Blogger Challenge Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

Unlike many Americans, I actually don’t watch a lot of TV. I tend to watch more movies than I do TV, and I only watch maybe 3 or 4 movies in a week at most. So it’s a bit hard to pick favorite TV shows. J But there are a few shows I do enjoy watching from time to time (usually I watch them on DVD.)

 

Probably one of my favorite TV shows is The Andy Griffith Show. Yes, it’s quite old. J Other old shows I like to watch are Leave It to Beaver and Ozzie and Harriet. A newer show that I enjoy watching (and would watch more often if we got the channel) is 19 Kids and Counting.

 

Once in a blue moon, I get to watch a cooking show, which I like. I also enjoy watching home improvement shows like This Old House with my Dad. When we stay at hotels I sometimes like to watch shows where people “flip” houses or yards.

 

*Alright, now it’s YOUR turn: what are some of your favorite TV shows? Share in the comments!*

 

Blogger Challenge Day 7: Favorite Movies

While there are many movies I like, there are few movies that I love and want to watch over and over again. I’m also not very good at picking favorites. J Below I’ve listed my 5 favorite movies, not necessarily listed in order:

1.) Two Hats (Documentary)

2.) It’s a Wonderful Life (with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed)

3.) Ben-Hur (1959 Version with Charlton Heston)

4.) Anne of Green Gables

5.) End of the Spear

NEW! Recommended Resources Page

We are pleased to announce that after being “under construction” for several months, our Recommended Resources Page is here! We hope that this will be a helpful page for you, as it lists many of the books and movies we’ve reviewed here on the blog as well as other favorites. We will most likely be adding to this page over time, but here is what it currently looks like:

Recommended Resources Page

Welcome to our Recommended Resources page! Here is an index of our recommended books, family attractions, music, movies, and websites. We hope that they will be helpful to you, but please remember to use discretion. We do not agree with everything on/in our recommended sources, but have generally found them useful. We also recommend that parents use their judgment on age recommendations!

If you have any resources that you have found helpful and would like to share, please contact us via email or leave a comment!

Books:

Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola (Young Ladies 10 and up)

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris (12 years and up)

Emotional Purity by Heather Arnel Paulsen (Young Ladies 13 and up)

How Should We Then Live? by Francis A. Schaeffer (12 years and up)

Joyfully at Home by Jasmine Baucham (Young Ladies 12 and up)

Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally (All Ages)

So Much More by Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin (Young Ladies 12 and up)

The Bible (All Ages)

The Backyard Homestead (All Ages)

The Devil in Pew Number Seven (13 years and up)

The Family by J.R. Miller (All Ages)

Unshaken by Dan Woolley (13 years and up)

Family Attractions:

The Creation Museum (Kentucky)

Movies:

A More Perfect Union (G)

Agenda (12 years and older)

Divided (G)

End of the Spear (PG-13—Intense Sequences of Violence)

Fireproof (PG—Marital Discord)

Homeschool Dropouts (G)

Left Behind 1 (PG-13—Violence)

Left Behind 2 (PG-13—Violence)

Left Behind 3 (PG-13—Violence)

Pamela’s Prayer (PG—Thematic Elements)

Return of the Daughters (G)

The Mysterious Islands (G)

The Penny (PG-13—Thematic Elements and Violence)

The Perfect Gift (G)

The Perfect Stranger (G)

The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry (G)

Time Changer (PG—Thematic Elements)

Underground Reality: Colombia (PG-13—Thematic Elements)

Underground Reality: Vietnam (PG-13—Thematic Elements)

Music:

You Deliver Me album by Selah (calming and quiet music with several beautifully arranged hymns)

Today by Brian Doerksen (worship songs sung in a classic style)

Peace Like a River by Chris Rice (beautifully arranged hymns with piano and vocals)

Michael W. Smith music (his albums range from pop, to worship, to instrumental. We love them all!)

Websites:

Vision Forum (great homeschooling, discipleship, and theology resources)

Visionary Daughters (encouraging website for young ladies)

Favorite New Year's Memories

New Year’s has almost always been a holiday spent at home for our family. After all of the Christmas festivities, it’s nice to have a weekend at home relaxing before going back to work and school. Sometimes we have been joined by friends, and those years have stuck in our memories! Below, we share some of our favorite New Year’s traditions and memories:

Mark—Watching the ball drop with my wonderful bride has to be the best part of New Years. Our second date was on New Year’s Eve, watching the ball drop at a local restaurant, after a dinner of prime rib! Now it usually involves a quiet evening in our living room on the hide-a-bed couch with some chocolates, a good movie, and watching the ball drop on TV.

