Monday, March 31, 2008

My family's sponsor child

Hey blog readers,

Yesterday, my family and I picked a child to sponsor from www.compassioninternation.com and we picked a 5 year old boy from Dominican Republic. His name is Nelfali and he is a orphan living with his grandparents. : ( He is so cute and I can't wait to get his picture in the mail and write him a letter to tell him about my family! I am so happy there are programs like Compassion International so we in America don't lose sight of God's little children. To think that every night 1/3 of the world goes to bed starving is just so sad and it brings joy to my heart to know that I can play a part in helping less and less of that 1/3 go to bed hungry! I pray that more people will sponsor those little children. Thankfully most of them have parents but those who don't, the hurt they must feel... oh how I pray God will comfort their hearts. If you could be so good as to pray for the hungry and homeless every night before bed, that is just a special part we can play in their lives. Don't be sad because they are getting help! Right now in all of the world, there are more people becoming Christians in Africa than another other place in the world! Isn't that encouraging?!? To know that in Africa where there are the most false teachings, there is also the most converts! You just have to love how God works in mighty ways!
Well I have to go but I will definitly write more later!

Blessings and Joy be spread to you all,
SocialButterfly

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Party planning!!!!

Hey everyone,

Starting tomorrow, I will start the countdown of the days left until my birthday! YEAAAAAAAA! I am sooo excited!!! My family is coming over on Thursday to celebrate my birthday along with my Aunts birthday and I can't wait to see them! So about my birthday, I have to obviously plan a party but what is a good party theme? I would like the party to be outdoors but indoors may be necessary for weather purposes. Tell me what you would want your Sweet 16 to be like and I will see if I like any of the ideas. I have already had my b-day party as a hawiian theme, tea-party, movies and play but the movies could possibly be done again (it depends). So tell me your creative party ideas and I can't wait to hear from you all!

Until next time,
Socialbutterfly

Monday, March 24, 2008

Our Family Trip to the Botanical Gardens! ! !

















There is nothing quite so beautiful as the flowers God created. This is a true sign of Spring for me. But back to the subject. March 21, last Friday, my family and I went to the Botanical Gardens! I was so excited because we usually only go once or twice a year because we seem to forget that it exists until we look at old family photos. Anyway, all the pictures above were taken with my Nikon camera. I don't remember the names of every flower but I am sure you can identify the Easter Lilies and maybe figure a couple others above. We had a wonderful time and I enjoyed the whole 2 and 1/2 hours we were there! It was so enjoyable. Some parts seem like you are walking through the desert because although I didn't post a photo of it, there is a bunch of cacti in one room and in another room you feel like you are in the jungle with all these different tropical trees! The coolest thing there was probably the banana and orange trees! Oh and have you ever seen a sausage tree?!? I DID! LOL It had these funny sausage looking plants growing out of the unique shaped tree. Well I hope you enjoy these pictures and that God's creation will lift your spirits for this Spring!
Blessings,
SocialButterfly

Sunday, March 23, 2008

HAPPY EASTER! ! ! !

Hello blog readers,
I would like to say to you all,
HAPPY EASTER!!!!
I hope you all have a great Easter and that God showers His blessings on you and your families! Also I pray for warmer weather!!! LOL

I have to go now but here is a clue of what will be added to tomorrows post: flowers in a warm building. See if you can guess where I went on Friday! Hurry and leave a comment on this post to give me your guess!!!

Until tomorrow,
SocialButterfly

Monday, March 17, 2008

Review of the new movie "College Roadtrip" by dove.org

Hey Everyone,

I am sure most of you girls are wanting to see the new movie that is in theaters called "College Roadtrip". Here is a Christian Based Review of the movie and it is totally approved!!! Look at this website here: http://www.dove.org/reviewmasterframe.asp?SearchType=Source&Keyword=Theater and in the list on the side click on College Roadtrip.

I hope to see that movie soon!

More later,

Social Butterfly

We are "A King's Kid!"

