Have Faith in God

While practicing the piano and playing my favorite hymns, I found this beautiful hymn. I never heard it before but the words are encouraging.  After some practicing, I was able to sing and play it. :-) Click here to listen to me sing and play it on the piano. (You may have to turn up your speakers).

Have faith in God when your pathway is lonely;

He sees and knows all the way you have trod.

Never alone are the least of His children;

Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Have faith in God; He's on His throne. 

Have faith in God; He watches o'er His own.

He cannot fail! He must prevail!

Have faith in God, have faith in God.

Have faith in God when your pray'rs are unanswered;

Your earnest plea He will never forget.

Wait on the Lord; trust His Word and be patient.

Have faith in God; He'll answer yet.

Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow;

His heart is touched with your grief and despair.

Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him;

And leave them there, O leave them there.

Have faith in God tho' all else fail about you.
Have faith in God; He provides for His own.

He cannot fail tho' all kingdoms shall perish;

He rules, He reigns upon His throne.

Blessings,

What I've been doing...

I've been having lots of fun as I work to improve my skills in home making. :-)  This past week, Mom helped me sew a beautiful skirt. We had lots of fun working together. The fabric is beautiful and it is quickly becoming my favorite skirt. When it comes to sewing, I consider myself a beginner. However, with my desire to wear more modest clothing, it has become increasingly important that I practice my sewing skills. And each minute that I spend at the sewing machine, my love for sewing grows!

 
Earlier this month, I also made my first apron! I used a little creativity and planning to make it without a pattern. It took some thought to decide just how I'd like it to fit and then how to make it all come together but it turned out lovely. The new apron gives me a little incentive to do more in the kitchen! :-)

In addition to sewing, I've also been trying out different recipes for cookies. This week, I made wholesome "no-bake" cookies that tasted delicious. You can get the recipe here. Sorry, they disappeared before I could get a good picture of them. ;-)

Another one of my favorite hobbies is practicing on the piano. I love to play hymns and "improvise" to make my own arrangements for my favorite songs. I try to practice about 30 minutes every day, and can definitely see the benefits of consistent work. Like sewing, the more I play the piano, the more I enjoy it. :-)

With the Colossians 3 memorization challenge complete, I can now focus on the Bible reading challenge. The last few days of the memorization challenge, I slipped behind in my Bible reading so I can focus on memorizing the last verses of the chapter. Now, I have to get back on track with the Bible reading so I can finish in 6 months!

What have you been doing lately? What are some of your favorite hobbies or things to do around the home? Please share!

A Visit to Commissioner's House

Last week, we visited Commissioner's House for a field trip.  Commissioner's House was designed and built to be multi-purpose. It was constructed in 1822, and served as private quarters for the civilian commissioner of the Dockyard, as well as hosted functions and official ceremonies. After years of neglect and decay during the second half of the 20th century, the Bermuda Maritime Museum transformed it into a wonderful museum. Now, Commissioner's House features a wide variety of exhibits ranging from coin collections to shackles recovered from slave ships.  

~Commissioner's House from the water~

{We forgot to take an outside picture of the house so I found this pic on Google images.}

~Looking over the Dockyard from the first deck~

~The Portuguese make up around 10% of Bermuda's population~

~Wheel hoe used by Portuguese farmers, circa 1900~

~Diagram showing how slaves were packed into ships~

~Shackles recovered from slave ships~

~Jude by model of sail ship~

~Wash basin from Jamaica~

~New currency released in Jan. '09 is displayed in the money exhibit~

~Bermuda $1 bills printed in 1914~

~Real gold coins dating back to the 1600s~

~Wall mural painted by Graham Foster depicting 400 years of Bermudian history~

~Another view of wall mural~

~Leah enjoying a minute by the fountain~

~The children taking a break in front of the fountain~

(Left to Right: Eden, Leah, Jude, & Sara)

~Sara helping her little brother to look at an exhibit~

~Leah taking a peek through the wheel for a cannon~

(Sara's green iPod is between the spokes!)

 ~Sheep grazing along a wall; according the the museum's website the

sheep are their "trusty lawnmowers" :-) ~

~A sheep getting a nibble to eat~

~Dad and Jude hanging out by a cannon~

~Cute dollhouse exhibit~

 ~A cloudy day, but still a great view from the second veranda~

~Another view looking towards the pier for the cruise ships~

~Mother perched on a large window~

~Plaque outside Commissioner's House giving it's latitude/longitude~

~The outdoor grounds feature several tunnels and subterranean rooms~

~Small boat moored at the water's edge of a small pond~

We had lots of fun and learned new things by reading the informative displays located by each exhibit. We took lots of photos and hope to return another time!

Blessings,

Yarn + Needles = Fun!

Knitting is one of my favorite hobbies. Mom taught me how to knit when I was nine, and since then I've always enjoyed knitting! Personally, I prefer working on smaller projects like hats and purses because they don't take as much time to finish. ;-)  I almost always have a knitting project in progress and this week I'm working on a ribbed hat. You can get the pattern here.  It's turning out beautifully and I hope to finish it in a couple of days.

Aside from knitting, I've been working on crocheting a dish cloth and sewing an apron.  Look out for pictures of those soon!

Whether it's sewing, knitting, or crocheting, I'm always busy making something. What kind of crafts do you enjoy?  Are you working on any projects right now? Please share your favorite crafts and patterns!

