Joyfull Living

Some of my favorite guys in the garden, planting onions! The little guy is poking the hole in the ground for the bulb and the big guy is planting the bulb!

I'm going to share a little secret with you. There is one thing that will send my dear husband over the edge every time he sees it. It is so embarrassing to him, that if company comes, he hides it. He takes this so seriously: He calls these: "Rotten bananas" and he hates them! I have tried and tried to convince him that the are not "rotten", but are just right to bake with - SEE? OOPS, I tried a little chunk to see if it was done! Even when he is presented this: He just can't shake the "rotten banana" phobia. But as any good wife knows, you can struggle over an issue or find a solution to it. I just keep my ripening bananas hidden and present the fruit of the labor! Here is a tasty recipe for banana bread: 1 stick butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 to 1 cup walnuts 3 mashed ripe bananas 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground cloves and allspice Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, sour cream. In a...

Yesterday was one of those unique days where some highs and lows were hit! The day started beautifully with a day off from work, my husband and I spent the morning outside doing yard work - pulling up dead grass and weeds, putting fresh mulch in the flower beds etc., it felt so good getting things accomplished. Later in the day, I started feeling a little queasy, the youngest son had a stomach virus over the weekend and I was hoping no one else would get it. The husband had to go to work and the virus did hit. The night was spent sick, feverish and just plain miserable. But, it seems that those viruses come and go quickly. Today is a new day, God is still in control and worthy of praise. That is a sure fact that can make our hearts rejoice!

The discussion At the Well today centers on " Transformation to "Motherly." The discussion questions for today's topic are: Are there areas of hardness and coldness in my life? What are the roots of these? Do I need to release someone who has hurt me in my past? Do I need to confess and release myself from the bondage of sinful patterns in my own life? What are some ways that I can turn the conversation around when other women begin to gripe and complain about their children? Name some creative ways we can create warmer, more inviting environments for our children. This promises to be an interesting topic! Most women are natural nurturers . There is a part of a woman that wants to take care of things, to help others, to show love and affection to others. When a woman becomes a mother these natural tendencies come to fulfillment, but there could be areas that mothers can struggle with. Motherhood is hard! It is not always meeting the needs with a hug and a ki...

I recently came across a quote I had written down years ago: "Never be in a hurry, do everything quietly and with a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world becomes uspet." The reason this stirred my heart was that this attitude comes from a quiet and peaceful heart. So often our actions come from our emotions and are a result of what is going on in our lives. If we are stressed or going through a trial, the outward attitude can be rushed, chaotic or distraught. Gods gives us an inward peace which guards our hearts and minds. Phillippians 6:8 tells us to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." It is my desire to live purposefully, striding forward with a calmness in my heart no matter what the circumstanc...

Here is one of the first signs of spring here in the deep south - an azalea bloom: Over the weekend, we are forecasted to get some below freezing weather, I sure hope these little blooms can make it through!

Word Filled Wednesday is a great time of the week to reflect on God's Word in verse and picture. It is a great encouragement and pick me up - mid week! When I was looking for a verse, this picture burst out with joy to me. The verse is a wonderful reminder to be thankful to God for His steadfast, enduring love. It also highlights the blessings He gives when His children seek His ways. Happy Word Filled Wednesday!

If you eat in restaurants, you are probably aware of the portion size that has greatly increased through the years. Some fast food establishments offer "super sizes" while other restaurants simply have increased the amount of food on a plate. Here is a little quiz on the Portion Distortion that is very enlightening! A healthy balance in our food is vital for our health. Years ago a normal plate layout would be the meat portion would fill up 1/2 of the plate and carbohydrates would fill a major portion of the other half and a vegetable or fruit would only take a small part of the plate. Today's healthy plate looks like this: Only 1/4 of the plate should be meat - a lean protein, another 1/4 should be carbohydrates with the emphasis on whole grains. The other half of the plate should be made up of fruits and vegetables. Now this little tidbit of information does not mean right away we must change everything we have known about portion sizes! Small changes are the be...

Motivate Me Monday is hosted at Like A Warm Cup of Coffee and is designed to share some advice, wisdom, practical applications, tips you've learned, etc. that you think would benefit and motivate others. This weekend was somewhat of a blah weekend. My husband had to work all weekend, it was dreary and rainy outside and there was not a lot of motivation to do much of anything. When days like this come it is easy to fall onto the couch, or to just do nothing but lay around. Sometimes that is needed and there is nothing wrong with some rest and relaxation. But, I have noticed once I fall into that rest or laying around, my motivation lessens. That is the time I need to dig deep and find some motivation! One of the most important things I have learned as a Christian is to "encourage myself in the Lord." Church services are a wonderful way to be encouraged in the Lord. Fellowship with other believers spurs us on and warms the soul. But, the sole basis of our fait...

