100 Followers!

Hi, all one hundred of you - and perhaps a little more who don't follow but still read...THANK YOU! You guys have helped me reach one hundred followers. So...in celebration, I've decided to throw a photography challenge. I haven't before. I will now. Let's see how it goes. ;)
Anyhow- here are the guidelines for my challenge.

1. The theme for my photography challenge is...cats! A picture of any type of cat, even any part of the cat. (for example, tail, paw, whiskers, eyes, ears...) Also, it's allowed to have more than one cat in, if you want.
2. To enter, just put a link in your comment below that leads me to your post that contains your entry in.
3. This challenge will start today, the deadline will be the 12th of May and I will post all of the entries on my blog, then put the poll up on my sidebar that day. The voting will end on the 15th of May.
4. Please, only cats - no one else in the picture. Notice I say no one, not no thing. :)
5. All ages can enter!
6. You are allowed to edit the image using whatever photo-editing program you use.
7. Please link back to this post when you make your own post on entering.
8. If you don't have a blog, you can enter by emailing me your picture using this email address: tane.hannah@gmail.com - yes, anyone who wants to enter can, even if they don't have a blog!
9. You can vote for other people even if you enter, but please do not vote for yourself!
10. If you have a facebook account, or twitter, or use your blog - you can ask other people to vote for you; friends, family, followers or even strangers, I guess.
11. This is for fun, so there aren't any prizes except for well done and the glory. :D

If you have any questions, you can email me and I'll answer them. Thank you for reading!

Confidence and Strength

^ (A pattern that I painted. Just thought I would add this to my post...)

I guess we've all struggled to be confident or strong before...I know I have, a lot. There is always that small nagging voice in your head saying, 'You're not good enough.', 'You are worth nothing.' and 'Don't even try. You'll screw up'. Negative thoughts like that. Sometimes it's out of self-pity and sometimes we really feel like we are a nobody, like we cannot face the rest of the world because they'll laugh at us and think we're stupid. It's a terrible feeling. So how can we overcome it, be confident and strong? Well, here's what I think. Humans are pretty pathetic on their own. We can be so weak and faithless. And on our own it's very hard to be confident. But, there is someone who can give you strength and confidence. God.
If we live for Jesus everyday, we can wake up and feel that God has us in His hand and He has plans for the day. He knows what is going to happen. We can be confident - in our Lord. There are verses saying that we will be strong, and confident because of Him...

'Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.' - Isaiah chapter 40 verses 28 to 31
~He is everlasting, the creator of the ends of the earth. He won't grow weary. He gives power. He will strengthen us and well will rise up with wings like eagles; I'm pretty sure that we'll feel confident with the wing story and His love there for us.~

'So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”' - Hebrews chapter 6 verse 3
~He is our helper. We can confidently say so...~

If we trust Him, we can be confident and strong. He does not faint like we will without Him. There is also a verse in the bible that says, 'We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us', and we can. :)

Photo-Shoot With Grace, Levi & Me

Hello everyone! Grace and I had fun taking some photos the other day...she took the ones of Levi and me, and I took the ones of her. I processed all of them in Photoshop. So, here they are...

^ This one was captured by Gracie...Levi was being absolutely adorable and funny. He loves being laughed at.

^ Grace, with her wonderful smile! We both liked the colours in this photo...

^ I love this shot that Grace took - for someone who hasn't had experience in photography, she is really great at taking pics! Anyway, I made this image have the same sepia tones as the one of Mila after she came back from the hairdresser.

^ I think this is my favourite one of Grace. I love how her beautiful green eyes go with her shirt and the bokeh in the background, plus the light catching her lovely hair is amazing!

^ I love vintage and texture...so that's what I did with this one. :)

^ We were also going to do a picture of Grace and Levi together, but Levi had got impatient and left the room with Johny. So we decided to do one with Grace's long, gorgeous hair all around her...and more contrast sepia effects!

I hoped you enjoyed the photos - it was loads of fun; taking them and editing them. Which one is your fave?

Girl On Fire

(The photo above is my own - I took it last year and called it 'Gently Burning')

This song, Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys, inspired me to write this post.

