And the winner is…

Okay, so I know you just want to scroll down and just see who won. ;) But first I’d like to thank everyone for entering my giveaway. I got an amazing 119 entries! I’d also like to welcome my new followers! I’m glad you came across my blog and hope you are blessed by what you read here.

Alright, I won’t hold y’all in suspense any longer… the first winner is LINDSAY from Content in Christ!! She won 2 patterns from the Marie-Madeline Studio. I’m so happy for you, Lindsay! ;) This is the comment she left:

And the second winner is JO MARCH who blogs at Scraps From My Workbasket!! Jo won the book “Inspiring Words from the Psalms for Friends” and a Bermuda t-shirt. Here is Jo’s comment:

 
And just so you know, the winners were selected using random.org’s number generator. :)

I’m sorry that not everyone could win…I know just how disappointed you all feel. Of course, I plan to host another giveaway sometime in the future –so  stick around…you just might win next time!

Hope you all have a blessed day!
 

Happy 12th Birthday, Leah!

My little sister, Leah’s birthday is today! Twelve years ago, she joined Sara and I and made a family of five.

She’s a sweet girl with a cheerful, serving spirit. I can’t imagine what our family would be like without her! She’s truly a blessing from God for our family.

L oyal

E arnest

A ppreciative

H umble

 

Praise God for granting Leah 12 years of life here. May God bless her with many more to come!

New Commenting System!

Okay, I took the plunge I decided to replace Blogger’s commenting system with Disqus. The main reason why I made the switch is that I’m tired of having non-threaded comments. In other words, when someone asks me a question I have to leave a whole new comment to answer. And that answer appears as a new comment –not as a reply to the comment that I’m trying to answer! But with Disqus, if someone asks me a question, I can reply to that question and the reply will be “threaded” and will appear indented under the question I’m answering. Here’s an example:

 To use Disqus, you don’t need to be registered with any particular social website although you can sign in using Twitter, Yahoo!, and OpenID. If you don’t have an account with any of those websites, just select “guest” and fill in your info. And be sure to add your blog link too, so your name will be linked to your blog!

So go ahead and give the new comment system a try!

Thanks in advance for helping me test this new feature! Happy commenting!
 

A New Season!

Yesterday began a new season –autumn! I just ♥ autumn! It’s my second-favorite season, just after spring. :) 

Usually, the leaves here don’t change color or fall because it doesn’t get cool enough. But this year is different! The hurricane’s high winds “burnt” the leaves so now many of the trees look brown. Actually, it looks more like late autumn in New England. The foot trails near our home are covered in leaves and you can often hear chainsaws cutting away at branches and trees that have fallen into the roads.

{look at all the brown trees in a distance}

 {more brown trees}

One thing I love about autumn is the crispy mornings. During the summer time here, the humidity can be quite high so I always enjoy the cool, fresh air that comes along with autumn. It’s such a joy to take walks in the warm, early morning sun and I just love being outdoors without wilting in the heat!

During the autumn months, I love having more fun outside. Gardening, bird watching, and cycling are a few activities that I look forward to doing now that the weather is more comfortable outside. I also hope to do more photography!

For some reason, as soon as the weather turns cooler I also enjoy more indoor crafts as well. I’m hoping to work on a few projects that I started earlier this year and really need to finish! I’ve been working away steadily at the friendship afghan squares and a few hats for the Romanian orphans. One friend asked what I plan to do with the Baby Wool that I featured in a recent blog post. Well, I’m crocheting a beautiful scarf for a friend of mine! Oh, I just love the colors in this scarf!

 

Speaking of crafts, I’d like to know how you all are doing with the project to make hats for Romania. The mailing deadline is October 10th. If you don’t get the hats mailed to the ministry’s U.S. office before the Oct. 10th, your hats will need to be mailed directly to the orphanage in Romania which will cost you more! We are hoping to have 100 hats made, once for each child so if you’re a participant please leave a comment and let me know how many you’ve completed! If you aren’t participating right now but you can knit, crochet, or sew and you think you’ll be able to finish before the deadline, feel free to join us! We're always glad to have another participant. :-)

My dear friend Emily spent the past week or so redesigning my blog and I think she did a fabulous job! What do y’all think about my new blog design?

Emily also designed a lovely blog button for me!You can find the code in my right sidebar. Feel free to share my blog with your friends. And if you post it on your blog’s sidebar before Sept. 28th you can gain an extra entry in my giveaway! Just be sure to let me know you grabbed my button in a comment on my giveaway post.

