Joyfull Living

I love Saturdays!! Yesterday was the last day of school, so our summer vacation from school began today. I celebrated by sleeping in - it was great! Somehow my lazy Saturday got transformed, but I love it! DH (dear husband) is on a home improvement project here and I began the day puttering around. It all started as I was headed to the bathroom to wipe it down with a rag and a bottle of Fantastic: Then I noticed the light switches were dirty as were the wall portion around it. So, around the house I went, rag in hand wiping walls. Then the bathrooms needed attention, the deep scrubbing attention, bleaching faucets and around the shower walls, tub and shower floor, scrubbing the toilets etc. On to the kitchen to scrub the walls, clean the stove overhead (yuck!), total wipe down etc,, a load of laundry, and ... I'm on a roll! I love it when this happens - this cleaning streak strikes (alas, it doesn't happen too often) and so much gets accomplished around the house. T...

This morning I came across a powerful prayer for husbands and thought that I would share it. " Lord, I pray that You would grant to my husband his heart's desire and fulfill all his purpose. Help him to be all You created him to be." I realize the power and importance of a wife's prayers, but sometimes just don't know exactly what to pray each day. This prayer covers every area of the husband, seeking God's power to do what only He can do! Have a blessed day today!

I am still enjoying my new camera and decided to play with the video feature recently. Since dad and the boys were out playing baseball, I did some quick filming. Later the middle son (who was not at home during the filming) took a peek at my handiwork. I was so proud of my little accomplishment. Do you know what his comment was??? BORING!!!! Granted, there is not much action, but consider this a technological test for Mom! Thanks for bearing with me!

It is Wednesday - the day to be blessed by God's Word in pictures and verse. Over at 160Acre Woods is where all the fun begins and you can see a lot of Word Filled Wednesday verses. Today as I was looking for a verse, the colors and graphics of this one jumped out at me first. When I read the verse, it was a perfect fit. Humbleness is a rare, but beautiful quality these days. Many lives are filled with pride and arrogance, especially young people who are considered "stars". Thankfully God's Word gives truth and direction for our lives. What a greater blessing it is to humble ourselves in the sight of our Great and Mighty God who created us and every other thing, and let Him lift us up. Have a blessed day!

My organization skills are what I would consider above average. I always fall short at home though, because I am married to a perfectionist. But what a blessing it has been through the years as I have observed the way he does things - the correct way!! In our marriage , this was a source of friction at first, then as I matured, admiration in how things ran so smoothly for him and then finally (when wisdom kicks in), I began following his examples and advice on how to do things right! Now, I attempt to run an organized and efficient home, but often fall short of the goal. One of my falling shorts happened this weekend. For several weeks, I have made an ongoing effort to stay out of stores, especially Wal Mart unless absolutely needed. That $40 gallon of milk gets me every time. You know the one, you run into the store ONLY for a gallon of milk and other items just seem to jump into the cart! When you go to check out the cashier tells you that your order is $40.00! My shoppi...

Today (Saturday) started off with a fishing trip for my husband, his father and my boys. I skipped out...fishing is just not for me! But the fishing trip was successful and brought a great catch of fish home. My husband's grandfather really enjoys eating fried fish, so we decided to cook the fish for supper and invite him over. My mother and father in law also had the same plan, so we just combined our fish and fixings and had a impromptu fish fry. Then for an added treat Aunt B and Aunt Ro were out walking and stopped by and joined us for some food and fellowship. Here is my husband and his father cooking while the rest of the bunch sat and visited. This is Grandpa, Aunt Ro, DH(Dear Husband) and then I joined in for the picture. Here is the spread - fried fish, cole slaw, baked beans, collard greens. Yum Yum!! This is good! Then to top it off, Nana (my mother in law) and I went for a nice evening walk. It was a great day!

In our home, I have the famous poem of "House Rules" on our refrigerator . You have heard them over and over, don't take it if it isn't yours, leave things where you found them, if you drop it, pick it up etc., and I find myself repeating these suggestions most every day. I am believing they will sink in - one day!! These rules are designed to help the home run more smoothly. I recently found an article with 21 Suggestions To Live By . As adults, these are great suggestions for us to live by. Most of these are common sense, but it never hurts to have that repeated. So, here are a few: 1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. 2. Don't believe all you hear, spend all that you have or sleep all that you want. 3. When you say, "I love you", mean it. 4. When you say "I'm sorry', look the person in the eye. 5. Don't judge people by their relatives. 6. Talk slowly, but think quickly. 7. When you lose, don't lo...

