Memorize James

Today I am going to write about how our family is memorizing James 1. It is really good. We have only memorized 3 verses but it is so fun to do as a family. Our family is going to memorize 1 verse a week so by the end of the year we have memorized 52 verses from James. We are going to keep building on it and building on it. If you want to do it with us you can start at James 1:1 which says, "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." (James 1:1-3) I hope that you can do this with us. It is a very good chapter and a wonderful discipline to have. Have a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

A Word Fitly Spoken

Today I was reading my Proverbs of the day and I know this verse I just wanted to write about it. All of the little kids sing this song together. It is so cute. It says,"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold and pictures of silver" Proverbs 25:11. i know that I don't always think before I speak and I know that everybody sometimes has that issue. Sometimes you will just spit something out and just not think before you speak. We need to think and be self-controlled about what we say. We can hurt peoples feelings and then they may get bitter at us and we don't want that to happen. Just think before you speak and say kind words. God will bless you if you obey Him and listen to what his word says.I hope this encourages you and I hope you have a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

Train Up a Child

Today I was reading My Proverbs of the day and I came across Proverbs 22:6, which says,"Train up a child in the way he should go, Ans when he is old he will not depart but from it." (Proverbs 22:6) I know that none of us have any children yet. But some day we all pray for a husband so we can raise children. So, I was thinking that some of us know how to train children but others don't and we also have to remember another verse that I found. Proverbs 22:15, which says," Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him." We need to remember that verse. That is so true because little children that I see in public are not trained and can be disobedient. We do not want to have that in our lives so we need to train our children when we have children the right way. Those of you who do not have any younger brothers or sisters may not know how to train them when they are little but you just need to go to the word of God and ask the Lord to give you the wisdom to know what and how do train them. We need to keep this in mind as it may be hard when we get older. I hope this encourages you to train you children when you have children in the way of the Lord.

In Christ,
Brittany

Choose God's Way

This morning I am reading Proverbs 21 and just within the first few verses I found one that I thought I wanted to write about today. I liked verse 2 which says,"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts." I just thought about that and said sometimes we all think that we are doing something right and when someone tells us that we were doing it wrong it bursts our bubble. I don't like when that happens to me. The Lord says that he weighs the hearts which means that he is on the hearts and if they become heavy that is not a good thing. Our hearts may become heavy with sin and bitterness. There are many other things that our heart can become heavy with. We need to purpose to choose god's way and not our own way. That is something that every Christian struggles with. The fact that we can't always have our own way through the flesh. Our flesh wants its own way all of the time but we need to be stronger in the spirit and trust in the Lord to give us strength. I hope this encourages you to choose God's way over your own selfish way.

In Christ,
Brittany

A Child is Known by His Deeds

Today I was reading Proverbs 20 and I came across one of our memory verses that we sing to songs. It says, "Even a child is known by his deeds, Whether what he does is pure and right." I just think of that because I know that I haven't shared with my mom that sometimes when she asks me to do something I say sure I will do it but I don't want to really do it in my heart. I know that I need to share that and she asked me if there is anything that I need to share last night and I shared that with her and she just said that is something that you need to share because it is not going to bother any of us it is only going to bother you in the long run. I think that something little like that I will just forget about but then I keep thinking about it. I need to share these type of things. The reason why I tell this story is because this verse reminded me of that. It is because in our hearts we know what we do wrong and we can choose to share them or not and we should choose to share them. We need to do things the right way and stay pure. A child is known by his deeds whether he is doing something right or wrong and that child really gets to decide because if he wants people to know him as a someone who doesn't obey and honor their parents. I came to that conclusion and I think it is a very good one. I hope this encourages you and I hope you have a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

Think Before you Speak

Today I was reading my Proverbs of the day and I came across this verse, it says, "He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is filly and shame to him." Proverbs 18:13 So, I know that this can seem like it is a very simple thing but I know that I do it when I am guilty and don't want to be corrected about something. Sometimes my Mom will tell me something and I won't hear it with a humble spirit and I know that that is wrong of me to do. I know that I need to let my Mom finish talking and just answer with a humble spirit. It is hard but I think that is something that also comes with maturity. When someone is talking to you and you interrupt them and justify what you have done you are guilty and there is no going around it. I know that this is something that I am going to be working on so maybe you guys could do that with me. It also means that we need to self examine tour hearts before we speak. We need to think before we speak and see if it would be something to debate about or just answer with a "Yes Mam". I hope this encourages you to do that along with me.