Well, I don't really  want all of the lines in the song to be true about me, like the part where she says the girl is lonely...but what I do want, is to be on fire for Jesus. I want people to see the fire in my eyes and know there is something different about me. I want them to want to know why I am different. I want them to be intrigued and I want to be able to tell them what it is and I want them to believe. I want them to change as well. I want them to realize that is not who I am, but what He has done - not what I've done, but who He is. I want them to see that His love is burning inside of me. I want them to say, "This girl is on fire." I want to be a flame for Him.
But wanting isn't enough; I know. I have to do something about it if I want it enough. I must grow in His love and practice on the people I see everyday, even my siblings who already believe. I want them to see as well, that He lives in my heart. Before making other people want to change and believe in the Gospel too, I must first change and I must first be that girl on fire.

"My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense." - 2 Chronicles chapter 29 verse 11

"You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light." - Psalms chapter 18 verse 28

"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." - Ephesians chapter 3 verses 17 to 19

I think that we are all meant to be on fire for God. And I'm not saying we should all be the same, or that we are bad Christians if we aren't always burning so brightly. First of all, no fire is the same. And second, sometimes we almost go completely out, but God is there to use the bellows and make your flames grow bigger. And sometimes, we completely turn to ashes, but He starts us up again and then we burn brighter then ever. Don't forget that the bible verse in Psalms says that He will keep our lamp burning and turn our darkness into light. Let's burn for Him.

Mila After Being To The Hairdresser

Hi everyone. This is a photo shoot-post I did with Mila...today she went to the hairdresser and came back with a really cute hairstyle. :)
This is the first photo:

^ Alright, so this picture doesn't show her hairstyle nicely...but it's just the introduction image, if you know what I mean. There's more to come. 

^ There, now you can see her hairstyle. I love it! But I don't really love how this picture turned out...I kept trying different things with it and it never looked right. So in the end I settled with this treatment. What do you think?

^ I went with a vintage look in this one, and I quite like it. Her hair is usually long ringlet curls, but she decided to get it straightened for a day.

^ This is by far my favourite! I love the sepia tones and I love the angle I shot it at. Which one do you guys think is the best?

This was really fun to practice my portraiture and play with photoshop...and Mila is such a sweet, beautiful girl. She truly is a one-of-a-kind. I love her so much and I am happy to have her as my five year old sister!

Brilliant Blog Bouquet Award

Hi guys! I was awarded by Storyteller (thanks so much!) with this award:



Rules:
Put a link to who gave you the award
Post the award to your blog
Answer the questions
Choose 5 blogs to receive the award
Let them know you've awarded them

Questions:
1. If you could have a "flower pen name", what would it be?

I think it would be Gerbera.

2. What is your favourite ever bible verse and why?

I think it is Romans 8:28 because it is comforting and a reminder of God's love for me. ~And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His
purpose~ But I do love other verses; it's so hard to choose!

3. What are the blogs that inspire you most?

Oh, there are SO many. I love going through my feed and clicking on links to a post from a very inspiring blog, and so far, all of them have been inspiring. So I'm going to have to say I won't be able to answer that!

4. If you and your friends could visit any country in the world, where would you go?

Probably France or Mozambique or...or I don't know, lol. :)

5. If you have one, feel free to share your testimony as to how you became a Christian.

Hmm...When I was seven I asked my parents if I could be baptized, because I didn't like the fact that I hadn't been baptized. So I was baptized, and I can remember that day quite well. But otherwise...I don't know if I have a testimony, unless you count that as one.

So, there are my questions answered. And now, to award!

Britt
Grace
Jess
Emily
Brooke

He Will Always Be There

(The photo above is my own)

I'm sure everyone of us sometimes feels like we have got no one. You are in a swirl of confusion and anger and desperation and pain...you feel like no one cares. It's just you. Against the world. No one to turn to. You're just barely clinging onto the edge of a cliff, with no one to pull you up. You are in a dark, sad place with no company. You cry all the time and there is no one to wipe the tears away. There's no one to hug you and tell you it will be okay. There is no one to love you.
I believe we feel this not because the people we live with and see everyday aren't good enough, that they won't comfort you. No, it's because sometimes they can't comfort you. But God can.