Oh, please tell me what you enjoy most about autumn? Is it the cooler temperatures? The falling leaves? Share what you love about this new season in a comment below!

Blessings!
 

We’re All Safe!

Just wanted to thank you for all your prayers! We’ve been truly blessed and spared. The worst of the storm passed us late last night…and the winds were HOWLING! It was amazing to listen to the huge amounts of energy that was being released by that hurricane!

I’m delighted to report that we never lost electricity during the storm! We woke up this morning to see the fan still spinning and the clock was telling the right time. :) Our house has sustained no damage and everyone in my family is safe! –even our two kitties, Onyx & Opal are fine! ;)

The large majority of our island is without electricity. We have one power company that provides the island with electricity and they reported that 30,000 of their 35,000 customers are without power this morning. I’m so AMAZED that we didn’t lose our power! Praise God!

The local Government has reported that there have been no deaths or major injuries! We do see lots of branches that have been blown over and even a few trees. I’ll try to take photos to share with you later. It’s still quite windy outside and raining off and on and the Police have asked that the public stays off the roads so that they {and other organizations/companies} can properly assess the damage. But the weather will only continue to improve and tropical storm force winds should ease by this afternoon. My family and I are observing Yom Kippur today and will be fasting until sunset so I won’t be online to chat or tweet but just thought to update everyone here!

Once again, it’s obvious that God has answered the prayers of His people! I cannot begin to thank you all enough for praying for us!

Have a blessed day! {and look out for my blogoversary post later today!}

Video and Storm Update!

Hey there! We’ve still got power and it’s around quarter past 8 now. I decided to film a short video clip so you all can see just what’s happening around here. :) Enjoy!

{and sorry that it’s dark at the beginning}

Blessings!
 

Still Here!

Good morning friends! It's 6:10am and we're just getting some breakfast. :) The lights are still on but they're dipping in and out, so I’m sure they'll go out soon. Hurricane Igor has weakened to Category 1 storm! Praise God!

We're not in the clear though as it’s large storm and still moving slowly. The worst of the weather begins tonight with hurricane force winds supposed to begin closer to midnight. Please continue to pray for us!

I hope everyone has a blessed day!…I'm quite sure we'll lose power within the next hour or so. Bye for now! :D
 

P.S. You can read my previous blog post to find out how we’ve prepared for the storm and get links to local news sites for updates on the storm.

We’re just about ready…

So we’re just about finished all our preparations for the hurricane which is supposed to start with tropical storm force winds late tonight. We’ve brought all our outside stuff indoors so nothing gets taken away by the wind. We’ve also brought in quite a few potted plants that we normally keep outdoors.

 {We brought these beautiful vincas in so they can survive the storm}

I’ve just finished charging my laptop, iPod, and cell phone as we’re expecting to lose electricity sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. My laptop will probably hold its charge for about 3 hours –after that it’ll go into “hibernation” and won’t boot again until I recharge it. I’m planning to leave my cell phone off, saving it’s charge for emergencies. And I’m going to be using my iPod sparingly so it can last at least a few days. :)

A bit of good news though: Hurricane Igor has weakened, albeit slightly and is now a category 2 storm. However, it’s a still a strong storm which has a lot of potential to cause lots of damage as it’s large {about 550 across} and moving slowly.

{Satellite image of Hurricane Igor}
*If you want to read local news coverage of the storm, click here or here* 

Thanks for leaving those sweet comments on my last post! I’m encouraged by them. :D Again, I’ll try to update y’all as I’m able to but we’re unplugging the internet modem, router, and all other electrical stuff in a few minutes to protect them from lightning storms and power outages. So it’s likely this will be my last post for at least the next several days. :(

Don’t despair though! Monday is my 1 year blogging anniversary and I have a scheduled post {complete with an AWESOME giveaway!} that will be automatically published –regardless of if I have internet or not.

Hope everyone has a blessed week and thanks for your continued prayers!
 

Hurricane Preparations

Hurricane Igor is still on track to hit us directly as a Category 3 hurricane  this weekend. It’s been 7 years since a major hurricane has come ashore to Bermuda. In September 2003 Hurricane Fabian hit our island, tragically taking the lives of four people and causing millions of dollars in damage. Our local Government and Weather Service has forecasted that Hurricane Igor will be just as bad or worse than Fabian.

