Highlights from 2010 - Goals for 2011

Wow...it's almost 2011 already?!? It seems that 2010 flew by so fast! There were so many things that I enjoyed about this year, and I can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

Some of the highlights of my year were:

- Our family starting a home based business (small scale farming)
- Hippology Contest (Hippology is the study of horses)
- Starting this blog!
- Cowgirl Queen Contest
- My friend returning from Africa
- County Fair
- Co-leading a Bright Lights group in our area
- Turning 16
- Participating in Iowa 4-H Camera Corps
- ...and much, much more!

Once again it's that time of year to sit down with a notebook and pen and write out all of our goals for the upcoming year. Do you ever notice that those goals all seem great, and you are excited about doing them...for the first week? Well, this year my goal it to complete these goals, not just hope that they will eventually get done sometime when I feel like it.

Spiritual...
- Read the Bible daily
- Keep a journal of the things that stand out to me
- Work on memorization every day (right now I'm working on Colossians 3)

Horse...
- Have Misty ready for Sarah to show in the performance classes at the County Fair
- Get Flash in shape for showing (a couple local shows and Cowgirl Queen Contest)
- Work on getting Flash to take her right lead

Farm...
- Read several small-scale farming books
- Learn about pastured pork and how that could fit into our farm
- Learn how to weld (my dad said he'd teach me if I'd like to learn!)

Exercise...
- Train for and run a 5k race
- Figure out a weekly exercise schedule, and stick with it

Photography...
- Participate in Iowa 4-H Camera Corps again
- Practice, practice, practice!

Also, you'll be seeing a few changes around here in the upcoming weeks, as a few months ago I won a giveaway for a new blog design (hosted by Hannah at A Homemakers Daughter). So right now Amanda at CS Designs is working on a new blog design for Beautiful Gems, and I can't wait to see how it's going to look!

One verse that stands out to me as we step into a new year is...

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

May each of you desire to grow in the Lord more and more and seek to serve Him with all of your heart. Remember...in ourselves we can not change for the better. True change only comes about because of what GOD can do in our lives.

Have a wonderful New Year!
Rebekah

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Yesterday morning everything was covered with frosty white crystals. It had gotten foggy the night before, and when it lifted it left everything in a brilliant, glittering winter wonderland! The trees, fences, grass...everything...had been covered in little snowflakes, and it was so beautiful!

When I went out to do chores, it looked as if our horses had aged quite a bit. Their hair was covered in a frosty white, Misty looked as if she had grown a beard, and Flash looked like she put on white mascara :)

 As you have probably already guessed, this "winter wonderland" scene was more than enough reason for me to grab my camera and head outside...

 I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas! Our family did! As tradition goes, after we were all up we read the Christmas story (what would Christmas be without it?!?), and then we opened presents. Two of the presents that I got from my parents were Joyfully at Home by Jasmine Baucham and Preparing to be a Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. I was quite excited to get them, as I have heard so many young ladies recommend them! I'll let you know what I think of them after I'm done reading them...but from what I have read so far they look wonderful! After we were done with presents, we finished reading Tabitha's Travels (it's an advent story that tells of the adventures of a girl named Tabitha. It is in the same series as Jotham's Journey and Batholomew's Passage, all by Arnold Ytreeide) which we started in late November.

Preparing to be a Helpmeet - by Debi Pearl

Joyfully at Home - by Jasmine Baucham

 
Joy...finding a way to be happy even when things don't go your way

May the Lord bless you in the upcoming year!

Love in Christ,

Rebekah

Merry Christmas!!

- Merry Christmas! -

As we gather with family and friends, I hope that we won't forget the reason we even celebrate Christmas. God sent His only Son into the world so that He could save us from our sin...what love! 

I hope that you all have a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Yes...we have a white Christmas...a very white Christmas! It's so pretty :)

Merry Christmas!

- Rebekah