Joyfull Living

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21 This is one of those verses that almost takes my breath away.  God – who is holy, just and righteous, saw me – sinful, wicked, wretched, and sent His Son – who knew no sin, to be sin for me.  Me - who does not deserve such mercy is now able to exchange my sinfulness for His righteousness. The righteousness of God.  May ‘thank you’ be forever uttered from the heart and through the actions of His redeemed.

Photo textures are something I am enjoying learning about.  During my research about textures, I came across the web site of Kim Klaussen Cafe .  There was a ton of great information there, but also Kim sends a free texture out each week when you sign up to be on the email list.  These are fantastic textures to work with.  Today is my first time participating in Texture Tuesdays where a picture is enhanced with texture and shared.  Although I am a beginner, sometimes the excitement of something new gets to me and I must push the limits!  So, the textures that I used were Paper Stained Paper Stained Music Wet Tile I love the burned edge look from Paper Stained and then kept adding until I liked the look of it!

Ginger is one of those spices that never got used much in my kitchen cabinet.  When a recipe called for it, I would sprinkle a dash of powdered ginger in, but that was the extent of my ginger use! Currently, I'm taking a deeper look at fresh herbs and spices and the benefits of ginger caught my attention.    Below is a list of the healing properties of ginger and how it can be used to benefit one's health: Ginger has a warming and invigorating effect on the body. It can boost poor circulation, particularly in the hands and feet. Ginger can relieve the pain of arthritic and rheumatic joints, as well as sports related muscle injuries. A ginger tea will promote sweating and lower a high temperature and relieve flu symptoms. Ginger tea can help to clear up congestion, catarrh and chest infections such as bronchitis.   Ginger prevents motion sickness such as when travelling by car, coach or boat. It can also stop nausea and vomiting. Ginger can relieve indiges...

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures."  Proverbs 24:3,4 This verse is an encouragement that no matter what your age or marital status, as you grow in the wisdom, understanding and knowledge of God you will become a woman He can use to fill a home with the rare and beautiful treasures of His love and blessings.  Being a keeper of the home encompasses many different aspects.  Here are a few cute symbols and ways to extend blessings to those in your home. The teddy bear represents the gentleness and tenderness that a woman brings into the home through her loving and nurturing nature. The sewing supplies speak of mending.  As women, we are called to mend many things, from scraped knees and broken toys to broken dreams and wounded hearts.  The patchwork heart is a wonderful representation of the many personalities that make up a family and how the lo...

It’s almost time for the local county fair!  Two of my boys will be showing pigs at the fair.  We have had our ‘babies’ since December, feeding and caring for them while they grow and get ready to be shown. Now the boys are working on training them to walk around and getting them brushed up and looking pretty! Here is when we first got them: Brushing them… And walking them… Then after the walk, they do what pigs do best… Lay in the mud and play with the dog! That’s the things going on around here this week!

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes , so that it will be even more fruitful. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15 Last spring I bought some of the new roses called ‘knock out roses’.  The main reason for choosing them is that they were supposed to be maintenance free, no cutting,  no pruning, nothing but beautiful roses all year long.  Well….this spring found them with no blooms and long stems and very few leaves.  The foundational gardening tip came to mind…PRUNE!  I pruned the long spindly stems and when finished wondered “what have I done?”  They were only a few inches from the ground and looked totally bare.  But, I fertilized them, watered them diligently and within a few weeks I am delighted with bushes that have full ...

Recently I did an evaluation of my spice cabinet.  You may have heard that after a year, dried spices lose their flavor and effectiveness.  Does anyone else have several containers of spices that you bought for a particular recipe and then never used the rest of it?  Well, I had quite a few of those and they were pretty close to being out of date!  Deciding I needed to use them up, I did some research on how to use them.  Then ventured into reading about different spices and how to use  fresh herbs.  Much of what I found was pretty easy and do-able.  Our meals last week definitely perked up with very little effort.  Here are a few easy ways to liven up supper tonight! 1. Fresh herbs : In the produce section of the grocery store, you'll find bunches of fresh herbs including parsley, basil, mint, cilantro, dill, chives, sage and rosemary. A handful of chopped, fresh herbs gives a huge flavor boost to all kinds of ordinary dishes...

