New blog

Hey ya'all, I've started a new blog over here!! This one is going to be so much awesomer.

someplaceinthemidst.blogspot.com

 

Cheers!

Sophia



My Testimony

Hi ya'all!
I've been really busy lately..... But I hope your summer has been lovely!
Anyway, BIG NEWS: I GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!
It was super awesome and I thought I'd share my testimony with you.

Hi! I’m Sophia, I’m the oldest with four little brothers, and I have two of the most amazing parents in the world. I trusted Jesus as my savior with my mom at a young age, and I know that if I didn’t have Jesus, my life would be totally different.

One of the ways Christ has impacted my life a lot is in how I see myself. I have struggled to not measure my worth by how I look in the mirror or how high my ACT score is, but I’ve been able to focus on how Christ sees me. One of my favorite songs says you are treasured, you are beautiful, you are worth more than you know in the eyes of the one who made you. I play this song all the time and drive my brothers crazy, but it has been a great reminder of who I am in Christ.

One of the best parts of my relationship with Christ is that I’m not doing it alone. I have one friend in particular that I can honestly talk to about any of my struggles. One time, right before a week that I knew was going to be crazy and stressful, she wrote me a note of encouragement... And she gave me a list of Bible references to look up about peace. One of her favorite verses is Proverbs 17:17- a friend loves at all times.

Another way Christ has impacted me is that I’ve been challenged to take action. I love being a part of American Heritage Girls because through it I’ve had opportunities to serve and lead... Which isn’t always easy.  One of my favorite opportunities I’ve had was being able to crochet washcloths for girls in third world countries.  Praying over those washcloths and stitching each one was so special because it took the focus off me and onto God and  focusing on blessing others.

Anyway, one of my brothers is very passionate about leading others to Christ. He’s not scared to tell others about Jesus, while I sometimes am pretty scared. He has inspired to share God’s love because I want others to see themselves as how God sees them: a child of the highest king who’s not measured by their earthly appearance. I want to lead people to Jesus because I want others to feel the sense of Christian community that I have.

I love the first few verses of Psalm 96.

Sing to the Lord a new song;  sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations,  his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

And I want these to be the words I live by.

A few of my favorite things

So my cousins are here!! My beautiful, fabulous, cousins from Indiana.
They showed me this video which I find totally awesome. It's extra awesome because there are 12 kids in my cousins' family.

THIS.... This is the best. recipe. ever. You will fall in love with this amazing cake. Yum. Here is the recipe!

Also, I'm loving this book by Colleen Coble right now:  Lonestar Homecoming- cowboys, intrigue, redemption... What more could you ask for?!

I hope you enjoyed a few of my favorite things!
xo
Sophia

oops.

Sooo... Guess who forgot it was fathers day today?
Sorry dad.

We joke that June is my "dad's month" because his birthday, his anniversary, AND  fathers day are all only a week or two apart. So I guess with all the other celebrations, fathers day just slipped my mind.
Sorry dad.

However, this is for my dad:

I printed it out and gave it to him. You can use it if you want

.

And I also really, REALLY love this song.

 Have a great fathers day, everyone!

Sophia

on this next adventure....

May the force be with you!

We are in the wonderfully HOT state of Arizona... and these were what I gave my 4 crazies as travel gifts. I also taped more candy inside the cards. Aren't I such an awesome sister!?
I think I actually like star wars more than them. Oh well, they loved them! I got the idea from pinterest and spent over an hour trying to get the sizing and margins just right. (Then I was in a rush to get them done, so sorry that Obi Wan is larger than Darth. oops!)

Click here to see the document!

Here is what I used. I printed mine out on cardstock, and cut a slit at the base of the light sabers to slide in the pix stix candy. FYI, you might have to tape the pix stix to the the back so that they don't slide out and so they lie flat.

Luck, I wish you. ;) (get it?!)
Sophia

Women of excellence

Do you hear that sound? That sound of chains falling off?? Yes, that's right! School's officially OUT!!
So now I really don't have an excuse to not blog... I'll try to be more loyal to you lovely blog readers!

