Would you share a bit about yourself and your family?

First, I’d just like to thank you for inviting me to write this interview; I’m quite honored and humbled at the opportunity. :)

I’m I am a twenty-one year old daughter, living at home with my family under the covering of my family. Most importantly, I am a Believer that has been saved by the Father’s wondrous power and grace! I’m the oldest child in my family, though I only have one younger sibling {my brother and best friend, Joseph, who is 19}. I was home educated from the age of 11, and am so grateful to my wonderful parents for that! As a family, we have learned so much in the past 10 years that we may never have learned otherwise; home education is eye-opening on so many levels. The Father has been merciful to us and has been so gracious to open our eyes to many important truths {such as modesty, men’s/ women’s roles, courtship, the importance of family discipleship, etc}. I enjoy sharing ways the Lord has shown Himself strong time and time again!

My dad is a custom home builder, but because of the slow economy and the vast number of people needing to sell their homes {plus short sales and foreclosures}, he hasn’t had any building work for over a year. My mom and I sold used homeschool books occasionally online, and, foreseeing the difficult times ahead, Dad asked us to begin building the business. When he finished building his last house, he was able to come home and work with us full time! It takes all three of us working together to make it work. We each have parts of the business we’re responsible for. I photograph the books, edit the pictures, and list the auctions online; Dad oversees everything, repairs books, cleans them, removes labels and stickers, and packs and ships them out; Mom does a lot of organizing, answering questions, mentoring moms who need help choosing curriculum, purchasing books, and everything in between!

We also try to minister to homeschooling families in our area who have been hit hard financially. {Our county was the fastest growing county in the nation in 2006, and now has the highest unemployment rate in the state of Florida.} We help families put together inexpensive curriculum and Mom spends a lot of time counseling other moms. We really try to encourage families to home educate their children whenever we can.

My heart’s desire is to be a wife and mother, if the Father so chooses to bless me in that way! I am preparing to one day run a household, and I love all aspects of homemaking! I believe the home should be a place of industry and vibrancy, of hospitality and love, and of learning and discipleship. I pray the Father would bless me with a home like that one day, and praise him for allowing me to grow up in one!

Looking over your blog, I see you enjoy photography. I loved looking at all your wonderful and creative photos. Are you aspiring to be a professional or is it just a hobby you enjoy? What piqued your interest in photography?

I DO enjoy photography! I always liked taking pictures with my brother’s point and shoot camera, and about two years ago decided that I’d love to be able to take better pictures. So, I invested in a Nikon DSLR. It took me about a year and a half before I took my camera off of the automatic settings. When I did, I began learning much more about how cameras work, what makes a good picture, etc. I’ve had a lot of help from photographer friends who have come along side me and shared their knowledge {and titles of great books to read}. I have a long way to go before I’ll be able to call myself “professional”, but it’s definitely something I’m working toward. I love taking pictures of people the most, so if I ever do reach a more professional level, I’ll probably become a natural-light portrait photographer, doing occasional photo-shoots. :) I know having this knowledge of photography will also be great for capturing memories of my children someday, if the Father so blesses!

You have your own etsy store where you sell scrubs and moisturizers. Can you share a bit about your business?

Sure! The idea for my business {“Natural Satin Skin”} began a couple years ago when we were at a craft fair up in North Carolina. A lady was selling sugar scrub at $8.00 for an 8 ounce jar. I glanced at the price, and {being the thrifty girl I am} thought, “Who would pay that much for a jar of scrub?” The lady asked me if I would like to sample some, and of course I said that I would {though I had decided beforehand that I wouldn’t be buying}. Well, let’s just say I had a change of heart after I tried it! I loved the way it made my skin feel and, consequently, bought a jar.

After we returned to where we were staying, I started researching all the different aspects of how to make sugar scrub, which ingredients were best {and all natural}, how much packaging would cost, etc. My Dad and Mom thought that me making and selling it would be a good idea. I tend to be rather entrepreneurial minded, so I really enjoyed the process.

What attracted me to the sugar scrub was that it worked! It wasn’t like lotion which is usually full of artificial colors and preservatives, and where the first ingredient is water. I know the scrub is great for my skin as well as other people’s skin, so I feel good about selling it. Even my brother likes using it {the masculine scent, of course}!

Afterward, I started branching out a little into making different products such as Lip Scrubs, Body & Sole Soaks, Linen Sprays, and Clay Masks. I actually haven’t ventured into making soap yet; we have that made for us. ;)

Our book business takes up a lot of hours, so I haven’t had much time to spend growing Natural Satin Skin. However, it’s something that I enjoy doing on the side. The products make wonderful gifts for my friends and family, and I use them all the time, so I think for those reasons alone I’ll keep it going! I’ve been learning a lot in the last couple of years about how important using natural products is for our health; making these products has been a great way for me to share what I’ve learned with others.

