Happy New Year's Eve

   Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I hope throughout 2014 you all experience joy and God's blessings.
 
   I don't know about all of you, but every New Year's Eve I write out a list of resolutions that I hope to accomplish that year. I think we all make resolutions because we desire to change different things in our life, but ultimately it is ONLY through God that we are able to accomplish these things. We need to put Him first, trust Him, have faith in Him, and we need to listen for His still small voice and submissively follow His leading and direction in our lives.

   I am so excited to see what God has in store for me this year. My heart's desire is to become more like Him. I hope that you accomplish everything that you have planned for your life this year. Remember to keep God in your plans and you won't fail) :D

 

A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words

   The other day I caught my sister Nolie in the pack and play with my other baby sister Annaliese. I was able to snap a picture of them before Nolie realized that I was standing there and a picture of them once she noticed me. Never a dull moment in our house. :o) Till next time...



   I thought these pics were too cute, I just needed to share them with y'all

The First Gift

                       Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you all have a blessed & wonderful day!

Reason for the Season

Don't forget the true meaning of Christmas during this wonderful time of the year!

Performance at the South Mall and a Trip to Koziars Christmas Village

   Yesterday was such a full day of activities. My school's handbell choir performed at the South Mall and in between a few of the handbell songs there was a little break in which I was asked to play a few short Christmas songs. It was encouraging to us who were playing to see so many people stand around, video tape us, and watch us play.
    After our performance, my Youth Pastor and his wife took us teens (who accomplished the 30 Day Proverbs Challenge) to dinner and a trip to see the Christmas Lights Display at Koziars Christmas Village. Whenever I see Christmas lights I feel like a little girl all over again, oohing and aahing over all the pretty colored lights. I had such a great time goofing around with my friends while looking at the sights. Thank you Mr.Gable for taking us with you!                                    
     
    

Junior Class Christmas Party

Hello folks,

    My fellow Junior classmates and I since Thanksgiving have been planning for our Hawaiian Christmas Party. Yesterday we stayed after school to make sure we got all the decorations up and that everything was in order. Everything went great today, from the preaching to the games and then finally the food.
   We started off the morning with a hot chocolate bar and cinnamon roll doughnuts. After everyone had their share, Tommy Anger came and preached a short challenge to us. We then played a variety of games, which everyone seemed to really enjoy. :D
     For lunch we had hoagies, jello salad, a veggie tray, homemade mac'n cheese, hawaiian meatballs, and we also had a nice assortment of desserts. Thank you Mum, Mrs.Stewart, and Mrs.Hammett for preparing and making all the delicious food! We had such a great time today, I'm glad everything went so smoothly! Till next time...

Friday Teen Girl Bible Study

Hello All,

    It's been awhile since I've talked about the Bible Study that I've been heading up. My friend Sarah who is presently engaged, will be getting married in January and will be moving away with her new husband Philip. So for this week's Bible Study, I asked her if she could come and share with us how they met and explain the difference between courtship and dating. It was so exciting to hear how God perfectly brought them together. 
    
     In this new year, I'm hopefully going to start a new subject for the Bible Study. I'm planning on doing, "A Teen Girl Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus." I'd appreciate any prayers for it!    ;o)

     Here are some pics from this Friday's Bible Study... Till next time!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            Going to miss this lovely girl!      

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

    Because of the snow, my school called a Snow Day! My sister and I were thrilled :-) After lunch we headed outside and braced the cold in order to make a snowman. Throwing snowballs at each other while we worked on it made it all the more fun. Afterward, we warmed ourselves up close to the fire as we sipped on our coffee and hot chocolate. Till next time...

Shopping with the Girls ;-)

     Hello Again All,

    I had such a great time today shopping with a few of my fellow teen girls (who made Honor Roll) at the Promenade Shops. My dear friends Ben and Alyssa Hall were able to come along too! Of course no shopping trip would be complete without Starbucks, right??? Below are some pics from today... Thanks Ben for snapping the pics for us. :-) Till next time!

Starting with a BANG!

    Every year around Christmas time our youth group likes to go and perform/minister, by singing and playing our handbells at nursing homes and such around the Lehigh Valley. I had the privilege of being asked to play a flute solo for the upcoming perfomances. I am so excited for any opportunity I get to play my flute. Yesterday we started out the season with a bang, by performing at an AARP meeting and hosting a Christmas program for our parents and friends last night. It was such a fun time! Here are some pics from last night, sorry if they seem a little blurry. ;-)

Counting my Blessings

I just want to start by wishing you all a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving! I love taking a portion of time on this day each year to really think about all that I'm thankful for and have been blessed with. Here are the top 10 that I came up with today... Till next time

1. My Salvation- 
  Without The Lord taking control of my life and saving me on December 15, 2012, I would be      
    nothing. I'm so so thankful for the Lord's continual patience and saving grace in my life.
                                         John 5:30a. verse that showed me my need for
                                                                                                                                                      Christ

2. My Parents and Grandparents
       They are always there for me when I have a question, problem, or just to pray with me. I am
       continually thanking my Lord for blessing me with these very special people in my life.