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort other. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 4

"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God Himself will fight for you." Deuteronomy chapter 3 verse 22

So, He will be there to comfort us so we can comfort others. People who haven't gone through the same thing won't be able to help the people who are struggling. If we fall, and it hurts, but God helps us up, then we can be servants for Him, and help up the next person who falls. And remember, the Lord your God will fight for you. He will always be there.

Worth Remembering (a poem)

(Photograph done by me)

Sometimes there are days

When I wish I could have done things differently

And changed my ways

But why would I look back?

I need to focus on the present

Maybe there was a lot I lacked

Back then

But the sun is shining now

And I don’t see any clouds

Now is the time to make good memories

And capture special time with my family

Because why would I look back?

When I have so much to look forward to...

Sure I’ll probably have another bad day again

But Jesus is here to help me with all the pain

So why would I look back?

I know what I’m going to do

With those days

I’ll just forget them

And I know what I’m going to do

With these days

I am going to make them

Worth remembering

Sometimes I really feel depressed because of the past. But I know God has something planned that is so worth  it and so satisfying for me in the future, so why would I look back?

'Change what you're saying, not what you've said.' (a line from one of the band Eels' song)

Two New Blogs...

 
^ (I thought I would just add this picture with the post...it's by my Mom. Isn't it beautiful? Click on the image to go to her Society6 store!)

No, I know what you're probably thinking - the blogs aren't mine! Lol. But today, my sister Grace made a blog, called God's Grace. Click here to visit it. She's bright and cheerful, just like her blog! For now she has only done one post, but she's going to do more, I'm sure. I'd really appreciate it if you follow her, it would encourage her a lot. If you don't, it is absolutely fine!
And here is Hudson's blog. He's my little brother and he is only seven, but he is incredibly smart, smart enough to have a blog at his age! He chose the title, Creativity, Animals and Jesus. Let me tell you, he is creative, he LOVES animals, but, Jesus comes out on top. :)
Once again, I'd really appreciate it if you would follow his blog. It would mean a lot to me and him.

Chocolate Date Brownies

So, it seems I have gotten into baking lately...and dates...and wheat-free recipes. Lol.
This is a low-carb recipe, but not a very low-carb one, if you know what I mean...because of the dates, it is a bit sugary. But if you don't want to use sweetener, you can replace it with sugar. Well, my Mom made the recipe up, but I baked it. Did I mention that this has no wheat or gluten? Oh, and, once again, it's a big recipe, because of my family, but you can make it smaller if you want. Anyway, here is the Chocolate Date Brownie recipe...

What you will need:
500g dates
1 heaped cup of cocoa (about 270ml or 18 tablespoons)
500g butter
4 cups of beans, for instance, kidney beans or butter beans (any cooked beans will work, though)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp bicarb (baking soda)
15 eggs
Sweetener, to taste (we use a combination of stevia and sucralose / Splenda, but you can use xylitol, honey or whichever sweetener you prefer.)
Pinch of salt

Method:
1. Put the dates, cocoa, butter and bicarb in a china mixing bowl, then put it in the microwave until the butter is completely melted. Using a hand blender, blitz the date mixture properly. Then put the bowl aside.
2. Put the beans and eggs in a mixing bowl. Use a hand blender again and blitz.
3. Add the baking powder, salt and coconut into the bean mix. Blitz and then add the date mixture and blitz again.
4. Now, add the sweetener (or sugar) until it is sweet enough. Spray a dish that you think is the right size, and then cut out the right size and shape of baking paper and put it in the dish. Now spray the paper and the sides of the dish. Pour the brownie mixture into the dish and bake at 160 celsius until done.

To check if the brownies are done, just poke a small, sharp knife into the middle. Pull it out - and if it has batter on it, then cook the brownies for longer, but if it is clean, then take it out. By the way, 160 celcius is 320 degrees in farenheit.
Thanks for reading! I hope that if you try this recipe, it works out for you. It has for me and my family, it's almost gone, lol. :)

Low Carb Baked Lemon Cheesecake

Hey guys! This is a made up recipe of mine. Well, actually, my Mom came up with the idea for the crust. This cheesecake makes enough to feed sixteen. The reason why it is so big is because, well, our family is so big. But you can calculate and make it smaller if you want.

This cheesecake has no wheat or gluten, and no sugar. (apart from in the dates that are required) It's very low carb and very delicious!

