Before and After

When it comes to organizing you might as well shout my name. My job in the family is to organize things. I mainly work on the junk drawer and the art cabinet. Mom says no one can do as good as I can. I usually clean them out once every two or three months. In the pictures below you will see my latest work.

Before

After

Before we have Jesus in our lives we feel messy and out of place. When we ask Him into our lives He comes into our heart and cleans us all up and sorts every thing out. Do you know how somethings don't just fit in the right spot unless you put something different in there first? Well it is the same way with Jesus. If you don't put him first then all of your things just won't fit in.

Growing in Grace

My friend Miss Monica is on the cover of Growing in Grace for this December. I am very excited. This month is wrapped up with lots of new fun stuff. Such as giveaways and new desktops. This month we are having a givaway from the book Andrea Carter and the Family Secret. You can read it and sign up for the give away here. I hope you enjoy this new winter edition of GGM.

World Smile Day

Do you recognize this picture?

Henry Ball is the artist who created the yellow smiley face in 1963. This has become one of the biggest symbols of happiness known to this day. He decided that one day a year should be dedicated to smiling and doing acts of kindness.

When I smile it makes me feel happy. When someone smiles at me, it makes me feel that that person cares about me. If you think about it why would someone smile if it had no meaning? They must be in a good mood and have a good attitude for it to really mean something.

A smile means happiness. When Christians smile it can show that we have joy. When people ask us why we’re so happy we can just tell them that we have the love of Jesus.

On World Smile Day, we can make people smile by showing acts of kindness.

Here are some ideas for you…

Make a get well card for someone who is sick

Hold the door open for someone

Be the first to give a friendly “Hello”

Hug a friend

Help your mom without being asked

Ask your dad how his day was

Ask your younger sibling if they want to play a fun game

And of course, SMILE!

Do you have another idea to make someone smile? If so, please leave a comment.
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." Philippians 4:4

From the Learning Room

What I am reading: Main Street September Surprises.

Bible Verse: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Prayer: I am praying for my mommy's good friend Ulrike and that she would feel better and have a good recovery.

Spelling/Vocab/History: Memorize 30 new words for spelling and a few others for a coming up vocab test. Also I am doing a report on Ronald Reagan.

Cooking: I am hoping that I can help my mom make asian food tonight.

Pet Chores: Give Zoey and Rosie food and water. Give Zoey a bath. Brush Her. Zoey is my dog and Rosie is my cat.

A picture I would like to show you...

Got Bling?

Bling-bling! It sparkles. It shines. And it surely catches your eye! You’ll be the envy of all your friends if you buy the new and improved Bedazzler.

The new thing in fashion is to be caught covered in sequins and sparkles from your head to your toes. It’s everywhere! In magazines, on TV, in the mail, catalogs and even in country stores I go in!

How do you want to attract attention...with sparkles and it being all about your outer appearance, or do you want it to be about what is on the inside? Every girl has a choice. I get tempted to think how do I look in this outfit, do these shoes match this shirt, is my hair alright? In fact I think like that every day, and I probably shouldn't think like that at all.

What if instead we let our sparkle, or light come from the inside? Let's ask questions instead like, am I using all the fruits of the spirit such as, love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Now that is some shiny fruit that is sure to sparkle, and grab some attention!

A Wise Boy

AGM Giveaway

My mom loves this website. They are being very nice and offering a give away for three different children's books. You can enter at Apples of Gold Ministries.

Best wishes!

Never Give Up

Have you ever wanted to do something and have tried and tried, but never made that much progress? Well, if you have, I know how you feel, because it is the same thing here. For me, I have always wanted to do gymnastics, but I am clumsy.

In particular, cartwheels are not my thing. I cannot point my toes very well and my left leg just will not get in the air. I look like my brother’s remote control helicopter crashing. Then there is my landing which is not a pretty sight.

I am pretty good at most things I try, so having this problem kind of keeps me humble, especially because all my friends can do cartwheels really well. If I am not careful, I can feel left out and sorry for myself.

Not being able to do a cartwheel is not a big thing, but maybe you have a larger problem than that. Maybe you are having family problems or school work is hard.

Whatever your difficulty is, the Bible says we should “glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:3-4).

