An Inspiring Article

20-Something Reasons to Live at Home

"So Rachel," my new friend said, joking in that not-so-subtle way that meant she wasn't joking at all. "Want to move out and get an apartment with me next fall?"

I chuckled slightly and said, "Nope. I'm pretty happy at home." "But you could be so independent!" she insisted. "Living on your own is so great. You'd have your own space; the ability to do whatever you want; your own bills to pay. It really makes an adult of you."

I stuck to my guns. When she got to know me a little better, my friend changed her mind. Instead of asking me to move out, she expressed a desire to live close to my family. She saw something in our home that she wanted to tap into...

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Tuesday Talks: Prince Caspian

Sorry to be so late with this! We've been having internet problems today.

Happy Tuesday! Today I'm reviewing the recently released sequel to the movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe".

Prince Caspian was a pretty good movie, all things considered. It wasn't quite as wonderful as the first movie, though. The first one was perfect. It kept to the book almost perfectly, and was very well done. It was just like projecting what I had been imagining as I read the book onto the big screen! I loved it.

Caution: This is going to contain spoilers!

With "Prince Caspian" they swayed from the book quite a bit. The first thing that bothered me was the fact that Prince Caspian was made out to be a 23 year old hunk, rather than the timid 13 year old he is in the book. In the book, Peter comes back and helps Caspian become ready to take up his throne as the rightful king of Narnia. In this movie, Peter and Caspian are always at each other's throats, since both of them are kingly figures in Narnia.

Something that I loved about the book, and a friend of mine pointed out to me yesterday, was the fact that (in the book) when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy come back to Narnia, most of them have lost faith in Aslan. Lucy has the strongest faith, and therefore sees Aslan first. As the book, and their faith progresses, one by one, all of them see Aslan -- except for Susan. She takes the longest to recover her former faith in the great lion. She finally sees him. In the movie, Lucy sees Aslan at the beginning and the others don't believe her, as in the book, but then they all see him at once later. It wasn't quite as meaningful that way.

Of course, the most obvious annoyance with this movie is the subtle romance between Susan and Caspian that was definitely not in the book! They kiss at the end.

Other than those few things, it was a pretty good movie. I love what they did with Reepicheep, they really captured his personality from the book. All the mice were hilarious. ;)

I give this movie a three and a half out of five stars.

Do you have a review? Leave your link below!

I'm going to seek His face, by fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments, for this is the whole of man.

Ah. This weekend I had the most wonderful, God-honoring graduation ceremony. It was truly a sight to behold, and I wanted to share some of it with our readers here at Stay-At-Home Daughters.

If nothing else, fast-forward to the message. It's about 25 minutes in.

("right-click/Save Target As" to download)
Click here for the audio of the ceremony.

Wow. I was speechless and overwhelmingly grateful to God when I heard the message preached on Saturday. The graduation ceremony was much more meaningful than I had expected and the message was given so straight-forward, and so eloquently that everyone listening had no means to contradict.

Our pastor gave Scripture to support everything he was saying, and praised the high-calling of women to be wives and mothers. No one could have thought of giving me grief about my decision to forgo college after that.

Since there was also a young man graduating this year, our pastor also preached on the role of the man as leader.

It was truly amazing. I’m grateful to God for such a wonderful church family, and wonderful parents who care enough to bring their children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

My mother, Lady Why, also put up a wonderful post about it on her blog. And my sister, Poppy, posted pictures.

While on this topic... Carmon, over at Buried Treasure, also re-posted a very timely article just yesterday on her blog. Head on over and take a look!

Tuesday Talks: Stepping In The Light

Today is Tuesday Talks once more!



I am reviewing the "Stepping In The Light" magazine.

Published bi-monthly, this is a wonderful magazine just for young women. This magazine has articles, crafts, testimonies, recipes, and all sorts of other things.

My favorite part is probably all the stories that other girls share about what God is doing in their lives, and how they are growing closer to Him, but I enjoy the recipes and poems too! :)

One neat thing is that older women share their testimonies and life experience so that we can learn from their mistakes and gain wisdom.

To learn more about "Stepping In The Light", you can visit the website.

I would love to read your reviews! Leave your link below!





You can read the rules by clicking the link in our sidebar.

~*~Courtney~*~

Thursday Thoughts: Sibling Spats

As most of you probably know, I am the oldest of 9 children. My siblings are such a delight to me each and every day. We all love one another very much, but even so, there are some sibling spats, as we are not perfect.