Blessings,

"She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:19, 22,27

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalms 139:14

Two Rainbows in One Day!

The weather has been unpredictable the past few days; sunny one second, pouring rain the next. This is perfect for rainbows and yesterday we were blessed with two of them! Leah spotted the first one early yesterday morning as we were doing our chores.  It was fading by the time I got my camera but it was still beautiful. Then in the afternoon I stepped outside after playing the piano, only to see another rainbow. The weather was just right; the sun was shining and it was drizzling at the same time. This one was lovely. The colors of the rainbow were distinct and vibrant and there was even a faded second rainbow above it! Whenever I see a rainbow, I am reminded of God's promise to Noah and his family that He would never destroy the earth again by water. I also think about how creative God is to place such a beautiful sign in the sky for us to enjoy!

Blessings,

~view of yesterday morning's rainbow from our backyard~

~yesterday morning's fading rainbow with small fountain and rose bush~

~gorgeous evening rainbow by Willowbank's conference center~

~another view of yesterday evening's rainbow over the Heydon Trust Nature Reserve~

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." Genesis 9:13-15

My Matthew 5:44 Wall Hanger

As promised, here is the photo of the Matthew 5:44 wall hanger I created for my bedroom.  The cold has been passing around our family and so I didn't get around to actually making the hanger until today. It took me several tries to get it to look the way I wanted it to, but I memorized it in the process. :-)

Blessings,

Changing the Design

UPDATE: I think we've settled on the current background & header. I took the header picture at Willowbank a couple of weeks ago on a stormy day. We'll probably change these settings with each season. Feel free to add comments on the design below!

If you've recently visited our blog, you'll notice we've changed the background. Sara and I got bored with our previous template so we're trying to change things around a bit.  We'll be looking at different themes and backgrounds to see which ones we like more so the current theme probably won't be our final one.

We would appreciate your suggestions, tips, and ideas on blog design. :-)

Thanks in advance!

Blessings,

Bible Reading Challenge Progress

Last year, (ah December 31st) I joined Kaylene's Bible reading challenge (reading the entire Bible in 6 months), and it's going well. I'm happy that my sister and I found Kaylene's blog and joined. Eden and I chose Blue Letter Bible's chronological reading plan, so I read some of Genesis and I'm about 3/4 through the book of Job. I like the chronological plan, because I read the Bible in the order that it actually happened. Each of Blue Letter Bible's reading plans are intended so you can read the Bible in a year, so I read one assignment in the morning and one in the evening; and sometimes I read a bit during the day. I've already been blessed by reading the Bible on a more regular basis and I'm enjoying every minute of time spent reading it!


-Sara Lee

Happy Birthday, Jude!

We're happy to have had our little brother Jude for the past ten years! We are thankful to God for blessing us with a brother to enjoy and make our family complete. It is our prayer that Jude will continue to seek God with his whole heart and fulfill God's plans for his life.

Happy 10th Birthday, Jude!

Blessings,

Sara-Lee (for all the Richardsons)

Matthew 5:44 Challenge

I've been working hard on two challenges that I started on Jan. 1st. The first one is to read through the Bible in six months. The other challenge is to memorize Colossians 3 in twenty-five days with Living the Journey.  Both take a considerable amount of time.  I have to read an average of seven chapters per day to keep up with the Bible reading program. And it does take some time to memorize one verse every day while keeping in memory the previous verses you've completed. Then just yesterday, Jenna encouraged us to join her in the Matthew 5:44 Challenge! It's a really good one that I couldn't imagine missing out on so I've added that to my list of commitments. :-)

Here's how I'm keeping track off these challenges: First, I got a folder in my favorite color: red. Next, I printed off the Bible reading plan, Colossians chapter 3, and a couple of sheets of loose notebook paper. I also added several index cards which I've found handy when memorizing verses on a regular basis. I place the folder by my bedside so first thing when I wake up, and just before I go to sleep I can work on my commitments.  Each morning, I write out my memorization verse for that day on an index card, then I add the Bible passages I'm supposed to read that morning & evening.  I slip the index card into my Bible to keep that information handy.  To further help me in the study of God's Word, I also keep a list of the Bible verses I read that speak to me personally. Then once I'm finished my Bible reading, I can go back and study further.

So, I've definitely made progress!  Right now, I'm more than halfway through the book of Job and a mere 3% finished the reading plan. I've successfully memorized four verses of Colossians 3 and am working on verse five.

I'll be starting Jenna's challenge today by writing out Matthew 5:44 and hanging it up in our bedroom! If it turns out good, I'll photograph it and post it on our blog.

Please consider joining Jenna in the Matthew 5:44 Challenge and keep us updated by commenting on her blog or writing about it on yours.

Blessings,

Heydon Trust Nature Reserve

The Heydon Trust has always been one of our favorite nature reserves. We've visited the reserve countless times and formed many happy memories there. It is the perfect place for bike riding and picnicking. And because we live right across the street from the reserve, it is a quick "retreat" too.

However, Heydon Trust isn't only a reserve, it is also home to a quaint chapel. This single-room sanctuary is one of the oldest buildings still in use in Bermuda. Gregorian worship services are held there daily and it is open to visitors during daylight hours.

Heydon Trust is a wonderful place to relax and have fun, yet also serves as a beautiful spot for prayer and reflection.

Blessings,