Betsy—After a very full Christmas with lots of family and friends, we have traditionally had a very low-key, relaxed New Year’s at home. We plan a special dinner and dessert, and have movies ready. One we watch with the children, and usually one after they go to bed. My hubby and I have a tradition of staying the night on the hide-a-bed in the living room, in front of the fire. We usually interrupt our movie to watch the ball drop on Times Square. In the morning, we are always joined on the hide-a-bed by our children, and lounge around until breakfast—Daddy’s Pancake Special!

As much as I enjoy our New Year’s celebration now, I also have great memories of New Year’s Eve as a child. We spent it in church. Shortly before midnight, everybody would make a giant circle around the church, hold hands, and pray and sing. Right at midnight, the trumpet player would blast the trumpet, and there would be hugging and shouting and celebrating! Then, everyone would traipse downstairs to the basement fellowship hall, and enjoy a meal of roast pork, rice and beans, and other Puerto Rican favorites. There would be music, eating, and fellowshipping way into the wee hours. Those are just amazing memories I will always treasure!

Bianca—Probably my best memories of New Year’s Eve revolve around the ones spent with friends! J I enjoyed spending New Year’s Eve 2008 with friends whom we hadn’t seen in several years. It was the first—and so far only—year I got to see the ball drop. Our usual tradition is to watch a movie with special treats on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, I enjoy cuddling up with all my siblings in the hide-a-bed and watching the Rose Bowl Parade while Daddy makes his annual pancake and sausage breakfast. The rest of the day I enjoy relaxing and reading the books I received for Christmas!

Ben—On New Year’s Eve, I enjoy watching our last Christmas movie. I also have good memories of watching the ball drop with friends a few years ago. On New Year’s morning, I enjoy Daddy’s pancake and sausage breakfast! I also enjoy watching the Rose Bowl Parade and football later in the day. And I like to use the Christmas gifts that I have just gotten! J

Rubia—I like having pancakes for breakfast in the morning (made by Daddy!) I also enjoy sleeping in that morning. J Sometimes on New Year’s Eve we get to stay up for a little while and watch a movie, which is fun!

Roma—I remember a New Year’s Eve when we had friends over and they came in 2008 and stayed until 2009! J I also like getting up in the morning on New Year’s Day and watching a little TV and having pancakes for breakfast. And I like sleeping in and not worrying about school work!

Josiah—I like eating pancakes for breakfast on New Year’s Day. I also enjoyed the year we watched the ball drop with our friends. I also like sleeping on the hide-a-bed in the morning and watching movies!

Favorite Christmas Traditions

Christmas is a very special time in our family, as I’m sure you know if you’ve read our blog for very long. J Over the years, we’ve developed many traditions and several favorites. Below you can read some of our favorite Christmas traditions:

Mark—It is great to spend time with the family to celebrate Christ’s birth. Since we live far away from my parents, it is always special to spend time with them at Christmas. I enjoy the church services on Christmas Eve. Singing favorite Christmas hymns to candle light is very special. One can only imagine how amazing that night was so many years ago.

Betsy—It would be difficult picking a favorite, as we have many traditions and I enjoy them all. Each year, one or two things stand out as extra-special. This year, I’ve really enjoyed listening to classical piano Christmas music, and have purchased several new CD’s. I love our quiet evenings around the Advent candles, reading Scripture and praying over our Christmas cards. I also love baking treats with each of my children—fun for them, and not as much work for me! J We can really put together an assortment pretty quickly!

Bianca—One of my favorite traditions of Christmas is Advent. I especially enjoy praying over each Christmas card and letter that we receive. I also enjoy our tradition of driving around looking at Christmas lights in our pajamas and getting ice cream afterward. It’s special because we never know which day we will go, until Mom and Dad announce it after Advent. I also love being the official “gift giver” on Christmas morning (meaning I pass out all the gifts.) I also love all the time spent with family! And I enjoy eating the cookies of course. J

Ben—My favorite tradition is Advent, because it celebrates what Christmas is truly about. I also like decorating our home and visiting out-of-state family. I also like drinking Egg-Nog on Christmas morning! J

Rubia—My favorite Christmas tradition is Advent. I like focusing on what Christmas is really about. I also like it when we get in the car in our pajamas and drive around looking at Christmas lights. I like going to see family, and decorating the tree.

