The Girlhood Gazette

By Anonymous

My dear, (my mother said to me), beware how you spend your days,
By idling the time away, a fool you’re apt to be.
Guard your heart from sinfulness and keep a watchful eye,
For the world is full of sin and will tell you a lie.

Cooking and cleaning, washing and baking: these are good skills to learn,
But all of these are half as good as a difficult turn.
A turn away from sin and death, a turn to joy and life;
A turn of heart, a turn of mind, a turn away from strife.

Mold your character and be a woman fit for praise,
And may our God, the Lord of all, bless you all your days.

The online Christian Homemaking Conference was great! We gathered in our home with about 15 mothers and daughters from our church. Despite some technical challenges, we managed to hear 2 wonderful sessions, the first by Mrs. Jennie Chancey and the second by Victoria, Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin. They were very encouraging, and I would definitely recommend that you get the recordings when they become available!
It was great to see how many ladies were online listening; there were women from all over the world! Australia, England, and others across the United States. It’s so encouraging to know that we are not the only ones out there who believe the way we do!
A big thank you to all those who worked to make the conference a success! I hope they will do it again sometime…

I’ve added 3 new recipes to the Maidens of Virtue recipe page:

Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup honey

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Serve with maple syrup if desired.
Variations: Add cut apples, blueberries or other fruit to the mixture before baking for a different twist.

Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
about 4 cloves (or more J) garlic, pressed
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
3 to 4 (14 ½ oz.) cans diced tomatoes, NOT drained
1 to 2 (14 ½ oz.) cans black beans, drained
about 2 to 3 Tbsp. of chili powder

Instructions:
Brown beef with garlic and onion in a large pot over medium-high heat. Drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer till heated through, about 15-20 minutes.

Simple Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (14 ½ oz.) can beef broth (chicken broth works too)
1 lb. beef stew meat, or round steak, cut in 1″ pieces
1 cup sour cream
3 to 4 cups cooked noodles

Instructions:
Combine soup and broth in slow cooker (crock pot). Add meat; cover and cook on high 3-4 hours. Reduce heat to low and cook 3-4 more hours. Stir in sour cream and noodles. Cook on high for 20 more minutes.

Enjoy!

“What is your biggest dream?”
Have you ever been asked that question? I have, and when I try to explain what my biggest dream is, people seem disappointed. “You ‘just’ want to be a mom? But, your you could do so much more with your life! Why not choose something more… well, fulfilling or something to benefit the community?”
My biggest dream is to be a helper meet for my future husband. I want to support him, submit to him, build him up and help him to carry out his vision. This dream includes having children, as many as the Lord shall see fit to give me. I want to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4); to have to privilege of teaching and training them myself, not leaving it to others. I want to cook their meals, kiss their bumps and bruises, and do those tasks that many women consider menial. In doing so, I will be shaping part of the next generation! Many have heard the saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world,” but I wonder how many actually comprehend the truth in that short quote. Mothers are the ones who are determining the direction of the world! Isn’t that a sobering thought? When a mother sends her children off to public school to be taught by politically correct teachers, she is, essentially, tearing down her house with her own hands. In my biggest dream, I want to do the opposite. Raising godly children will be the way in which I benefit the community, rather than leaving home and going around doing “good things” on my own, apart from my family. Is this choice going to be easy, exciting and glamorous? No. Worthwhile and fulfilling? Yes.
“That’s as big as your biggest dream gets?”
Well, I don’t think it could really get any bigger.

The first ever Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest has just been announced! The contest is open to girls ages 10 to 25. There are two categories:

Young ladies ages 10-17
Subject: Serving Your Family
Write a poem describing how you can help either your father, mother, brother, sister, OR the family as a whole.

Young ladies ages 18-25
Subject: The Proverbs 31 Woman
Using your own words, write a poem describing the Proverbs 31 woman, using Proverbs 31:10-31 as your guide.

Click here for a list of the great prizes awarded to the Grand Prize winners!

Contest begins March 10th, and is open to submissions until April 30th, 2007. Complete rules can be found at www.MaidensOfVirtue.com.

On March 17th we will be gathering with about 20 mothers and daughters in our home for this online Christian Homemaking Conference! The conference is featuring speakers Jennie Chancey, Kim Brenneman, Jennifer McBride, Lydia Sherman & Lillibeth Humphrey, and Anna Sophia & Elizabeth Botkin.
We are greatly looking forward to this event! I will be sure to update on it here. You can find more information on this conference at www.ChristianHomemakingConference.com.

Welcome to The Girlhood Gazette! This is a blog for Christian young ladies who have rejected the world’s idea of womanhood and desire to live a virtuous life for God’s glory.

I hope to post recipes, poems, and thoughts on girlhood as they occur to me. There will be some of the same things on this blog as on MaidensOfVirtue.com, so don’t be surprised to see some similarities! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come back soon!