A Bit about Me

How sweet!! Vickie, from Sunshine and Shadow, has given me an award. Thanks so much! You all should click right on over to Sunshine and Shadow . . . I always enjoy the fun and life I find in that little corner of the web.

1.       What is my favorite song?

Oh no! What a terrible question to ask. You see, I don’t have just one. If I’m scratching out a love song “You are my Sunshine” is awfully sweet. But during those quiet moments of worship and praise Kari Jobe’s “Beloved” or the hymn “Rock of Ages” lift my little voice upward.  Oh, and John Denver’s “Country Road” makes me smile.

check it out, here!

2.      What’s your favorite dessert?

Mom’s Red Velvet Cake . . . so good!

3.      What really irks you?

When my dearly loved brother turns on the lights at 12 a.m. and jumps into my bed laughing naughtily . . . oh yes, that’s quite bothersome.

4.      When feeling upset what do you do?

Ideally, I want to turn a heart full of praise to God despite the problem but far too often I’ll shed a few tears and try to go to bed early.

5.      What’s your favorite pet?

Our dog, Kimo! He’s a labradoodle and the best of pets.

 

Aren't they both cute? The best of chaps.  

6.      Do you prefer to wear white or black?

White

7.      What’s your attitude?

Hm…oh dear. I suppose I don’t know how to answer this one. I guess I’m just Frannie: A sinner saved by grace. That means I tend to have a lot of attitudes ranging from awfully hopeful to terribly critical. I was made a quiet creature but laughing happens often; I tend to seek praise and yet have the most trying time talking with strangers. Honestly, I have great needs for attitude improvement. J

8.      What place, object, scenario, etc. would you describe as perfection?

Some prairie land with a river running through it and where the snort of buffalo can be heard . . . Wyoming/Grand Teton area. Just give me a little log cabin, a clean stream, some music and a few good books and I’ll settle in as happy as a clam.

Jeremiah overlooking Jackson Hole, Wyoming area. Lovely.

9.      What is/are your guilty pleasures?

Chocolate chip cookie dough J I suppose that is one of the things I do eat when I’m upset!

10.   What is my favorite pastime?

Does napping count? J Holding a cup of steamy black coffee and visiting with my parents, visiting with the Lord outside, watching a good movie. . .

Ten Random Facts

1.       I spent 2 hours working with trash yesterday . . . it makes me so thankful to not be an orphan looking for food in a trash heap as so many do.

2.     My favorite seasons? oh dear, that's like asking a mother her favorite child. I would say spring; how I do love the thawing ground and singing birds.

But then summer, with her oppressive heat and hay bales, calls me too.

Falltime or harvest . . . perhaps this is my favorite. I do love cooling weather, colored trees, and the scent of Thanksgiving approaching.

Like the three above? Visit here for photo credit.

And then my Alaskan blood calls for winter. Silent. White. Beautifully quiet nights. Bright skied day.

3.       After an hour too long, I finally (almost) finished four cloth napkins! Hoorah! I now need to “edge stitch.” Any seamstresses out there willing to lend a tip?

4.       I’m finding Psalms 130 a beautiful blessing:

“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities who shall stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for morning.

Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”

5.       I love names and their meanings. Like Jonathan (Yahweh has given) . . .  what a sweet, strong name for a little boy and one day man. And the name Jaelle (mountain goat) for a darling girl and eventual woman.

6.       My full name is Francesca (Fran-chess-ka). Meaning: free woman . . . aren’t we all in Christ Jesus?

7.       I really like the idea of using maps to decorate. Alot.

Via Pintrest

                             

8.       I’ve never struggled with any serious illness and credit it to God’s mercy and my bad habit of chewing fingernails (how else can one be vaccinated from sickness other than exposing oneself to germs everyday….I know, I need to stop). J I did have pneumonia once and lost 30 pound . . . while vacationing in Hawaii.

9.       I miss being in Ghana. I miss the cultural differences, the foods, and the happy Ghanaian people.

10.   Isn’t this the sweetest song? (thank you Vickie for getting me hooked on Vera Lynn and Gene Autry J)

"A House with Love in It"

“A house with love in it is rich indeed

Although there are a thousand things that house may need

The carpet may be old, the room so plain and bare

And yet it’s beautiful somehow, when love is living there

A house with love in it just seems to bloom

As though the month of May were filling every room

So, darling, through the years with all my heart I’ll pray

A house with love in it is where we’ll stay

A house with love in it just seems to bloom

As though the month of May were filling every room

So darling, through the years with all my heart I’ll pray

A house with love in it is where we’ll stay”

Blessings to you all!!

                               

An Award!

Greetings friends! I hope this finds you all quite well! I was blessed to be given an award by Kelsey from Butterfly Dreams! Thank you Kelsey for your sweet thoughtfulness. There are a few obligations with this award and they are:

 1. Thank and link back the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.

Hmm . . . seven things about myself?