In Christ,
Brittany

Stay in the Uprightness of God

Today I am going to have a really good verse for us to think about. This one I found in Psalm 14. I think it is one that we can all think about and a very good example that we need to show our younger siblings. It talks about us walking in righteousness and not in our own perverse ways. "He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is perverse in his own ways despises Him."We can learn form this and examine our own hearts. We all don't walk in His uprightness all of the time. Do We?? I know that I don't. I might always think that I do but most of the time I really don't. This is a part of character that we should have. I think it comes more with maturity in Christ also. But, we can do all things through Christ and we need to purpose to do this. This is something that we can show our younger siblings even when we want our own way. I think one way we can do this is reading His word everyday and putting Him our first priority in life. I hope this encourages you to be in the uprightness with God.

In Christ,
Brittany

Be a Wise Son

Today I went to go read my Proverbs and I started and the first verse I read was the one that I was going to write about. It is Proverbs 13:1. We need to be wise and take counsel. I know that I don't always heed wisdom but I need to. We can all work on it together. Here is the verse.

"A wise son heeds his father's instruction, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke."

So, I know that I don't always except the instruction of my mother and father. Sometimes I am way to prideful to even see what they are trying to tell me. I know that this is not a good thing. I need to take my rebukes when I get rebuked and move eon with life. God says that we need to be open to instruction and I am not always open for it. I hope that this encourages you and that we can all work on this.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was sick. I am better know and am back to normal.

In Christ,
Brittany

Have a Humble Spirit

This morning I was reading Proverbs 11 and I found a verse about being humble and not being prideful. I was just struggling with pride the other day. I had a rough day and my family prayed with me and encouraged me. I just want to thank the Lord for giving me peace and helping me through this time.

"When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

So, I know that we can all work on not being prideful. I know that is one of the things that I struggle with and I know I am not the only one out there but it still doesn't give me an excuse to be prideful. We need to have wisdom and be humble. It says that if you have pride then comes shame and that isn't a good thing. Let's try not to be prideful. We can pray for each other and encourage each other. I hope you have a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

A Big Surprise

Hello,

I am sorry I haven't posted in a couple of days. I have been busy because my dad surprised Tyler and I and cam down to visit us. This is the story. Are you ready?? I was walking in the kitchen on Monday at about 4:30 just about to get dinner started and Papa came up to me and said, "Can you tell this guy directions?" We have had a great time with him and it has been a blessing. I hope you are having a great day. Please pray for my Dad as he is leaving today that he would get home to Chicago safely because they have a lot of snow and it is very bad weather conditions. I hope you have a great day and a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

Fun Moments!!!

New Years weekend we had most of our family come up to visit us. We had a great time. We played a lot of Catch Phrase and just arm wrestles and other exercising contest. We all got on the Tsantles stairs and took some pictures. They turned out so cute with everybody. I really had fun and so did everybody else. We watched "Night at the Museum II" two times and stayed up really late. Us older kids went ice skating, that was interesting. Only one or two falls from each person. We had a really great time together and here is the picture. Enjoy the picture. Maybe I will post some more later.



I hope you had a great New Years and I hope you like the picture. We could not have gotten a prettier day to take a picture on. Enjoy!!!!

One of my Favorite Verses

Today I was reading one of my favorite chapters in the Bible and also one of my favorite verses. I think it is a wonderful verse for all young women to read and understand. My cousin has this verse painted in her room. It is so pretty and every time I read it I just think that I hope I am one of these young ladies.

"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, She shall be praised." Proverbs 31:29-30

We should purpose to be a godly women who fears the Lord all of the time. I pray that we all can be that and also be a good example if we have younger siblings that can follow us. We should try to set a good example for our younger siblings not bad examples. Let's try to do that with a whole heart. I hope this was encouraging to you.

