Joyfull Living

Respect! Sometimes as mothers - there doesn't seem to be much. We cook, clean, do laundry, drive, drive and drive some more, bake cookies, do field trips, etc.... Sometimes, "thank you" or acknowledgement just doesn't get there. Hopefully though we can keep in mind as in a post a few down, we are chosen for our jobs and that alone can bring great joy and fulfillment - serving with love - our families! So...we all want respect, but how often do we ourselves show it? I recently read a list about how WE can show respect and it really hit some areas with me. Here it is: We all expect—or even demand—respect from other people, but how respectful are we to those around us? Respect can be demonstrated in many different ways. To figure out how respectful you are, consider the following questions: Are you punctual? When we are chronically late, we show disrespect to the people who are affected by our tardiness. Do you keep your promises? Broken promises lead to broken ...

It has been a great holiday weekend. Special times together as family seem to get more special as the years go by. I just wanted to share a few highlights of the weekend. Thanksgiving meal . We always eat at my mother in law's home. She prepares a huge feast for over 20 of us. This year, the daughter in laws insisted on helping her with some of the food. We were all a bit nervous of how our food would compare to hers, but it all turned out wonderful. My side of the family is much smaller and we enjoyed a time of fellowship with them that evening over dessert and coffee. Holidays mean family visits for us and we had my husband's brother's family come in. The cousins had a great time playing together and my sister in law spent a day at my house helping me put up the Christmas tree. Saturday night we again gathered at my mother in law's home for a huge fish fry. All the men in this family like to fish and they caught a bounty of fish for us to enjoy. Today, I...

Sometimes I feel like such a copycat! There was a great quote I received through email: Do you visualize your homemaking, submission, love and reverence to your husband as special assignments from the Lord and use all your energies to accomplish them? ?And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;? (Colossians 3:23) I read that and when it really sinks in: God placed you in your home, as the wife and mother to your special crew and that is your ordained place in this world. God hand picked you for this job - WOW! When the mudane tasks of cleaning, cooking, cherishing those around us - even when they are cranky, sick or contrary seem to overwhelm us, we can remember that we are "special agents for God", being obedient to Him in the little day by day things.

Thanksgiving Week!!! What a great week this is, the excitement and anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday is so much fun! Our minds and hearts are more in tuned than usual to our blessings and our hearts are more thankful. There is a great blog called interceding for our children where it lists a prayer for children each week based on the book "Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. I'm going to share this week's prayer for our children's words. At our home, words can fly fast and furious between brothers. Mama's gentle reminders sometimes get overlooked. So, what's a Mama to do??? PRAY!!! without ceasing!! Our words have the power to bless or curse, bring hope and encouragement, or tear down and cause damage. Our words are so important - in all areas and situations. So, here is the prayer for our children's words: I pray that ____________ will choose to use speech that glorifies You. May they be quick to listen and slow to speak so...

I've got to share the first experiment of being joyful in my home!!! Today dear husband (DH) and I were off from work together. This is a rare thing as he works various shifts. Early this morning we discussed what to do for the day. We could go look at wallpaper for the bathroom, but didn't really want to, he suggested going fishing, he loves to, I don't..., I "joyfully" told him this was his day, he could choose and whatever he wanted to do was fine. GULP! (and smile!) He suggested that we take a walk. Sounded great to me. Normally I am no wimp. There is a group of "walking girls" which consist of my dear mother in law, my two favorite aunts and myself who try to walk in the evenings. On our nice, level paved road we walk 4.4 miles at least four times a week. So this morning we go off on our walk by a river close to our house. One and a half hours later, we made it through our walk. barely....DH walks quite a bit faster than I and the rugged...

I received a devotion by email today that really grabbed my attention. The headline was: Do you realize the strength you can give to your husband by having a joyful attitude? Try it this week and see what happens! WOW! We all know the saying, "If Mama ain't happy, no one is happy" and tons of others which speak on how the woman of the home sets the tone and atmosphere of the home. But sometimes when I get sooooo busy, I forget how my tone affects everyone. Brisk answers, constant motion and deep breaths (when I do this, one of my sons immediately goes "what"?) tend to be part of my rushed and hurried day and set the tone of my home to be filled with snappy attitudes, bickering and chaos. Not the result I am looking for! I recently read another statement that said to the effect "treat you children like you want them to act". So this may be a fun experiment for this week, grasping onto a joyful attitude in my home, being more relaxed and fun! ...

When I was growing up, I did not have to do much housework! It seemed fun at the time, but once I married LOTS of chores did not get done because I didn't know how to do them. Even now, dear husband will get something from the top of the refridgerator and mention, "have you wiped the top of the refrigerator lately"? Uh...no...never occured to me! So I received this list of things to do weekly (or whenever), but it was a gret list to have handy to refer to and somewhat keep me on track! Hope you like it! Kitchen - Wipe surfaces, including sink, countertops, the outside of the ventilation hood, refrigerator and cupboard doors, top of refrigerator, appliance exteriors, shelves, and furniture - Wipe the inside of the oven, microwave, and the toaster oven - Flush drain with boiling water - Discard foods and beverages past their prime - Dust light fixtures - Wipe the inside and outside of trash and recycling bins - Vacuum and mop floor Dining Room - Dust surfaces and obje...

This is the first night we have been home since the time change. We were inside by 6:30 and it was great having some home time and getting a handle on some housework! I had a great plan to write an inspiring post, share some recent updates on our family etc., but my oldest son had some homework research to do and took over the computer! Since I haven't posted in a few days, I thought I would share some interesting sights around our home: Do you do this to your soap???? I found this bar of soap in the boy's bathroom...perfect finger made hole in the middle!! Dining room decorations: The fake teeth and baseball cap go perfect with the Thanksgiving decorations don't they?? Ya'll did notice the bottle of hot pepper sauce on the table to go on the greens...yep, we are definitely from the south! That is life in a household of boys!