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My father's latest advertising project.

Stepping Back

During a recent excursion to a beautiful old Texas town, we visited a retro 1950's diner and enjoyed some good old-fashioned ice cream. Besides partaking in this delicious icy delicacy, some also practiced the art of mounting swivelling stools.

Psalm 24:7-10

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. "

In a Land of History and Antiques

This Day in History - 1968

Forty years ago today, a significant historic event took place. This day in 1968, Apollo 8 went into orbit around the moon after its three day journey through space. The three-man crew of Mission Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders circled around the moon ten times during a period of twenty hours.

During the ninth lunar orbit, as the television camera transmitted images of the moon and earth to an awed audience, they read the first ten verses of Genesis...

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:1-10

A Franklin Springs Essay Contest Winner

It is with great pleasure and delight to announce that my dear sister Emily won a recent Franklin Springs Family Media Essay Contest. The subject matter on which she wrote was "Why I Like Breadmaking."

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The Joys of Breadmaking

Emily J.—Age 16 (Texas)

I love making bread for so many reasons: the aroma, the taste, the fact that making bread is less expensive than buying it, and simply for the joy of making something healthy and delicious for my family.

The wonderful, homey smell of bread is worth the few hours of enjoyable labor that it took to make. My Daddy loves smelling fresh-baked bread when he comes home from work. It is rewarding to be able to make something that so delights my family.

The taste of a tender and delicious loaf is most often irresistible, especially when it is hot out of the oven. I love making bread that delights the taste buds!

Saving money is a wonderful by-product of breadmaking. The cost of a few cups of flour, some yeast, salt, honey, water and oil is so minimal that it hardly compares to its store bought counterpart.

Making fresh bread is a way of supporting faithful stewardship of our temples by making a much healthier food than that which is in a grocery store. Being able to use whole grains, natural sweeteners, and pure ingredients to the benefit of my family is one aspect of breadmaking that is so enjoyable and worthwhile for me.

Above all, I want everything I do to bring glory to God, and that includes making bread for my family.

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might...”

Ecclesiastes 9:10

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To read more about this essay contest click here

If you would like to receive announcements of upcoming contests by Franklin Springs Family Media, please send an email to contests@franklinsprings.com.

Stories of Virtue, Part 2

Thoughts behind this series and the first part of this story can be found here.

Feather Your Nest

"Daddy!" Virtue cried with glee, "I'm all ready for chores."

"I'm glad to see that my little lady is well this morning," he said drawing Virtue into his strong arms. "And, yes, it is time to go take faithful care of your chickens. I have already heard Sir Hackles making a fuss."

Virtue giggled. Sir Hackles was an old, fussy rooster that often caused her trouble. One time Sir Hackles even chased her around the house though, thankfully, Mommy had heard Virtue's cries and shooed him back into his yard with her broom. However, there rested a healthy fear of Daddy in Sir Hackles.

As they went down the stairs , they picked up their flashlights and their warm coats. It was still dark outside and a little cold; the weather station on the back porch read 38 degrees Fahrenheit. With the flashlight lighting up the path to the hen house, they soon arrived and were greeted with clucks and squawks, chirps and crows.

Virtue filled the feeders and waters and ascertained that the nesting boxes were clean. It was then that she noticed one hen remained in the nesting boxes while the others consumed the feed. Upon closer examination, Virtue noticed many feathers in the nesting box.

"Daddy, I think this hen might be sick." she said.

"No, Dear, this hen appears to have gone broody. The straw and feathers will make a soft nest for all those eggs to incubate and then hatch," he explained.

This was Virtue's first flock of chickens, so she had much to learn; she was thankful her father was so knowledgeable about fowl.

"Oh, you're a nice mama hen," Virtue cooed. "My mommy doesn't put feathers in my bed, but she does spread soft covers on my bed! You are like my mommy; she always knows what I really need. Goodbye hens! Enjoy your breakfast."

Sir Hackles was the only one who replied.

Stories of Virtue, Part 1

Despite all the necessary writing that we might do as young ladies, it ought to be remembered that one of the best ways we should use our writing skills is to the edification of our own immediate family. It is within our own immediate family that we have a very powerful influence for good or for bad.

This small series was written for our beloved Grace, then at three years of age. The stories of Virtue actually began as oral tales told to two year-old Grace as she was rocked on the front porch. One of the immense blessings of creating stories for little children is the opportunity to encourage and exhort these precious ones toward a higher standard of excellence in every area, especially in areas of personal struggle.

The following is a selected short story emphasizing the important character qualities of punctuality, duty, and diligence; however, the over arching theme is obedience.

To Obey Is the Only Way

"Ring! Ring!" A chubby finger hit the "off" button. Three year-old Virtue knew how to turn off her alarm because her Daddy had taught her. She remembered when he showed her the button that had the letters "O" "F" "F" written on it.

"Oh! I had better get my dress on and not be lazy," thought Virtue as she pushed back her covers. It was then that she realized how chilly the winter air was and just how toasty was her warm spot. She thought about snuggling underneath her mound of soft quilts and fuzzy blankies. That would feel...would feel so wonderful.

Then little Virtue thought about her mother's words last night, "Sweet One, we have a full day tomorrow. Great-Grandpa Tarleton will come and eat breakfast with us, so as with everyday you will need t get yourself dressed when your alarm rings."

Springing out of bed, Virtue exclaimed aloud, "I want to obey Mommy! If I sleep past my alarm, Mommy will be so sad that I choose to disobey. No! I want to make obey; I want to make her happy."

Virtue quickly dressed and arranged her bed covers tidily. She even put her stuffed bunny, Susie, on her pillow. She was almost ready to depart from her neat abode when she remembered something. Last week her mother instructed her to do her personal hygiene chores each day without being reminded. Virtue wasn't going to forget today. No, she wanted to remember and obey all of Mother's words. Very quickly she brushed her curls (with her hair brush) and then her teeth (with her toothbrush), washed her face, lotioned her body, cleaned her ears and then her finger nails.

She was just putting away her nail clippers when she heard a "knock, knock" on her door. She knew just who it was.

Find out who was there in the next story, Feather Your Nest

Two Happy Maidens

Despite below freezing temperatures, Amy Grace and Annie Hope bundled up warmly and engaged in their daily exercise. What happy smiles!

"A Friend Loveth at All Times..."

With much thanksgiving our family recently received a dear brother in Christ into our home. A husband to a joyous wife and home-educating father of ten children, he and his precious family have also been dear friends of the Jones family for well over a decade and a half. Having known a Christian family this long, notwithstanding the separation of several states and distinct family characteristics, there is a special closeness that comes from the joys and trials shared together through prayer. How grateful we are for this family! We have been encouraged by this family's faithfulness and love of the Lord, and inspired by their courage and steadfastness in well doing. May the Lord bless them for all that they have invested in the Church for God's glory.

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."

~George Washington (from a letter written January 1783)