1. I thoroughly enjoy reading the book of Proverbs. I have been trying to memorize Proverbs 12:3 which reads, “A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.”

2. I am going on a camping trip tomorrow! (Yes, you read that correctly, tomorrow)! Please keep myself and my fellow campers in your prayers as we brave (and have fun doing so) the cold! :)

3. I greatly enjoy the song “You are my Sunshine” by Jimmie Davis!

4. My favorite season is winter.

5. I hope to become a teacher and help inspire young souls toward godly living through teaching right living and thinking.

6. My now favorite hymn is “Be Still my Soul.”

7. God has been using the story of David lately in my life; specifically, He is reminding me that it is best to have “A heart after God.” A lovely lesson.

 

I would like to award the following ladies; their blogs are not only stylish, but most importantly, they are godly and encouraging places in which I urge you to visit! :)

  ♥ Sarah from Through the Lilac Bushes

♥ Rachel and Jessica from Under African Skies

♥ Mrs. Elizabeth from French Village Life

♥ Hannah from  At the Foot of the Heights

♥ Mrs. Barbara from Barbara's Bakin' N Bits

♥ Libby and Emmy from The Dutch Umbrella

♥ Anyone else who would like to carry on this award! ♥

May Jesus bless you!

Frannie

 

Chickens and a Lovely Award

 Hello dear sisters! A few days ago it was a beautiful day, in weather and activity. You may think my calling this day beautiful very strange when I tell you what  I did. . .processed chickens! My dear friends, the Protivas, have a poultry farm and a way to see them was by joining in on a butcher day! My assigned job was to double check for any stray feathers (I know you all desire a more colorful job-description, but I'll leave it to your capable imaginations :o).  Needless to say, it was a fun, hard-working, and enjoyable day! Thank you dear Protivas for allowing me to join in on the work and fellowship! 

On a more lovely note, I was kindly given an award. Isn't it sweet? Sarah from Country Musings was so kind to give it to me! Thank you Sarah for being so thoughtful and if any of my readers are looking for an uplifting blog, please visit Sarah's! Normally, I award awards to all of my followers since I use to have only eight known readers. However, I have been blessed with a few more (thank you all!). Now I've been faced with the difficult choice of choosing. . .I'm not good at choosing, especially when I have so many lovely things to choose from!

I would like to award:

Charis from Winsome Composition
Kendra from Ismikendra
Jenna from Feminine Farmgirl
Hannah Grace at Hannah Grace's Blog
Brittany from Richly Blessed (Happy late Birthday!) :)
Addie from Girlish Musings
Hannah at Hannah of Marilla Heights

May the Lord bless your day sisters!
Your sister in Christ,

Awards!

Greetings from Missouri! Life in the Halbert household is going well and in various directions! : ) This upcoming week Daddy, Jeremiah, and I will be leaving for Alaska--my home state! for those of you who don't know, we left Alaska when my Daddy got a new job with the National Scenic Riverways. It was a big move for us since we children had lived in Alaska for 16 years or so. However, the move was a huge blessings and while we miss Alaska we are so thankful God has brought us here! So, with all that said, we are heading up to Alaska for my Momma's retirement from the Air National Guard, a very exciting thing! 

A river in our area. So pretty! 

 Allie can't come with us since she is working diligently in Wyoming. (We miss you Al!) And soon Discovery Ministries, the camp where I work as a cook, will be entering its busy--and I mean busy--season. So we Halberts are doing well, but going in various directions!! :)   

Recently, I was blessed by two awards from Addie and Eden, two very sweet sisters in Christ!

From Addie I recieved the Prolific Blogger Award. A prolific blogger is one who is intellectually productive, keeping up an active blog with enjoyable content.

After accepting this award, recipients are asked to pass it forward to 7 other deserving blogs and their authors.

So, I would like to award this to: My Followers!

With eight known followers I know and enjoy each one! If you have already recieved this, please pass it on! 

Congratulations sisters!

From Eden I recieved  the Lemonade Award!

Again, I would like to award this cute award to my eight known followers! Congratulations!

Thank you Eden and Addie for your thoughtfulness! God bless you sisters!

I know you all are entering your busy summer season too. SO may the Lord bless you with faith, joy, and peace as you press on!

With love,

An Award Which Blesses the Heart- The Pure in Heart award

Hello Sisters! Tonight was a lovely and interesting night as we had tornado warnings near our area and a lightning storm. But, we are all safe, praise the Lord! Truly, He is an awesome God!

Guess what friends? I had two blogger friends award me the "Pure in Heart" award!

(Isn't it lovely?)

 I'm very blessed and excited! Thank you Addie and Sarah! It was very sweet of you of think of me! Because the two awards had different questions I decided to add the differences, except for the questions I didn't like.