Roma—My favorite Christmas tradition is visiting out-of-state family, even though the drive is long. I also like having advent, and looking at Christmas lights. I like the idea that we usually have 3 Christmases: one at home, and one at each Grandparents' house! J

Josiah—I love doing Advent! I also like putting the decorations up, going out to look at Christmas lights during Advent, getting up early in the morning, and going to visit family in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Favorite Christmas Treats

December is probably the heaviest baking month of the year for our family. While we’ve really cut back on the amount of sweets we consume, Christmas is an exception to the rule. J Below are some of our favorite Christmas treats:

Mark—Of course, only the stuff that is really fattening!  I love my Dad’s fudge, divinity cookies, no-bake chocolate cookies, and Romolo’s sponge candy!

Betsy—It’s tough to pick favorites! I love my Mom’s baklava with guava, my father-in-law’s homemade fudge, and my neighbor’s peanut butter fudge. I also look forward to chocolate no-bakes, divinity cookies, Josiah’s Pretzel Treats.

Bianca—I have such a weakness for sweets that it’s really hard for me to pick favorites! I love Grandpa’s fudge, homemade cracker brittle, peppermint brownies, Knick Knack Noels, Ritz cracker treats, and our neighbor’s peanut butter fudge.

Ben—My top favorite Christmas treats are, peppermint brownies, no-bake cookies, divinity cookies, my Grandpa’s famous fudge, and my Abuela’s Russian teacakes.

Rubia—My favorite Christmas treat is cracker brittle! I get to make it every year. I also like peppermint brownies, Grandpa’s fudge, and no-bake cookies.

Roma—I like cracker brittle and no-bakes. I also love Grandpa’s homemade fudge! I also enjoy Knick Knack Noels (recipe coming soon!) and Ritz Cracker treats.

Josiah—I like all of the treats we make! J Especially Grandpa’s fudge, pretzel treats, no-bakes, cracker brittle, and peppermint brownies.

Favorite Christmas Movies

When we kids were younger, we greatly anticipated the day we could pull out the Christmas movies! We still look forward to that day every year, and especially look forward to a few favorite Christmas movies. Below are some them:

Mark—My favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I really enjoy Jimmy Stewart as an actor. I also like the movie because of the message it gives, that everyone’s life has value.

Betsy—As a child, I enjoyed movies like “Rudolph,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” I also enjoyed one called “The House without a Christmas Tree,” but now I won’t let our children watch it because of the explosive language at one point in the movie. Now, my all-time favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I love the era in history when this movie was made…I enjoy Jimmy Stewart as an actor…and I love the message that our lives impact so many others, without our even realizing it. That’s a great message to remember!

Bianca—Over the years, my favorite Christmas movies have changed a bit. I used to appreciate movies like “Barbie and the Nutcracker,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Frosty the Snowman. But my favorites now are “Miracle on 34^th Street,” “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey,” and my most favorite movie of all: “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It just wouldn’t be Christmas without George Bailey!

Ben—My favorite Christmas movies are “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas,” and “Miracle on 34^th Street.” When I was much younger, my favorites used to be “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Rubia—I like “The Little Drummer Boy,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Little House on the Prairie: Christmas at Plum Creek,” and “The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.”

Roma—My all-time favorite Christmas movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life” with James Stewart and Donna Reed. I also like “White Christmas,” “Miracle on 34^th Street,” “Little House on the Prairie: Christmas at Plum Creek,” and “The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.” I also like the DVD we got of “The Glory of Christmas” show that we attended at Northridge Church last Christmas.

Josiah—My favorite Christmas movie is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” I also like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Nicholas: the Boy who Became Santa.”

