Outside of My House (Photo Tour)

    As you know, the name of my blog is "A Home Beyond the River" but not all of you know why it is called that. I named my blog that for two reasons, #1 It's the name of my favorite hymn and #2 I live in a house/home by a river and if you're on the other side of the river and see my house it is indeed a home beyond the river. =) The house is almost an hundred years old (there's a brick down in the basement that says "1927" but the foundation/basement wasn't laid until after the house was built (weird huh?) so we're not sure how old it is) and is considered to be historic (it has old Italian paper underneath the carpet in the living room). It was advertised before we bought it as having ten bedrooms but we have also used other rooms for bedrooms too. I think around when my family first moved in my dad started  renting the upstairs bedrooms in our house to tenants until about nine years ago when our family had grown too big to not live in both parts of the house.

     Last week I took pictures of the outside of my house and will be showing you those now . . .

 This is the front view of my house. My dad likes to have scripture verse signs on our house so others passing by and our neighbors can read them. I was born in this house (literally). My older siblings and parents have lived in this house for almost nineteen years since my older brother Kirk was a baby. 

I was standing on the sidewalk next to the road/highway by my house when I took this one and the next two.  There's a little square space where my dad keeps some tools in where the door on the side is (on the tunnel looking part of the house). The middle part (where all the windows are) is part of the downstairs bathroom where are washer and dryer are. 

Um, so I don't know why there's a random ugly blue board leaning up against the back porch (probably something one of the boys did). 

 The window on the far right is my where my room is (now you know where I live and sleep o.o), the one in the middle is where we have a stove and sink (since it used to be a second kitchen) and the window on the left is a bathroom. Sometime my sister Kaylee and I will go out my window and sit on the roof. Hehe.

This is the back view. The window up top in the middle is where the attic is, the window to the left and right are both guest bedrooms when family and friends stay for a long visit and nap rooms when family is over for a short while. 

The left and right side views from the back.

This is a stone someone chipped (or did they buy it someplace? I can't remember) for us. 

We put it out front.

Our front door mat.

 The front door.

My brother Kirk's dirt bike! He parks it out front when he's not riding it (which is rarely, lol). 

It's pretty awesome is it not?

I tried to get a nice picture in his mirror but it didn't really turn out too well.

 This is inside our porch where people are supposed to come in and knock but they are forever (and I do mean forever) knocking on the front porch door and we can't really hear them. I think we just need to get a doorbell after all these years. But then my little brother Ryan would ring it just for fun or even try doorbell ditching. Ha! As if people actually fall for that (besides, well, everyone).

 Isn't that the coolest doorknob ever? Of course it's just glass but it's pretty looking. =) And will you just look at that porch wall? Those are broken glass pieces and rock! So awesome! If you can't tell, I really ♥ my house. I actually have this fantasy of getting married and once my parents but an RV and move out (that's their fantasy lol) moving in and having my children grow up here. Strange to some people but to me I think it'd be pretty cool.

    What do you think of my big old (really? you just couldn't tell) house? Want to come for a visit? Over for dinner? Stay oh well, forever?? Lol, that would be nice but . . . I live in Montana and you live . . . where? Oh, too far away. Well, if your ever near our neighborhood do tell me and I'd love to give you a real tour. =) Speaking of tours, I'm going to do some other posts with pictures of the inside of my house so check back this week or the next for that. 

Exciting Stuff and Summer

Hello my lovely readers! It's been a while since the last time that I actually did a more personal post (i.e. about me, my life, my family, etc.) and so I will do one now! =)

    This month has had its busy parts and slower parts but has been quite nice so far. My friend Jeri (my older brother Kirk's girlfriend) graduated on the second. She and my brother-in-law both left on a plane on the eighth, her to Norway for a month to visit a good friend and him to Alaska until the beginning of August to do commercial fishing. My family and I miss them both but Becky (my sister married to Isaiah) misses Isaiah a LOT! About two weeks before he left they found out she was pregnant which is very exciting (it'll be the seventh time I'll be an aunt) but has made them both miss each other even more knowing that both of them are missing out on sharing time together before Becky gets a big tummy and can't do much (She's only a month and a half along right now). Becky really wants to have twin boys and Isaiah thinks that would be cool but doesn't particularly care just that he's having a baby. I'm so happy for my sister! She's had baby fever ever since that got married one and a half years ago but wanted to wait a while. So, it's about time she got pregnant! =D

    While most people are done with school my siblings and I are home-schooled and are going to do school through the summer. I'm a bit behind (from too many breaks because we're home-schooled) so I don't mind since it'll give me the chance to catch up. =) I'll be a junior come this fall and am pretty excited about that.

    My summer plans involve:
Helping with Vacation Bible School at my church on the 27-29 of this month
Lots of reading! =D
Sun bathing (got to get my tan hehe)
Working for my dad in his lawn care business (who doesn't need money?)
Getting dirty in our garden
A few possible trips out of state
"Field trips" to towns/cities in Montana (possibly to Philipsburg (again) and Great Falls)
Random fun stuff!