On your blog, one of the things you asked your readers to tell you if they wanted to see more of was gardening. Gardening is something I think everyone should take the time to learn to do. Can you share about your garden and your thoughts on gardening?

Gardening is beneficial in many ways! In Florida {where we live} it can be rather tricky- especially if you’re growing organically! Between the heat, humidity, fungus, huge amount of bugs, etc. we’re hard-pressed to grow much! I love looking at the gardens of those who live in more temperate climates {or those who are excellent gardeners here in FL} for inspiration! Sometimes I get discouraged when plants don’t produce fruit or when the grasshoppers and other bugs eat holes in my lettuce {true story!}, but I’ve learned quite a lot from gardening.

Right now, we have green beans, squash, tomatoes, peanuts, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, and a few other misc. herbs and plants growing. Some things are doing better than others… Our garden is rather small {only 11′ x 12′} and is fenced in because we have lots of deer roaming around! In fact, they ate almost every leaf off my mother’s rose bush just last night {and it was sitting on our back porch}!

Growing enough food to can for the winter months is a wonderful thing to do, as is being self-sufficient in general. We would like to work toward self-sufficiency in the future, but it’s a little difficult to do where we live right now.

What are some home-managing projects you’re currently working on?

As for home-managing projects… Most of my projects are ongoing. I love being in the kitchen, trying new recipes! Menu planning is hugely beneficial! My mom and I enjoy planning menus together as well as shopping sales and staying within our food budget. It can be a challenge at times, but it’s very rewarding. I know it’s a skill I’ll be able to use throughout my life.

I take care of all my family’s laundry {and have for several years}, and it’s always fun trying to figure out ways to do it more efficiently. I also help keep the house tidy and clean. I made up a cleaning schedule that lays out which tasks need to be done daily, every couple days, weekly, monthly, etc. and that helps to keep things clean and running smoothly.

Since my dad is a builder, I’ve moved 12 times. When you move, you realize how many unnecessary things you’ve accumulated without hardly realizing it! We try to regularly go through drawers, closets, and cabinets to weed out unneeded/ unwanted items. We organize the spaces so that they look neat and things are easy to find.

I saw some very yummy photos of food on your blog, which I would assume you made. One thing in particular got Jocelyn and I drooling – your key lime pie recipe. What is some of your favorite things to bake? Do you come from a heritage of bakers?

Yes, I did make them. :) Key Lime pie is one of my favorites! My favorite things to bake are pies and whole wheat bread, though I do enjoy making a wide variety of things! We actually mill our own wheat because of the wonderful nutritional benefits {and because it tastes great}! Both my mom and dad are great cooks! My dad, brother, and I have baked pumpkin pies on Thanksgiving morning for as far back as I can remember! My dad always tells me stories about his grandmother who was an excellent baker! I would have loved to have met her.

My grandmother {on my mom’s side} is an excellent cook as well! The heritage on my mom’s side is Lebanese. My grandmother’s mother taught her how to cook Lebanese food when she was a young mom, and she’s been cooking it ever since! She has always been incredibly hospitable and loves to put out a huge spread of food; the more people the better! She makes cooking for an army seem effortless, though I know she puts in a lot of hard work. She is 78 now, but still loves cooking for us and having us over for dinner {and we love to return the favor, of course}. Since none of her recipes are written down, I’ve been going over {when I have a few spare hours} to record her recipes. It can be a challenge at times because she doesn’t really measure anything. She’ll tell me she uses “a handful” or “a little bit”, but nothing concrete. So, we pull out the {few} measuring cups and spoons she has and put them to good use! She’s always able to make everything taste amazing! Someday I hope to be able to cook as well as she does, improvising when need be and making food stretch a long way. I love baking Baklava and Mamoul (Lebanese cookies filled with dates or nuts) with her, too.

Your blog is named A Corner Pillar and you have the verse in which your title came from on your header. What does this verse mean to you as a daughter? Would you explain how you are fulfilling this task?

Psalm 144 gives a beautiful example of the blessings that come from honoring Yah. I don’t believe that most daughters really understand how powerful a role they have! Daughters who choose to live at home until marriage, serving and ministering to their families, are doing Kingdom work. They truly can change the world for Messiah by living productive lives at home. The world {and sadly even the fellowships, oftentimes} tries to convince girls to be independent, but families serving the Father together are far more powerful! I want to be a powerful testimony for the Father in the way I live my life. I want others to be able to see the love of Yah in our family. His ways are unspeakably beautiful!

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