Dear God, I pray that you would help everyone with their problems and that if anyone is having a hard time you would carry them through. Help us rejoice in our sufferings and produce perseverance, character, and hope.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Olymics

The Olympics are here! I am so excited since the last time I saw them I was 8 and what I had seen is hard for me to remember, so it's pretty neat to me. My favorite sports are beach volleyball and gymnastics. Here are some bios and pics of my favorite people just in case you would like to see...

http://www.nbcolympics.com/

Wordle

Hey everyone! Lady Olivia here. And I just wanted to tell you about this cool thing that I just did that's so much fun. It is called Wordle. I 've been seeing that alot of bloggers have been doing this so I guess it's my turn now! :)

Here it is...

Ok I know it is kind of small because if I enlarged it would just get really blurry. So if you want to see it click for a bigger image. I call it Random Me. If you make one you get to customize it make your own font and all that stuff. Have a nice day!

GGM August Cover

The new August cover is out for Growing in Grace.

Get ready to scream, because I'm on it! It's an honor to be a part of GGM!
They have very good new articles.

This month's theme is lemonade so while you're reading get a glass and enjoy! ~~~~~~~ Also the other day I forgot to put on here that it was my mom's birthday the 27 of July. Happy B-day Mom! I hope you had wonderful celebration! I'm giving you the ultimate sunflower party! Your the worlds number one mom!

~Lady Olivia

Freedom

“Turn it up! Turn it up! Please!”

I remember telling my mom repeatedly.When I was about five years old I had a favorite song called Freedom by Darrel Evans. Every time I heard it on the radio I would ask my mom that same question over. I didn’t care what anyone thought about what I was doing. I had all the freedom in the world when I rejoiced and danced for the Lord.

Whenever I go out in public I sometimes lose what really is me inside and my shyness takes over a little too much. I think we all have that same problem at some point. God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. I hope that God will help me overcome that mistake and let me have real FREEDOM just like I did when I was dancing around in my living room as a little girl.

Happy Forth of July!!

BOOM CRASH BANG, Today is Independence Day!

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Yippee woo hoo! Look at the lights what a wonderful night.

Family and friends meet altogether.

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Cooking up treasures of so much fun say it together everyone!

"Independance Day Independance Day, tonight we declare our freedom.

Be joyful, make memories this only comes around each year! Happy Birthday America,

Everyone cheer!"

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To read more about the Forth of July visit the new GGM for July.

Poem by Lady Olivia.Picture by PcCrafter

A Candle You Can Eat

Here is a recipe to go with your breakfast or just for a snack. I like it because it is fruity and makes you feel good. My brother and I are always surprised when we see this at breakfast because it looks and tastes good!

I think younger kids will especially like this. It is very easy to make.

Here is what you need to make this delicious treat.

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1 slice of canned pineapple

1/2 banana

1 maraschino cherry

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Put peeled banana candle in the middle of the pineapple and top with the cherry flame. You can use a toothpick to put the cherry on the banana, but be sure you warn people that it is there.
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Here is a little verse that goes along with this article a bit.

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Matthew 5:15, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (KJV)

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Summer Fun

Sorry I haven't been posting alot I've been having some summer fun myself so here is a post theat kinda goes with that.

Summer is my favorite time of year. Do you know why? One of the reasons is because it is the only time of year when we can go on vacation. One year my family and I went to Disneyland and had the time of our lives. Everywhere you looked there were rides, water slides, roller coasters and just about everything a kid could dream about! It was a paradise!


I love to go swimming and to be home with my family when school is out. Sometimes my brother Zach and I like to go down to our creek and catch crawdads and tadpoles. The thing about summer is that you can do just about anything you want. Here are a few things that remind me of this wonderful season…watermelon and strawberry juice dripping down my face while eating, running barefoot in the grass, making card houses out of playing cards and a bunch more!!

Did you know that summer officially starts on June 21? Here is a list of some fun things to do in the summertime. Enjoy!



* ride bikes

* roller blade

* make a tent out of blankets

* run through the sprinkler

* jump rope

* read books

* blow bubbles

* play with play dough

* write a letter to family or a friend

* make a craft

* draw

* paint

* watch a movie

* write stories

* bird watching

* play card games

* play catch

* collect rocks

* collect feathers

* play Frisbee

* play dress-up

* build a fort in your room

* build a fort in your yard

* cook

* do something nice for a neighbor

* plant a garden

* crochet or knit

* make bookmarks


This was one of my posts at the new June GGM. I would go check it out real quick because the July one is almost out.

Moving On And Growing Up

A few weeks ago, we moved into a brand new house. I was very scared about all the changes that were going to be made. I would have to make brand new friends, leave two of my cats behind that I had come to love, along with all the good memories from our old house.