    What are some or your plans for this summer? Going on vacation anywhere? Or will you be staying at home enjoying the sunshine, nice weather, and familiar surroundings?

P.S. All pictures were taken from Google Images.

A Christian

Below is a forward I received by e-mail. It's a story about a Christian. Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.'    (I found this picture on Google and included it in this post) When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change ..' The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town?'

'Yes' he replied.

'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.'

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.'

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test!Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself  'Christian.'

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits..
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. 

I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. So, I choose to post it so you could read it. God bless you.

The Funniest Things!

Since it's Monday, and just about everyone HATES Mondays, I decided to post a bunch of funny pictures from a favorite site of mine (we♥it.com) to brighten your day smile! A-hem! So. If you want a laugh -NO! If you want to laugh your head off then read all of the funny things below!! =D

Weren't those funny!? Tell me which one was the most funny to you! =)

Guest Post by Cassie P.

~ Hey i'm Cassie and i'm doing a guest post for Chasity ~

So Chasity and i decided to go for a walk and have a photo shoot!!! 

so here are just a few of the pics she took of moi (....you can see more on her photography blog)

Lol i thought she did a really good job on these.....did i mention that, that table was extremely wobbly??

this is probably my favorite pic ever!!!  the wind effect was ah-mazing!!!!  

PINE CONES!!! =D 

me and Chas!!!! (being weirdos.............hehehehehehe =P)

L♥VE THIS PIC!!! (you don't know how many we took to get a good one lol) =D

so there you go!! ....im bored of you pple.....SEE YA!!!! =P

♥Cassie♥

Guest Post by Soleil

Below is a guest post by my seven-year-old niece Soleil. I did not edit it or change anything that she wrote; below is all her doing except for taking and adding the pictures -that's what I did the rest is by her. =)
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This is a Blog poste for Chasity the star and the Blog poste is for pikchers! and a Blog poste is for peple that are stars!

My name mens sunshin. I have two yunger brothers. I live in Iduho. I am visuting in Montana. 

I like to platy outside and I like to play with my doly. And I like to read books on my nook.

I have eight cusins and alot of ants and uncles. I am going to go coler nou so bye!

Random List

1. I don't really feel like doing a "real" post right now (will hopefully do one later this week though) so I thought a list of lovely random stuff would be . . . uh, interesting? We'll see I guess . . .
2. One of my e-mails got hacked!! The hacker person is sending out a bunch of random junk to the people on my contact list! I deleted my contacts, changed my password, and told the people that had replied to some of the bogus e-mails that I had been hacked. It's not my main/personal e-mail but it's still VERY frustrating and annoying! Do you know anyone who might be REALLY mad at me to have hacked my e-mail? ;)
3. My church had it's annual Preachers Meeting on Sunday-Tuesday. It was really, really good! I think I might even do a whole post about it and share some of the things I got out of the preaching and fellowship with other Christians.
4. I've never done a "list post" but have seen other bloggers do it and thought it looked like fun! You get to have a whole post about randomness and that's awesome! =D
5. Did you notice my new quiz thing-a-ma-bobber at the top of my sidebar? Take the quiz if you will, and make one here if you'd like to.
6. Wanna know if you might be a homeschooler? Click here to find out.
7. Did you watch that video?? You didn't!? Go watch it right now!! You did!? Great! You're homeschooled right??
8. Feel like wasting some of your time? Click here.
9. Wanna waste some MORE of your time and watch another video? Why not? This one's really funny! Well that but kinda weird . . . =)
10. So . . . I think I'm d-o-n-e with this random post now. Yup. It's affirmative. Chasity out.

A Poem by a Good Friend

This is a poem that my great friend from North Dakota sent me in the mail. We're pen pals and every once in awhile she'll send me some poems that she's written. I hope you enjoy this one as much I as do. Oh, and of course I had to add pictures that I found on Google. =)

“The Man I've Never Seen Before”

By Christina Leigh

When I cross that Jordan river,

With water bittersweet,

I know there'll be a lot to hear;

And many things to see.

But when I reach that pearly gate,

I won't mind the golden street,

Or the shining =mansions,

Because there's someone I want to see.

 

And though I've never seen His face before,

I love Him everyday, more and more.

And though I've never felt His hand in mine,

I know it's been there all this time.

So when I stand on Jordan's shore,

And look to see Heaven's doors.

I'll run, as fast, as Heaven will let me,

To meet the man I've never seen before.

 

And should I not taste the grave,

And have this mortal die,

Then I know, in the end,

Then my freed spirit will fly.

Past the clouds, past the stars,

Farther than man has ever gone,

To the shore of Jordan's still waters,

To see the man I've never seen but have known.

And though I've never seen His face before,

I love Him everyday, more and more.

And though I've never felt His hand in mine,

I know it's been there all this time.

So when I stand on Jordan's shore,

And look to see Heaven's doors.

I'll run, as fast, as Heaven will let me,

To meet the man I've never seen before.