*What are some of your favorite Christmas movies? Share in the comments!*

Favorite Christmas Songs

With the month of December arriving and Christmas on its way, we decided to do a month of Christmas favorites! We all love music and have so many favorite Christmas songs and carols. Below is a list of some of our favorites:

Mark— There are many songs that I really enjoy at Christmas. Perhaps one of my favorites is “Mary Did You Know?” It not only captures the spirit of Christmas, but also the life and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ!! I enjoy many of the traditional Christmas hymns, and more contemporary Christmas music such as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Betsy—One long-time favorite has been “Oh Holy Night.” I also love “Joy to the World,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” And a favorite classic is “The Christmas Song” as sung by Nat King Cole.

Bianca—It might be easier for me to list the Christmas songs that I don’t like. J Some of my favorite carols are “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark! The Herald Angel Sing” (this song always reminds me of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”) “O Holy Night,” and “What Child is This?” Some more contemporary songs I like are “I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day” and “While You Were Sleeping” by Casting Crowns, “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, “Carol of the Bells,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells” by Frank Sinatra, “Christmas Angels,” “The Promise,” and “Christmas Day” by Michael W. Smith, “Christmas Sarajevo 1225,” “Wizards in Winter,” and “Nutrocker” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Some albums that I love—and would recommend—are “Carols of Christmas” by Eric Wyse (Instrumental Piano), “It’s a Wonderful Christmas” by Michael W. Smith, “Peace On Earth” by Casting Crowns, “The Sinatra Christmas Album” by Frank Sinatra, and “The Best of Christmas” with various artists including Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and others from years past.

Ben—My favorite Christmas carols are “Christmas Sarajevo 1225” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I also like “Silent Night,” “J-I-N-G-L-E Bells” by Frank Sinatra, “While You Were Sleeping” by Casting Crowns, “Give This Christmas Away” by Matthew West, and “Christmas Angels” by Michael W. Smith.

Rubia—I like “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Some contemporary ones that I like are “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Casting Crowns, and “While You Were Sleeping” also by Casting Crowns.

Roma—I like “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger,” “The First Noel,” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.” I also like the Casting Crowns songs that Rubia mentioned as well as “Christmas Offering” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.” I also like “Christmas Angels” by Michael W. Smith.

Josiah—I like “The 12 Days of Christmas,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and “Christmas Sarajevo 1225” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

*What are some of your favorite Christmas tunes? Are there any that have special meaning to you or bring back childhood memories? Share in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!*

Thanksgiving Favorites

Thanksgiving is probably one of our favorite holidays next to Christmas. We have many favorite foods and traditions, which we share below:

Mark— It’s simple, one word, Family. I am thankful for my immediate family and my extended family. Being that turkey is one of my favorite foods, I am in food heaven on Thanksgiving day. I love the smell of the turkey cooking. I love to finish off the dinner with one of my favorite pies, pecan (warm with whipped cream). As a kid I also enjoyed watching the Macy’s parade. Now I enjoy watching with my kids. I also enjoy watching some football, time permitting after a nap.

Betsy—We almost always spend Thanksgiving with extended family, and that’s such a blessing. I enjoy either cooking a large feast, or enjoying one that has been cooked for me. J Years ago, we started several traditions that continue to this day…one is making a “Thankful Tree” decorated with colored paper leaves, on which everyone writes things for which they’re thankful. Another is writing “thankful” letters from each member of our family, to fill a special book for my parents. They add to it each year, so it’s a constant work-in-progress. In past years, we’ve also read plenty of books about Squanto and the Pilgrims and other Thanksgiving-related topics.

Bianca—I enjoy being with family over Thanksgiving. I love that each Thanksgiving is a little bit different. To be honest, I love all the different foods associated with Thanksgiving dinner! But if I had to pick a few, I’d say pecan pie, savory stuffing (dressing), mashed potatoes, and sweet potato casserole would be at the top. But I also love the corn, green beans, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie. . . Never mind. You get the idea! J

One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions (other than watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade J) is writing my Thanksgiving letter. It’s helpful for me to look back over the year and think of all the ways God has worked in my life, and all that He has blessed me with. Many of the things I’m thankful for go onto our Thanksgiving tree as well. That is truly the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving; to thank our Lord and Savior for all He has blessed us with, though we’re undeserving of it all!

Ben—I enjoy being with my family at Thanksgiving. I love any and every food associated with Thanksgiving dinner! J I also enjoy watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and sometimes I might watch the football game. I enjoy making our “Thankful tree” and writing Thanksgiving letters to my Abuela.