In Christ,
Brittany

Use your Whole Herat to Sing to the Lord

Today I was reading my Bible and I came across Psalm 30:4. It just reminds us that we need to sing with a whole heart and worship Him with gladness. I think we can always use a little reminder about that. I know that when I am around people that I have just met I do not sing as loud as I always do because I think that they will think that I don't have a good voice which I know God doesn't care what your voice sounds like you just need to sing to the Lord and not to man.

"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name."

So, this week let's try to remember that, I think it is a very great thing to keep in mind. I am going to purpose to do a better job at that. When I moved to North Carolina I was so quiet and barely sang at all. But, since we have been here for 2 and a half years i am totally different. Let's purpose to sing with a whole heart.

In Christ,
Brittany

Merry Christmas!!!!

I hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas. Let's remember to keep our thoughts on things above and not of this world. Remember Christ our Savior on this day. Enjoy your day and have a blessed day!!!

In Christ,
Brittany

Thanksgiving Day

Here are the pictures from Thanksgiving Day!! We had a blast with our friends that came in from Georgia and Florida. Enjoy the pics.

















These are just some of the Thanksgiving Day pictures. I hope you enjoy them!!!!

Just Having Fun

Hello,

I am posting pictures from Thanksgiving morning before we had to cook and get everything ready. We were just having fun as you will see with the pictures. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and I will post more soon. Enjoy the pictures and have a great Christmas!!

Prairie Day

Hello,

These are pictures from our wonderful Prairie Day that we had. It went really well. We were outside all day and cooking over the fire. Our menu consisted of Beans, cornbread, sweet potatoes, green peppers, fried fish, and corn. We had eggs for breakfast and popcorn as a mid morning snack. I think the popcorn was the best part of the meal. We were going to get a chicken but the guy we buy the chicken from wasn't home. Instead we got our boys out fishing for us and caught 2 fish and fried them up. They were pretty good. The cornbread was the worst part of the meal. It tasted like dog treats. Well, I hope you enjoy the pictures and here they are!!



Tyler and Jabez out on the boat trying to catch some fish.



Lexi and Emmi just being girls, there so cute together.



They were all a mess, but they had a real fun time outside all day.

This was the oil fire that we had, Pappi put the pan on the fire and
the oil caught on fire so he put that white bowl on top of it while the eggs were in the bowl and
the oil splattered everywhere. It was something. Remember, there is never a dull moment around the Tsantles. No one got hurt, it was really funny after the fact. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

In Christ,
Brittany

A Trip to Lazy Ranch

Last week we took a little day trip about 3 hours away with out friends that came in for Thanksgiving and we went to Lazy Ranch. God has created such beautiful things on this earth and we need to be grateful that we can see them and just watch what God has created. They have animals that you do not even see in the zoo. They have giraffes, zebras, yaks, and even put belly pigs. I think the pot belly pigs were so cute, they even had baby pigs. They are so little and cute but we have to remember that they won't be that small for forever. I have a ton of pictures, so I will just have to choose some to share with you guys. Here they are!!!!

Big pop belly pig, his belly was dragging on the ground and he could barely walk.



Here is the huge cow, he actually played in a movie with his brother and is a super star. His tongue was so big and looked like sand paper.



This is how tall the giraffes were, they are so tall.



This is one of the Lama's that they had. I don't get to close to any of them.



I forget what kind of animal this is but they were huge!!!
These are the little teeny baby pigs, they were so cute. We have to remember that
they don't stay that cute there whole life!!!



I am feeding the giraffe. They are huge. I never realized how big they are.



Here is the baby zebra, he was posing for us. He wouldn't move from that spot. I
thought that was really funny.



Tori (Toozle) is getting ready to through food to the big animals!!!!

This little trip that we took was really fun and we all had a great time. We get to ride in the uncovered wagon and pet some of the animals and feed them all. I hope you enjoy all of the pictures of the Lazy ranch trip. That was our second time going there. We had a great time seeing God's creations.

Brittany

Ladies at the Tea Room

When the Whaley's were here we all went to the Old English Tea Room in Wake Forest. We had a really great time with all of the girls. Everybody got Tea and cookies. The little girls loved drinking the tea because they usually don't get 3 cups of tea at a time. They loved it and enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy the pictures of everybody in there fancy hats.
Friends enjoying themselves. Having Tea together!!!
Mrs. Whaley and Auntie Tracey

Ally, Karlee, and Me just getting ready to take sips of our tea!!!



