Modest Is Most!

Sadly, modesty is a lost art. I say art because when people use the word "modest" or "modesty" it is usually with rolled eyes...believing that this word defines: frumpy sweats or always wearing long dresses (although I would LIVE in dresses forever...I love them) and baggy clothing. It is not. It is being feminine (not sleezy), neat and tidy (not sloppy and made up with an inch of make up), beautiful and sweet (not seductive and provocative). Or...because we desire the label "modesty", it does sound good (especially to the Christian woman), we define the term according to our standards.  There are a LOT of very immodest "modest" women and young ladies walking around in our culture.  I used to be one of them, so I know exactly what I am talking about!

I have heard so many times "we can't control the boys looking at us" BUT we can sure do our part NOT to be a stumbling block. Protect those boys, protect their women, protect ourselves and save our goodies for the MAIN SQUEEZE (our hubby)!! Like I said...Modesty is an art.

I love clothes and fashion, hair and makeup just as much as the next lady, BUT I do believe that as a woman, it is our responsibility to be wise and modest.  For our husband, for ourselves, for men, for men's wives, for our daughters and because God REQUIRES it.

Here is a little clip from:
~Stacy McDonald (Raising Maidens of Virtue)
'You know the old saying "birds of a feather flock together?" Well, it's true! We are surrounded by a culture that glorifies self, vulgarity, sloppiness, and perversion.
Though we are surrounded by this culture, we don't have to be immersed in it. We are not "of the same feather," so we shouldn't look as though we "flock together."
At the very least, we can certainly make sure we have enough feathers to cover ourselves.'

As usual, I am always learning from Gabrielle, when she became a young lady,  I realized that , although I felt I was a modest woman, I wore things that I would not allow my daughter to wear.  She is the most modest young woman I know and by modest, I mean by definition of purity!!  I had to question my motive behind my clothing and also question what others would see when they saw me...the inside and the outside.  So... once again from Gabby's blog:  Passion for Purity

I just wanted to put out there that this is NOT just for girls, young men that would like to read this are encouraged to!  I refer to young women because I am one ;)

I want to ask you, what is the difference between Virginity and Purity? 

Virginity:  The condition of being untouched.

Purity: The condition of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, ect.

You see, Virginity refers to the body, while Purity refers to the heart.

My mom always refers to Proverbs 31:12 when we are discussing this. 

"She does him good and not harm ALL the days of her life."

Here is a short version of her Testimony:

"My mom taught me about abstinence. She and my stepdad presented me with a promise ring and I learned about what it meant to protect my body until my wedding day.  I wasn't allowed to date, although, I went on many dates and a few boys were allowed to call...and I went to quite a few proms.  I enjoyed boys.  ;)

I did not really experience any guilt when I flirted or was the recipient of affection.  I kissed and held hands with a clear conscience because I never let it "cross the line."

What line?

My wedding night was a beautiful thing.  I wore white walking down the aisle with pride.  I had saved my body for my husband.

I simply had not saved my heart.

I gave pieces of that away with every kiss...every time I held a hand, every sweet nothing whispered in my ear had left a mark.  An imprint on my heart.

It gave me a measuring stick with which to compare my husband.

It was a long road back to God's measuring stick...the bible.

ALL THE DAYS OF HER LIFE.

I had not done Phil good all the days of my life."

In this day and age virginity is keeping the "body" pure...  Did you see the quote on quote "body"?  I put that there because we are not even keeping the body pure, we are just keeping SOME of the body pure.

Young women, in bible times, wore veils to cover their faces...  They wore veils to protect future husbands (not even  just THEIR OWN future husbands) from lusting after them.  They were not only protecting themselves...they were protecting others.

Girls, what are we wearing?  Don't stop there, what are your motives behind what you wear?  What are you encouraging?  Are your protecting not only your body (saving it ALL for your future husband) but protecting someone else's future husband from lusting after someone other than their future wife?

Purity.

Boys...this is for you as well.

Where are your eyes?  What are your thoughts? 

Are we repenting for our lust.