Tonight is our awards ceremony for AHG, and guess who gets to MC? Yep, that's right- ME!! And my mama is giving a speech. Her speech has 3 challenges for the AHG girls, which I think apply to ever christian lady.
The speech is titled "Women of Excellence"
OK, here are the 3 challenges to work on this summer: (with excerpts from mama's speech)

1. Being Hospitable

"I have a friend, Linda. This friend always has tea ready for anyone who visits. I am not kidding you. She is ready for everyone and anyone. She  give her best treats,she is super active. Of course everyone loves going to her house.  I am sure she did not just wake up one day and become super hospitable. she like you and me, must worked on these skills of being  hospitable. She gives her friends all of her attention and stops whatever she is doing so that she treats her visitors like Jesus would treat us"

2. Working hard

"One time I called one of my sisters to get some advice on how I can get out of working so hard. I thought she was going to sympathies with me.  I was hoping she would say, 'Take a rest, don’t work so hard, have a candy bar and take a nap.' Instead, this is what she said, 'You are so blessed that you have two hands, that you are healthy. Just keep working and work some more.' " 

3. Doing what God is pressing on your heart

I have this friend. My friend would always be talking about going on the mission field and giving up everything. God just kept pressing it in her and her husband's hearts. She tried to delay it, resisted it, and prayed and prayed and cried a lot, but she knew that God was calling her to the mission field. Me, being the inspirational friend that I am, said, “Seriously, you can just stay here, don’t be a missionary.” She turned to me and said, “This is not our home, our focus needs to be in heaven. Heaven is our true home.” My friend has now been a missionary for ten years. She talks about eating red ant eggs soup and having little critters on her pizza. I just saw Joy a few weeks ago. She shared that being a missionary is super hard but that is where God has called her and her family. That is the best place to be

I'm taking the challenge this summer to live out these challenges. Are you going to take the challenge, too?

Put it in perspective.

For all those people who complain about having little girls who sing Frozen's sound track 24/7, you are blessed. So blessed.
Because those little girls try to sound at least a bit like Idinia Menzel and Kristin Bell. Those mini Elsas and Annas are actually kind of cute.

But I wasn't so lucky. You see, I have four little brothers who are Frozen addicts. Yet they don't care if they don't sound good. They just sing at the top of their lungs for hours on end. Then they jump on my bed to wake me up at 6:40 to turn on Frozen... On the one day I get to sleep in.

They can quote any line from the movie. Then another brother will tell everyone else who said the line and at what exact moment to who pertaining to what. I'm not sure how much more I can handle.

Oh yeah, then they made multiple board games... complete with Olaf and the big snow monster. It would all be okay, but then they ask me to play their games any time they aren't singing. Seriously.

So I'm not telling you all this so you can feel sorry for me. This is for 2 reasons. Just put it in perspective.

1) You are so blessed if you have little girls who sing like angels. I know, I know, they may sing it over and over again, but it's still (a little) better than 4 little boys singing in obvious unharmony.

2) I seriously apologize for the ten million times I sang "let it go". Now I know the horrors of hearing this song on repeat.

On a different note, I still love my brothers. I bet those little angel girls don't sit down and watch the extend version of the Lord of the Rings with you.

it's a big deal.

Sometimes great things start super small. 

If you happened to pass by us 4 Radiant Rubies the past couple Fridays at church, you probably wouldn’t have known we were planning something great. Sometimes we would be embroidering or crocheting, sometimes we would be laughing, and sometimes we would be talking about random things that had nothing to do with what we were supposed to be planning. However, we put together an event that made a difference.

On Saturday, March 29th, we spent the day crocheting washcloths for an organization called Days for Girls, which provides hygiene kits for girls in third world countries.Thank you to all the people who came and helped us make a difference! Our event wasn’t big, but we used our time to serve, and serving is always big. Imagine the smiles on the girls faces when they receive the blessings that we take for granted. Our washcloths that we made for them aren’t perfect- some are too big, some are crooked- but they will make a difference. 

So next time you worry because your service project seems too small, remember: service isn’t about the quantity, but the quality. When a willing heart chooses to serve the Lord through service to others, it’s always a big deal.

  

#longingforheaven

It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter how many times I've watched this. I always cry.

#iheartzion




But that's okay. Because on earth, there will be tears, there will be babies dying, there will be families broken.

It's only for a little while.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.
#longingforheaven

Sometimes I wish I was a Duggar.

It's been a long time since I've posted. Too long.