A King’s Kid (article from briomag.com)

As a demonstration of His great love for us, God sent His own Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. How special and valuable we are in the eyes of the Creator! You’d think that this assurance would cause a person to feel confident, wouldn’t you? But all too often, that’s not the case. Millions of people suffer from feelings of worthlessness and insignificance. This low opinion of oneself can paralyze a person and keep her from accomplishing her potential. The result? Insecurity, discontentment, and in extreme cases, clinical depression.
What God Says If God commands us to “love our neighbor as ourselves,” then that must mean He expects us to hold ourselves in high regard. Obviously, this doesn’t mean with pride or conceit, but rather with a great deal of respect. In other words, if you have a good self-concept, you’ll be able to quit focusing on yourself — Do I look OK? Do people like me? — and focus on others.
Do you have a positive self-image? If you don’t, you’re not alone.
Millions of people, and probably the majority of kids at your school (or homeschool group), are in the same boat. It’s a shame, because nobody is born with an inferior mind- set. Young children don’t fret about who’s smarter or prettier.
One of the most destructive contributors to a low self- esteem is the tendency to compare our weaknesses with the strengths of others.

We form damaging conclusions by measuring our worth against someone else.
That’s what spurs these thoughts:
• I’m not pretty enough.

• I lack intelligence.
• I’m uncoordinated.
• I’m a failure.

What to Do? How can we overcome feelings of self-doubt? First, stop comparing yourself to other people! Learn to accept how God made you; then make the most of your own attributes.
Second, get a deep sense of the presence of God in your life. It’s hard to stay focused on yourself when you’re filling your mind with spiritual things. You can do this by praying, reading your Bible and getting involved in some type of ministry. Giving to and caring for others is wonderful medicine! This is the best way to get beyond fear and a sense of failure.
Third, recognize yourself as a “King’s kid” — a child of our Father in heaven. If God considers you valuable enough to call you His own daughter, then you must be pretty special indeed.

So remember that God is our Father and He will bless you when you are blessing others. So get out there and be yourself. Use your "gift" that God has chosen for you and have fun!

Until next time,

Social Butterfly

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Verse of the Day!


Verse of the day
“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”- Deuteronomy 7:9


It is funny that on BibleGateway.com the verse of the day is in Deuteronomy which is the book from the Bible that I am reading today. I was excited and did my Bible reading for half an hour and just finished before I came to my blog to make this post. I said my morning prayers and now I am hungry! LOL Yes, it is 5 past 9 and I haven't eaten yet! So I am hungry now and I am fully awake since I had to take care of my brother so my mom woke me a bit before 7am. So far God has blessed us with a gorgeous day! I couldn't be more happy with the beautiful sunshine, crisp new snow on the ground, and a lovely home God has provided for us.


Yesterday I went shopping at the Salvation Army to buy a dress for the Spring Formal (it is like a homeschool version of the Prom). I bought a beautiful lavendar colored dress! I was so excited because it was only $16!!!! How great of a deal is that for a prom dress?!? The picture of it as you can see is on the side. I have to say that I look pretty good in that dress. LOL Well after I bought the dress I praised God for such an amazing deal and I couldn't be happier.
Blessings,
Social Butterfly

Sunday, March 09, 2008

What is Your Gift?

Do you ever think that everyone but you has talent? One of your friends is in choir, one was the lead character in the school play, another is a math whiz and still another is star of the girls’ basketball team. And you? Well, you can’t think of anything worth mentioning.
Know what? God gives each of us a talent that we can use to serve Him and to help fellow believers in Christ (see Romans 12:7-8). The talent, or gift, may not be as glamorous as being a popular singer or sports star, but it’s just as important.
Do you know what your gift is? Take the following quiz to discover which gift God has possibly given you to minister in His name.

1. Your youth group decides to go on a missions trip to a poor area in South America. The thing you’d like most to do is
a. help build a school for the children.
b. teach Bible stories and verses to the children.
c. tell everyone what a great job they’re doing when they start feeling discouraged.
d. use part of your paycheck to buy food and clothes for the children.
e. organize the teens into work groups, and decide who will do what.
f. hold and care for the children who are sick.

