Friendly, Yet Reserved

I recently read a book named Just Thirteen by Dorcas R. Mast. I did not agree with all the theology, but the story was a good one and I would like to share a part from which I really profited.

The main character, Pansy, is talking to her mother and the subject of boys comes up.

"Well, just how am I supposed to act around the boys, anyway?" Pansy asked relentlessly. "I never know."
"At your age, boys and girls should only be concerned about being friends," Mother explained. "There is a right way for boys and girls to talk together. But the right way is not Kirsten's [a girl previously mentioned who is getting a lot of attention from the boys by teasing and the like] way. A girl shouldn't be showing off or be loud or overly expressive. She will be friendly and yet reserved."
"But what is that?" Pansy asked. "Friendly and yet reserved."
"I once heard reserved defined as 'self-constraint in expression'," Mother said, thoughtfully. "A reserved girl will be modest and self-controlled. She won't be flaunting herself or be trying to catch attention. And the boys will respect that. You think that Andy and Jeremy [unbelievers from school] like Kirsten. Perhaps they do. But they respect you and Cynthia and Jocelyn [Pansy's Christian friends] too much to be free with you."
"I can understand that," Pansy said, looking soberly at her ear of popcorn.
"And don't forget that Hugh and Phillip, who are Christians, aren't flirting with Kirsten. Kirsten herself said that Hugh wasn't much fun. That means Hugh knows how to be reserved, which says something for Hugh. You see, Pansy, this is a two-way street. The girls can't do it all. And neither can the boys. Each must have respect for the other. But you can be friendly in a way that is reserved. It isn't necessary to be so reserved that you never speak to each other."
Pansy smiled a little. "Of course not. I know that. But this sets a few things straight for me. On the other side of the picture, Hugh and Phillip are the boys that I have the most respect for."
Mother nodded. "That's right. You're too young to be having a special friendship with a boy or even to be thinking about such a friendship, Pansy. But you aren't too young to form ideals about the right kind of boy."
"And we don't base our decisions on whether he's good-looking or not," Pansy said wisely.
Mother smiled. "Certainly not. Looks don't count for anything. Remember that 'Handsome is as handsome does.' And that goes for the girls as well."


What do you think? What are some practical ways you try to implement these concepts into your life?

Beauty and the Beast

 

What is more beautiful than a little princess holding a newly born baby goat?

There's a New Baby [Doll] in the Works

Lately, I've been in the process of making a doll.

 

Embroidering the face was the most fun part, cutting out a new set of arms was not. : ) It was quite hilarious when I had sewn all the pieces together, but hadn't stuffed her yet.

 

Before:



 

After:

 

 

I was so excited to have her "done" that I totally forgot to sew on her ears. : ) Since I hadn't made her clothes yet, I wrapped her in an old baby blanket and presented her to the little girls.

 

 

 

Today, during the time that the "big kids" were doing school the littles dressed her in some of their doll clothes and played a rollicking, messy game of house. : )

 

 

 

I haven't named her yet so if you have suggestions that mean things like "hope" or "trust in the Lord" I'd love ideas. If you'll excuse me, I need to go read about making doll hair, cut out some doll clothes and maybe sew on those ears. : )

 

Oh yeah, and there is some laundry to fold too.

 

 

 



American Everything and Pita Soccer

Bluebie has been extra funny lately. Her new adjective for emphasis is "American". When she needs to do something, she needs to do it "American bad". The other day she said, "Katie and I can make the [pancake] batter. We do it good. American good."
Today we invented a hilarious new game. There was an unspoken "no hands" rule and you should have seen us cleaning pita dough off our feet afterwards. It all started when I accidentally dropped some dough and began to squish it with my feet. She began to squish as well and it turned into a game of keep-away. It was great fun.

Six Months to Wait

It was 2008 and we were on a really long road trip. We had exhausted everything we had brought to listen to so Dad bought a cd at a truckstop. It was called "You Deliver Me" by Selah. There were good songs, decent songs, rousing songs, songs we skip, etc. But the last song on the album and its accompanying description stood out by telling the story of Audrey Caroline Smith, a baby girl who had only lived 2 1/2 hours after birth but had touched more lives than she would ever know.