Well, life at our homestead has been busily moving along... Too fast.
Recently, when I was lookin' at my mama's facebook over her shoulder, I saw one of her friends had shared this~

I've admired the Duggars for a long time, but two things about their family really always gets me.

1. There amazing family relationship. I love how the older girls talk openly with each other, and how Mr. and Mrs. Duggar always make time for the kiddos.

2. Their modest apparel. Sometimes, when I watch stuff, I long for their cool clothes, fashionable clothes, etc. When I watch the Duggar's show, I'm always encoutaged to strive for modesty. Oh yeah, and it's not that they dress frumpy. In fact, I think they are some of the nicest dressed ladies.

Sometimes I wish I was a Duggar. I mean, from their show, they seem pretty awesome. But then I remember that I have a crazy wonderful family and I'm happy with being me.

See Jinger's (center left) outfit? That's what I wore to church today.

See? Oh, and that crazy necklace that i'm wearing? That's my mama's style rubbing off on me. ;)

And there's all my random thoughts for the day. So, I haven't read their book yet, but I'll be sure to read it and tell you about it!
Have an awesome week!

<3 Sophia

what i learned in florida

i love florida.
going there was crazy, (picture the seven of us in our minivan for 24 hours straight) but it's just so amazing there!! like seriously, it's like a taste of heaven to stare at the ocean for hours for a midwestern girl.

 in florida, i learned that you can be carefree once in a while, without having to worry so much about your assignments, your piano competitions, etc. etc.

in florida, i learned to love my siblings with all my heart. i learned {again} that you really can have fun with four crazy brothers.

in florida, i was struck with the amazing, awesome, powerful creativity of our maker. 

we found so many jelly fish! aren't they just amazing!

i happen to adore palm trees. 

there is nothing quite as beautiful as a beach sunset. period.

that home.

this song just made me smile this morning.
this is my hope for our home.

giggle.

soooo..... funny story of the day.
You know those smart phones everyone seems to have? Well, the one that I rely on was forgotten to be charged. You know what that means? It means we drive into town, only to find that we didn't read the email telling us that AWANA was canceled.
What in the world should we do???
We decided to have some much needed family time, and we all went out for ice cream. Fun!

This little outing helped remind me that though ice cream is sweet, there's nothing sweeter than family giggles and moments together.

So would you do something for me today?
Wherever you are, whoever you are would you just take a moment...

And giggle?

Need some help? Well.... This always makes me giggle.

 

 

Need another silly thing? I love this little video.



 

 

If that didn't make giggle you could always go with some Narnia humor...

 

Seriously, I think I'm just as logical as Susan. Weird.

 

Did you giggle? Thank you. You really are lovely. ;)

 

<3

Sophia

 







that five letter word

There are two little ones playing this game at my feet. There's a brother wrapped up in a blanket listening intently to his father reading while looking out the window wishing, hoping for snow.
There's that one sibling who's supposed to be listening quietly but in reality is trying to ruin the little ones' game.
Seriously, in the few moments it took me to write that paragraph, our peaceful evening has been disrupted.

Peace. that five letter word that everyone longs for. This word is all through our house in the Christmas season. It's on ornaments. And Christmas cards. It's in songs.

Because truly, Christmas is not peaceful. There are enormously long lines at walmart. There are crazy sales and more parties than you can count.

Now that Christmas is over and done, I'm sick and tired of crazy. This 2014, I'm yearning for peace.

 

So, as we inch towards this new year, I'm going to inch towards peace. This five letter word may change my life.

Don't be afraid.. Choose Joy

Our Church's theme for Christmas this year is joy.
Instead of fear, choose joy.
Fear of the economy, sickness, broken relationships.
Joy in Christ's provision, healing, blessed friendships.

There's a common theme in the Christmas story- a theme of don't be afraid.
Mary, when the angel comes to her? Don't be afraid.
The shepherds, when the angels came? Don't be afraid.
Jesus, when he has to come to take our sin? I can imagine his father speaking~ don't be afraid.

I love to write a Christmas song every year- here's my meager attempt to convey my feelings...