Everyone has their own special way of unwinding after a hard day. Here is a horse who lives in our field (he is not ours, but uses our land). After roaming around all day eating grass etc., he comes to this wood fence and gnaws on the wood. He comes every day. Now I'm not a horse person, but I have heard that somehow this gnawing releases endorphins in a horse and "feels good" to them. After the day I had today, I felt like joining him. My personality demands order and organization. Loose ends bother me, I like to complete a job and be done with it! Today was one of those days, it just didn't happen. But, tribulation works patience and trials bring forth character! Everything that needed to be done, mostly got done. What wasn't urgent will get done tomorrow. So, after a long day, I'm ready to unwind. Instead of gnawing wood, I" ve lit some candles, picked up a book and am ready for some couch time!

I love participating in Word Filled Wednesday . This is hosted over at 160 acrewoods and is designed to share God's Word with verse and picture. Go over and take a peek - you will be blessed! The verse I chose for today is one of my favorite verses. A while back during an intense trial of watching a loved one struggle with addiction - ready to lose everything over the addiction, I read this verse and it spoke to my heart clearly. Without God - there is no hope, the things of this world will leave you empty and void. Chasing after the things of the world is like chasing the wind, you just can't grasp it. But in God there is hope. Even though the trial may be tough and challenging, God is hope and He will fill you with peace and joy as you believe in Him and you will abound in hope. May your day be blessed and filled with HOPE!

It has been a while, but I wanted to finish the ten virtues or heart attitudes of a mother. The last two are great ideas to complete the mothering attitudes. A Heart That Is Present: Our presence in the home is important. Nothing can compare to the feeling it gives to a family to know Mom will be there after school, in the evenings, at night, on weekends etc. Each family has a different schedule, most mothers have to work outside the home, but it is important to be home when you can. Many, many activities can draw you away - Tupperware , home interior, candle, plant, lingerie parties, shopping with the girls, even good things, school meetings, sports meeting etc., if engaged in regularly, can keep your presence away from the home. A good rule of thumb is to let these things be the exception, not the normal. There is no substitute for the things a mom does in the home, cooking dinner, getting the kids ready for bed, reading and praying with them and kissing them good-night, impo...

We had a pretty full weekend. Our oldest son played golf on the high school golf team. They had the end of the year banquet at a local restaurant. Here is my oldest (in stripes) talking with a friend. Here are all the guys on the golf team! Then a day or so later, it was the end of the year t-ball party, held at the bowling alley. Here is the youngest son, ready for action! Of course there were trophies...and food! Middle son got in on the bowling action also. Here he is in action, bowling a strike!

I've just figured out how to change the background on the blog!!! After about a hundred changes, I've given up for the night. This one is not my favorite, but it will have to do for a day or so! Thanks for bearing with me.

At church last week, Sunday's sermon was very encouraging and inspiring for today's families. During the day and time where the family is being attacked and degraded, this sermon offers practical suggestions to keep our homes functioning smoothly with godly values. Principals For A Healthy Home 1. Be A Good Parent: Twofold responsibility from God's Word. For children - they are instructed to honor and obey their parents. Parents are instructed to train children in the ways of the Lord and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 2. Manage the Home Well: For homes to function smoothly, there needs to be some organization and godly leadership. Everyday things need attending to and leadership and spiritual instruction are vital. 3. Take Time For Each Other: Parents are instructed in Scripture to teach their children and impress the love and knowledge of God into their children at all times. Godly values are more caught than taught! This is best done by ...

Walking is one sport that I thoroughly enjoy. As I was thinking of how long I have been walking, it has been about 17 years! Since I was pregnant with my first child. Walking is an easy sport and way to stay fit. Through those years, I have walked pregnant, with babies in strollers, around (and around) the yard. About two years ago my husband had back surgery and the doctors encouraged him to walk to help recover. He has been walking faithfully since. Then about a year ago, a walking party formed: From left to right: My mother in law " Nana", Aunt Ro , Aunt B and Dear Husband. Here's the same bunch with me in it and husband with the camera! Our little walking group does a 4 mile route on a country road and we enjoy each other's company which makes the walk go quickly. We try to do this several times a week when our schedules allow!

Posting these attitudes or virtues of a godly mother has been a treat for me. I hope they have blessed you also. I had hoped to finish by Mother's Day, but there are four more, so after as mother's we celebrate our special day...we'll finish and be refreshed and renewed and ready to mother with love! Here are two more "hearts". A Heart That Gives Preferential Treatment: Have you ever prepared a delicious dinner or dessert to take to someone for an occasion - a funeral, new baby, sickness etc., to do something nice and as you are preparing it have your family ask, "is that for us?". Alas, it is not...it is for someone else. The principle thought is " Don't give away to others what you have not first given away at home." This attitude applies to more than food. The easy solution for food is to make double - one for the family and one to share. But some other instances can be our phone voice - do we talk super nice on the phone an...