Fast forward five years to this spring. My parents purchased a beautiful picture for me for my birthday. It is so beautiful, I am quite enjoying it!! I encourage you to visit the artist's site and check out her portfolio--her work is amazing and her art ranks as my top favorite. (www.breezytulip.com) Reading her blog one day I discovered that she was illustrating a children's book about Audrey written by the child's mother. (http://breezytulip.com/2013/audrey-bunny/) Just the cover illustration and author/illustrator blog posts will make you want to read it!

I'm really excited about it, anyone else?

Dueling Poets? That's a weird title!

We sat down and came up with a subject, then wrote poems separately. Here are the different opinions and styles we got...


My Most Fantastic Birthday Hat
By Aimee
On the day I turned three,
My birthday hat was pink and sparkly.

When I was nine,
Outlandish clown hat sublime.

Then seven--Kevin, Devon, and Nevin,
Just about everyone laughed at pipe cleaner decked seven.

But eleven, oh eleven was the best of all,
How clearly I remember that half basketball.

(Fictional!!!)


Birthday UHLO (Unidentified Hat-like Object)
By Kate
Pompoms, sequins, polka dots, feathers,
Horror of horrors upon my head,
Embarrassed flush, color does rush,
You'd never catch me in one dead.

JK (Paul just made me an elegant up-cycled paper plate and streamer one)

The Good of Summer 
Creamy goodness to slowly savor,
Cherish the thought of that awesome flavor,
Although you begin to grow nummer and nummer,
Be reminded of all that is good about summer.

Ice Cream Mountain
Dreamy, drippy, creamy, licky, melty, milky, oh what fun,
Eat a cream cone in the sunshine, eat the flavors one by one,
Make your way up Ice cream mountain,
Press you onward 'til the cherry's won,
Dreamy, drippy, creamy, licky, melty, milky, oh what fun!

The Cat in the Bag
By Aimee
Don't let the cat out of the bag,
Oh, please don't spill the beans!
'Cause sister Kate's day is in the morn,
The secret you must keep,
Don't tell her of the elephant or purple dancing bears,
If you must say something, please whisper in my ears.


Secrets
By Kate
A secret is a little trifle,
That desperately wants out,
For some reason you want to tell,
The whole world what it's about.

A Gift of Goldfish (Crackers, that is)

You just might be an older sister if...

You receive love notes written in pictures
You find a tiny sock in your hamper
You can recognize the musical themes from Peter Pan and Cinderella
You have the Blues Clues birthday song stuck in your head
You've had a crayon washed and dried with your laundry
Your roommate has told you about her silly straw at 3 in the morning
Your afore mentioned roommate has asked you to help her back into bed when she has rolled out
You almost have Goodnight Moon memorized
You recieve many invitations to tea
You've participated in a potty training celebration
You're used to forks on the opposite side of the plate
You're used to spelling words aloud to those who ask
You can paint tiny toenails
You like Cinderella and AristoCats
You've been told "I have a princess on my bum." (Pull-up designs, 'nuff said)
You've had gumballs as decorations on your 18th birthday cake (Young cake decorators)
You prepared and wrapped tons of Christmas presents
You can help a little friend with a word search
Your younger brother claims you are his little sister (little as in short)
There's a long line of people hoping to be in your future wedding
Your pen-pal receives a three-year-old's art
You accidentally teach a whole class the driver's manual
Your fancy shoes "walk off" seemingly by themselves
You've accidentally been told your birthday present
Everyone (even the 3-year-old) knows the parts to the Messiah: Christmas Suite because you were learning it
Your bunk bed is suddenly turned into a fort
The endearing nicknames are mutual (Kate's been called a "little ice cream")
You've sewn a loved sock doll's head back on
You receive a gift of goldfish when they find out you like them (and then they ask for one of them when Mom says they can't have any more of their own)
You mistake another little child for one of your siblings
The youngest cries because of your face cleansing mask
Cinderella and the Handsome Prince are the standard for clean, sparkling white teeth
You're a five point harness expert
You play Hi-Ho Cheerio and Elefun like a pro
You've used a sippy cup when nothing else was clean
A little voice whispers "goodnight" to you at ten pm or so
A crowd gathers the first time you try makeup
It is the height of festivities when you pull out your old toys and play with the kids for a while
They want to borrow your Mr. Potato Head

We love you, little people!
Love,
Aimee and Kate



Note: List was compiled from real happenings happened to real people, two of which there are.