(For the crust)

What you will need:

250g dates

1tsp bicarb (baking soda)

180g almond flour (ground almonds)

1/3 cup of sweetener (any type will do)

(For the base)

What you will need:

3 250g tubs of cream cheese

375ml fresh runny cream

2tsp vanilla essence

6 eggs, seperated 

sweetener to taste (only add at the end)

grated rind of 1 lemon 

(For the topping)

250ml fresh runny cream

1/2 cup sweetener

cinnamon (optional) 

(For the crust) Method:

Put the butter in a small pot and put it on the heat. Keep stirring the butter until it's melted - don't burn it! Then add the dates. Sprinkle the teaspoon of bicarb all over them (it softens the dates) and then stir in. Add the almond flour and mash with a potato masher until the dates aren't whole anymore. Take the pot off the stove and add the sweetener, then mix well. Grease a china dish that you think the crust will fit nicely in. Scrape out the contents of the small pot into the china dish and spread the date crust to the edges. Press it down hard. When you are done, put it in the fridge and leave while you do the rest.

(For the base) Method:

Put the cream cheese, cream, vanilla, lemon rind and egg yolks in a big mixing bowl. Then beat until the mixture is smooth. Take the egg whites, and in a different medium sized bowl, beat them until stiff and just begining to form peaks. Then fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture until it's all mixed through. Now add the sweetener to taste. It must be a little too sweet, because after the cheesecake has been baked, it loses some if its sweetness.

Get the crust out of the fridge and pour the base onto it. Put the cheesecake in the oven and bake at 160 celsius (which is 350 degrees in fahrenheit) until ready...to check if it's ready, poke a sharp knife in the middle and then bring it out again. If it's clean, then the cake is ready, but if it has some raw batter on, then it isn't. When the cheesecake is done, it should have a golden brown crust. When it has cooled down, put it in the fridge until cold.

(For the topping) Method:

Whip the cream with the sweetener. Spread all over the cheesecake (to the edges). Then sprinkle cinnamon all over it. Slice and serve!

I added the strawberries to the photo for a special touch, but I'm sure the cheesecake would be nice with strawberries anyhow. You don't have to add the cinnamon, but I absolutely love cinnamon, and I think that it's nice on the cheesecake.

If you try it out, I'd appreciate to know how it turned out for you!

Time To Redesign...

I am busy making some changes to my blog - I don't know how long it will take, but I will try and continue to post while I redesign. Oh, and, my blog might look quite weird in the meantime...I am hoping to keep my new blog look for long. Anyway, I want to make my own banner and I want the colour theme of my blog to be light teal, pink, white and grey. This may not be a big thing, but I still would really appreciate it if you guys prayed that it would turn out fine and I would be extremely happy with my new design...
Thank you for reading. By the way, what do you think of the colours I want to use?

He Is Risen!

Easter is a time to celebrate. Because of what? Because He rose again! Easter shouldn't be about bunnies or chocolate. No, we have something MUCH bigger and more wonderful to celebrate. Jesus conquered the grave. For US. Think how amazing it is - He died for us - we are all sinners and do not even deserve to worship such a glorious and awesome God. But he loves us SO much. I want to know how long and wide and high and deep His love is. So that it will shine through me and bring others to know why we celebrate Easter Sunday. Well, actually...it was Easter Saturday for us this year! We celebrated it on Saturday because we were at the farm and the next day we had to leave for home, not to mention, it was my fabulous Gran's 69th birthday on the 30th. We had loads of fun, we made a cake (wheat free and sugar free; I will have to post the recipe another time, it's delicious!) and a cheesecake, there was watermelon, popcorn and juice. Oh, and we had an Easter egg hunt. Sadly, I forgot to take pictures! Ugh! Sorry.
But here are some bible verses for all of us:
Romans chapter 6 verse 5: If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
Corinthians chapter 15 verses 3 to 5: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day. 
Luke chapter 24 verse 24: The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!
So,  give a shout of joy, because, He has risen, indeed.



P.S. If you have a minute, please will you vote for my Mom HERE. Her entry is one of her awesome cards that she made and put on GCU, a greeting card site, where she sells her cards. She would REALLY appreciate it!
Here's the her card entry:



Thanks, guys!