Rubia—I like getting together with family and celebrating! I like turkey. J I also like making our Thanksgiving tree and writing down what I’m thankful for.

Roma—I love going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to celebrate! I also like listening to Christmas music on the way home from our trip. I love pecan pie! I like our tradition of making a Thanksgiving Tree.

Josiah—I like being with family. My favorite kind of Thanksgiving food is everything in the Bob Evans Feast we get at Grandma’s. I love the turkey and the pecan pie. I like writing a Thanksgiving letter for my Grandparents’ book we made them.

Favorite Pizza Toppings

One of our homemade pizzas earlier this fall.

For as long as most of us can remember, Friday has been pizza night at our house. Whether it’s freezer pizza, take-out or homemade, everyone in our family loves pizza! Below are some of our favorite toppings and styles of pizza:

Mark—My number one favorite (almost a must...) is Pepperoni. Most other meats are also acceptable, such as sausage or ham. I also sometimes enjoy a veggie pizza. In my travels, I have also seen pureed sweet potato, corn, shrimp, and other fish toppings.

Betsy—I enjoy the fresh taste of green peppers and onions on my pizza, but we rarely have that around here. I also like spinach pizza and any other kind of veggie pizza, with “different” cheeses like fresh parmesan or feta. Most of the time, though, we eat pepperoni pizza (to please the masses) J

Bianca—Pizza is one of my favorite foods because it is so versatile, and I like it many different ways. When I made homemade pizza during the spring and summer, I enjoyed tossing on nasturtium blooms, fresh herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley, and fresh jalapeno and bell peppers as well as tomato slices. My motto when it comes to food is “I’ll try anything once.” The same definitely applies for pizza!

Ben—My favorite pizza topping combination is pepperoni and sausage. I also enjoy pizza with peppers, ham, and bacon.

Rubia—I like pepperoni and sausage pizza. I also like spinach pizza. Sometimes I like vegetable pizzas, depending on what the vegetables are. J Mainly I enjoy pepperoni.

Roma—I enjoy meat pizza. I like cheese, pepperoni, sausage, ham, and bacon.

Josiah—I like cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. I’m a meat pizza guy! J

Have a suggestion for a Friday Favorites Topic? Leave us a comment and let us know! We would love new ideas!

Favorite Ways to Spend Free Time

Once all our work is done, we have free time to spend! We have a lot of ways we like to spend our free time, and we try to make that time as meaningful as possible. Below are some of our favorite ways:

Mark—Free time is rare indeed!  I enjoy flying in my spare time with the kids to get the proverbial “$100 hamburger.”  I also enjoy relaxing outdoors playing with the kids or going on a family hike.  If the weather is lousy, then relaxing indoors and reading a good book or playing games with the family is a great choice.  When all else fails, there is the opportunity for a good nap.

Betsy—Free time is rare in this season of my life, so oftentimes I use “down” time to catch up on more relaxing work. Paying bills, balancing the checkbook, mending clothes, or clipping coupons is pretty typical. I also find it relaxing to write letters, catch up on emails, read good blogs, and read good books. In the best of times, I actually get to cross-stitch…that’s an all-time favorite free-time activity! Last but not least, a good nap is enjoyable, just about any time of day. J

Bianca—In the rare event that I have free time, J my number one choice would be to read (do you notice this as a common theme in our family?) I always have a stack of books and magazines to read! Other times I will work on a special project, or make a mess in the kitchen (they’re usually edible messes!) I also enjoy playing music on the piano and guitar. During the spring and summer, I also enjoy working in my garden.

Ben—I love reading! I also like playing Madden® Football on the computer. I like playing and working outside, watching a movie, practicing drums, and also playing board games with my siblings.

Rubia—Overall, I mostly like reading. I also like playing outside, writing letters, and playing with my pets.

Roma—When I have free time I like to read books, play Mavis Beacon typing games on the computer, go outside, and play board games.

Josiah—I like to play with Legos®. I also like to play with other toys and go outside. I also enjoy reading books.

A Correction

Last Friday, when we posted about our favorite candies, we were guilty of a terrible oversight. Well, it was an oversight depending on how you define “candy.” You see, the candy we were thinking of is the type you might get trick-or-treating, or that you buy individually packaged from the stores. Cheap candy.

