Joyfull Living

Recently on a blog I was reading (I can't remember which one, it was over a week ago - need I say more??!!) the writer stated her purpose for the blog. I have pondered her words in my heart and asked myself the same question - what is the purpose of this blog, what goals or vision do I have for it? One of the main reasons this blog started was to encourage other Christian women in their God-given roles of wife, mother and keeper of the home. Christian womanhood is a subject I am passionate about. The most exciting aspect of this subject is what God in His infinite grace did in my heart, life and home and I want to share with others. By sharing on these subjects my intention is not done in the manner that I am good at this or you should do it this way...but it along the lines of God changed my heart, enabled me to see things His way and that these changes result in good actions. Also I hope this is an encouragement that if God can make these changes and produce these results in me -...

Happy Wednesday! One of my favorite things about Wednesdays is being able to participate in Word Filled Wednesday hosted by 160 Acre Woods. This is a fun opportunity to give and receive the blessings of God's Word in picture and words. Today's verse carries a simple yet profound truth. God's love which is beyond our comprehension, lives in our hearts and as that love overflows from us into the lives of others a full circle is made and His love is complete. Sometimes it is not easy to love everyone, but if we get a glimpse of God's love and remember it is alive in us, and ask Him to help us love others with His love - His love will flow out of our heart and bless others and point them to Him! Happy WFW -as you go through your day, let His love shine through you!

Like most other people, I had a few teenage rebellious episodes. These are things that I am not proud of and don't share much - preferring to share how God's grace changed those bad behaviors into a better way of life. But, last night I had a revisit of my teenage years. When I was a teenager, my mom was under a tremendous amount of stress. She was the sole bread winner in our family, dealing with husband issues and teenagers. Her way of dealing with us was if we behaved we could go out and do things, if not, we were on restriction. She didn't have the time or energy to deal or train teenagers ( I realize that now!). One time she let me go to a neighboring town with the provision that I find a ride home since it was too far for her to drive to pick me up. Well, I was having so much fun and we were at a families house, I just stayed the night - without calling her! I was really in a lot of trouble when I got home. Since I now have a 17 year old son, we are seeki...

A benefit of the Christian life is the privilege of worshiping with other believers at church. A church family is one of the biggest blessings. It is a place to share with one another in good times and bad. Recently in Romans I found some encouragement on how to relate to other believers and it is always a great reminder to share God's love with each other. Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence , fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. May your Lord's day be blessed!

Today is Saturday and we are around the house with no big plans. I cooked a big breakfast - bacon, eggs and grits, cleaned up etc., and then decided to try this recipe I recently found. This recipe came from Heritage Schoolhouse and I will have to say, this is a hit! It is a Blueberry Crumb Cake and it is perfect for summer. Great for breakfast or a snack. You have got to try this!! Here is the recipe: Streusel 1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup butter, melted 1 1/3 cups flour Cake 6 tablespoons butter ¾ cup sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon lemon zest 2/3 cup sour cream 1 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup fresh blueberries powdered sugar Butter and flour two, 9 inch round baking pans. Combine sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and then flour. Mix well and set aside. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, zest, and sour cream. Combine flour, baking powder, baki...

We have all heard the great "rules for a happy home", with basic instructions on how to get along, picking up after yourselves, do not touch others belongings etc. These are essential for a well mannered home. Going one step above that, let's make some suggestion to keep a "happy home" by going an extra mile for others. There are little things that can be done to make each family member happy. Things that they like, things that they may like done a certain way. I'll pass on a few of these things from my home. Dear, sweet husband. When he is on the phone, he likes absolute silence in the house. Now, just between you and me, as women and mothers we can carry on a conversation on the phone, wash dishes, deal with a child's requests etc., all at the same time. But, this is an issue with dear husband that I can fuss over, let him know how I can do this, or simply do what makes him happy. So, one of our house rules is when Daddy is on the phone, we are...

Last Saturday we had a lot going on at home. There was to be a cookout that evening for our youngest son's birthday. I had been to town to shop for food etc., husband and sons were mowing the grass and I was getting food prepared. Daddy needed to go get some gas for the lawn mower, so off he went on a simple errand - just to get gas. When he came back, he told the birthday boy to go out to his truck and get the package out of the front seat. What do you know - this little guy popped out! This son has been asking for a puppy since Christmas . Dear Husband and I evaluate and rationalize things like this for a while: who will take care of it, where will it sleep, etc... we don't make rash decisions, but as husband was getting the gas, there were puppies available and he stopped and picked one up! Needless to say this made the son extremely happy! He sure is a cute little guy isn't he? We named him Scooter and he seems to be fitting right in! Don't worry, th...