Do not be afraid, do not be anxious/ For the babe you'll bear will be the savior of the world/
And though you will be scorned, always come back to me/ Though you're just a girl, you are so precious to me/

Do not be afraid, I come bringing good news/ For you've been chosen to tell the world that the savior is born/
And though some won't believe you, always come back to me/ Though you're just shepherds, you are so precious to me/

Do not be afraid, my son, I will miss you/ For you must go and tell the world of my amazing grace/ And though you will be so abused, always come back to me/ Though you'll become the least of them, you are so precious to me/

Do not be afraid, my child, you are chosen/ For you must tell of my love, you must tell that the savior is born/ And though you will be turned away, always come back to me/ Though you're just one, you are so precious to me/

That last verse? That's for you. You've been chosen to proclaim of His Love.

Do not be afraid, for perfect love casts out all fear/ Do not be afraid, proclaim of my love from the highest of heights/

And I'll hold you're hand through the darkest night/ When fear blinds you I'll be you're light/
I'll carry you down the longest road/ When fear steals joy I'll be you're hope/

Here are a few of my all time favorites...

Thanksgiving... and Duck Dynasty

Okay. First of all, I realize that it's been a while since I posted. Everyone in our fam has asthma, and that has put us under the weather for the last couple weeks. Also, life has just been a bit of a hurricane.
Now that we have my meager excuses out of the way, let's get to the real stuff.
Well... we are planning a Thanksgiving week for roughly thirty people, so my mama and I have been putting together a menu. Yeah, one day isn't enough Thanksgiving for us, so we'll be celebrating for a week.
The "theme" for Thanksgiving is Duck Dynasty- you know, big beards, camo, red necks? Haha. All the uncles who are coming for Thanksgiving are the clean shaven, button down type of guys, but we want to give them a taste of our world. Just a few days ago, my mama with the help of the boys field dressed a deer for our meat supply for the winter. Just to let you know, my mom rocks.

Sooo... here are some links to recipes that sound great and we are using for Thanksgiving week-
~UHHmazing apple sheet cake- we had a bountiful crop of apples this year, so we'll be makin' this one for sure!
~Venison Shepherd's Pie-  even though my mama makes awesome Asian food, my dad admits that shepherd's pie is his all time favorite.
~Perfect Pizza dough- do you know how much it would cost to order pizza for 30 hungry people? A lot. This will give you crunchy, moist, awesome, pizza crust.
~Bacon Cheese Potatoes- my brother and friends have a middle school boys "bacon night" and we made this for them to bring. Easy? yes. Delicious? absolutely!
~Sweet Potato Pie- yum. just yum.

As Jace of Duck Dynasty says: "never under estimate the power of miss Kay's sweet potato pie."

Speaking of Duck Dynasty, have you seen this trailer? I think this movie is going to totally rock the house. Any thoughts?

 

and of course. the joy dare. today I'm so very thankful for...

~cupcakes

~campfires



~libraries
~schoology
~radios
~metronomes
oh so much more!!!

Blessings,
Sophia

You know you've got brothers when..

Today I'm really thankful for my brothers. Yeah. I just have to keep telling myself that.

You know you've got brothers when...

~The formal room has weathered remote control car races
~Family night consists of eating cookies and watching the minion's banana song. Watch it and you'll know what part always erupts a burst of laughter. (hint- think like little boys... always solving things with violence)

 

 

~Playing Settlers of Catan can start as friendly sibling rivalry... and end with World War III
~The house magically does. not. stay. clean. Seriously. One minute you've got clean floors, the next, mud. everywhere.
~The cup song has been played on every surface of your home. the toilet. the couch. the fireplace...
~It sometimes seems like you're car schooled, not homeschooled. Appointments, classes, scouts, and everything in between.
~You get excited when you see lego & starwars stuff on pinterest. I'm so crazy that I'm attempting to cross-stitch Han Solo.

~Trying to do a photo shoot is like trying to swim up the Niagara Falls.
~Lord of the Rings are carefully added into every conversation.
~Everywhere you turn, there's a nerf dart.
~You laugh constantly. Okay, maybe not aloud, but certainly in your head. Seriously, wouldn't you be laughing too if your brother told you that math is clearly overrated and we should just eat pie?
~You understand that God most definitely has a sense of humor.

Modesty- plain and simple.

Modesty has been mind so much lately.
I'm not really sure why, but every morning when I'm trying to get dressed the question of modesty keeps coming up in my mind.

Okay, so I'm going to try to share a little bit of my heart on this matter.

