Rachel's Reasoning

My Story - Feelin’ Feminine Challenge

Jocelyn is doing another Feelin’ Feminine Challenge - What’s Your Story? This Challenge is to tell your story about how you came to believe in femininity. Well, I am doing this Challenge. :) Hope you are too.

I have always liked the old-fashioned looks of the dresses the women of the 1800 and the early 1900’s wore. They were so elegant and beautifully made. Somewhere in the years that have gone passed, we have lost that sense of fashion, and now we see girls and women alike dressed immodestly.

I have always wanted to wear dresses like the prairie girls did when they did their chores, or made dinner with their white aprons tied around their waists. I have always thought of women who wore long skirts and wore blouses with long-sleeves and turtlenecks. That is the way I wanted to dress.

When I was little, like 2-7, Momma let us wear shorts and tanktops. But as she read further into what the Bible had to say about how women should dress, the girls in our family could not wear shorts and could not wear tight jeans. We were allowed to wear skirts that came below the knees and sweat pants for chores, and pajama pants for bed. (To tell you the truth, I mostly wear my skirts to do barn chores in, except when one is not clean.) I am so glad I was made to wear skirts!

I have the ideas about the way a women should look because of what my Momma made me do. Of course, being the person I am, who could walk into Wal-Mart with her hair back in a ponytail, and a t-shirts with a skirt, I was all into trying on the pretty skirts made got for me.

As I grew, I started noticing that a lot of the women I saw were in spaghetti strapped shirts that were tight, and very short shorts, or mini-skirts, or tight jeans. I saw how immodestly dressed they were. You can’t even look at the front page of a magazine anymore, without seeing some half-naked person on the front. It doesn’t make me angry that they are dressed that way. I feel sorry for them that they are selling themselves short, as the saying would go. I hate going to the store in the summer because most of the girls are immodestly dressed. We have to guard our little siblings’ eyes because of it.

It is heartbreaking that no one has told these girls the way they are dressing is wrong. But in today’s world, it’s accepted. What has our society come to?

I am not trying to go on about how people should dress, and I am not trying to condemn anyone. I am simply stating my opinions on my view of femininity. So, will you take the challenge on of being a modest girl in an immodest world? A world that would tell you ‘just be yourself, no one else cares.” Actually, a lot of men notice girls and women who dress immodestly. I try to have a loose shirt, and a flowing skirt, with flipflops or tennis shoes.

How will you be judged by people?

Taking on the challenge,

      Rachel

Romans 15:4
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

We (well, the Suarez family did at least, but we all wished we were there, right?) welcomed the prettiest little girl into the world this morning at 12:27 a.m. That precious little sweetheart is Susanna Hope Suarez, born to the Suarez family on November 27th, 2007. She was 5lbs 14oz. She was 20 inches long, and she has a little bit of hair. Here is the complete information, if you want it more plainly:

I know, I have taken WAY too long to finish this, but give me a break, I had to do the THC! So you are all dying to hear about it right? Well, I’ll start out with the night before.

I was downstairs in our parlour, writing in my Journal and Eric comes rushing down the stairs. He has two packages from the Novak’s Box. They were from Elizabeth. In one was an envelope. It contained the letter I have been waiting for, a Forget-Me-Not bracelet, and a dip pen. And there was also a fan with old fashions ladies on it. In the other was a bottle of walnut ink that Elizabeth and Marmee made. I was very excited when I saw there was the letter I was waiting for.

Then I went upstairs and Amanda, Jocelyn, Mother and I watched “The Ultimate Gift”. It’s a new movie, and I love it. You should check it out! Then as I was saying good night to my Journal, writing, “I guess I will be the first to say Happy Birthday.” But as I was writing it, Jocelyn comes in and says, “Good night, and Happy Birthday.” It was 2 o’clock in the morning. Then I went into the attic to say good night to Mother, and she said “Oh yay! I’m the first one to say Happy Birthday!” I told that Jocelyn had already said it to me, and she said, “that brat.” Then I went to bed.

November 5th, 2007, my birthday.

I woke up at 10:00, and had to get out of bed because they were all calling me. I really wanted to stay in bed, because I had been up so late. I went into the attic and Mother starts singing “Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!” in a really high-pitched fast-tempo song. Of course all Eric and Hannah joined in.

Then I got a call from my Grandma Dixon. I talked to her for about ten minutes or so. Then I went back and sat on the couch. I asked Mother, “Do we have any Oreos?” She said yes, and I asked if I could go get them, and she said yes. So I had Oreos for breakfast. Good nutritious breakfast, huh? Well, I did have some milk. That’s got to count for something!

Anyways, then Amanda, Jocelyn, Hannah, and I went to the library to comment and blog. I talked with Mother on IM. She got a MSN for me to use when we go to the library. We stayed there for two hours, then we got some pretzels from Dollar General. Then went home.

My Grandpa called and said that he and his wife wanted to come over before they went to dinner, so when we got home, we were rushing to make sure everything was clean. We spent about 45 minutes with them. They gave me my present. I will tell what all my presents are in a minute. Then Daddy got home and we ate pizza for dinner. He likes the stuff crust from Pizza Hut, and we like Papa John’s, so he got two of each.

We did the animals and then ate some more pizza. Then Mother did my cakes-in-a-cone thingy. I don’t know what they are called. She found the recipe off someone's blog! That's funny right?!

Mother came up with this online. She asked if I wanted cupcakes instead of a plain cake and I said that would be fine, so she found the recipe for it. Caleb had a dainty time licking the frosting off of them when no one was in the kitchen.