Everybody trying to decide what tea to order!!! They have so many to choose from!!!




Lexi, Krista, and Bella all waiting for their tea. Bella was so cute with her hat!!


We all had a really great time at the Tea Room and all had some delicious tea. All of the little girls loved their tea and their cookies. I hope you enjoy all of the pictures of the tea room and there are still more to come from the rest of the Thanksgiving week!!!! Have a great day!!

Brittany

Pictures in a Little While

This week was Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. I'm sorry I haven't posted all week. We did a lot of fun things with our friends that came in from Georgia. They come every Thanksgiving. I have a ton of pictures that I want to share with you and everything that we did this week. I will post later when I have more time. I have got to figure it out how to get it all on a video and then I can do it. Will post more soon!!!!

Brittany

Busy Week

Hello,

This week coming up is going to be a very busy week for all of us. The Tsantles have friends coming for Thanksgiving. They are staying for almost a week. Well, our agenda for this week is: Tuesday we are going to Lazy Ranch which is a farm that has a ton of animals and we go in a wagon pulled by horses and they show us all of the different animals. It is really fun and interesting with all of the little girls. We get to feed the all of the animals. Wednesday we do our Prairie Day where we have to live outside like the pilgrims did when they first came to America. We do everything like they did in the olden days. Thursday is Thanksgiving and we are cooking all day and have desert. All of the kids love it. Friday night we have a Barn Dance. This is the 2nd annual barn dance. After the barn dance we go to the Auction and get to have fun there. I hope you enjoy your day and I will post pictures soon!!!!

Brittany

Have a Joyful Heart

Today I was reading Proverbs 17:22, it says, "A marry heart does food, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." I see a couple different things that we can get out of this verse. The first thing is that we should always have a marry and joyful heart no matter what situation we are in. God tells us to have a joyful heart in many places in the Bible. It also says that when you do have a marry heart it is like medicine to your body. That is a very good thing to have going towards your body. The second part of the scripture means when you have a broken spirit and are bitter in like about many things it dries the bones until they rot. So many people in this world are bitter and have all of these illnesses. Those people are really all bitter and there bones are rotting. We need to watch out for this. This verse basically tells us that we need to have a marry heart like medicine or we will rot our bones and eventually will have mo joy and be bitter. I hope this encourages you to tell other people about what this verse means. It is a good one to share with the people of the world. I hope you have a great day.

Piano Recital

Hello,

I just wanted to share with you all that I had a piano recital on Sunday after church and we had such a great time. I played "Savior like a Shepherd Lead Us". There were a lot of other people that played. Everybody did wonderful job. I would have taken pictures if I had brought my camera. Sorry, I didn't take pictures because I would have put them on here if I took them. I am not a fan of playing in front of people but I did it and once I get into the piece I am fine it's just getting me started. I hope you have a wonderful day.

In Christ,
Brittany

Today I thought that I would write about Psalm 100 which is a dong of praise into the Lord. I just love this Psalm, just the way that it is said is in a beautiful way. Here it is.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His fates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100

So I just think that we can all learn to be more thankful especially at this time of the year. Thanksgiving is coming up and we should all remember to be thankful and grateful for everything that we have and for all of the blessings that we get. There are many people in this world who do not have the same blessings we do and are not fortunate to have these blessings. I think we all need to remember that. We need to be thankful to our family for everything but also unto the Lord. The Lord is good and will always provide for those who love and obey His commands. I pray that this encourages you to be thankful this year.

In Christ,
Brittany

Watch What We Say

Yesterday we talked about the tongue. In Proverbs 10: 11-32 we counted how many times he uses mouth, lips, and tongue. We thought that he was trying to show us something. We do not always talk as uplifting as we should. We joke and punk and people and sometimes it hurts there feelings. We should not do that. We were thinking and we all came up with an example of when or how we had used our mouth in an ugly way. Mine was, my mom was in my way one day and I just walked up to her and said "EXCUSE ME" in a rude way. I know that I should of done that differently and I didn't. We should think before doing something like that. Maybe you should read Proverbs 10 and see if the Lord convicts you of any way that you may use you mouth in the wrong way. I hope this encourages you to watch what you say to other people and just honor your authority. I pray that you have a blessed day.