Today is Wednesday - Word-Filled Wednesday where God's Word is combined with beautiful pictures to bless our Wednesdays. This is hosted over at 160 AcreWood and you will find a lot of gorgeous pictures and verses over there. Before I share my verse today, I want to give you a little background. When I was a child, my mother had severe allergies. Anything that carried a scent would trigger her allergy. Our family always used the unscented version of soap, shampoos , hair sprays, etc. We could not use perfume, have pets, candles etc. As soon as I got married, scents became a passion for me. I chose the strongest scented shampoo, air fresheners, candles etc. Scent is very important to me and there is nothing that makes me happier than someone telling me my house smells good! As Christians, we should leave a beautiful scent to those we are around. The aroma of Christ is recognized by our godly actions and attitudes. This verse is a wonderful reminder to me that I am representing Chris...

Recently I tackled a household job that ranks as the one I least like - cleaning the refrigerator . In fact, I wait so long that it really looks bad: then the task takes extra long... but since I had company (you) and you provided accountability, the task got completed. As I was spending a LOT of time on this project, a spiritual parallel was drawn in my mind . As Christians we are encouraged to live in the world, but not partake in the things - values, pursuits, worldliness, ungodliness - that are of the world. Sometimes it is hard and some things creep into our lives - bad attitudes - jealousy, complaining, fear, anxiety, stress, gossip and create "clutter" - like this: And then the Holy Spirit convicts us that it is time for a cleaning on our insides. Sometimes we put it off...but eventually we understand that some build up has occurred and it is time to scrub clean the walls of our heart: Sometimes there is "gunk" that is not seen, like the build up on these ...

Today is our youngest son's birthday. He turns 7 today. A few years back my sister in law Kathy sent me some written prayers. We share a love for praying God's Word and pass a lot of these type prayers back and forth. I saved this one and pray it over each child on their birthday. Here it is: Lord Jesus, It is our joy and honor to pray for ______ on this special day. How grateful we are that You thought of making ______, and that from the moment of conception, You've been making him just exactly the way You wanted. (Psalms 139:13) Today we pray that this child will celebrate this new year of lief by reaching for Your best. Stand by him in every challenge. Bring light in every time of uncertainty. Thank You that You are able to make all grace abound to him, so that in all thing, at all times, having all that he needs, he will abound in every good work (II Corinthians 9:8). Today we claim Your mighty power and Your unfailing promises on behalf of _____. On this special day o...

Our family is blessed with some fantastic aunts and we love them all! Aunt B. loves and takes great care of our family. She recently picked us a bunch of fresh corn from the corn field. Now the fun begins! The corn has to be shucked - outside because it makes such a mess. It is a good thing I had an eager helper! Together(?), we shucked the skins off and kept the ears of corn separated. And as I was so diligently shucking the corn; my helper got a bit distracted: Corn worms: my help is gone for the day! But we now have fresh corn on the cob and whole kernel corn safely in our freezer so we can enjoy that fresh from the garden goodness all year long!

1. Give something away (no strings attached). 2. Do a kindness (and forget it). 3. Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience is a priceless guidance). 4. Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel). 5. Laugh often (it is life’s lubricant). 6. Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not enough). 7. Pray, Pray, Pray 8. Work (with vim and vigor). 9. Plan as though you will live forever (because you will). 10. Live as though you will die tomorrow (because you will die on some tomorrow). I do a weekly church bulletin and this was included in that. Thought that I would pass it along!

I married into a family of four boys which are all married. This gives me three sister in laws! Through the years as we girls have started our families, learned about homemaking, lived a few years, acknowledged our differences - we all blend together pretty good. I consider myself blessed to have these sweet girls as my sister in laws. Each of us are different, we look different, act different, we do things in our home different and we are each unique and add something special to the family. But it is the bond we share of marrying into a great family that ties our hearts together in unity. Today is my sister in law Danell's birthday. She is a wife and busy mother of five children. I sure hope that she has a great birthday! She is currently on vacation this week so she won't be checking my blog until later, but if you get a chance, stop by her blog for a visit and wish her a Happy Birthday!! Let her know her sister in law sent you!

Today is Wednesday where over at 160AcreWoods Word Filled Wednesday is going on! This is the special time of the week where fellow bloggers share a special verse and picture. The verse I chose for today is a very familiar verse where we recognize that God is the creator of each day and that gives us reason to rejoice. May this verse lift your spirits in praise to Him and may you also have a blessed WFW!

This cute little Meme is a great way to get to know fellow bloggers ! I found this over at The Fruits of the Spirit and loved it! Here is my attempt to open up and share some things you may not know about me: A is for age. I will turn 40 this fall B is for burger of choice. Patty Melt - burger on rye bread smothered with onions and cheese C is for what car you drive. Mercury Grand Marquis D is for Dog's name. We don't have a dog - youngest son is begging for a puppy whom he will name Alex (if he gets one!) E is for essential item you use every day. Perfume - scent is very important to me F is for favorite tv show at the moment. I don't watch much tv mainly Fox News, but I love the show COPS! G is for Favorite game. A hand held digital charades type games called Catch Phrase - it is a blast H is for Hometown. I was born and lived in Ft. Lauderdale , Florida until the age of 12, but consider the small town I have lived in since as my hometown. I is for instruments you pl...