{today’s edition of our local newspaper ----^}

 

So these past two days or so I’ve been busy helping my family prepare for the storm. We’ve been stocking up on non-perishable, ready-to-eat foods like canned fruits and veggies, crackers, and lots dry cereal.

Dad also purchased a couple of flashlights and plenty of candles. This morning, Jude and I went and did a little shopping in the village. We picked up some first aid supplies and took some “before” photos of our neighborhood.

  {Mom’s battery-operated radio will help keep us updated during the storm}

 
{Mangrove Bay just near our home was already looking gloomy this morning}

The worst of the weather is predicted to take place close to midnight on Sunday night –just on the eve of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement which our family will be observing from sunset on Sunday until sunset on Monday.

We’ll likely lose power sometime Saturday night as we’re expecting tropical force winds to begin tomorrow evening. When the power goes out, we’ll lose our internet service as well and I won’t be able to keep all of you updated. :( When hurricane Fabian hit us, the electricity company took nearly 3 weeks to restore power to our neighborhood but I’m really hoping that we won’t have to wait nearly as long this time around.

My siblings and I plan to keep ourselves happily occupied with puzzles, games, and lots of books. Of course, I’ll be knitting and crocheting too. ;)

 

This afternoon, I was able to mail 10 of the 25 postcards that need to be mailed to everyone who left a comment on my 150th blog post. I’m planning to mail the rest as soon as I’m able to. :-)

 

This weekend, please remember to keep my family and I in your prayers. And I appreciate every prayer that’s offered up on our behalf!

Blessings to all of you…I’ll be back to update you as soon as I can!
 

P.S. Monday is my 1 year blogoversary and I’ve finished writing a post with details and a GIVEAWAY and scheduled for it to be posted Monday. So y’all will still have something to read here on my blog!

**IMPORTANT** Homeschool Get-Together THIS Afternoon

Hurricane Igor is forecasted to make an almost-direct hit on Sunday afternoon –just when I had planned to host the homeschool get-together. :( So after discussing this with my friends Emily and Jenna, we’ve decided to have the homeschool get-together THIS afternoon at 4pm EST (3pm CDT & 1pm PDT).

I sincerely apologize for this short notice; I’ve been watching the storm closely, praying that the forecasted path will change but it’s still on track for a direct hit as a Category 2 {almost3} hurricane. The last time we had a storm of this size, we were without electricity/internet for about 2 weeks so we agreed it would be a good idea to hold it BEFORE the storm while I still have internet. :-)

The get-together is for any Christian, homeschooled girls (age 13-20). This time we’ll be introducing ourselves and just getting to know each other a bit. You’ll be able to share a little bit about you, how long you’ve been homeschooled, where you blog etc. Certainly, this will be a chat you don’t want to miss!

If you’d like to attend, please send me an email by clicking here. Make the subject line “Homeschool Girls Get Together” and include your Skype username. If you’ve never used Skype before and would like to get some help signing up, please let me know! {Remember, it’s free and you don’t need a webcam!} You can also send me a message on Skype. My username is eden.richardson94.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Blessings,
 

Photos!

As promised, I’ve been trying to use my camera more often. It’s been fun taking photos of the different things around my home! Here’s a few of the photos I took just this afternoon…

*Books On My Reading List*

*I’ve also been reading music*

*And playing piano*

 

*I’ve been having fun with lovely Baby Wool yarn*

*Oh, how I love Lion Brand’s yarn!*

*And I’m also keeping a close on eye Hurricane Igor who just
might hit our island directly as a Cat. 3 storm this weekend. I’m praying that it will weaken before it arrives!*

That’s it for now, friends! I should be back with more photos later this week.

Blessings!
 

What’s Been Happening Around Here….

This week was a busy one for me. Even though we homeschool year-round, our school schedule is more relaxed in the summer time. This week we just started homeschooling again in earnest, and I’ve been going ahead full-time with my school studies. Right now, I’m preparing for the GED test that I’ll be taking in December.

On Wednesday, Mom and I had the opportunity to meet with the Director of Nursing Education at our local college. There’s just one college on the island and they’ve just started to offer a nursing program. I was delighted to learn that I won’t have to leave the island to study to become a nurse! Actually, it’s possible that I’ll be able to start college courses this January –just a few weeks after I graduate from homeschool. :-) Please continue to pray that God will direct my steps and that I will always do His will for my life.

