Hi everyone,

I hope that you are all doing well and staying safe in this crazy time. I know that school and everything is going to be different with some people going back to school and others participating in remote learning. I wanted to share a couple things with you all that might help. If you are staying at home for remote learning as someone who schools at home here are three things to remember.

(1) Organize your time wisely.

One of the hardest parts of school at home is just getting the motivation to actually get up and do the work. I try to make it a habit to not doing anything else until my school work is finished like using tech or reading or playing outside. Once you are finished with school then you have the freedom to do what you want without having to worry about the work.

(2) Organize all of your supplies

Life and school is so much easier if you have all the tools you need in one area organized. For my siblings and I we have an entire room for school with a table that has jars of pencils, pens, erasers, paper, etc. near it. Maybe you don’t have that much space but just a shelf or desk with the essentials will make your work so much better and easier to concentrate. Then you don’t have to be searching for a pencil or pen to take notes or fill out a sheet.

(3) Be Easy on Yourself

No one is perfect and everyone learns and works differently. Be forgiving with yourself and your family. We are all in this together trying to navigate this new and unexpected time. Always remember that your family and teachers are there to help you and don’t ever feel nervous or stupid for reaching out for help. They want you to succeed and would love to give you the tools to be your best. So be kind to yourself and remember that we are all learning. If you do your best that’s all the God is looking for.

So stay safe and I’m thinking and praying for you all

Farm Girl

Hello again! I have just been in a spirit of writing these last couple days! I am a movie fanatic. I have watched all of the movies on this list over three times each because they are just sooooo good!!! So in no particular order here are ten movies to watch if you are stuck inside.

The Greatest Showman (should probably watch with a parent)

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon 2

How to Train Your Dragon 3

Finding Dory

Tangled

Dolphin Tale

Dolphin Tale 2

Courageous

Quest for Camelot

The Greatest Showman has to be one of my all time favorite movies in the world. I have probably watched it over a dozen times. Not only does it have two actors that I grew up watching (Zac Efron aka, Troy from High School Musical and Zendaya) but the story behind the movie is so inspiring. You will not look at circuses the same way trust me. I would advise having your parents pre-watch or watch will you depending on their comfort with some of the issues brought up in the movie.

All of the How to Train Your Dragon movies are AMAZING to watch. I enjoyed watching all three, although I have a particular fondness for the first one. Hiccup and Toothless are so dynamic together. The final movie my family watched in the theaters and it had me, my sister, and my mom crying by the end of it.

Finding Dory is just one of those movies that no matter how old you get you can appreciate it and still laugh along. I have to say my favorite character is that cranky old octopus and my favorite scene is them driving the stolen van (you have to watch it to know what I’m talking about).

Tangled is by far the best disney movie out there. Flynn Rider (Eugene) is the best character ever created. As my sister likes to point out, he is the only movie character to ever question why everyone else spontaneously bursts into song and dance. I also have a special place in my heart for Maximillian, he just cracks me up with his dislike for Eugene and Pascal. The music is also the best.

Both of the Dolphin Tale movies tell the heartwarming story of a boy and a dolphin named Winter after she is brought into aquatic rehabilitation center because of a defect in her tale. It is a story that will make you say ahhh at every turn. There is also a hilarious pelican that has a tendency of stealing visitors things.

Courageous is a Christian movie by the Kendrick brothers about a police officer after he loses his daughter. I always cry and laugh after watching it. My favorite part is the Snake King spanish part in the back of the police car. I would recommend watching as a family because of the fact that it does involve police officers and their line of work.

The final book on my list has to be my sister and mine’s all time favorite. Any rainy day, once we are done with our school work, you can find us watching Quest for Camelot on the VHS. Yep that’s hold old it is, I bet some of you don’t even know what a VHS is. It is the story of a young lady who wants to become a knight like her father for King Arthur and it involves two dragon that can’t fly, a blind guy, and a falcon with silver-tipped wings. Definitely a movie that you will remember and watch again many times in you life.

I hope you all enjoy and are able to check out some of these awesome movies. If you think of any movies I should watch, tell me about them in the comments below.

God Bless

Hello to all my friends in Miss Blessing’s class! I hope you all are doing well and avoiding this nasty covid-19 virus. Wash you hands often!! I have been well over the last few months, but busy. Three of my cows had babies this past month. We have two girls named Bemine and Gracious (Gracie for short) and a boy named Bingo. An interesting tidbit, Bemine was born on Valentine’s Day and her mom Behold was born on Christmas. I refer to them now as my holiday cows. My family is great, we just recently purchased the house that we had been renting so we are officially set to stay where we are. NO MORE MOVING!! I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have a permanent place to call home. We hope to renovate the kitchen and bathroom this fall!!