Later this year I will be turning 40. Since a healthy and fit diet and exercise are a part of my lifestyle, I understand some changes begin to occur as we age. Metabolism is a big issue for women especially the older they get. Recently I came across an article from Prevention which gave some great tips for keeping metabolism going strong. EAT ENOUGH You need to cut calories to lose weight. But going too low delivers a double whammy to your metabolism. When you eat less than you need ,your body throws the brakes on your metabolism. It also begins to break down precious, calorie-burning muscle tissue for energy. Eat just enough so you're not hungry--a 150-calorie snack midmorning and midafternoon between three meals (about 430 calories each) will keep your metabolism humming. REV UP IN THE MORNING Eating breakfast jump-starts metabolism and keeps energy high all day. If nothing else, grab a yogurt. Or try oatmeal made with fat-free milk and topped with nuts for an essential ...

Last night while experimenting in the kitchen, I created a hit. Since there were only two of us eating together, I didn't want to cook a huge meal. There was some leftover grilled steak which I heated with onion in a frying pan. I added some stir-fry frozen vegetables to this When these were done, an egg was added to the pan and scrambled. This was all mixed to gether . In another pan, I cooked a small amount of rice and added soy sauce and black pepper to it. The rice mixture was added to the steak mixture and this was the result: This is a light and easy meal full of vegetables, protein and carbs . It was so good...I just had to share it with you!

Last week at our church there were three functions where we ate together and they were "pot luck" dinners where everyone brought a food dish to share. Knowing ahead of time there would be many items to buy at the store to be prepared, I thought I had done that. The first two functions went great. Then on the last one, I had planned to bring a light and fluffy cheesecake. When that day arrived, to my horror, I had neglected to purchase (I did not write it down on the list) the most important ingredient - cream cheese. At $4.00 a gallon gas, I could not go 10 miles to the store for that one item, so I scoured my pantry for an alternative . The alternative dessert would be a cake with a homemade icing made up of pudding mix, cool whip and crushed pineapple. The only trouble was the recipe called for instant pudding, I only had the cook and serve kind. But, in my desperation , I gave it a try...The results were not good: The cake tasted fine, but the icing consistancy w...

Word Filled Wednesday is an opportunity to share God's Word with a picture and verse. WFW is hosted over at 160 AcreWoods where there are a lot of beautiful verses shared. The verse I have chosen for today is about God's peace. There are just days and weeks that can shake you to the core with fear, stress, anxiety and other emotions which reek havoc in our lives. This week has been one for me! But when we turn those fears over to God, His peace can envelope us and bring comfort and help like nothing else. I have experienced that also and just want to thank the Lord for His peace and love. May His peace reign in your life today!

While growing up, history was not one of my favorite subjects. Now, years later, I wish I had paid more attention to those dates and facts which are a very important part of our heritage. My husband and children love history and can spout off dates, facts, presidents off the top of their heads. While visiting some blogs today (July 4), I found this great quiz about our country and it's history. I won't tell you my score, but I did know quite a few of the questions, but learned some also! It is very fitting for this special day: Check it out HERE

Today is July 4 th where we reflect on our freedom and blessings of living in the United States. We truly are a blessed people. Prayers for our country are needed daily, for our leaders, world situations and one another. Like many, today was a holiday for us and we are enjoying staying home today. Many times it takes a day or two at home to get the house in order. I ran across an article from Get Organized Now on ways to have a more productive day. I saved it for those times when we running every which way and need some direction. Here are a few tips from the article: 1. Wake Up Early: Setting the alarm 15 minutes early gets an earlier start on the day. Get up as soon as the alarm sounds: 2. Plan your outfits the night before: Lay the clothes out you plan to wear the next day. It will save the "what am I going to wear" dilemma . 3. Never run just one errand: Try to combine at least two or three errands in one trip. Start with the errand furthest away and th...

Yesterday was my oldest son's 17 th birthday. It sometimes seems unreal how fast the time goes. There is something so special about the firstborn child, mainly because it is with this child you experience all of the "firsts" of parenthood. The firstborn gets their fair share of the parent's trials and experiments since as we enter this area of parenting, this guy gets everything tested on him, since there has been no other child! We celebrated last night by taking him to dinner to his choice of a restaurant. Here he is! We had a great group to help us celebrate! He is a teenager, so a smile is precious to us. His friend who came with us invited the waitresses to celebrate with us, don't we all need a friend like that?? Here are some of our other guys waiting. It was a great evening and we are blessed to have this young man in our family. We wish him blessings, wisdom and God's grace upon his life today and always.