The day is here - time to announce the winners of the Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest! We got some very good entries and it was difficult to choose!

Here are all the “announcements” and the actual poems follow:

The Grand Prize Winner in the 9-12 age category, “Having Joy in My Heart,” is:

Miss Kiah C.!

Honorable Mentions for this category are:

Miss Rebecca G. & Miss Robyn G. (sisters! )

The Grand Prize Winner in the 13-25 age category, “A Sister’s Role in Her Sibling’s Life,” is:

Miss Kathryn I.!

Honorable Mentions for this category are:

Miss Heather E. & Miss Moriah O.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the poems…

Joy - 9-12 Grand Prize Winner

By Miss Kiah C.

Joy is as heavy as a hug

And as light as air.

Joy is in serving your family.

It is uplifting

And a trial to hold

And may be a sunbeam to carry

But most of all you find your joy

In the Lord. He gives it to us through

Friends and neighbors.

Joy is in the Lord Jesus.

Having Joy in My Heart - 9-12 Honorable Mention

By Miss Rebecca G.

I have joy in my heart with His love and His kindness,

I have joy in my heart with His mercy and grace,

I have joy in my heart with His loving care,

I have joy in my heart with His outstanding power

I have joy in my heart with His outstanding care,

Oh I have joy in my heart from Him!

Let’s Remember Paul - 9-12 Honorable Mention

By Miss Robyn G.

When I’m feeling low I turn to the bible and that gives me joy!

God wants us to read His word so we can have joy!

The book I love most is Philippians; I love all the verses in it!

Paul tells us to rejoice in all things and that we should count it all joy!

He also says to think on right things, so when we grumble and complain,

Are we counting it all joy? No.

So let’s remember Paul when he was sitting in chains in a Roman prison,

If he can count it all joy so can we.

We who live in comfortable houses and don’t have to wear chains!

So when we are tempted to grumble about doing the dishes or just doing our chores;

Remember Paul and have

JOY!!!

Blessed Sisterhood - 13-25 Grand Prize Winner

By Miss Kathryn I.

There is a special role, which only girls can fill,

Created by the Lord, part of His Sovereign will.

A mighty power have we, who have sister for a name,

A role to be desired, much more than wealth or fame.

We as sisters must be gentle, - patient, loving, kind,

Not thinking of ourselves, but having others on our mind.

Whenever you speak, seek to build up another,

Give loving praise, to your sister and your brother.

We must submit to authority, and respectfully obey,

Carrying fully out with joy, all that our parents say.

For we set an example, we are watched in all we do,

May our actions honor Christ, our words please Him too.

I tell you dear maiden, with siblings in your life,

Be a blessing unto others, not to them a source of strife.

Embrace the role of sister, thank God that you can see,

That He’s placed you where you are, in your own family.

When eager little hands, wish to join you in a task,

Do not sigh within your heart, and wish they did not ask.

Instead, pause and pray, that God would give to you,

Patience and forbearance, for those who follow you.

Speak of the Lord, and all that He has done,

From the beginning of each day, to the setting of the sun.

We are told to remember, the mercies of the Lord,

So speak often of His deeds, the blessings He’s out poured.

How often we forget, who’ve been blessed with sisterhood,

What a help we can be, a blessing if we would.

God’s given us a task, may it be our great delight,

To embrace this noble call, serve Him with all our might!

A Sister’s Influence - 13-25 Honorable Mention

By Miss Heather E.

A sisters role is needed,

To make the home a happy place;

To gently guide and encourage,

Her vital role can never be erased.

Her siblings depend on her instruction,

They look to her to lead;

To be the example of obedience,

The cornerstone of the family.

O Sister, I know your life is busy,

With many burdens along the way;

Do not neglect your duty,

Care for them day by day.

You have the power to influence,

Use it wisely and you shall see;

The fruitful vines rise up,

Around that olive tree.

Sister’s Place - 13-25 Honorable Mention

By Miss Moriah O.

A sister sits -

hands covering face.

What is my duty -

where is my place.

Little does she know

her place sits all around.

Her siblings lives

is where her duty’s found.

A kind word -

a cheerful smile,

these things can lighten

a sibling’s trial.

Her encouragement

and her grace,

bring a smile

to a sibling’s face.

Oh, sister

look and see

what kind of person

each aims to be.

Encourage them

along life’s way.

Encourage them

in Christ to stay.

Congratulations everyone! You all did wonderful work!

Well, it looks like we will be having a repeat of last year, and the Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest deadline will have to be extended! I will let you in on a little secret and tell you that I have had an amazingly low number of entries. I won’t tell you how many, but I will say that chances of winning are extremely good as of today.

If possible I do not want to have to cancel the contest… and it is that bad… so I beg of you, if you enjoy poetry, PLEASE consider entering! You have nothing to lose except 41¢ (unless you submit electronically, which is free!) and there are fantastic prizes…

The contest is now in effect until Tuesday, May 20th, 2008. And if you need to see the complete contest details, click here.

Just a reminder that the deadline for the Maidens of Virtue poetry contest is just one week away!

Get your entries in soon!

(Haven’t heard about it yet? Click here to find out more!)

Yes, it’s been a year, and I am excited to announce the 2nd annual Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest!

Like last year, there are two categories: ages 9 to 12, and 13 to 20. This year’s topics are, respectively,

“Having Joy in Your Heart” and

“A Sister’s Role in Her Sibling’s Life”

You can find out more information by clicking here. This contest is open until April 30, 2008.

I look forward to receiving your entries!!

Drumroll please….and the winner is…

Cox Family!

