Joyfull Living

I saw this cute season quiz at Come to the Table . Since fall is my absolute favorite season of the year, I just KNEW I'd be a "Fall". But alas...I"m a SPRING! But that is ok, spring is my second favorite time of the year. It's just that it has been soooooo hot here in the south and cooler weather is all I can think about..other than pumpkin bread, cool nights, brisk walks, the scent of fall candles, etc., I'm so ready for fall! Go over to take the quiz to see what season you are! You Belong in Spring Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world... You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring. Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season! What Season Are You?

Last Friday was my first week in participating in Show and Tell Friday at Kelli's House . It was so much fun seeing everyone's items to show and many came here to my blog and left sweet comments. So this week, I'm going to share my love of plants with you. These are in a corner of my porch. These are in another corner! This is what the last corner looks like on the back porch. Here is a small area I've decorated with a few plants. Here is a flower that was blooming beautifully when I was taking pictures! Make sure and visit Kelli's House and check out the great Show and Tell Friday!

Katrina is hosting a Fall Into Reading Challenge which runs from September 23 to December 23. The purpose of this challenge is for us to establish some goals for our reading this Fall and then work toward them. Whether you have a pile of books that you've been intending to read but just haven't yet, or you need a gentle prod to finish some books that you started but then abandoned, or you would just like a little accountability as you work through your reading stack, this is designed to challenge and encourage readers. I have a pile of books, unread and will list some that I am anxious to read this fall. A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George A Heart Like His by Beth Moore Creating A Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard Created To Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney The Blessing by Gary Smalley & John Trent The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd A Life That Says Welcome by Karen Ehman That should get me started and I may add...

This is a fun way to increase femininity and beauty in our lives each week without even trying! All you have to do is choose five things that you would like to work on or do during the week that will increase the loveliness in your life! I found this neat idea from Charming the Birds From the Trees Here is a list I came up with for my week: 1. Make a great dessert for my family. 2. Put out the fall decorations. 3. Use perfume more to have a special fragarance always. 4. Smile more, especially to family. 5. Send a special card to someone who needs a lift. Stay tuned, as I get time to update the blog, I am adding a thankful list and a fall reading list. Would love your input and ideas!

I thought I would share a quick photo of a Sunday afternoon here at our home. Here is Dad with the youngest boy shooting targets with the BB gun.

Last week, I found a blog Kelli's House that features a Show and Tell Friday where you can share something special to you. After consideration throughout the week I decided to share my rag doll collection. These babies sit above my kitchen cabinets: Here are a few of my favorites close up. I did not intend to collect rag dolls, but I found one that I liked and then just added a few more. They seem to give my kitchen an old fashioned look which I like. May sure and stop by Kelli's House and check it out.

A verse in Proverbs says "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." Simply meaning a right word spoken at the right time is a thing of beauty. Each one of us has our own "quirks", or certain things we do a certain way - and it probably makes no sense to anyone but us. One of my quirks is making sure the mornings in our home go smoothly. We have a 20 minute ride to school and in years past I have spent at least half of that time nagging and complaining about everything under the sun. I finally realized how valuable and precious that time is. Those few moments can set the tone for the day for each of us. They can ruin a day or bless the day. I decided I want to bless and be blessed! I came across some prayers from Moms In Touch and wrote them out in a small notebook. Each morning we read the characteristic, the definition of it and the Bible verse that goes along with it. Hearing good, wholesome words in the morning can only lead to a...

Things go much smoother for my family when planning and preparations are made. A few things that help us are to look over the week early (Sunday afternoon is great for this). What lies ahead this week? Will you need supplies for a project for school, cards for birthdays or anniversaries this week? What nights will be busy with extra activities and what needs to be done to help in that? Things like that help avoid that last minute dash which leaves me flustered, rushed and grouchy! Prayer is the ultimate plan and preparation for our lives. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Through the years I have collected specific, Scriptural prayers for my family. I love to pray these over them. Here is one for the husbands: Ask God to: Protect him physically and mentally as he goes into the world each day. Make him a man of integrity. Infuse him with wisdom. Shower him with success. Put a gen...

Well...through our home improvement project, we are growing in character. It was funny about sharing the bathroom and shower, but at least we could take one. Last night two sons took their shower, I was next and then the son who had earlier had football practice was to follow. Just when I began...I felt a POP through the water and the cold water completely left. I turned off the faucet - dripping wet and discovered WATER pouring out from a pipe under the toilet. It was flowing like a fountain and before I could call for help, it was ankle deep. DH (Dear husband) went to turn the water off outside at the pump and by then it was flowing out the hallway. So...we vacuumed, toweled and mopped water up. Early this morning (6:00 AM) my dear in laws let myself and son (who desperately needed a shower) come use their home to get ready for our day. DH has spent most of today on it - he is wonderful, and hopefully it will be fixed soon. However inconvenient this may be for our home, we...

Yep, I'm invading my three son's space. With three sons and one husband, I am seriously outnumbered...and love it! Boys are FUN, but different. We learn and "compliment" (no - adapt is a better word) each other. DH (dear husband) is in the middle of a major bathroom home improvement project. In the master bathroom (which is mainly MY space with room for MY things), the shower has been pulled out and a new one is being installed. With any home improvement project, there are delays. So I am getting a lesson in patience. But meanwhile, this means that all five us share the bathroom which has always been "the boys bathroom". It is getting a complete makeover. I thought it was cute, moving their Old Spice Body Wash and Suave Men's Hair Shampoo over to make room for my Aura Spa Aromatherapy Calming Lavender Sage Shampoo and Conditioner. Until the first morning when it was on the floor - sideways - cast off without respect or care.....For years I have tried to ...