In addition to studying for tests in December, I’m also helping my younger siblings get back into their school routine. Even though it isn’t always fun or easy to tutor them, it’s great practice! Each time I do my duties around the home and help Mom with homeschooling, I’m gaining invaluable experience that will only help me should I become a wife and mother in the future. :-)

Yesterday, we had an interesting experience…I was chatting with my lovely friend Jenna on Skype and I was just about to tell her that there was a thunderstorm in our area. Then suddenly a large bolt of lightning struck just outside our living room window –just a few feet away from where I was sitting! The thunderclap was so LOUD that my ears were sore for awhile afterwards. My sister Sara was sitting on the couch and she had a ceramic mug and metal spoon. The mug just broke up in her hand! I’m so grateful that we were all fine! The lights dimmed and the fans spun slowly, but the electricity was restored about 2 hours later by our power company. The bolt also fried our internet modem. Thankfully, Dad was able to purchase a new modem. But now our wireless router doesn’t work so we’re praying we can have it fixed on Monday.

I should apologize for a photo-less blog post. I’ve been so busy these past few weeks I just haven’t been taking many pictures. But I plan on using the camera more often next week so look out for some photos here in a few days. :-) Hope everyone has a blessed weekend!

What have you been up to this week? Did you start school again? Have you had any scary experiences with thunder? Share your thoughts in a comment below!

My 150th Blog Post!

I’m so excited to be writing my 150th blog post! I have a few surprises to announce…but first I’d like to say thank you to each of my 91 followers!

I know this may sound cliché or redundant but I *truly* enjoy all the comments that many of you leave on a regular basis! Your sweet notes of friendship and encouraging comments often make my day. In addition, I would like to thank everyone who has participated in my various knit and crochet-alongs! It’s such a joy to “meet” other Christian girls who love the hobbies I do and I’m amazed to find just how much we have in common! My desire for this blog is that I will be a blessing to everyone who stops by and that by reading about my life and what I’m up to, you will be blessed and encouraged to continue growing in Him.

So without further ado, let me announce a couple of surprises…

First, I’d like to let everyone know about an upcoming event that I am hosting. Several of my Blogger friends and I have a lot of fun chatting with each other on Skype and before long an idea was born…I’ve decided to host a Homeschool Girls Get Together on Skype!

{For those of you who don’t know what Skype is…basically it’s a chat program very similar to Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. You don’t need a webcam or mic to use Skype and you can download it for free by clicking here.}

On September 19th at 4pm EST (3pm CDT & 1pm PDT) there will be a “Homeschool Girls Get Together” on Skype. The get-together is for any Christian, homeschooled girls (age 14-20). For the first 10 minutes or so everyone will be able to introduce themselves…you can share a little bit about you, how long you’ve been homeschooled, where you blog etc. Then we will go on to discuss how we as young ladies can use our time wisely to help our home as well as Christ’s church. Certainly, this will be a chat you don’t want to miss!

If you’d like to attend, please send me an email by clicking here. Please make the subject line “Homeschool Girls Get Together” and include your Skype username. If you’ve never used Skype before and would like to get some help signing up, please let me know! {Remember, it’s free and you don’t need a webcam!}

Okay, I’m sure you’re wondering what the second surprise is…I won’t hold you in suspense any longer! I’ll be mailing lovely Bermuda postcards to each of my followers who leaves a comment on this blog post before September 15th…just as a simple way to say“thank you” for following and leaving sweet comments on my blog! So to receive a Bermuda post card, leave a comment with your blog address {or email address so I can contact you!} and make sure to let me know that you’re a follower! :)

Thanks again for reading all my blog posts –even though they’re boring sometimes! I hope everyone has a blessed day…and I’m looking forward to the homeschool get together on the 19th!

Blessings!

Odds and Ends

I just have a few small announcements to make here on my blog. :-) Nothing big –don’t worry!

First, I’d like to mention that we now have 16 participants for the make hats for Romania project! I’m now accepting participants who would like to sew the hats instead of knit or crochet them. The only requirement is that you make these hats warm as it gets quite cold during the winter time in Romania. If you would like to join us, please click here and leave a comment.

I would also like to make sure that my blog posts show up in your Blogger Dashboard. So if you can click onto my blog from your Dashboard, please let me know!

And one more announcement…this is my 148th blog post! I’ll be announcing a small treat to all of my followers in my 150th post so keep your eye out for it. :-) I’ll also be celebrating my “blogoversary” {one year of blogging} on the 20th of this month…and of course there will be a special surprise for that as well!

So this should be a fun month here at Growing in Him!