Then our Grandpa left us a comment wondering why nobody mentioned his fudge as a favorite.

Snack time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

But you see, we don’t even think about Grandpa’s fudge as being at the level of the common, everyday, ordinary candies we mentioned. Comparing Grandpa’s Fudge to a Reese’s peanut butter cup is like comparing the finest Filet Mignon with a McDonald’s hamburger. They don’t even deserve to be in the same sentence!

All of us can say overwhelmingly that Grandpa’s fudge is our favorite candy on this earth. We just think of it as more of a delicacy; a dessert that deserves its very own category! So please don’t hide the fudge next time we visit, Grandpa! We really didn’t mean to forget! J

We could do dozens of posts on our other favorite “gourmet” treats, like Malley’s Bordeaux, chocolate covered Oreos, chocolate covered candy corn, sponge candy. . .

Favorite Types of Candy

After going through our records, we were shocked to find that we never discussed our favorite types of candy! As I’m sure you’ll be able to tell, sweet tooths run in the family! J Especially when it comes to chocolate!

Mark—My top three favorite types of candy are Peanut M & M’s, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and chocolate with almonds.

Betsy—Lately, dark chocolate has been a favorite. But sometimes I’m in the mood for m&m’s (plain), and I always enjoy candy kisses. As far as candy bars, I’ve always been partial to Snickers, because it really satisfies. J

Bianca—If it has chocolate, it is likely going to be a favorite for me! J My absolute favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. I also like Mounds, Paydays, Milky Way bars, 100 Grand’s, M & M’s (peanut and regular) Werthers original caramels, and soft peppermints.

Ben—My favorite candy is Twix chocolate bars. I also like Kit Kats and Snickers.

Rubia—My absolute favorite candy in the whole world is Almond Joys! I also like Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, and I like mints.

Roma—I like anything with chocolate! I like Kit Kats, Twix, Hershey’s, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Josiah—My favorite type of candy is Twix bars. I also like Kit Kats a lot.

Favorite Colors

One of the most common “favorites” question—especially among children—is “what’s your favorite color?” Below are our favorite colors, and please feel free to share yours in the comments:

Mark— I’ve always loved blue. I also enjoy the mixture of all of the colors of fall and spring!

Betsy—I’ve always loved blue. Aside from that, all the colors of fall are favorites!

Bianca—My favorite color is bright red! Red has been my favorite color for as long as I can remember. I think my second favorite color would be yellow because it is so bright and a “cheerful” color. J

Ben—My favorite color is aqua and orange. In the past I’ve liked army green. My favorite color combination is blue and orange.

Rubia—My favorite color is blue. I also like yellow, green, and purple.

Roma—My favorite color is sky blue. Or as I used to call it, “morning blue.” When I was little, I loved pink. I also like yellow, red, orange, and light green.

Josiah—My number one favorite color is red. I also like blue.

How You Want to Be Remembered

All of us have certain character qualities by which we would like be remembered. Here are some of the ways our family members would like to be remembered:

Mark—I would like to be remembered as a Courageous man of Impact! I hope to be known as a faithful leader in my home, church, work, and community, and one who has a strong passion to follow the will of God.

Betsy—I would like to be remembered as a daughter of God who was faithful to His calling in her life. For me, this means that I faithfully and joyfully fulfilled my role as a helpmeet to my husband; a mother, teacher, and nurturer to our children; and a friend and encourager to anyone who needed it. Most of all, I want to be remembered as someone who loved Jesus with all her heart, and who lived out His Word in every area of her life.

Bianca—I want to be remembered as a young lady who loved the Lord with all her heart and walked in daily obedience to His word. As far as specific character qualities, I want to be remembered as patient, meek, joyful, a true friend to others, content, happy, and a servant.

Ben—I want to be remembered as trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, and reverent, and a lover of God. (As a note, most of these are in the Boy Scout Law. J)

Rubia—I want to remembered as a young woman who feared God, was a servant to others, was loving, and compassionate.

Roma—I want people to remember me as loving God with all my heart. I also want to be remembered as a servant, having respect for others, being compassionate, honoring my parents, and having some of the qualities of the Proverbs 31 woman.

Josiah—I want people to remember that I love Jesus and I am a Christian. I also want to be remembered as respectful, kind, a hard worker, and a godly young man who obeys God’s word.