Yes, let's call it what it is.

LUST

"But I say to you that anyone who looks on a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery in his heart."  Matt. 5:28

"But put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry." Col. 3:5

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.  Along with those who call on the name of the Lord with a pure heart."  2 Tim. 2:22

The culture knows that we are a lustful, worldly generation.  There are no lines outside of God's word.  Anything goes.  We see it on TV, Billboards, Music, Books, and the way everyone dresses.  They lure us in, grey our boundaries and if we are not rooted in God's word as absolute truth, then we are fools.  Easy prey and open targets.

Our hearts...our purity, GONE.

I saw one young friend post "I am a belieBER" referring to Justin Beiber (a lovely photo to go with it) and thought, this is it.  The line is crossed.  We have been so desensitized that we can drool and lust after a guy like this and it's OKAY.  Everyone is doing it!!

That is just one example...boys, I won't even go into who is out there for you all to lust after.  You all get my point.

I am so glad that my parents made an effort to build a foundation based upon God's word!  At the age of nine, I made the decision to save my body, my first kiss, and my first date for my future husband.  I have taken Proverbs 31:12 to heart and am trying to do my husband good ALL the days of my life.

I bet you are wondering why I said my first date.  I chose not to date because of what temptations come with dating.  One motto I love using is "If you want to stay away from something, stay away from it altogether."  So I will be saving every SINGLE thing that is meant for marriage, for marriage.  Some may think I am crazy, because everyone needs to find their spouse.  But I trust that God has already picked out the perfect spouse, in which He can do His will in my life.  And I also trust that He will let me know who He has planned for my life.

This does not mean that I am ignorant to the fact that we need to know who we marry.  I realize that I will be spending the rest of life with my future husband, but I believe that when God has revealed His will in a spouse, that myself, along with my family will pray and get to know this man TOGETHER! 

"Courting"...but that is a whole separate blog post!! 

"Dating with no intent to marry is like going to the grocery store with no money.  You either leave unhappy or take something that isn't yours."

-Jefferson Bethke

I want to tell you that it is never to early or to late to make the decision to stay pure.  The bible says:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away: behold, the new has come." -2 Corinthians 5:17

If you are wanting a clean slate...if this decision is coming later rather than sooner,

You must repent...and if you don't feel the need to repent, PRAY.  Ask God to grant you repentance.

"Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 2:25

I am not saying that my way is the right way...I am saying that you need to seek God in His word, He draws a very clear line when it comes to purity.

When God brings you to a place of a heart longing after purity...shout it from the mountain tops!!

Because what I have just done in this posting is to open myself up to a world of accountability.

We are in this together.

A couple book references:
I kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris (Brother to Do Hard Things authors)
Before I Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Malley
Princess and the Kiss
Squire and the Scroll
And I am now reading Growing Up Duggar and it is all about relationships

God bless your journey,
Rossie and Gabrielle
Gypsies for Jesus

You can visit Gabrielle's blog: The Life of A Teenage Unschooler
and our family blog at: Treasured Heirlooms 

A day in the life of the A gang!

Our days are always different...a schedule does not apply to everyday (we need to also live with margins...allowing the Holy Spirit to move about our days, if you know our family, you will know that we don't sit in one place long, however, we do try to work together, cook together, eat together and worship together), BUT when we can get everything we want to get done in a day.....WE DO JUST THAT!!

We are a real family, not perfect...and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that God has given us everything we need in order to become a Proverbs 31 woman.  A wonderful book we are reading as a family...for teens, is called Do Hard Things.  I have also learned from this book that even as moms, wives and women...we need to rebel against low expectations!! 

With the Lord's help...WE CAN DO IT ALL!!

It is not easy, it is HARD, it takes work and most days it is exhausting...but hopefully you will see, in this very unspecial, ordinary video, that it can be done!!  Even though this is just a fraction of what God has called our generation of women to do...it is a start.  We are all in it together!! 

A Charlotte Mason kind of education.