What a fantastic weekend our family had!!  First of all my husband who often works weekends was off, which always make the weekend extra special.  But we did a few special things too. We rreceived free tickets to go to a local rodeo and had dinner out at my favorite restaurant before the rodeo.  The next day was much simpler, but still special.  We had family from out of town (my brother and sister in law) come for a visit and also got a start on the spring garden. Although most of the things I cherished were simple, it was my attitude and purpose to seek the Lord and be thankful for the little things that made the difference. Our company popped in unannounced, so I didn't have time to stress over whether the house was in perfect shape,but simply welcomed them in, relaxed with them on the back porch amidst the pollen dust, dog toys and dead plants!  My sister in law and I took a quick trip to Wal Mart to pick up a few things and simply enjoyed one another...

I received this cute email this week!  It is Angel's explained by children! I only know the names of two angels, Hark and Harold. Gregory, age 5 Everybody's got it all wrong.. Angels don't wear halos anymore. I forget why, but scientists are working on it -Olive, age 9 It's not easy to become an angel! First, you die. Then you go to Heaven, and then there's still the flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes. -Matthew, age 9 Angels work for God and watch over kids when God has to go do something else. -Mitchell, age 7 My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for science. -Henry, age 8 Angels don't eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows!!! -Jack, age 6 Angels talk all the way while they're flying you up to heaven. The main subject is where you went wrong before you got dead. Daniel, age 9 When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And when he lets...

Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 Pure delight in one’s life comes when the desires of your heart are the very ones the Lord put there and fulfills.  He can bring out beauty from ashes and transform our failures into fruitfulness.  There is nothing too hard for the Lord. Ask Him today to put His desires in your heart.  As they unfold in His time, you will be delighted…in Him!

Recently I checked out a book from the local library called "The Healing Kitchen".   This book shared a wealth of information on the benefits of spices (which can be used everyday) and herbs for flavor and medicinal purposes.  Resolved to make my kitchen a little more healthier, I did further research and have severall new foods and spices I intend to try.  One thing I did do, was make Coconut Water.  I had never heard of this before, but after some research found out a few facts about it: Coconut Water is the nutritious clear liquid inside the coconut fruit which is packed with vitamins and minerals. There is usually more water in a young coconut, since the water is replaced by the white coconut flesh as it matures. Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol! Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories Coconut water is naturally sterile -- Water permeates though the filtering...

Years ago, there was a worship song I really liked entitled "More of You".   It went something like this: More of You, More of You, I've had all but what I need is just more of You, Of things I've had my fill and yet I hunger still , Empty and bare, Lord, hear my prayer for more of you. Most Christians would quickly say "Yes, I want more of You, Lord" and when beautiful music is playing and our hearts are in tune to the Lord, praise pours forth and fills our heart with worship.  But what about when we open our eyes, leave the church building and on Monday morning real life hits?  Sure, we want "more of God", but who has time to stop, absorb and lose their selves in worship experience again?  But thinking deeper, why should the Christian life be separated at church and home?  Something I wrote down at the beginning of this year to work on is being "genuine".   Pure, from the heart, the same at all times and all places.   A recu...

Any mama of boys knows that trucks mean a lot to those guys!  The bigger, the better, the louder, the dirtier - the more fun.  Our youngest son has been fascinated by Monster Trucks.  The trucks that are insanely huge and used to crush anything in their path.  Yeah, destruction, crashing, demolition…all that action!  A Monster Jam came to a close by city and our entire family went to experience this powerful performance!  Our youngest walked through to check them out close up: All our boys together: Meeting some of the drivers: When we were next in line, this driver got interviewed on TV!  Then the action started: Complete with rollovers and crashes: This was just one of those times when being a mom to boys is FUN!!