On a more somber note, as my birthday approaches I want to talk to you all about living in the moment and the desire to grow up. I know that I remember at your age dreaming of the day I would get to go upstairs or over to the other building. I dreamed of being older and in high school, with a job and a car. I’m here to tell you that you should appreciate the fact that you are still young. Being older is not as fun as it might seem. Trust me as a freshman in high school I witnessed it first hand. I went from 8 to 1 school hours to 8 to 3 or 4 on some days. Then add playing varsity basketball for a local christian school near me (GO TCCA EAGLES!!) and you end up with some days I wouldn’t finish school until 7 or 8 even 9. And as a homeschooler that’s not factoring in if you attend traditional school with extra homework. Then there are all these uncertainties that lie ahead. I have to find a job, a car, get my license. What colleges and degrees am I looking at? What do I want to do with my life? It can all be very stressful. I’m not saying that being older is all bad. There are some sweet parts like more independence and the prospect of making my own money and driving a car. What I’m trying to say is don’t let life pass you buy as you look to your future. Let God use you in your life today, he has plans for you tomorrow. You only need to trust him. Take it from me, it seems like life will just pass you by. Be invested in today and you won’t miss something great God has for you!

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today”. – Matthew 6:24

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the amazing comments! I have written some replies so go ahead and check them out. Today my ATB post is going to be about music. Music is something that is in all of our lives. I remember music being a huge part of my time in Miss Blessing’s class. Unfortunately today music can be used wrongly. The music genres of today can be so depressing and not reflecting of God. I sometimes struggle with music choices because I have a soft spot for country music. If you have listened to any country music, you know that some songs are great and some are awful. It’s hard because an artist can write an amazing song and then write an awful song. Choosing songs that glorify God is hard, but it is something we need to make a priority.

According to the Bible, music is a way that we praise God. “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music in the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19 This verse tells us that music can praise God. That means that what we listen to can also praise or not praise God. If you are listening to music that does not praise God, that means we are not praising God. Have you ever heard the saying, “Out of the heart the mouth speaks”? It comes from the Luke 6:45, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” If you are listening to music that is not Christ honoring, that can build up in your heart and then spill out. If you listen to music that is Christ honoring, hopefully it will fill up and spill over from your heart.

I’m not saying that you can’t listen to any secular music. Just be careful that what you listen to doesn’t influence you or if it does it is in a God-honoring way. The country songs that I listen to try to honor God. There are so many amazing songs and artists within the Christian genre. Here are some of my favorites:

1. For King and Country
2. Tenth Avenue North
3. Danny Gokey
4. Toby Mac
5. The Newsboys
6. Jeremy Camp
7. Austin French
8. Mercy Me
9. Hillsong Young and Free
10. Rend Collective

Blessings,

Farm Girl

Question:  I am an advanced reader, but I want to honor the Lord in all that I read and I find that some of the more advanced books have things in them that are not yet appropriate for me.  We know you are an advanced reader.  How do you choose books carefully?  Do you have recommendations?

ATB Answer:

Hi everyone,

Since I am now in high school I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do for my future career. I know that this might surprise you all but I have decided that I do not want my full time job to be as a farmer. Shocking! Instead I want to be a firefighter. It kind of came out of nowhere for me but the more I thought about it the more I decided that I wanted to pursue it. This march I joined my towns fire explorers. Explorers is a program through Boy Scouts of America that provides kids who are interested in public service careers like police, EMT, and firefighting access to training and learning from professionals. So the firefighters in my town are our advisers and kind of show us the ropes of firefighting. We are allowed to ride on the equipment and even have our own gear. There are six other members in my post with all of us in high school. I am enjoying it so much and learning a lot! I have really fallen in love with it! My hope is to attend the Fire Academy and a community college for a Fire Science degree and then a full-time position somewhere. But no matter what I will always love dairy and the dairy industry. I hope that I will still be able to own cows my whole life and do firefighting.

Blessings,

Farm Girl

Here is an according to the Bible that you guys requested!

What does the Bible say about pets?

As for pets myself I have a lot! I am the proud mamma of 6 jersey cows: our resident old girl, Gonzo; our old grumpy lady, Tweet; the mischievous, spoiled Bettina; the spry, pretty baby Behold; the baby of the family Vienna; and our steer Guacamole. I am an aunt to 11 fine feathered friends, our rooster Dude, the hens Henrietta, Doublestuff, Phoenix, Cocoa, Ry Ry, Amelia, Nutella, Pooki Pookie, Merica, and Miss Marple. My family also has a lazy, cheese loving great dane, two lazy fat cats, and two ponies. Needless to say I really live on a farm.

What does the Bible say about pets? This is tricky because the Bible does not exactly talk about owning pets, instead it talks about how we as humans should look after and treat animals. In Genesis 1:28 it says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God gave Adam rule over the animals and he entrusted Adam to take care of them. One way that we are like Adam with our pets is when we name them. Adam named the animals what we call them today like “cat” or “dog” but we give our animals a name as well.