While I have been reading more and more about sibling rivalry, I have been trying to apply some new principles to decrease the number of "issues" that come between us, therefore, creating greater harmony here at home.

• Step back and take a deep breath. Give both parties some time to cool off.
  
• Really listen to what the other person is saying, don't plan your next statement while they are talking.
  
• Ask forgiveness, even if you don't think you did something wrong. Make sure you don't just say it, but really mean it.
  
• Talk to God about your problem. Ask Him to guide you through this hard time.
  
• Ask if there is anything you can do to help. Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes. This person may just need a listening ear.
  
• Apply the verse "do not let the sun go down on your anger". Do your best to solve the problem before it gets worse.
  

For more great ideas on getting along and truly loving your siblings, I recommend "Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends", available through our Astore.

I hope these help you stop fights with the siblings in your home. God bless you on this Thursday.

~*~Courtney~*~

Tuesday Talks: Dear, Dear Livy

Wow! Is it really Tuesday again?

Today I'm reviewing a wonderful book, "Dear, Dear Livy." This is the biography of Mark Twain's wife, Olivia Langdon. She was an amazing and noble lady, devoted to her husband and family and always thinking of others.

The book is wonderfully written, detailing her romance and life with Samuel Clemens - who's pen name was Mark Twain. Livy was her husband's only trusted critic and she accompanied him on tours with their children in later years.

The accounts of Livy's life, her trials, her heartbreaks, are extremely touching. The ending made me a bit misty-eyed.

I'd highly recommend it! I don't know if it's still in print or not, but if you can get your hands on a copy, do!

It's not a hard read, I finished it in just a couple of sittings, but it's well worth it.

Do you have something to review for Tuesday Talks?
Leave your link below!

Information on Tuesday Talks can be found in the sidebar.

Tuesday Talks: Facing The Giants

Today is Tuesday Talks here at Stay-At-Home Daughters.



When "Facing The Giants" first came out, I wasn't really interested in seeing it, because I am not a fan of sports. I figured it was "just a football movie", and that it couldn't be very interesting, because it was "just about sports".

I was totally wrong.

Yes, football is a large part of the movie, but it is used more as an example of the principles that are presented during the movie.

It was a little cheesy in parts, but overall, still a wonderful movie!! 5 stars!!

If you would like to participate in Tuesday Talks, leave your link below!



~*~Courtney~*~

A Couple of Links

As you might have noticed, as we've grown increasingly busy, Stay-at-Home Daughters has been a tad silent! Yikes!

While we get back on the bandwagon, I want to share with you a couple of articles that have been a blessing to me in the recent past.

First is a wonderful article called "The Merry Future Homemaker" from Ladies Against Feminism.

Here's an excerpt.

"A few years ago, I embarked on a new phase in my life. In the summer of 1999, I completed my formal academics, and that autumn was an adjustment for me. When people inquired what grade I was in, I replied with a phrase that seemed strange to my ears: “I am graduated.” Graduated? What exactly does that mean?

To any young woman who desires a joyous life of serving the Lord, family, friends, and, Lord willing, building a new family for the glory of Christ, it means something entirely different from the worldly ambition of a selfish life of pursuing a career for a “better, happier life that won’t tie us down.”

People often ask me what I am doing now that I am finished with my formal academics. I happily reply, “Training to be the best wife, mother and homemaker I can be.” And what better way to be trained and prepared than to continue practicing those household skills that my mother has so carefully taught me—right here at home?"

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The second article is called "Daughters at Home" from Stacy McDonald's blog. This is an excellent one!

"What is a corner stone?

A cornerstone is the foundational stone at the corner of two walls. It is not used in just any structure, but is typically found in temples, churches, mansions, or elaborate buildings. A cornerstone is set in a prominent location and typically has an inscription that communicates to others the details of the structure’s history.

So by looking at the cornerstone you should know who designed the structure, how old it is, who built it, who owns it and possibly what its worth as a historical monument....

...For the record, a maiden isn’t called to be weak or helpless; she is literally to be a pillar of strength – His strength. She is also to be beautiful – to radiate His beauty with all purity and love. She obtains this type of loveliness through His faithful craftsmanship of her character and demeanor; not from her own vain efforts at the fading kind of beauty—though her outward appearance in not unimportant."

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I hope these are encouraging to you!

--Flibby