Here are the rules:

1. Post about the tag.
2. Choose 10 bloggers who deserve this award.
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged, letting them know they were awarded.
4. Answer the questions along with your post. (Omit questions you don't want to answer)
Here I go!

1. Which do you prefer--Apples, Oranges, or Bananas?
This is a hard one! I think I would choose apples. I enjoy all of them, but a crunchy apple is my top pick.

2. How many siblings do you have? How old are you?
Have have two siblings- Sweet, almost 19, year-old Allie and kind-hearted, 15 year-old, permit driving Jeremiah. I have entered what I call the  "Golden Years" or the twenties. :)

3. Where do you live--a prairie, Woodland, city, or other?
We live in a small town in Missouri. Were nestled in the Ozarks and I am very thankful the Lord created this beautiful land and has changed my heart towards it.

4. What is something you enjoy doing with your family?
I love visiting with my family! Whether that means sitting on the porch, coming together after a busy day, I just love being together. How will I go on without them? :) Only by God's grace!

5. Is your room clean?
~ A smile creeps across my face~ Yes it is clean. But that does not mean my furniture is dusted, the floors do not have dust bunnies rolling freely, and that my sheets are fresh. it is clean, but not perfectly so. :)

6. Which would you prefer to vist--Italy, Greece, France, Spain, or England?
I think Greece.

7. What is the scripture that encourages you the most?
So many do, I have a hard time choosing one. I think at this time the verse "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Deuteronomy 6:5

8. Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans?
Chocolate

9.What are your favorite types of books?
I enjoy morally good, sweet, encouraging fictional books (like "An Old Fashioned Girl"), missionary biographies and stories, and Christian helps and devotionals.

10. Which is your favorite ice cream flavor?
For a basic flavor I would choose chocolate icecream, but in Alaska we had cotton candy ice cream and that was yummy! :)

11. If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be?
Cheese Chowder.

12. Are you an outside or an inside person?
Typically, I enjoy being an inside person.  But after moving to Missouri I've really been enjoying being outside. I've been wanting to go on a hike lately. . . almost itching for it! :)
13. Describe yourself in three words.
Christian, Girl, Growing-up.
At least I hope so!

14. What chore do you like to do the most?
I like working in the kitchen. Not all of the time, but I believe that would be my most favorite. . .to wash dishes is delightful.

15. Scissors or Glue?
Because I have been making some cards lately, I would choose glue. Although I do need scissiors! :)

16. Describe your dream house.
Well, first of all, I would like to say that I hope to be content and at rest in anything, if the Lord wills me there. A second thing is that I have two dream homes.  If I were to live in America I would like a little farm house, with enough land for farming, a tree for my children (or neighbor children!) to climb on (if the Lord desires), with fruit trees. . .I would actually enjoy working in an orchard I think! Also, the little house would have enough beds for children and guests with pretty quilts on top of them! :) And a front porch! :) Lord willing! :)

If I were to become a missionary, I would really like to live as the people around me do. If I were in Africa I would want to live in a hut. I know that would sometimes be difficult, but I hope, by God's grace to be as those I'm serving!

17. If you could be a book character for a day, who would you be?

Hmm...In real life I would like to be as Amy Carmichal. Fictionally, I would like to be as Polly from "An Old Fashioned Girl," Polly from "Pollianna," and I would also enjoy being the March girls from "Little Women," although I hope I would have some of their better traits than bad. :)

18. What denomination are you?
Well, I am a born-again Christian girl and I desire to obey God  and His ways.
 I was raised in a Baptist church and am very thankful for the way God's Word was put into my heart as a young child. I became a Christian around 15 years-old and since then have been changing. At this time, my family and I go to a Christian Church and we are very thankful for their fellowship. I do cover my head and wear dresses, so I thought a picture like the one below would be appropriate. I think it explains alot of what I desire to be, although it is not a demonination: sweet, covered, modest, lady-like and feminine, gentle, quiet, honest, and I think she even looks submissive. Maybe she is serving her father and mother at home and while doing so, serving the Lord? Or perhaps working in an orphange or serving on a mission field? Or even preparing a meal for her children and husband? 

Well, that's it! I had better go to bed, but I would like to give this beautiful award to:

My followers! I have eight known followers and I do believe they each have lovely, pure hearted blogs. I have been blessed by each one of them! If you have already recieved this award, please feel free to pass it on to some one else!

Have a blessed day dear sisters. Let us allow Jesus His rule in our lives!
With a heart full of love from a sister,


Picture Credits:

~ The delicious apple picture was taken from here.
~ The lovely picture of Eminece was taken from this great website about our little, but industrious town!
~ The yummy chowder picture was taken from here.
~ The beautiful picture of my "dream home" was taken from this beautiful site.
~ The book cover with amy Carmicheal was taken from here.