When we take care of our pets we are practicing something called “stewardship”.According to the Bible, stewardship is taking care and nurturing what God has given us. If God has given you a pet your job is to care for it for to the best of your ability. That means cutting back on the complaining when mom tells you to take the dog out or to clean your fish’s aquarium. God cares about how we take care of our animals, remember he is always watching. Proverbs 12:10 says, “The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.”

Blessings,

Farm Girl (literally)

Hi everyone,

Sorry this post is coming out a little later but I have been busy because…. I AM SHOWING MY COW IN MADISON, WISCONSIN AT THE WORLD DAIRY EXPO!!!!!! World Dairy Expo is one of the largest dairy shows in the world, people from all around the country and the world exhibit animals here. This has been on my bucket list since I was probably 10 and I am finally checking it off!!!! Before I start talking about what the Bible says about friends and friendship I want to say that last weeks blog post was AMAZING! Bright Eyes did an amazing job and I felt like God spoke through her. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Today I am going to be discussing friends. All of us have friends. Friends are people we like to hang out with, talk to, and share life with. But have you ever stopped to think about what the Bible says about friends and friendship. One thing I have learned about friends and friendship is what is a true friend is and how to be a true friend. 

According to the Bible the friends that you have influence your life.“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” Proverbs 13:20 NLT  The friends that you surround yourselves with will impact your decisions and your actions. Chaplain Ronnie Melancon once said, “Show my your friends and I’ll show you your future. That means hanging out with the people that don’t do their school work or ignore their parents and aren’t following Christ will impact how you do those things. I have heard people say “oh, my good influence will change them”. “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”‘ 1 Corinthians 15:33 Don’t let yourself become corrupt trying to fix someone. On the reverse side that means you need to be a good influence to those who chose to hang out with you.

According to the Bible friends need to encourage, convict, and steer each other towards Christ. Proverbs 27:17, “ Just as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” I know that might sound weird but it is just basically saying that what you do or don’t do for a friend has effects on them. As friends we need to remember that we have a commitment to call our friend out if they are doing something that is not Christ-like and to encourage them when they are doing something Christ-like. Saying that, we need to make sure that we consult God in prayer to make sure that he wants us to call the person out and the best way to do it. It is not done lightly. Proverbs 27:5-6, “An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from the enemy.” If you friend call you out on something, you need to look within yourself and seek God’s wisdom in addressing that problem. You also have to be willing to call your friends out, even if your scared they might get offended and not want to be your friend anymore. If that’s the case they were never a true friend in the first place. Hebrews 10:24, ” And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” We need to not be so focused on calling out sins with our friends that we forget to encourage them and tell them “good job” when they do something right.

In my opinion the true friends are the ones who constantly steer each other towards Christ and aren’t afraid to call us other out in our sin, but when they do, it is done in love not condemnation or hate. 

I hope you all enjoyed this post and that it encouraged you in some way. If you want to know more about what God’s Word says about friends and friendship, please read the Bible. The concordance in the back of your Bible is a great place to start. I can’t wait read your comments and I hope you hop over to Bright Eye’s blog next week for more ATB.

Blessings to you all,

Farm Girl

Hi everyone,

I am announcing that Bright Eyes and I are starting a series of blog posts called ATB: According to the Bible. We are going to be picking a topic like school, friends, ex… and exploring what the Bible says about it. We will alternate back and forth each week and Bright Eyes will be the first off next week since I am going to be showing cows. We would like you feedback and suggestions for topics. Until next time, hope you all are enjoying school!

Blessings,

Farm Girl

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” William Ward

Since this week is teacher appreciation week, I decided to look back on all the teachers I have had and do something I don’t think I have ever done before: thank them. Thank you to all the teachers at my school, all my Sunday school teachers who put up with the annoying girl who didn’t want to listen, thank you to all the older people in my life that have taught me through example, and thank you to my parents, who are the greatest teachers in the world.

I remember one day when I was younger and some of my friends were always complaining about school. I was astonished to learn that they didn’t like to go to school. My whole life I never thought that school was something I was forced into (although I was) but something I enjoyed doing. Even before leaving my private school and becoming homeschooled, I also thought I had it easy. I had great friends, awesome teachers, and enjoyed learning. I know its not like that for everyone, but I was blessed that it was for me. So thank you to all my teachers who inspired my love of reading, math, science, history, language, music, and all the other curriculum extras I did. Thank you, you might not feel like it now, but what you do day in and day out makes a difference in the lives of your students. As a current student myself, I can already see what differences my teachers have made in me. So all my fellow students, take a minute this week to thank a teacher for what they do for you. And lets thank them all the time, just not during Teacher Appreciation Week because teachers don’t just educate the next generation, they inspire them. You never know how a simple “thank you” could impact the lives of the ones who impact yours every day.

All my love,

Farm Girl