Last night the youth group from church went to the skating rink. We decided to make it a family trip (remember the fun thing from the mothering posts??!!!) First we went to McDonald's for supper, then on to the rink. Here is a shot of my oldest and his friend making the circle. Here he is again in an action shot (thank goodness he never reads my blog!) I'm really not sure what they were doing??, but looks like fun right??!! Terrible picture, but I did get on the skate floor - see?? This little guy gets in on all the youth activities - just because he has to come with Mom and Dad. He skated his little heart out and was sitting here taking a break!

Mother's Day is almost here! I will have to confess, after reading these wonderful ideas and being so encouraged to put them into practice and then sharing them with you...I took a downward slide and just missed the mark this morning. Do you sometimes just lose it over such a small issue? Today I really needed to be on time to leave the house, the kids bickered, drug around, complained etc.... and I was really grouchy and crabby. Not a good send off for the day. But I have confessed my bad attitude and asked the Lord to "create a right spirit in me" and am much better now! Hopefully we will have a fun time tonight as we will be going skating - that will be funny anyway!! Thanks for listening! Now for a few more encouraging ideas: A Heart of Fun: Living in our homes should be fun and enjoyable for each family member. By nature, I'm not a "fun" person. I like order, organization, schedules.etc., not much time for fun!! The writer of this book sai...

Over at 160 Acre Woods it is Word Filled Wednesday. It is a joy to visit and partake of the sharing of God's Word in verse and picture. The verse I chose for this week is a favorite of mine. According to God's Word, I can confidently say that He is my source of protection, trust and comfort. What a great promise - one I hold near to my heart always.

The two mother virtues for today are: A Heart That Is Happy : If our husband and children can count on us to be happy, it will make an incredible difference in our home atmosphere. Think of how it feels to walk into an unknown situation, how intimidating that is. Our families should not walk into a guessing game of our mood. We should try to be predictably happy. In Psalms 113:9 it reads "He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a JOYFUL mother of children." Now of course it is not always easy to create happiness, but if we pray and practice a happy greeting each time you see a loved one, it will go a long way towards creating a happy atmosphere in your home. As mothers we are the number one influence in our children's lives. Happiness is contagious! A Heart That Gives: As Christians we are encouraged to be givers. Even Jesus came to serve - not to be served. Here are a few principles to help us to serve with affection, warmth and energy. Give because it is our...

This is the week before Mother's Day and through this week, I like to reflect with thanksgiving the blessing my mother was to my life and to prayerfully consider the mother I am and seek to become a better mother. There is a book which has been a fantastic encouragement to me as a woman, wife and mother. A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George is a book I have had for years and each time I read it, blesses and encourages me. I am reading a little bit each day after my Bible reading and last week the chapter was on Mothers and Motherly Affection. This chapter is based on Titus 2:4 where woman are admonished to "love their children". Upon deeper study the meaning of the word love here means "Phileo" love. An affectionate love which cherishes it's object. It is a friendship love that enjoys children, a love that likes them. There are ten ideas for putting this kind of love into practice and I hope to share two a day this week with you. Let'...

Healthy eating is a favorite topic for me because if our family can do it...anyone can!! Again, balance is the key. We stay away from stict diets or very limited food choice diets. A couple of our biggest helps toward a healthy lifestyle are drinking more water and eating more vegetables. Almost all we drink (my husband and I, you will be appalled at what the kids drink - sweet tea - all day long!) is water. Other than that spectacular coffee each morning, it is water all day. Before you think...I hate water and could never drink only water...let me share a few things. When I was a child, my mother liked soda and that was all she drank. She liked Tab and Fresca (anyone remember those??). As children we just drank what was in the house. I was hooked on soda and when I married and we couldn't afford soda all day long, I took to lemonade. When I decided to add more water to my diet, I hated it. It tasted awful and was just awful. But determined to drink more, I repalced my m...

Through the years, our family has become more health consious An awakening came when my husband who suffers with back pain went to a naturalist in quest for relief for his back pain. We did not get the help from this doctor, but he was influential in our eating habits! This doctor believed in the eating for your blood type diet. We were willing to go along with this....but, my husband and I were different blood types which meant totally different diets. His recommended diet was no red meat, no wheat, no dairy etc., my recommended diet consisted of all his no no's. We ate lots of fish, beans and experimented with wheat substitutes. After a while, it became apparent that we just could function on this diet! So we came up with our own solution - Balance. We added more water to our diets, more vegetables, less junk etc. Upon doing much research we have concocted some fun and healthy breakfasts. Here are a few of our favorites: We begin each day with coffee first (!), then fru...