Joyfull Living

Although the word 'diet' doesn't properly apply any longer to those times when we feel the need to make a change in our eating habits, the concept of change still exists.  The goal of a 'diet' is to work towards removing foods that cause unwanted results and increase foods which truly nourish and bring healthier results.  For many years, we've 'dieted' for a specific amount of time and then usually abandoned all that was done and gone back to 'normal' habits.  I don't 'diet' but am always up for a good 'challenge'. 7 day or 5 day Clean Eating Challenges or a 30 Day Exercise Challenge can move me towards a goal, instill better habits and truly challenge me to do better and in the long run, establish healthy habits that last. Sometimes our spiritual lives need a 'diet'. Or a time to limit the things that don't promote healthy spiritual lives and hinder us from being all we can be.  I found something I...

A few years ago, we grew a vegetable garden and I learned how to preserve the bounty in mason jars. Being the first year and a huge garden, I had to buy a lot of jars!  Now we don't garden as much, but I still have all those jars and always look for ways to use them! Salad in a Jar is popular right now.  It allows you to pack up a variety of ingredients for a salad and quickly take it where you need to go. One of my sweet hubby's food peaves is mushy lettuce. He just can't do it! So after a little research, there is a technique to pack a salad in a jar:  Here it is with a few tips to keep it fresh and crunchy. Start with salad dressing. By putting the dressing at the bottom, gravity will do its just and will keep it separated from the greens.   Therefore, no soggy greens.(YES!) Add your veggies. After the salad dressing, throw in your vegetables.  The harder more dense vegetables (e.g. carrots) should go first, then add the softer vegetables like pe...

“Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.” — Spurgeon Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. – Psalm 143:8 Believe it or not there is a lot to pray about before our feet hit the floor. We can begin with thanksgiving. While some of us may not feel like being thankful that morning has come, once we begin looking for things to be thankful for our attitude will change. So what can we be thankful for at the crack of dawn? That we have a bed to sleep in. That we were able to spend the night without having to fear for our lives. That He gave us the amount of rest He wanted us to have for that day (even if children woke us up or we found ourselves lying awake at night for no apparent reason). That He has given us work and prepared us to tackle our daily tasks. That no matter what our day holds, nothing can take our salvation away. Then of c...

Mother's Day is over a week past now. Our beautiful flowers have died, that special lunch is a cherished memory, cards have been put away and another year of honor and appreciation hopefully have recharged our mother batteries.   In the past week since Mother's Day we have probably spent a lot of time doing the mundane tasks of motherhood....cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning up messes and of course laundry!  Mothers vastly vary in ages and stages of life, but we all can identify with the same basic routines that come with the job.  Most mothers can also agree that motherhood stirs up emotions untouchable by any other relationships.  That precious life that was planted by the hand of God into our bodies, nourished by us, inside of us, then brought forth through birth is a true miracle.  One we can watch unfold day after day, year after year.  A true mission, and purpose that offers opportunities every day to mold, train and prepare for life....

May has arrived in all it's beauty.  Our highways are a sight to behold with wildflowers spreading masses of color on the sides. The weather is beautiful, the school year is almost done, it is a beautiful month.  If you haven't noticed yet...it is also the celebration of Mother's Day! You can hardly enter a store without the bright, colorful display reminding us of the approaching of Mother's Day. Beautiful cards, gift ideas that target the feminine senses of things we as women love, gorgeous plants and flowers bombard us as we enter stores.  These are great reminders of the upcoming special day for mom and an exciting time to choose a special gift to let mom know how special she is to us.  But even amidst the joy of Mother's Day, we can find hurting women among us. These can also reminders of the pain of grief and loss. Mother's Day changed drastically for me once my own mother passed away. The first year, I couldn't bring myself to attend...

Within a few weeks we had two different unexpected visits from family on a Sunday. The first time, an aunt and uncle were in town and surprised us at church. Of course, we wanted to spend some more time with them, so we decided to go to a local restaurant for lunch. We arrived to find the place full and waited outside a while before sitting down together. The crowd and the noise made it difficult to hear one another, but we managed to catch up on each other's family and activities. The meal was rather quick and we said our goodbyes with promises to stay in touch and visit more in the future.   The second visit was from a brother and sister in law who made a weekend visit that was packed full of activities and finding time to visit two separate families. It had been months since the family had been together, so finding some free time Sunday afternoon we planned a lunch at home. A quick phone call to my dear mother in law asking if we could pull off a Sunday lunch for aroun...

Today's moms are busy. Between working, caring for the home, juggling priorities, trying to be what we need to be in addition to our greatest ministry - our families, things get crazy quick.  Mother's Day is coming up and over at Women Living Well , some amazing deals were shared on Amazon for Kindle Books. For less than $3.00 you can find at your fingertips books that will encourage, equip and help us in the quest to be a better woman and mother.   Be encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to save money, but also to grow in God's grace and love. Mother's Day is a day as mothers we relish the appreciation show for our efforts.  But the other 364 days offer for us to be a life giver and influence our homes and families forever.  Godly books help equip us to do that.  Go ahead and give yourself a gift that will keep on giving! Here is the list: Women Living Well: Find Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home  ...