" Children are born naturalists, with a bent inherited, perhaps, from an unknown ancestor; but every child has a natural interest in the living things about him which it is the business of his parents to encourage; for, but few children are equal to holding their own in the face of public opinion; and if they see that the things which interest them are indifferent or disgusting to you, their pleasure in them vanishes, and that chapter in the book of Nature is closed to them."  -Charlotte Mason

 Since starting a Charlotte Mason style in education, it seems the world has opened up it's doors to us!!  

God has provided a WORLD of learning for each of us.

After our "book lessons", we hit the dirt and see what there is to learn and where we can explore!

 Meet Moonshine, my nephew.  My littlest sister, Katy Kay, doesn't have a little one YET...but she does have 4 very large Great Danes and 9 little ones!!  A few weeks ago, my sister called to let me know one of her Danes was giving birth.  We were able to drive there (2 hours) and be a part of all the deliveries.  Gabrielle got to help Katy and was able to learn so much for the career she is schooling for!

 I love that we are able to be spontaneous.  Packing up and getting out at a moments notice.

Picnic at the park with family!

 No skate parks within 30 miles!  At least none made of concrete!

 The world is our oyster.

" Children should be encouraged to watch, patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragon-fly, and whatever of larger growth comes in their way." -Charlotte Mason

So blessed to have family and neighbors to take us in and allow us to be a part of their amazing lives!!  Here we were able to go next door and help plant a large garden.  What a backdrop!!

 This term, we are doing a bird study.  We are enjoy watching and identifying each.  Doing it together is so special.

" As soon as he is able to keep it himself, a nature-diary is a source of delight to a child." -Charlotte Mason

T The kids love their Nature Notebooks...they bring them everywhere and draw and write about all sorts of things that would usually just go unnoticed.
We were able to see a Wren...we even snapped a photo of 2 of them sitting on the fence.

Then we got to play with Ezra's oil paints:

In my 13 years of homeschooling, the experiences and the education that is taking place among us has never been more rich.

Look closely...most days, we have long finished school and the kiddos are playing outside when the school bus rolls by.  We are thankful to be able to consolidate our "book learning" into just a few hours in the morning and have the rest of the day free to learn and play outside!  HOMEWORK FREE!!  ;)

There are those days when the weather does not cooperate....if you have one of those days...

I highly recommend this game!!

 Obviously Isabelle is a bit of a sore loser!

At the end of the day, we are thankful to be in a place where we are LOVING our "unschool".

We are blessed and God is good!!  So thankful for my sweet Nancy for introducing me to Charlotte Mason and learned so much from another wonderful friend, Linda, and all the other Primer gals.

"All this is stale knowledge to older people, but one of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him; for every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton." -Charlotte Mason

A Montana Branding!

 Well, most of you know that I was born and raised in Montana BUT that I gave up this beautiful life for a Californian STUD!

You might also know that after 11 years under the Californian sunshine, we decided to pack up the troops and move to Big Sky Montana!

We lived here 3 years and I would like to think that we mastered the art of mixing California and the Wild West.  We could look country like the best of them.  ;)

 Long story short...

We had our fill of the Wild West and so we moved back to sunny California...

for 1 year.

Yeah, I know, we have now earned the nickname, Ansolabehere gypsies.

We are now BACK under the Big Sky...

FOR GOOD!

Unless, of course, the Lord should decide He would like us somewhere else...I am praying the He keeps us here for a good while!!

THIS TIME, however, we do not just want to look the part...we have moved here to embrace everything (not just hunting) that Montana has to offer.  We want the Montana LIFE...for us, but even more so for our children!!

What better way to get started than a good old fashioned branding?!?!

We are here in my mom and stepdad's home and up here on their hill, there are 4 families...all amazing Christian people...you can see that God has handpicked who He wants up here.

To one side of the ranch is a family that invited us to their branding.  Gabrielle was so excited because she got to go horseback to round up the cattle.  Superman up there gave his super hero a gumball for the road!

I had to sneak in a little prayer time because even though I believe Gabby is gifted when it comes to horses and all animals...I worry.

 She is in her happy place.