In Christ,
Brittany

Be of Good Courage

I am starting to read Joshua in the Bible and just the first 9 verses are really good. It talks about how we need to have courage and not be afraid.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

I just think that that is so true and we can all try to remember that verse. Earlier in the passage of scripture it commands Joshua of these things because He is taking over because Moses died. He is taking over everything that Moses had and everything that he steps his foot on. When Moses was still alive Joshua was His assistant. I just keep going back to that verse because we need to be more courageous and be willing to fear the Lord and not man. That is one of the things that I struggle with, not always being bold enough to share the Gospel with others. We can not do that because God commands us to be of good courage. That is what we have to purpose to do. I hope this encourages you and I pray that you have a blessed day!!!

In Christ,
Brittany

Be Diligent all of the Time

Today I was reading Proverbs 6 and I found Proverbs 6:6, which says, "Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise." I once heard a story about an ant and a grasshopper. It was, there once was a grasshopper and an ant. The ant was working very diligently to get her food and the grasshopper was just playing in the summer. So, when winter came the ant had all of the food that she needed but the grasshopper was to busy playing in the summer that he didn't have any food for the winter. So the grasshopper would go to whoever he saw because he got so hungry and had no food. He would ask if there was any extra food that he could have. Everyone he asked said no because you were to busy playing around and not being diligent. The moral of the story be diligent even when you don't want to. It's not good just to sit around when you feel like it because then that promotes laziness. Every time I think about that verse I think about that story. We all sing that verse with all of the little ones and I just think of that story every time I read it or sing it. I hope this encourages you to be diligent all of the time and not lazy. I am purposing to be diligent and not lazy. I hope you have a wonderful day and a blessed day.


In Christ,
Brittany

Guard your Heart

Today I was reading Proverbs 4 and I read one of my life verses. This verse is a verse that I have memorized and I think all of us girls should have this verse memorized. This has been one of the most encouraging verses to me throughout the past two years. It is Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." I just think that we can all use that verse to help us to guard our hearts. It is just one of the things that young women struggle with. I just pray that you and me can continue to use that verse if not already but that we can use it to encourage us and hide it in our hearts. I hope this blesses you and I hope you have a great day!!!!

In Christ,
Brittany

God is our Shield

Today I was reading the Psalm of the day and I found 3:3-4 and it says, "But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts op my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me from His holy hill." I just love that song and love when we sing it at church. We need to remember that God is our shield and not ourselves or man. We can't have fear of man we need to have fear of God. God hears us whenever we call upon His name and answers us when we call Him. He is such a good God. I just really like that verse and love to sing it because it is so true. I pray that yo could learn the song if you don't know it because it is a really good song. I love it. I hope you have a blessed day and I hope this encourages you.

In Christ,
Brittany

A Trip to the Mountains

This past week we went to the mountains to go apple picking and just to go on a little vacation. We left Sunday after church and got back Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. We had a great time and can't wait to go again next year. We go every year and this was our third year. We have always gone to the same orchard and probably will go to the same one next year to. They have a lot of apples that are already picked so we just pick a bag or two. We went with the Tsantles and another family that we know the Sterlings. Justus Orchard's which is the Orchard that we went to has the best apple cider. It is so sweet and all natural. If we give to much to the kids they will bounce off the walls.We stayed in little cabins that were so cute and had lots of character. They were right on a lake and it was beautiful. There are some pictures of the lake. It is absolutely gorgeous I don't have pictures of apple picking because my camera was out of batteries. I have to get the pictures from Taylor and then I will post them on here. I have pictures of some other things so here they are.I hope you enjoy the pictures.




We went to a farm to do a corm maze but they had already chopped down the corn so we just took pictures of the mountains behind the farm. It was beautiful.


This is the lake that was by our cabins. It is really pretty with the
sun shining down on it. That is a really good picture.

Another one of the lake that was by our cabins.


All the kids sitting in the pumpkins enjoying their morning
before we head home.


Abby, Tori, and Morgan all hugging by Grandad's Tractor.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and when I get more from Taylor I will post more. We had a great time in the mountains and can't wait to do it again next year. I hope you have a blessed day and a great day.

Brittany