~Modesty is not dressing to attract or draw attention. That's an easy one. Modesty is humility. Taking the focus off you and onto something else, like your faith, your spirit, Jesus.

~Okay, so if modesty is not dressing to draw attention, it means not showing off all you got, but also not dressing frumpy and dirty and yucky.

~Modesty is not always the prettiest, the trendiest, the hottest. Yes, there is tons of fabulous modest clothing, but you sometimes have to make the choice between darling or decent.

~Modesty is dressing in a way pleasing to God. Ask yourself "if I was standing in Jesus' presence right now, would I be comfortable with what I have on?"

Those are just some general ideas of modesty that I have, but you are going to have to form your own view on certain things. Here are a few practical tips on modesty that I try to follow...

~Try to follow the below the knee rule. For skirts and dresses, they should cover your knees. This will ensure that you can bend over and sit down without showing anything.

~Shorts- the fingertip rule plus a few extra inches. When you stand up with your hands at your sides, your fingertips should be touching fabric, not skin. a few inches longer than that always helps.

~With your four fingers placed straight at the base of your neck, your pinky should be touching fabric, not skin.

Since I was around 12, I've felt convicted to wear mainly skirts and dresses. I'm not saying this is for everyone, but I feel much more feminine and modest in them. True, if I'm camping with AHG and it's 40 degrees, I will wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but skirts are the way I like to go

So I hope my random thoughts have helped you, or at least not hindered you.
blessings,
Sophia

oh yeah! I almost forgot! Remember my joy dare? Here ya go!
a few things I'm thankful for...

~bananagrams
~apple orchards and corn mazes
~libraries
~tater tots
~sweater mittens
~hobby lobby

My Joy Dare

     So I've been reading Mrs.Voscamp's blog for a while.She is always encouraging me with her poetic thankfulness and her beautiful pictures.

     I've been thinking about it for a while, but I finally decided to take the Joy Dare. I going to take a breath and leap into a crazy attitude of gratitude, a crazy thankful, grateful, lifestyle. I'm going to write down a multitude of things I'm thankful for every day... normal things... funny things... God ordained things...

 

     Will you hold me accountable? Every time I write, I will try to mention some of my 1000 things I'm thankful for. If I forget, (which is not an unusual thing) will you remind me?

Okay. Here goes. A few things I am thankful for today...

~The Autumn rains that make everything smell fresh
~The little brother who snuggled with me this morning
~The tall stacks of books that are full of things just waiting to be learned
~The neighbor who dropped off muffins
~The friends you can crochet and sew and giggle with
~The young pianists who I get to hear play every week
~Amazing Grace

     My hear is full. Wanna know something? when I began this blog post,  my heart was grumbling about the dirty dishes, school undone, freezing feet, and anything else that I could think of, but now those things don't really matter that much. Because of thankfulness.

When Grapes tell of God's faithfulness

Today in our Bible Time, we were sharing stories of God's faithfulness and how He already planned our lives oh-so-intricately before we were even born.

My little brothers shared on how God helped them learn to read, how God planned their friendships, and so many other amazing examples on God's ever-faithful plan.

I thought about how God gave us have neighbors back when I was still a toddler who became missionaries right across from where my mama was born in Asia. How those neighbor's family became our business partners to this day.

Then my mama shared a story about when she was a little girl escaping a communist country.

"When we were in a refugee camp, somehow my dad found some grapes for us to eat. These grapes were the best thing I had ever tasted. Heaven on earth. I thought that I would do anything for more of these delicious grapes. I decided then and there that I would marry a grape farmer. For a six-year-old, that's a pretty awesome dream. Well, life kept moving. We emigrated to America, we had God-ordained people caring of us, and my life in the States began. I became a Christian, I went to college, then later on I met an awesome guy. We married and some ten years later moved back to my hometown- where I first lived when I came to America. My husband, who dreams of being a farmer, started an orchard and numerous gardens.... and a vineyard. Last night, when I was harvesting grapes, I thought back to when I was a little girl, tasting those heavenly grapes. God remembered my dreams, and fulfilled them beyond my imagination. Even with the little things, God amazes me with His faithfulness."

Doesn't that story just warm your heart? That God has your life planned so greatly, that He will take your childhood dreams and turn them into reality?

Psalm 37:4, 7a “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him.”