I have shared before that our family has not had much luck with pets. In almost 20 years, we have only had a couple of dogs and cats. They seem to fall sick or run away, or something. I shared in this post how my youngest son wanted a puppy and his daddy surprised him (and all of us) over the summer with this little guy: Scooter came into our home and we decided that we would do our best to make this pet work. We trained him, loved him and made him a part of our family: He went places with us and he thoroughly loved us! He even became my buddy! This was the last picture of Scooter taken: Scooter had began to wander around the neighborhood and yesterday while we were gone, he was attacked by some neighborhood dogs and was killed. We are of course very sad and miss his presence around our home. It is a great memory to think of how a dog can bring good things into our home. Our youngest son loved to rough and tumble and chase around with him. I loved the way our older boys who are teenag...

Yesterday I came home to see this sight at my home. Don't worry, this was a planned event! We have a small field next to our home and each year right before spring, my husband burns the field off, which burns up the weeds and dead grass and makes room for the new growth. As any blogger knows, any activity can turn into a blogging story, so I ran into the house to get my camera and capture some shots. Well, as I was snapping away, my husband leaves me in charge and tells me "don't let the fire get past the fence." I wasn't planning on manning the fire, but being the peaceable, loving wife that I am, I willingly took on this position. I must mention to those who don't ' know me, I am a girly , girl...lace, frills, pink the whole girl thing, that is me. And, I was not quite prepared when the fire moved a little too close to my pink flip flop. But I stamped it out and all was well! The fire moves slowly across the field and when the wind catches it,...

Although I do like to bake, there is nothing spectacular that comes from my oven! I was not gifted with creativity in any way! I"m okay with that, and understand that those great decorating ideas are just not going to flow into spectacular desserts from my kitchen. But, living in a house of boys, truly the way to those hearts is through the stomach and who doesn't love a homemade treat? Here is an easy recipe for cookies, it is adaptable, fun and delicious! These are the only ingredients: 1 cake yellow cake mix 1/3 cup oil 2 eggs decorative sprinkles All you do is mix the ingredients in a bowl, use a teaspoon to measure and roll the dough into a ball. Place these on the cookie sheet You can use several things to top these cookies, a Hershey's kiss, morsels, sprinkles etc. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes or until golden. You can also spread icing over these when they are cool.. Trust me, if I can do these, you can! It is a quick, easy way to spread some Valentine...

Happy Wednesday! Word Filled Wednesday is a highlight of my week as God's Word flows in abundance and brings cheer, hope and encouragement to many. Since we all seem to be in "the love mode" due to Valentine's Day coming right up, of course my verse is about - LOVE! This is the first commandment and this is also where true love begins. God loves us with a love that can be uncomprehendable. God gave His only Son as a sacrifice to bring us to Him. He has a divine plan for each of us, which is for our good and He gives us everything that we need, in every area, physical, spiritual and emotional. God is good - All the time! How can we not love Him in return? When we acknowledge all He does for us and daily seek Him, our love for Him grows and that pure, measureless love He gives to us, flows out of our lives into the lives of others. So, we first love Him and then love others and that is pure love! May your Word Filled Wednesday be filled with LOVE!

Not Me Monday is the opportunity to share some things about your week that are so unlike you, there is no way that you did them! I had to go to the dentist last week for a crown. Having been blessed not to have had much dental work needed, I wasn't sure what to expect. So, it was certainly Not Me who dreaded that first Novocaine shot for two days prior to the appointment! It was Not Me who sat in the dentist chair and did not ask questions, and was a little stunned that they had to drill my tooth WAY down to put the crown on it! It was very cold here last week and our family enjoyed a couple of warm and cozy nights in front of the fireplace. On one such cozy night, we were all there in our pajamas, right before bed and the boys had the Grand Old Opry show on tv . Right before bed a song they liked came on, so we all watch Trace Atkins croon a song about "Your Gonna Miss This" where seasons of life are shared and how fast they go by. It was Not Me who embraced the qu...

What is the real underlying motive for all of the good stuff that you do? That is the eye opening and heart searching question for Monday morning's Gathering At the Well! This will surely get your week started on a spiritual note won't it???!! This is a topic, I am excited about and also approach with a little bit of apprehension. I am excited because God asks me this question many times, "Why are you doing this (singing in the choir, teaching a Sunday School class, speaking to this person, cooking this meal, giving this offering, sending this card, etc...?) Since these are all "good things" to do, why must God plunder to the depths of my heart intent? Because "why" you do things is more important that "what" you do. What is the motive behind the actions? Who is getting the glory from these things? What is the intended result? Now, don't ask me how I know these answers... but sometimes the intent of doing good actions may be be...