Through all of this I realized that God lets hard things into our lives to help us grow in our faith and grow closer to Him. Romans 8:28 says “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I have learned that when you feel comfortable and things are easy, like at my old house, I didn’t have to trust God as much because I knew what to expect. Now, I really have to trust Him way more than I did before because there are new people that I have never met and places I have never been to before.

It made me realize that this is not an everlasting place like Heaven will be. It is just temporary. God is preparing me for even more challenging times in my future, but the thing He is really getting me ready for is my real home!

Do you have hard times that you are dealing with in your life right now? Let me remind you that if you have hope in Jesus, He will bring you through.

Dear Jesus, I pray that you will help me and everyone else through all the things that are happening in my life and that you would keep us safe. Thank you for working a good purpose through hard times. In Jesus’ name, amen.

A New Bundle of Joy

Just a few days ago we got a wonderful dog. Before we had a dog named Shadoe, but she was just a family dog and Zach and I had only had her for her last few years. So our parents let us pick out a smaller dog out all by ourselves since we just moved and had a smaller back yard. Now she's mostly just Zach and mine because she's just a puppy, and so hyper, but she comes with a lot of responsibility. We decided to give her the name Zoey.

Don't you think she is just the cutest little thing?? Hiding in the picture with her is Zoey's favorite toy Mr. Wiggles. Zoey takes it around everywhere. It's kind of like her comfort item. My dad jokingly calls her Chuck or Chucket since she's a girl also he likes to kid around by nicknaming her after a mop or a fuzzball. The only reason he does it is to bother me and it really works. [sigh]

My mom says that Zoey is a big bundle of joy just wrapped up in a bunch of fur. What a blessing it is to have her be able to live with us. I bet while God is watching us he smiles when he gets to see Zoey run across the lawn while her hair is trying to catch up with her. Because I know we do. Thank you Jesus for sending Zoey to live with us.

Book Review ~ Giveway

Laylie’s Daring Quest is a book in the Life of Faith series. Laylie and her brother Luke are African-American slaves from the 1830s. They work at a plantation in South Carolina.

Laylie Colbert is a very outgoing girl who is not afraid to take risks. One of Laylie’s biggest challenges is to come to know Christ, but when she becomes Millie’s slave, very interesting and new things happen....

[To read the rest of my review, go to Growing in Grace Magazine]

You can get this copy for free by entering our contest! The book will come with a special message from me!

Here are the rules:

*Leave a comment at Growing in Grace.
*Announce it on your '*existing' blog - including links to this review on GGM.
*Put the icon on your sidebar.
*Those who build a blog just for the purpose of this giveaway will not be entered.

Contest hosted at Growing in Grace.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy birthday Zach!!

Ok little bro, since I know you love Star Wars, I am going to throw you an awesome party all about it.

First here is your cake...

What would we do without the toys??

And here are the party favors..Well Zach I hope you had a wonderful birthday. Enjoy!!

I love you!! And I hope Jesus will bless you for the rest of your life.

Love your big sis,

Lady Olivia

Woo Hoo!!

Guess what??! I got two new awards!!

Here is the first one. I got this one from Maddie.

And I am giving it to...

Gina, MJ, and Childlife!!

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Here is the last one I got from Childlife

This one goes to Wanda and Amanda!!

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By the way my family and I are all moved and safe thank you for all that prayed for us!!

It Happend...

Well today we went to what will be our new house and officially bought it. My family and I have to move in tomorrow since the people that bought our house want to be here by the 16th of May. It is really crazy around here. Everyone is scrambling around doing something. Right now we are praying that God would keep us safe and I hope you would pray for us to.

Thanks,

Lady Olivia

I Scream

I scream. You scream. We all scream for Ice cream. Wouldn’t you agree? Everyone loves ice cream don’t they? Well I do for sure! Ice cream is my favorite treat to eat especially in the summer. When I eat it, it feels like I am eating a sugary cloud of goodness.

So why am I going on about ice cream? On May 29, 1948, the first ice cream freezer was patented. I sure am glad about that, but you don’t have to have a big machine to make ice cream. Here is an easy way of making it in just five minutes…

What you will need:

* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 1/2 cup milk or half & half
* 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
* 6 tablespoons rock salt
* 1 pint-size Ziploc plastic bag
* 1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic bag
* Ice cubes

How to make it:

1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one and seal again carefully.
4. Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off top of small bag, then open carefully and enjoy!

Did you know?