 SO BEYOND THANKFUL for my little sister, Katy, who shares the same passion and gift as Gabrielle...they are two peas in a pod!!

 Ususally kiddos are a huge part in the branding action...but not exactly helpful...

They practice their roping and riding skills...

Needless to say there were quite a few bumps and bruises when the boys got home!

Abraham even jumped of a huge hay bail and knocked himself out!!  LITERALLY!!

 It is always fun to get to know the folks in the area.  Everyone helps everyone when it comes to things like this.  It is like the Little House on the Prarie...if a barn burns down...everyone shows up to help put up the new one.  

They probably had a good 50 people there to brand I think 80 cattle.

 I have learned that I like to do the cooking for brandings.

I dang near got my teeth knocked out while wrestling a calf and I would have cried...

and never stopped had that happened...

 So, I leave the wrestling to the strong people.

Like my sister and brother-in-law!!

We are just loving and soaking up every moment of being in this beautiful (albeit wet and cold) state.  So much to learn and so MUCH to do.  Hardworking people...I am so blessed and humbled to learn from them and excited for my children.

I promise that I am going to do a series on organization very soon...with some fun lists and such!!  I got a little backed up in blogging with all that we have been doing and for the sake of journaling for our family, I don't want to leave anything out so I just have a few more to go to catch up!!  ;)

The Making of a Cowboy...

 Rain, Snow, Sleet or Shine...

Means nothing to a Farmer/Rancher...Cowboy or a Cowgirl. ;)

Life must go on...the work does not cease.

It just means you might be a little cold,

get a little muddy,

always getting dirty!

 2 Thessalonians 3:10 has always been a rule in our home.  We try to raise hard workers.  Children that will be an asset to all those they are around.  We try to model this as parents and it comes to mind not as a rule here, but as a method of survival. 

Work is essential...work is a must!

I think if everyone were provided the opportunity to work on a farm or ranch, they would leave changed forever!   Harder workers will NEVER be found.  

2 Thessalonians "For even when we were with you, we commanded you, that if any man would not work, neither should he eat.

 I wish you could see Russel's face in this one...he is blowing rasberries at the cattle to get them to move.  I laughed, but I guess it WORKS!! 

I am so thankful that I am married to a man that does not shy away from ANY kind of work.  He is up for anything...always providing.

He has said more than once, "I will flip burgers if that is what I have to do to feed my family."

He hasn't had to so far...God has given him so many useful gifts and tools!!

I have not had to "work" (outside the home) for 15 years!!

 Here on the ranch, he is willing and ready for whatever the need.

I wished I would have gotten a before photo of the semi loaded with cattle.  On uneven ground it got heavy on one side and my mom, Russ and Phil scattered to get pick up trucks to strap up to one side so that it wouldn't go over!!

It was CRAZY!!

Yes...

there he is...

My hard working hunny...the making of a cowboy.

 I must say that being out here on the ranch and watching my hardworking man do things he has NEVER in his LIFE had to dream of doing...

I have learned one thing...

 Start them when they are a little younger.

 MUCH easier!!  HA!!  ;)

Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the.....dandelions!

There is no doubt about it...we are busy!

Life will not slow down for us as moms and most definitely not for our larger-than-normal homeschooling family.  If we wait for it to slow down, we will miss out on some of the most precious moments God will ever give us!

 A few cliches come to mind....

Sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses.

Life is a dance.

Life is too short.

They grow up too quickly.

They don't seem so cliche anymore.

I am going to purpose NOT to plan so much but to milk each spontaneous moment for all it is worth.  Photo shoots don't have to be planned!!  Sophie made a dandelion crown and I banked on the precious moment.  

I thank God for every...single...moment and I do not want to take a single one for granted.

I can't believe I have teenagers in my home!!

Don't Blink 

as one of my sweet friend's has fitfully named her blog.

Take the time...

Make the time...

to stop and smell the roses...

or dandelions in this case!

A few of my favorite things!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS:

 

Donna Young Printables

(Grocery, Kitchen, Office, Daily Planner etc.)

