Joyfull Living

Earlier this year, I decided to try my hand at growing some herbs.  Through research and advice from trusted gardeners, I learned that mint is one of the hardiest herbs around.  It is a fast grower, easy to please and hard to kill.  Just my type! Today’s Tuesday Texture challenge is to share a garden photo with texture added.  Here is my pot of mint thriving and beautiful! My ‘technique’ is a little different.  I open several textures that I liked and then tried them out.  Stained Linen, Warm Vignette and Chamomile were the textures used most with the soft light blending mode or until the desired effect was achieved.

Although this is only a small crack, it signifies some big things.  This is the shower in my bedroom.  The one that has been replaced twice already.  The little thing that when my husband spotted it said:  "we can't use our shower until this gets fixed".  Since he recently had shoulder surgery, that means it will be months before it gets fixed.  Which also means that our family of five will be using the same shower...for months.  But I am so thankful for this little crack.  It reminds me of my home which is intact while so many in our country have had their homes destroyed.  A little inconvenience is nothing compared to families and communities being displaced with a long expected wait time until normalcy.  Counting and recording blessings and things to be thankful for is so important.  It helps keep the focus on the good, the everyday gifts from the Lord that may otherwise go unnoticed.  Some things I"m thankful for this week include: Sunlight streaming across the

Although summer is officially a few weeks away, around here it is already HOT!  Also strawberries are in abundance here which makes the perfect combination for Fresh Strawberry Pie!  This recipe isn't just that artificial gel that you find in the store, but a tasty filling full of deliciousness!! Fresh Strawberry Pie 3 quarts (about 3 lbs) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled 1 cup sugar 1 T powdered pectin (Sure Jell) Pinch of salt 3 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 pre-baked pie shell Slice 1 heaping quart of the strawberries for the filling and cut in half 2 cups for the pie top.  Half an additional 2 cups of strawberries and puree until smooth.  Measure 1 1/4 cup of the puree and mix with sugar, pectin and salt in saucepan.  Bring to a simmer whisking frequently. Simmer until mixture foams about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and skim foam.  Return to heat and slowly whisk in cornstarch mixture until mixture is

Do you ever wonder where your time goes?  I do!  I recently came across this article from Above Rubies on the top time wasters.  I was guilty of several of them!  This list is not to cut them out of our lives completely, but to watch out for things that can steal valuable time. Top 10 Time Wasters for Women  by Nancy Campbell 1. The Telephone. You can waste hours of time talking and gossiping on the telephone. Not only is it time-wasted, but this is usually when your children get into trouble, or be naughty because they realize the phone has taken mother’s attention away from them. 2. The TV.  I would rather live life than watch it! Teach your children to ‘live’ life, rather than watch it go by. Remember that the day is for work, the evening is for relaxation. A good rule for your home is to never turn the TV on during the day. (It’s still a time-waster in the evening too!) 3. Reading novels when there is work to be done. Don’t be tempted to read a novel during the hours of t

It seems like again this week is flying by with little time to tend to my blog!  Here are some things that are going on around here this week: Tending to my husband after his shoulder surgery.  He is a great patient and is recovering well. Baseball practice with the youngest at least a few times a week. Church softball with the older boys began this week. I spent most of today doing this: Snapping and canning fresh green beans. Then my aunt has a plum tree and invited me to get some plums: Aren’t they beautiful? I’m looking forward to making some plum jelly tomorrow. It is the end of the 4-H year and my youngest son’s banquet was held this week: Something I began this week is a Summer Book Study over at Good Morning Girls.   Ministry of Motherhood is the book we are studying along with a daily Scripture reading and journaling.  This promises to be a great study! That is what is going on around here!  Lots of activity along with the desire to purpose to keep a quiet heart a

Our garden is producing an abundance of cucumbers and squash!  We've ate them all week, canned some of the squash, made relish and pickles out of the cucumbers and still they keep coming!  We are enjoying this garden bounty, but also looking for ways to share fresh from the garden vegetables. A 4-H banquet seemed like a perfect place to share.  Here is a recipe for Southern Squash Casserole : 4 cups sliced yellow squash 1/2 cup chopped onion 35 buttery round crackers, crushed 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 2 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt ground black pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter Directions 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Place squash and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in a small amount of water. Cover, and cook until squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl. 3. In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squas

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for dear hubby!!  The surgery went very well.  It started on time, lasted about two hours, he woke up from recovery, walked around, ate something and now we are back home!  Your continued prayers for his recovery are appreciated!

Earlier this spring, we set out a garden plot. My husband’s parents are helping us with it. Well….the garden has been planted, tended to, weeded, watered and is now producing! Green Beans, Squash and Cucumbers are abundant! And what to do with all this food?  We’ve been canning it. The canning has been running quite a bit this week!  What a blessing to put up fresh from the garden food. Now…the prayer request.  Tomorrow morning (Friday) my husband will be having shoulder surgery.  Would you please pray with us for a successful surgery and safe recovery?  Thanks!

