest you fall into temptation and or lead him further down the path of temptation.

Another thing that is hard to respond to is when people honk their horns as you walk by or holler out at you. My mother and I where walking at a park last year with my younger brothers, and cars kept driving by honking and yelling trying to get our attention. At first I looked back to see if it was someone I knew, big mistake, the car drove around another time and started yelling out the window, at this point I learned to keep from looking and to act like I didn't hear it.
Another time at church one of my friends cousin said something like "Hey beautiful" as I walked by and he said it in a not so quiet voice so a good few people heard him. At first I wasn't sure what to do or say so I just kept walking acting like I didn't hear him. Later that night he walked up to me and addressed me by my name and asked if I had heard him, I said that yes I had but I refused to be spoken to in such away and that I rather him use my given name or my common nick name that every one used. He was somewhat startled by that but he never again called me any "pet names".

I've never really had to deal with this one much but I feel as if I should at least touch on it little. If a young man tries to touch you in anyway then you should put distance between you immediately! Once at a soul winning clinic I went to a young man kept trying to put his arm around my shoulder or lean in to close. At first I just moved over, he didn't get it. The next time I gave him a hard look, that stopped him for awhile and the next time he tried to place his hands on the small of my back as he tried to talk to me I told him to stop and to keep his hand to him self and placed my self at arms length away. He got the message and kept his hands to him self the rest of the week but still kept trying to follow me around. The youth pastor that we went with seemed to find it amusing and did nothing to intervene, after all he had stopped trying to touch so what was the harm in his antics? The rest of the trip was very stressful and annoying the girls I was with found it charming and kept trying to get him and me to talk and sit together. His church was sitting behind ours the whole week so there was no escaping him. I finally asked his youth pastors wife to talk to her husband about it to get him to leave me alone. This worked but it was the last day of the conference! I wish I had thought of that before hand! All that to say don't be scared to ask for help in dealing with a persistent boy. If your father is not around or for some reason is unable to help you then ask a brother, if your brother-less then ask a youth pastor or pastor or some male in authority to please talk to the guy for you. You don't have to deal with it on your own!
Finally if any body places you in a situation that makes your uncomfortable in any way then get out of there! Don't worry about being polite just take care of your self and run and get some help!
If a young man try’s to get you to compromise your standards say something like "you have potential to be a great man one day, and when you are you will a protector and not a conquer of a ladies purity" as you leave him. I'm sure I've seemed up tight at least once in my dealings with males but in the end I rather seem little up tight and "prudish" then to allow my purity and femminity to taken lightly or to be put in question.

What have you found to help when responding to any of the above or other situations?
Any tips of polity turning down a date? On discouraging flirting? Anything you want to add? Something you disagree with? Then please share it! I love hearing more than one side of things! Just be sure if you do disagree to support your reasons and to do so in an uplifting Christ like manner!