2. Your friend’s mom is battling the flu. Her dad lives in another state, so she’s trying to keep up her homework plus take care of her four younger siblings so her mom can sleep. You jump in to help by
a. doing the dishes and laundry.
b. teaching her younger brother how to conquer adding fractions.
c. encouraging her siblings to work together to keep things running smoothly.
d. buying ice cream to cheer everyone up.
e. assigning the children various chores in order to clean up the house.
f. comforting the youngest child who’s upset because her mom isn’t able to hold her.

3. It’s time for Vacation Bible School at church. The pastor is encouraging the teens to find a way to be involved. You’d like to
a. prepare the daily snack.
b. teach the preschool class.
c. write notes to all the workers, telling them what a great job they’re doing.
d. donate money for needed supplies.
e. arrange the snack, craft and story time schedule for the different age groups.
f. sit with the children and make sure no one feels left out.

4. Your cousin flunked her math test. The first thing you do is
a. offer to complete homework together each night.
b. teach her how to do the problems she missed on the test.
c. tell her that you’re sure she’ll do better next time. She’s sure to catch on soon.
d. offer to give her as much time as she needs for you to tutor her in math.
e. map out a study plan for her.
f. tell her you’re sorry she didn’t do well on the test, and you hope she does better next time.

5. Your friend’s grandfather dies. You feel bad and
a. help her clean her room before out-of-town relatives arrive.
b. read the younger siblings a Christian picture book about heaven.
c. assure your friend that even though she misses her grandfather, he’s happy in heaven.
d. send a special plant to the funeral home.
e. help organize the after-funeral dinner.
f. be a listener when your friend needs to talk.


Scoring Keep in mind, this quiz is meant to suggest a possibility of the gift God has equipped you with. The quiz doesn’t offer a definite answer to how God has gifted you. Consider the outcome of this quiz, ask people who know you well what areas of strength they see in you, and ask God to reveal the gift He’s given you. After doing these things and taking time to learn what you love and what you do well, then you’ll have an even better idea of your gift.

Mostly A’s: Your gift might be service. You like to do special things to help, just as Martha in the Bible did. Without the servers, there’d be no groups that make baby clothes for missionaries to give away, no fellowship meals or special church projects. But, as Martha’s example illustrates, don’t get so caught up in “doing” that you forget to worship.

Mostly B’s: Teaching might be your thing. There’s a big need for teachers. Without teachers there’d be no Sunday school classes, vacation Bible school programs or Christian schools. Don’t think you have to wait until you’re an adult to teach; ask your pastor if you can assist a Sunday school teacher or take a class for the summer to give a teacher a break.

Mostly C’s: You might have the gift of encouragement. Your notes and words of kindness give a boost to those around you. Why not drop a note of thanks and encouragement to a different person on your church’s staff each week? You could also start a personal ministry of writing to missionaries who are far from home.

Mostly D’s: You may be a giver. You give your time and money to help with worthy causes. All of us should give our time and money to do God’s work, but people like you go above and beyond what others do. Because of people with the gift of giving, churches can support missionaries, pay the pastor and keep up with church expenses.

Mostly E’s: God might use you in a leadership position. You like to organize and take charge. But be careful not to think you can do it all on your own. The Apostle Paul was a great leader, but he always prayed for guidance and took helpers with him on his journeys.

Mostly F’s: You may have the gift of mercy or comforting people. You listen to others’ needs and know what to say and when it’s best not to say anything. You reach out to others in their time of need, and they know they can count on you for support.
Whichever gift or gifts you have, find a way to use them to build up the church today!

I was mostly f and a couple others. So my gift is mercy, comforting people, and a leadership.
Tell me your score in a comment after you take the quiz! I would love to hear from you all!