Today is Texture Tuesday over at Kim Klassen Café and the theme is “Vintage”.  Last year, our homeschool group took a trip to the Old Florida Museum.  Along with the hands on lessons in history for the kids, I found some great things to photograph!  Here is my photo of (I think!), what they used to ground corn into grits.  I added Believe and Trust textures using soft light blends.

Does it seem to you like the weeks seem to fly by?  In addition to how fast the weeks go, it seems each day is filled with more things to do than time to do them.  Although I am a stay at home mom, seeking to live a simpler life, there is never a shortage of things to do!  Coming up with an encouraging blog post this week didn't seem to come together.  So today, I"m simply sharing some blessings from last week. A Holy Experience shared a monthly list for counting daily blessings for the month of May .  In the midst of going and doing our daily routine, seeking and recording daily blessings bring a powerful stop to chaos and bring peace and thanksgiving to the heart. Some things that blessed me last week were: Mother's Day - enjoying time with family My youngest son recognizing his memory verse during devotions and reciting it. Participating in a bridal shower at church and experiencing the joy and anticipation of a wedding. Early morning picking in the garden - p

but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,  Ephesians 5:19 What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?  If a man is drinking, he is possessed by the alcohol and you can tell he is drunk. In contrast, when we stay near to God through prayer, reading God’s Word and living it out – we are filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit.  This enables us to walk wisely and be separate or different because of the fruit of the Spirit flowing our of our lives. One way to keep our hearts full of the things of the Lord is to mediate and speak God’s Word.  The Psalms, beloved hymns and spiritual songs put joy into our hearts and when we think on them and keep them close, they are naturally the overflow of our heart and are shared with others.  Who would not be uplifted by a portion of Psalms, or blessed by the words of an ageless hymn?  My Bible notes tell that ‘meditate’ means to mumble o

Happy Mother's Day!   What a wonderful time when we can celebrate the influence and love of mothers.  What a wonderful day to bask in the blessings of being a mother!  Amidst the gifts, love and appreciation shown, may we always look to the Lord for His gift of our children and His continual grace to be a mother. As a new week begins and until next Mother's Day, we are back to the grind, serving, working, training, teaching, guiding, comforting and caring for our children.  May we purpose to keep on in this high and holy calling.  God matches explicitly each mother and child.  We are designed to be exactly what our child needs to teach, train and nurture them.  This responsibilty is great and at times, almost overwhelming.  When we think of the influence we hold as our children watch our lives, hear our words and receive our actions, we are shaping the future.  This is not a job for the fainthearted! Now, we are not lacking in guidance and direction.  God's Word carries p

But you have not so learned Christ,  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,  and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,  and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.  Ephesians 4:20-24 God’s Word tells us about an ‘old man’ and a ‘new man’.  The old man is what Christians were before salvation.  They did not know God or desire the things of God.  The old man is bogged down and in bondage to sin with no way out.  When one accepts the fact that he is a sinner and believes that Christ died to take away that sin, a new man is born and the old man is crucified. Now as Christians, we know that the ‘old man’ or our old sin nature will raise it’s ugly head at times!  But this verse tells us that we are not to let this old nature live through us or allow this old nature to

After a weekend of scenes and rehashing of the "Royal Wedding", I am reminded of the joy and excitement of being a young bride.  Next week, at our church, we will be giving a bridal shower and see firsthand the joys and anticipation of a new marriage.  It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement and the newness of a wedding.  I remember how it consumes the thoughts, plans and activities to the point of blocking most everything else out!  But it felt so good to be riding high on the clouds of love!  But once the ceremony is over....are we prepared for marriage?  For the day in, day out responsibilities of caring for another besides ourself, for building a life of love that stands the storms of life?  For the struggles which may seem to take every ounce of grit and substance we have in us?  If we did not have an example of godly marriage set before us (which I did not), we will quickly learn that we need some reinforcement.  We need to place our faith in something strong

I have a crazy confession to share today!  Although I am perfectly comfortable with who I am, there is this desire to be a little bit like some other type of people.  One is a pioneer woman: I would love to walk around in a dress and bonnet, with the charm and elegance of a pioneer woman!  But the heat and humidity here in the south quickly draw me out of my daydreams and into a pair of modern day apparel - shorts! As my interest in herbs is continuing to grow, I would love to be like Shoshanna from The Bulk Herb Store .  She has fields of herbs readily available paired with the knowledge to use them to cook, heal, cleanse anything that comes up.   But space, expense and time hinder me from being the herbalist I long to be!                        After my third child was born, I went to an A bove Rubies workshop.  There I learned much about natural living, godly mothering, homemaking and nutrition.  These women have large families, eat all natural (usually home grown, organic food