Baked Potato Soup
8 potatoes, baked as usual
18 Tbsp butter
1 and 1/3 cup flour
12 cups milk
1 lb cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 16-oz package sour cream
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 bunch green onions (optional)

Take baked potatoes and scoop out the pulp; set aside. In a LARGE saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until mixed completely. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly. Heat to a boil, stirring often! (It’s important to keep stirring to keep the milk from burning). Heat until mixture is thickened. Add cheddar cheese and salt. Mash the potato pulp and add to the batch, stir to combine until all the cheese is melted. Take the soup off the heat. Add the sour cream and stir to incorporate. Serve in a bread bowl or regular bowl. Can top/garnish with bacon and onions, if desired.

Enjoy!:-)

Congrats and please email your mailing address to email(at)maidensofvirtue(dot)com so we can send you your copy of the 28-page The Hope Chest Record Book! (Please email within 7 days or we will have to pick a different winner).

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest… it was a tough decision to pick the winner!

Winter is nearly upon us and there is nothing like a steaming bowl of soup on a chilly winter day. I’m looking for good soup recipes to use throughout this winter.
And if you give your favorite soup recipe, you have a chance to win a copy of the 28 page “The Hope Chest Record Book”! This contest is open to anyone. All you have to do is comment on this post with your favorite soup recipe, and the person with the best recipe will win the book. You are welcome to enter more than one recipe if you wish. When commenting, please do not select “Anonymous” as your identity, as I will need actual names when announcing the winner.

The deadline for this contest has been extended to December 15th, 2007. Winner will be announced here on December 17th.

Well, girls, it’s time to start sewing! Modest Handmaidens is now offering a sewing contest for young ladies ages 9 to 19 (three separate categories). All you have to do is send in 2 pictures of one of your sewing projects with a submission form!
The deadline is October 15, 2007.

Click here for more info!

P.S. The winners of the essay contest put on by Modest Handmaidens are now announced! Click on the same link above to see the results!

Have you seen the Modest Handmaidens Essay Contest?

This contest is for girls ages 13-17. It begins on June 30th, and the deadline for submissions is August 31st (2007). The subject is “Maidens Modeling Modesty in an Immodest World.”

Lots of great prizes are being offered, and there will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes awarded. Click here or on the image to the left to get the full details!

Happy writing!

I am very pleased to announce the winners and honorable mentions of the Maidens of Virtue Poetry Contest! It was a great blessing to see the talent of so many young ladies.
All right, let’s start with the 10-17 year old category, “Serving Your Family”…
The grand prize winner is:

Read Rachel’s poem, A Tale of Two Maidens, below! We liked the creative approach that she took on the subject, turning the poem into a story.
Honorable Mentions for this category are:

Now for the 18-15 year old category, “The Proverbs 31 Woman”…
The grand prize winner is:

Read Leah’s poem, Gold Mists, below. We were pleased with the flow of the rhythm and with how a theme, her hands, carries thoughout the poem.
Honorable Mentions for this category are:

All the poems are below, and can also be found on www.MaidensOfVirtue.com.

Now, I can’t end without a huge THANK YOU to the sponsors of this contest who generously contributed to the grand prizes:
Roses and Teacups
Hope Chest Legacy
Modest Handmaidens
Family Memories Alive
Thank you so much!

A Tale of Two Maidens
By Miss Rachel Krause

As the Father looked below He saw upon a glance,
Two houses, two homes, two families, two girls,
This happened not by chance.

One home He saw held a family of eight, six children and two parents,
Five boys all growing kept their sister sewing
For they didn’t have two extra cents.

Money was saved, pennies were pinched, mother and daughter were thrifty
But conserving their spending, neither borrowing not lending,
Meant both hands had to be nifty.

When mother fell sick and didn’t have strength to work every day with her daughter,
The girl persevered serving her brothers dear
And making glad her father.

Clothes to be mended, floors to be scrubbed, dishes to wash and to dry,
Windows to sparkle and bathrooms to clean,
All done without even a sigh.

At the end of the day, Hannah paused to reflect on the service that she gladly gave,
When two of her brothers came sat down beside her,
And the work that she did, they praised.

But more than the thanks that her brothers returned, the girl internally knew,
That her father was proud, for the Lord had found
A maiden saying, “Your will I will do.”

The Lord Jesus smiled, so pleased and so proud, that this girl was serving her family,
But His smile quickly faded as this view was traded
For a picture not so very pretty.

Again, a house was within His view, full of five, no, four, lively people,
For the fifth of this clan always said, “But I can’t!”
And appeared to be daily quite feeble.

For whenever the words, “Help,” “Will you?” or “Work,” were pronounced in Caroline’s presence,
The looks on her face made you think she might faint,
“Besides,” she said, “work is for peasants.”

And although the mean words never slipped her small lips, she thought of them all the day long,
While she struggled and strained, her lounging to maintain,
Immersed in her selfish grey fog.

The delicate fingers, neither calloused not scratched, held books and hankies all day,
While poor mother slaved, house function to maintain,
Caroline on the sofa lay.

“Oh, mother,” she complained, “how my head aches,” and, “Oh! What is that smell?”
“Dinner must have burned, Mother, when will you learn?”
“And, someone, go answer the doorbell!”

So on went routine, (her laziness, I mean) causing Mother and Father much grief.
“What shall we do?” Father and Mother dismayed,
“She’s not even earning her keep.”

At the end of the day, Caroline again lay, Lounging and lazing luxuriously,
But something within her, not happy she seemed,
And the tears began falling down furiously.

Happiness and peace, she could never enjoy, for Caroline did not understand,
That the greatest joy ever is laziness NEVER,
But lending a work ready hand.

So to you, fellow maiden, I offer two choices, you must make the right one today,
Serve the Lord Jesus by serving your family,
For service to God is well-paid!