One of the major ingredients in ice cream is air. Without it, the stuff would be as hard as a rock.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest ice cream sundae in the world was made in Alberta, Canada, in 1988. It weighed nearly 55,000 pounds!

Some of the strangest flavors of ice cream ever manufactured are avocado, garlic, bean, jalapeño, and pumpkin. There was even a dill pickle ice cream!

Ice cold
Creamy
Eat it fresh!

Cool on your tongue
Rocky Road
Extraordinary
A very delicious treat
Minty

***Don't forget that many Baskin Robbins (also known as 31 Flavors) has One Dollar Scoop Night on Tuesdays all year long! You can also sign up for their birthday club and you'll get a free coupon for ice cream when your birthday comes.

Happy Mothers Day!

Your as pretty as a daisy when you dance in the breeze.

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Your filled with joy, happieness and love.

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When you get near I feel a great comfort wash over me.

You take care of use and keep us happy.

As our mom you make us feel like we have a real purpose,

And all I can say is thank you for every thing you do.

Optical Illusions

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12

The other day there was a science fair at my school. It only came around once a year so we decided to join in on the fun since I had made my own display board. While we were looking around they had others along with different experiments for you to do. On the stage all of the boards that kids had made were up on top. One in particular caught my eye. It was called “The Brain Deceives You”. Each part of the board had different illusions. Here are some for you to try…

Try saying the colors of the words, but not what they really say. Try doing it three times fast.

Red, Green, Blue, Yellow,
Pink, Purple, Orange, Grey,
Brown, Black, White

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Can you see it moving?

____________________________________________________

Do you see a bunny or a duck?

Well, you saw a few optical illusions, but did you know that not only the brain deceives you? Yes, satan can deceive you too. Do you remember in the Bible when he told Eve that if she ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that she would be as wise as God? Eve believed him and she ate from the tree. After that she gave a piece of fruit to Adam and told him the same story that the serpent had told her. When they ate the fruit their eyes where opened to things they had never noticed before. You see, you many think things are right, but they might not be, just like those optical illusions. Sometimes I feel like coveting my friend’s toys when I am at their house or I might feel tempted to do something that my mom told me not to do. No matter what I am about to do wrong I ask God to help me. Do you ever feel like being tempted or coveting? Remember, it is an optical illusion. Just bring it to God and He will help you.

***May GGM***

Guess what? They just published the new GGM for May!! You should stop by and check it out. Also they have a new scrapbooking contest. This is the latest and greatest Christian magzine for girls. I hope you have fun reading it!!

Attn: Mothers and Daughters! REMINDER

**More Prizes Added**

We have updated our Mother Daughter giveaway and added some prizes for the winner. Please be sure to contact us with your entry by this coming Saturday, April 26th!

ggmphotosubmissions@gmail.com

Growing in Grace Magazine wants to honor Christian mothers and daughters in May for Mother's Day! We'll be planning a special article just for this occasion and here's what we would like to do:

-Send us your best photo of mother with daughter(s).

-Girls: Tell us what makes YOUR mom so special.

-Photos may be of you doing something together, participating in a favorite hobby, or just a still pose. Your choice.

We'll choose one winning article to be featured in May's issue, but all participants photos will be featured in honor of your moms.

Please contact us and we'll send you a permission form to complete for using your photo.All mothers with daughters 18 or younger may apply. Three/four generation photos are also accepted.

Edited to add: Deadline for submissions is April 26th!!!!

Some prizes are coming in and here is a sneek peek at whatC.S. Flowers is offering the winner! (U.S. Resident only)

Also we have an e-Book on menu planning that was donated by Graham Family Ministries.

We also have a lovely little goody basket full of stationary (note pad, scrapbooking stickers, shopping list pad, pink note cards, Mary Engelbreit Journal, and garden note cards), a $5 Starbuck's gift card, a Semi-Precious Stone heart charm necklace with additional charms, AND that's not all!

You'll also get a KJV New Testament pocket Bible, and a fun book for mom, 'Death of a Six Foot Teddy Bear'. A fun little book on Girlfriends 'Moments of connection'

A Season's Best Recipe cookbook from Pampered Chef.

Also you'll get a Strawberry and a Cherry Lip Balm from Burt Bee's, as well as their Mini Lotion kit.

Prize Package valued at approx. $1oo

**If you are a vendor and would like to donate prize(s) for our winner, please contact us.

Contest for US mainland residents only This is a wonderful way to show your mom and the whole world how much your mother means to you. Please pass this news onto your friends and invite others to join us. Here are two graphics you may use.