Mandi Cresswell

This is a blog...if you scroll through, it is sprinkled with free printables for household, menus etc.

The Family Homestead
Packed full of recipes, homeschooling, advice, and homesteading in the modern world.

Ambleside Online
This is what we use as far as homeschooling.
It is a Charlotte Mason (literature/life learning) style curriculum and it is FREE!!

Homeschool Classifieds
A place to purchase almost anything homeschool related at 2nd hand prices.

Student Worksheets
Great printables especially for littles.  There are a lot of free ones however, we use it so much that I went head and paid the $19.95 for a year free access.

Gluten Free Cooking
I have a couple kids that are gluten free and this has helped so much!

Do Hard Things
An amazing Christian place for your teens and preteens.
"A teenage rebellion against low expectations!"
The book is so worth the money!






 

Great Dane puppies!! Virtual fieldtrip to Boondox Great Dane and Rabbitry!

Meet Dixie

 

Dixie is my sister, Katy's 2 1/2 year old Great Dane.

Great Dane's are the world's largest dog.

The tallest dog living is ‘Zeus’ a Great Dane measuring 44 inches tall. He is owned by Denise Doorlag and her family, of Otsego, Michigan, USA.

OTSEGO, Mich.

A Great Dane from Michigan is doggone tall.

The Guinness World Records 2013 book published Thursday recognizes Zeus of Otsego, Mich., as the world's Tallest Dog.

The 3-year-old measures 44 inches from foot to shoulder.

Standing on his hind legs, Zeus stretches to 7-foot-4 and towers over his owner, Denise Doorlag. Zeus is just an inch taller than the previous record-holder, Giant George.

Zeus weighs 155 pounds and eats a 30-pound bag of food every two weeks.

Doorlag says she had to get a van to be able to transport Zeus.

 Dixie is not one of the largest but she has got to be one of the sweetest!

She is what they call "mural" in color.

Because of her color, she is only a pet and used for breeding.

As of now, murals are unshowable, however, AKC (American Kennel Club) is trying to change that.

Today is a very special day because Dixie is having babies and Auntie Katy invited us all out to be a part of the action!!

Gabby is especially happy because she is already starting her education in the veterinary field.

 

Katy takes very special care to document weight, color, sex, time of birth and placenta delivery for a few reasons.

First, if a placenta is  left undelivered, it can cause lots of complications for mama dog and usually requires a trip to the vet.

Second, these puppies are up for sale!!

At least the ones she will not keep or the ones Phil will let us take with us!  ;)

Katy also makes special little collars to put on each puppy for identification purposes.

 It is so amazing how God was so detailed even when creating His animals.

The pregnancy of a dog is 59-66 days.

Before labor, the dog's temperature will drop from about 101.2 to about 98 degrees...I believe this is to help with bleeding, but am not quite sure.  When this happens, labor will usually begin within 24 hours.

During this time, the instinct of the mom causes her to drag clothing and fabric to where she plans to have her babies.

They will contract and push much like a human when delivering...even getting the shivers.  ;)

 This was the second one born.  The first was DOA (dead on arrival) and Katy thinks this is because her water broke too soon.

This happens every once in awhile.

Gabrielle got to act as Katy's veterinary assistant.

Cutting cords, weighing and taking down the information.

There was also a complication with #7, he was breech and they couldn't get the bleeding from his umbilical cord to stop so Gabrielle tied off his cord.  Her first minor surgery!  ;)

Needless to say, she is in heaven!

 They will usually pass each placenta after each pup and some will allow the mom to eat them however, Katy does not because it also causes vomiting and diarrhea.

 Another very interesting thing we learned...and a little gross, is that Dixie will clean her puppies about 3 times a day.  This will stimulate them to pee and poo. 

Dixie cleans up their mess by eating it...ugh.

She is a pro now because this is her second litter.

Sometimes a first time mama will not know what to do and will need much more assistance.

We are still waiting for the final count...you see, a dog can labor quite some time as well.

24 hours is not abnormal!!

 

There is a little video below this post!!