3. Spending Time with my Sisters
     I love them with everything I have. They always are able to make me laugh. I am thankful for
every opportunity I get to spend time with them by watching a movie with them, painting  their nails, or trying out different hairstyles on them. They are 3 big blessing in my life.
                                      
4. My Friends
      I have been blessed with some pretty amazing friends. I know they are there for me and praying
      for me. They play such a big part in my life, that without them my life would be missing a big
      part.


5. Christmas Tree Farms
    There is something about driving past a Christmas tree farm that makes me all excited. My favorite holiday is Christmas, so when I think of a Christmas tree farm I think of an unending
Christmas. love the piney smell of the Christmas trees and their color green is so majestic looking.

    6. Sheep
         Yes, I know you're probably thinking, "Sheep?!?!" Yes, I love them. I know they can be "blonde" alright stupid at times. But there is something about them that makes me say, "Awwww!" I
love the picture that Jesus gave us concerning sheep... That if we are saved we are His sheep and He
is our Shepherd.

  

7. Quiet Mornings 
       I am such a morning person. My favorite part of the day is waking up early, drinking coffee, and spending time with God as the sun slowly rises to start a new day.

8. The Night Sky
     Looking up into the night sky and seeing the innumerable amount of stars and perhaps a full
moon, never ceases to amaze me.

9. Starbucks
    What is there not to love about Starbucks? My best memories of Starbucks is going there with my friends and spending hours on end just talking while we sip on our coffees. ;-) 



10. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
         Chocolate and Peanut Butter.... A Genius must have come up with this wonderful combination.     Seriously, these little individually wrapped presents are my ULTIMATE favorites. If I were deserted on an island and had to choose one thing to take with me, these would be one of my first choices lol

                                I hope you all have a very Blessed & Happy Thanksgiving!

First Snow of the Year!

It's snowing outside! My sisters and I are beyond excited, especially Juliana. She said to me, "Yay! Briar, now we can make a snowman!" In reality there's only a dusting of snow on the ground. Maybe next time Juliana. :-) I love how the snow looks while it floats to the ground. It seems almost enchanting. It possesses a marvelous aura as the snow falls silently for hours. Bracing the cold, my sisters and I had to be a part of this beautiful picture outside our window. Till next time...

Christmas Music is NOW playing!

Hello to you all!

I am so exuberantly happy today, because Christmas music has started playing everywhere! Anyone who knows me, knows I love listening to music, but especially Christmas music because it is extra special to me. While listening to my selection of Christmas music, it made me wonder which songs were my top favorites because I have many. Here are the TOP 5 that I came up with... Hope you enjoy! Till next time...

1# Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing "The Little Drummer Boy"

2# Nat King Cole singing "Caroling,Caroling"

3# Bing Crosby singing "Pat-a-Pan"

4# Nat King Cole singing "O Holy Night"

5# Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas"

An Early Thanksgiving :-)

Hi Again All!

  Since my Grandpop will be going to Philly on Monday to get his stem cell transplant, my family and I celebrated Thanksgiving early this year so he could be with us. My Uncle Steve, Aunt Brittany, their 5 girls, and my Aunt Eleanor were able to come, so we definitely had a full house. The more the merrier! I love my family so much and am so thankful to have them in my life. I love every opportunity I get to be with them! Here are some pics from today... Till next time :-)

                                                              The food of course ;-)

                                                               Playing with the cousins

My beautiful cousin Fiona and Me

My little sis Annaliese

My Aunt Brittany and Me

My lovely Mum and Grammie

The ladies

My Grandpop and his girls ;-)

Who are you Thankful for?

Today in the Teen Girl Bible Study we continued our study in the book of Proverbs, but since it's so close to Thanksgiving I wanted to make it extra special. I asked every girl to think of 1 or 2 other girls in the youth group and say why they were thankful for them. It was definitely an encouraging time for everyone. To bring it all together, I made Snickerdoodles and brought apple cider for everyone to enjoy while we chatted. I would also like to thank my friend Grace, for making a batch of delicious cookies. I know everyone enjoyed them! Here are few pics from today's Bible Study. Till next time...

Thanksgiving Friends

Thanksgiving is a time

To review what we treasure

The people we hold dear,

Who give us so much pleasure.

Without you as my friend,

Life would be a bore;

Having you in my life

Is what I'm thankful for. 

- Joanna Fuchs

Our Big Debut- 2013 Piano Recital

  Tonight my sister and I were privileged to participate in an annual piano recital hosted by our lovely piano teacher, Nina Hall. Here are some random pics from tonight's performance...

My sweet sister Juliana, she did an AWESOME job! 

Then there's me :P

My two good friends who also played tonight. (Both did an amazing job)

Then finally...

The Group Shot!