BUT WAIT! There's more! If you blog about this on your sites and send us the link to your entries, we'll enter your name FOR EACH BLOG you post this on, into the drawing. So help spread the word for a greater chance to win!

Thanks for vistiting!!

Spring

Hey everyone!! I'm so glad spring is here aren't you?
I just designed some buttons so you're welcome to copy them and use them for yourself .
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I hope you liked them!! Have a wonderful day love,

Olivia
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And the Winner Is....

And the winner of our contest is Jaqcui!!! Congrats! Here is an award I made for you and your mom. I hope you like it!!

I have very sad news to report. My brother's fish died a few days ago and now we only have one, so her brand new name is Elsie!

Also before you go here is the verse for the week:

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

(In case you haven't been to my website here lately and you don't get this post see this one.)

He Cares About the Little Things

Hi Everyone!! Okay I have a little chalenge for all of you who want to particitipacte. Today my brother, mom, and I went to a carnival at our school. It was so much fun!!! It was a fundraiser so we decided to join in.

I was walking along the street with a few of my friends and we saw a huge line going from one place to another. It ended up that they had a few fish bowls with colored water in them. What you were trying to do was throw a ping pong ball in one of the bowls in three tries to win your very own GOLDFISH! I decided to give it a try. I mean what did I have to lose? From a distance it looked real easy, but once I actually tried it real hard. Finally on my last try I made it into the bowl. And I got my very own goldfish!!! Can you see my ball in the green bowl?

Next, my brother came along and asked where I got the fish and I said, "Over there where the long line is. You can't miss it..." About 5 minutes later my brother was in the line and ready to win.

"Sorry you didn't win, but you can come over here and get a play goldfish," the teacher said in the nicest voice she could.

I felt so sorry for my brother I almost gave him my goldfish. Another 30 min. later we were in line for the third try. My mom and I where praying hard for my dear brother to get a fish. When it came to be his turn he finally won. We were all screaming and jumping up and down (forgeting about the fish in the bag). Happy as can be we rushed home and put the 2 goldfish in a bowl.


"Now isn't that just amazing that God cares for even the littlest things?" Mom asked.


"Yes!" we both answered.

The thing is we can't figure out what to name them. We need your help.

Please leave your vote for a good boy and girl name. Thanks so much!

Deadline: April 10, 2007

(This was attached to the bag. Isn't that cool? Also, at my school, the fifth grade is selling KJV Bibles. Pretty neat for a public school, huh? Praise the Lord!)

PB & J

Certain things just go together like bread and butter, milk and cookies, and of course….peanut butter and jelly. If you really like that very last combination, you should try celebrating National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day on April 2!

According to a Smuckers timeline, PB & J sandwiches go all the way back to 3000 BC. That was when the Egyptians baked the first leavened bread. In 1500 BC, peanuts were first discovered. Thousands of years later, in 1762, there is record of the very first sandwich. In 1890, peanut butter was invented. Of course, the greatest invention was sliced bread! About seven decades ago, jams, jellies, and preserves became popular. Finally, in the 1940’s, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich was invented.

Most people know of the famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Usually that is the big thing in my lunch box! Today I will be teaching you a peanut butter and jelly recipe, but with a brand new twist.

Ingredients:

1 18-ounce roll refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough

6 tablespoon preserves, such as raspberry, cherry or strawberry

1 pint of vanilla bean ice cream


Directions...

1. Prepare cookies according to instructions.

2. Place about 1 tablespoon of ice cream on each flat side of one cookie.

3. Place 1 teaspoon of jam or preserves on each flat side of 1 cookie.
Top with another cookie, flat side down, and press lightly.
Repeat with remaining cookies, jam, and ice cream.

This is a fun and simple recipe. I hope you enjoy this wonderful little snack!

April GGM

Hi there. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Okay, at GGM there is a brand new magizine for April!! You may be thinking...here we go again, BUT this new issue is awesome it has practically everything! You may be the kind of person that likes crosswords or you may be the type who enjoys reading different kinds of recipes. From cooking to crosswords they have just about everything there at Growing in Grace so head on over the before it gets too late.

Feeling Feminine Challenge

Hi!! This month I am going to particeipate in Jocelyn's Feeling Feminine Challenge at A Pondering Heart . This month she is encouraging you to write a letter, a bible verse, or a song in cursive. You may also do something other than that if you like.

Here is mine I hope you like it!!

Also this is our memory verse for the week.