I'm not big on poetry, but this came across my email and it was a beautiful poem about a home and what makes a home. Hope that you enjoy it and that it may inspire and encourage you as much as it did me. WHAT IS A HOME? A roof to keep out the rain. Four walls to keep out the wind. Floors to keep out the cold. Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father. Warmth of living hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship. Home is first school and first church for young ones, where they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind. Where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick. Where joy is shared and sorrow eased. Where fathers and mothers are respected and loved. Where children are wanted. Where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned. Where money is not as important as lovingkindness. Where even the tea kettle sings from happiness. Thatis home. God bless it. ~Madame Er...

In my household we are blessed with three sons. There is a broad spectrum in their ages and interests and things that are important to each one. This week we had some crisis which ranged from no gas or money (16 year old), never getting to do anything (13 year old), to losing a first tooth (6 year old). Like many mothers, I feel like our children are absolutely wonderful, but sometimes extremely time and energy consuming. Mothers take such care to keep the children fed, dressed well, educated and happy. In an earlier post, I posted a prayer for children which I love to do - pray for those godly qualities to be formed and evident in their lives. Sometimes, our dearest treasure - our mate for life - husband can get somewhat overlooked, or treated like on of the children ( we just feed and clothe them, give them directions and tell them to "come on"). We'll talk more about how to make him feel special and loved and appreciated soon, but I wanted to post a prayer for hu...

I'm going to give this a try - weekly meal planning. It is already a blessing as I put it on a dry erase board on my refridgerator so I can remember to do any preparations etc. for the day. Monday Ranch/Parmesian Baked Pork Chops Fried Rice Green Beans Tuesday Seven Layer Casserole (New recipe) Collard Greens Wednesday Mesquite Chicken Breasts Cheese Potatoes Broccoli with lemon/garlic Thursday Sweet and Spicy Pork Roast Sweet Potatoes Acre Peas Friday Seasoned Baked Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Lima Beans I will post some of the recipes on my cooking blog: www.joyfullycooking.blogspot.com

If you are a Christian parent, you realize the importance of prayer for our children. I love to find prayers filled with God's Word to pray over my children. As we begin a new week, I will share one that I found. Pray that our children will: Love God's Word " May my children grow to find God's Word more desireable than gold - than an abundance of pure gold and sweeter than honey." Psalms 19:10 Biblical Self-Esteem: Help my children to develop strong self-esteem, rooted in the realization that they are "His creation - created in Christ Jesus for good works." Ephesians 2:10 A Passion For God: Lord, please give my children a soul that craves You and a heart that clings passionately to You. Psalms 63:8 Self-Discipline: I pray that my children may develop self discipline and acquire a habit "for receiving wise instruction in righteousness, justice and integrity." Proverbs 1:3 A Good Work Ethic: Teach my children, Lord, to value work and t...

Blogging is so much fun for me and I have been looking over lots of blogs! Recently I came across cooking/recipe blogs and they surely perked my interest. With three growing sons and a healthy, hungry husband, we do most of our meals at home. I am always looking for variety in meals and new recipes. So...I decided to start my own cooking blog. It is found here and I hope that you will check it out. When I was growing up, my mother did not like to cook - at all. My father loved eating out, so a perfect match was made. Dinner every night at Denny's. No joke. We knew all of the staff at Denny's, ate most everything on the menu at one time or another, and knew every inch of the seating arrangements. So...I did not get much experience in cooking. When I met and married my Mr. Wonderful, he was raised on home cooked, from scratch - wonderful food for every meal. My dear mother in law (who is the best in the world) is a fantastic cook and I had a hard act to follow. But...

Yesterday was my birthday and my middle son made the nicest sign for me (see post below). DH (dear husband) had a birthday and not to be left out, the same sweet son made a sign for him. This sign had a King playing card and the message "You've been king of the nest for 16 years, keep up the good work". So here is what our birthday door looks like!

I just wanted to share a food/cooking site I found and really like: http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/ is a detailed cooking web site with some great recipes. The instructions are very basic and pictures show you step by step. I can't wait to try some of the recipes!

Today is my 39th birthday and one of my sons surprised me this morning with this sign taped to my bedroom door while my back was turned. How sweet was that???!!! The sign says: "Happy Birthday" and there is an Ace playing card with a sticky note: "you've aced it for 39 years"

In my home, I am the only female. Outnumberded 4 to 1. Now mind you, I am a girly girl, flowers, lace, candles, scents etc. are my passion. But my guys put up with that for me, so I learned years ago to enjoy what they enjoy - sports. For over 10 years our family has participated in sports. We started with baseball. T-ball, gloves, tees, batting helmets, cleats - the boys were outfitted. I learned the game - strikes, outs, home runs, slides. Actually enjoyed it also!! Then the boys grew out of that interest. Next came soccer. New equipment - new terms - soccer cleats (did you knwo that there was a differnce?), shin guards, they played forward, guards...We will be enjoying a season of soccer soon. Oldest son has an interest in golf. Now that is an area I knew nothing about...but am learning. Golf shoes, bags, clubs, towels ( and no my dish towel would not do), bogies, birdies, eagles. This year middle son will be playing football. Another new experience...we are only in t...