Well, then we went upstairs to open my gifts.

Here is a list of what I got for my birthday:

A Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea body lotion and shower gel from Grandpa and Dorothy

The Girlhood Home Companion from Marmee. It’s a big book of all the GHC’s they’ve every done, except the most recent. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MARMEE!

The two packages and a handmade scarf from Elizabeth

Hannah’s trinket gifts

A bath towel set from Amanda. She asks me every time I take a shower where is my towel? I told her I didn’t have one...

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe cartoon movie. Amanda and Jocelyn used to watch it when they were little.

And the last thing was a big package of writing paper.

So there you have it. A post about my 14th birthday, including a list of what I got and pictures. What else? Oh, yes, I want to thank everyone who threw a blog-party for me! I checked out all of them, and I realized I got several tea parties thrown for me. Thank you for signing my Linky. And special thanks to Mother and Jocelyn who put this whole thing together.

Oh, yes. There was three poems written for me. One is from my dear friend Kylie aka Narniagirl, one from Rebekah aka TheLordsDaughter, and the other is from Mellie aka mellarooski. Thank you three!

Here's poem for you, Rachel,
On your fourteenth birthday.
Now I'd like to say some things
About you, if I may.

You blog about birthdays,
Your family and books.
I enjoy your blog a lot,
But not only because of its good looks!

You comment pretty frequently,
And I am really glad when you do.
For you usually have something encouraging to say,
Even if it's a simple "Love you!"

You're sweet, loving, caring and kind,
A wonderful friend--that you are.
Not only that but you love Jesus lots
With all of your heart.

We love you lots,
All of us do.
You give to us
And now we're giving back to you.

All of your blog-friends are here
To wish you a very happy birthday,
And an even better
Fourteenth year!
Love,
  Kylie

Mellie's: (this one wasn't written by her, but she posted it for me!)

Deep down in every girl’s heart
In the place where she dreams she’s a part
Of a land far away, a land so dazzling.
That every time she enters it, it takes her breath away.

A land of magnificence and gallantly grandeur
Where all girls join to spend their young years together.
Elegant tea parties with beautiful dresses
With majestic crowns in their sweet, pretty tresses.

Glittering castles way up in the clouds
Where angels come and sing them to sleep.
Where the rivers glisten and are so cool and deep.
Where ponies run wild and birds fly free.

Every day something new happens
Everyday something sends thrills to your soul
Without this land a little girls’ heart just wouldn’t be whole.
So cherish these days when you dream you’re a princess.

Because you are. And you always will be.
Just you watch and see.
Keep on dreaming and reach for the sky
Be a princess everyday, look straight into the horizon and fly.

I remember those dreams I used to dream
When I was cute and little like you
But you never stop dreaming through all that you do.
There is always a dream waiting just for you.

Yes, it’s true, in time your dreams will change.
And you won’t always dream of being a princess in a far away land.
But your dreams will always send thrills right down to your soul
Because without them your heart just wouldn’t be whole.

I know, because I’m not a little girl anymore
But I still dream, everyday, and they still make me fly and soar.
But of all the dreams that have changed, I still dream of bring a princess…
In a far away land…pouring tea for my friends in my little girl world.

I don't have Rebekah's here, sorry. But I will post it!

  Rachel

I hope you have enjoyed reading the thoughts of a fourteen-year-old girl from the country."You can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens you!" Philippians 4:13

Today my Grt. Grandparents, my Mom's grandparents, came over. They were here for about 2 1/2 hours. We talked, had cookies, apples, laughed, looked at my Grandfather's WW2 album Amanda is still working on, and they held Lucy. We don't get to see them often. They live about 1 1/2 away from us, and we don't go to see them a lot, so when they come down, it's a real treat.

We always get to hear about the war. He told us all about the pictures in the album. He said a lot of his war buddies just recently died. There are a lot of pictures of my Grandmother in the album too. But the thing I like most about it is the places that he went to, they got pictures of it and the land. It's really cool. He told us all about the Forts he went to and the places he went to. He said that he got sick and went to Denver, Colorado to have it treated.

My Grandmother was more interested in holding Lucy than the album, but she did look at it once Grandpa had finished looking at it. Grandma was very interested in Jocelyn's article in the GHC (The Girlhood Home Companinion). When she was told she could take it home, she said, "I will read every word of it, right down to the numbers." So she gets to enjoy that at home.

I hardly said anything during the whole time they were here. I am always called the "quiet one" and always said, "you noisy girl" and things like that. I rather enjoy sitting quietly and listening to all the conversation that everyone else is talking about. I can learn much more than if I was talking myself. I like listening rather than talking. I hate going somewhere where I know I will have to talk to people who I don't know. I just smile if something is said about me. I'm quiet all the time, except... when I'm by myself. I talk to myself a lot.

That is how all my stories get their start, by talking and acting out a story, then I put it into words. I just started one last night actually. It's about Romans and Jews. It's actually a love story. But I only get to page two. I wrote it out, not typed it so it took me longer to write. It will be a book when it's finished. I have four other books that I have started but not finished yet. But I will some day. They will be some day.

And I'm drawing/painting Auntie a picture, which I will either send or give to her when I see her again. I am still in the process of putting the finishing touches on the sketching, then I will paint it, using watercolour paints.

Oh, please stop over to the Backyard and enter in to the Picture With A Thousand Words. It's really funny. And there will be recipes up there too.

Rachel

I hope you have enjoyed reading the thoughts of a thirteen-year-old girl from the country."You can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens you!" Philippians 4:13