Social Butterfly

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Article from www.briomag.com

Here is a great article from Briomag.com from the Brio and Beyond. It is totally wholesome so don't worry about it. I loved it and I know you will too. This article is from a husbands perspective on makeup usage by young woman:

The nearing of spring invites a moment of peaceful reflection, for life is filled with wonder, majesty and endless mystery:• How does a dormant, withered flower suddenly awake and brilliantly bloom?• Why does God allow people to create sweaters for their dogs?• If I were a leprechaun, would I dance whenever I heard the flute?• And maybe the greatest mystery of all: How can girls put on makeup while driving a car?
Actually, makeup is itself a mystery. Guys may appreciate it, but most have no understanding of it—just like eating a hot dog. Sure, they’re meat-a-licious, but nobody really knows what is in one.
All I know about makeup I have learned from my wife, Sally. Watching her get ready usually leads to three questions: “What is that?” “Why do you use it?” and “Really?”
So why are guys so perplexed by makeup? Here are a few major areas that trip us up:
First of all, there is SO much of it: concealer, lipstick, eye shadow, eyeliner, blush, mascara, foundation—and I’m just getting started!
Second, a girl doesn’t just “put on makeup”; she applies it with sponges, pencils, brushes (oh, and there’s a special brush for EVERYTHING), elaborate tools such as one with an eyebrow brush on one end and an eyelash separator on the other. There’s even an eyelash curler!
Truly, makeup must be at the core of how different guys and girls are. Never in my life have I looked in the mirror and thought, Wow, look at my eyelashes. They need some serious curling! And I have yet to overhear the following conversation:Mark: I think I like Melissa, but I don’t know. I mean, have you seen her eyelashes?
Brad: No kidding—she needs to separate those!
And there isn’t just makeup. There’s glitter or no glitter; shiny or matte; formulas for dry, oily or combination skin. (And what exactly is “combination skin”?) The same product can come in a bottle, a tube, a powder or a “liquid powder”—and I have no idea how this exists. I guess it’s like that cheese that squirts out of a can.
Finally, there’s color. Today I wore a brown shirt. In Makeup Land, brown doesn’t exist. In fact, any color a guy knows doesn’t exist. For example, there’s no red. But there are approximately 45,000 shades of red—or colors that look EXACTLY like red but are called strange, artistic names such as Crimson Sunset, Radiant Cherry Mist, Lava con Chile or Flustered Chimp.
Imagine the horror that strikes any guy when he’s asked to buy something from the makeup aisle (or department or entire cosmetics store the size of Rhode Island). The odds of his success are as likely as a goat becoming an airline pilot. I mean, everyone knows goats are afraid of heights.
So he, like many guys, will avoid shopping for makeup, appreciate its potential but try to avoid the brain freeze that occurs when he thinks about it. It’s much easier to wonder about other things—like being a leprechaun.

I am sooo glad I don't wear makeup,
Socialbutterfly

Drama

How many of you like going out to see a play? It can be a comedy, fantasy, murder/mystery, or anything you can imagine. Leave a comment if you like seeing plays.

Now how many of you like to be part of a play as in acting? Options are the same, you just have to wait for the right production.

Well I am both. I love to go see plays, but I would also love to act. I auditioned last year for the Glory of Christmas but unfortunatly they aren't allowed to take me until I am a year older and since my birthday is next month I will try again this fall!!! I pray I get a part! Acting is fun for both sides! How I would love to be in the Drama team at my church. That would be a blast!!! I love to watch but I also would love to act. See when I am with friends and babysitting and even at home, I love to make people laugh and enjoy their time with me. So Drama is a good thing for me and you should see my friends!!! Nicole ( www.fayleke.blogspot.com ) and Olivia ( www.liviemylifeasagirl.blogspot.com ) are both wonderful actresses! I would love to act with them in a play sometime! I did for a Christmas play a couple years ago and that was fun!So tell me, which side would you be on???

Social Butterfly

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

HI

How are you all doing? I am great! The baby hasn't been spitting up too much any more! Yea!!! Also I am excited! I hope to be going to the Spring Formal Dinner/Dance in April! Also I hope to take Drivers Ed this Summer! And also I want to go see a play that is coming up in May! So I have a lot of stuff that I am hoping to look forward too. Sorry I haven't been posting much but if you saw my schedule you would realize that yes, I am a normal, busy, yet energetic teen just like most are. : ) I have come to realize that being busy and constantly having to work is called LIFE! LOL But besides all that school is going great. I got an A on my Science test today which gave me something to rejoice about! Science isn't my fav subject but I kinda like some of it. So I seem to be running low on ideas.

What would YOU like to see on MY blog? Leave a comment and I will see if I can meet your task!

G2G,
Social Butterfly