We had a great time with Megan while she was here! We made a quick trip to WV Tuesday, spent the night at my grandparent's, and gave Megan back to her mom on Wednesday morning. I think we took about 1,054 pictures while she was here (and then she took some too!).

We went bike riding, took walks in the woods, fished for frogs in the pond, took lots of pictures ( ), and even did some singing while she was here, with Levi's room set up as the sound studio (even had 4 microphones set up!). Levi has them all (the music tracks) uploaded on his new Music page, if you want to listen to any of them.

Right now we've only done 2 or 3 hymns and the rest are Scripture songs. I like The Love of Jesus, Come Bless the Lord, and Let love be the best so far! Of course, I like all the other ones too, but those are just my favorites!  You can go check out the rest of them on Levi's Music Page!

1st picture is one of Megan, me, and Levi, the 2nd picture is Mom and Megan's mom, Kelly. And the 3rd is Megan waving goodbye!

Today I had to go back to the dentist to pick up my new braces. I don't think I posted about it, but they had to take new impressions of my teeth for new braces, since the braces weren't grabbing a tooth properly and stuff. So, whereas I was on set number 22 of 25 (nearly done..), I'm now on set #1 of 21 for my upper teeth and set #1 of 11 for my bottom teeth. It'll be a couple more months now before I get close to finishing it them up again. And I was almost there, too! Oh well.

Today while I was up at the top of the field, I had noticed the guineas standing / walking around in a circle on the left side of the log pile, so I walked over there to see what it was they were looking at, and there sat a black snake right in the middle of them, curled up in a ball and hissing at them. I thought it was a rather funny sight! The guineas didn't seem to know what it was, so they were walking around it in a circle, just clucking and staring at it.

I grabbed a stick real quick and scared it away before one of them got the idea to get closer because of their curiosity. After I scared it away and starting walking back down the field, the guineas seemed to know all the fun was over and followed me on down. Silly things!

Last Saturday we made a quick trip to WV (and also stayed the night at my grandparent's again) to pick up a friend who was coming to visit us ~ Megan from "… with good works"! So in case anyone has been wondering why I hadn't posted again yet, now you know why!

It's been so neat actually having someone (who believes, follows, and obeys the Scriptures like us!) stay at our house. As a matter a fact, I don't recall anyone ever coming to stay with us before that hasn't been family!

We've been having a wonderful time, and I've really enjoyed the Bible discussions and studies and getting to fellowship with another likeminded believer! Especially since we've never met anyone before that actually believes like us.

It was kind of humorous (maybe funny would describe it better ) how bashful and shy we all were at first though, even though we had been talking (through the internet) for a month or two! Then again, I'm usually like that whenever I meet new people anyhow.

We've all been having a pretty good time though, (at least, I have!!) and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Oh yes, and we've taken plenty of pictures, too!

We're just overrunning with these tiny toads – they're all over the driveway! Every time I step it seems as if I'm going to step on one of them! I thought the up-close one of the baby toad looked pretty neat. Then there's Megan and I both holding one in the first picture.

Mom said she had to snap a picture of us all at our computers (we were uploading pictures at the time). That does look funny! Oh, and Megan and Mom were showing me how to sew my own skirt today (yes, I actually made one, too!). It turned out pretty nice.

A couple weeks ago I stumbled across a blog where a woman had shared my blog link (to my Unschooling page) and some other blog commenters were discussing me. Sometimes it's interesting to see what other people are saying about you behind your back!

This family has attended various Independent Fundamentalist Baptist churches, but have chosen to leave because too much error is taught. Now they house-church.
They live in isolation to flee the evil influences of the world.
Despite being so isolated, the mother and daughter still have to dress “modest”, and wear head coverings as a sign of “obedience, submission, humility….”
Special rules regarding clothing only affect the women. (although the 22 year old son is not exactly dressed in 21st century attire)

Ok. So you want to educate your daughter to be a housewife and you don’t want her to go to university.
Now you cut yourself and family off from church.
Where on earth is your daughter supposed to find a man to marry, submit to, and run a home for?

That young girl is talented, but she is not ready to quit textbook education! Read her about page and see what I mean…

When I first read that, my first impression was kind of disbelief, I reckon. "Are they actually talking about me?" ran through my mind. Then I couldn't help but laugh! Especially about the "22 year old son"! Don't ya love how people will make accusations without even really investigating? As for her last statement, I re-read my about page several times just to try to see what she meant.

The young woman referred to in #76 does not appear to me, to be a good fit in the world into which she has been isolated. Given the opportunity she would likely become a veterinarian. My heart broke reading her blog.

I sure didn't realize my blog was heart breaking! Or is it that they don't like reading about all the work we do around here? LOL. Isolated? Not a good fit? Uhh.. umm…

The line where she says she’s an outdoorsy type of girl but has to learn to stay indoors and cook and wash dishes made me sad too. Poor girl.
I was thinking about that too, how her talent and love for animals is, if not going to waste, not being cultivated to the extent it could be. She would be a true blessing to any farmer out there, and if she brought in knowledge with her hands-on experience, she could be the perfect helper-suitable!
Methinks it’s got more to do with keeping her on THEIR farm (AKA selfishness)

This is the one that really cracked us all up. Do they honestly think it takes ALL DAY to wash dishes? Goodness, yesterday I washed dishes while Levi and a friend dried them. We all had the kitchen cleaned up, dishes washed and put away in no time!

Talent and love for animals going to waste? (Sure… I guess that's why we have all these animals, right? ahem…) My parents being selfish by keeping me here? Hello, I am their daughter! Not to mention they didn't seem to take into account that I love being here at home, did they?

Well, I hope ya'll got a good laugh or two out of that!

Today I got to babysit the little 6 year old girl next door. I had her most of the day, and she behaved very, very well. She listened, she wasn't annoying, and we actually got along today! She and I went outside, played with the animals, let Gabriel out, played a Bible game with her brother and my brother, we played in the dirt too (no day is complete without that! :P)

And, on top of that, Mom sewed her two pairs of culottes (spelling?) for when I have to baby sit her this summer. In summer, her grandmother (that's who she lives with) dresses her in very short shorts or mini-skirts. We don't tolerate her wearing those types of clothing up here, so we've made something that she can still wear to play in and be comfortable and modest. To be 6 years old and already dressed in mini-skirts?!? Something is wrong with that picture….

Anyway, she was wearing a very old dress of mine ( her size ) until Mom got her culottes done. She even asked me if she could wear the dress! Of course I said yes!! Then later, she asked me if she could wear a head covering like mine, so I went and got my shortest one (which is for my baby doll.., but it was still long enough to almost cover her hair, which was in a pony-tail. ) and put it on her. She was soooo cute! And she wore it the rest of the day until her grandma came to pick her up. Needless to say, she was rather stunned to see her granddaughter in modest culottes and a head covering!!! hehe.

Because when she was getting her ready to come up to our house (I was at her house), the little girl was in a mini-skirt. I asked her grandmother if she had something longer to wear. She apparently thought I was concerned about her getting bug-bit, so she said she'd spray bug spray on her. So I said "No.. do you have something longer?" And I think she got the idea then, because she had her go change into the next longest thing she could find — stretchy pants.

So, in all, I've had a pretty good day, aside from Gabriel running off and refusing to come to us, but, that's another story.

Which reminds me, I did have time to get another Scripture wallpaper done!!

Based on Psalms 127:3-5
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

And, of course, my Scripture Wallpaper made for Erika using Oddball:

Based on the part in James 4:6
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.