Joyfull Living

The one fear that America is missing is a fear of the Lord. Today is Halloween.  Although I love fall, Halloween is not something we celebrate.  Opinions and family values vary greatly about this day and from one extreme to another. A recent article from Vision Forum brought out some sobering thoughts along with truth on some 'scary things' and the admonition to flee from evil from a biblical standpoint. The Five Scariest Things You Can Do This Halloween include: 1.  The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear...The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6). 2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. The media wants you to be afraid of everything from overpopulation to global warming. The politicians want you to be afraid of the economy and politica...

During this time of the year, words that we use to describe our homemaking duties include things like 'keeping the home fires burning' and being a 'keeper of the home" bring to life memories of coziness, warmth and love.  When it turns cool outside, the warmth of home beckons us.  Now, we know that fires don't stoke themselves and likewise the home fires don't burn without some tending to. Our family just finished little league football which kept us out of the house almost every weeknight for months and this weekend was jam packed with homecoming parades, a big church activity, birthday parties, sleepovers, etc.  With all this busyness, our home fires are burning low! This week should find us at home more and I plan to do a little rekindling to fan the flames of the home. A few things I"m hoping to do this week include: Baking some treats A good clean up! More time deliberately spent enjoying each other Enjoying outside time Cleaning off the ba...

I’m not a Supermom!  I cannot do it all and when I try to do it all, I fail, get stressed and make a big mess of things! But, I am learning to be an Abiding Mom.  A mom who knows limitations, but also where true strength, grace and hope comes from. Here is a free printable to remind us to be Abiding Moms!

Although I'm nowhere near an expert gardener, it is fun to experiment and gain knowledge in this area.  However, since there is much to learn, I'm hesitant to read about and then go out to purchase items (usually expensive) which are supposed to be 'vital' to enhance my plants, flowers and garden!  Our local newspaper shared some tips recently on how to use natural, old fashioned techniques to enhance growing plants.  Tea Bags:   Working tea bags into soil of roses adds a touch of acidity, which roses love. Epson Salts:   Our area is low on magnesuim and sprinkling some Epsom Salts around flowers and shrubs will add vigor to them. Coffee Grounds:   Work coffee grounds into the soil of plants adds nitrogen to the soil.  Plants will bloom bigger and better than ever! Dish Soap :  If aphids are a pest in your garden, spray a solution of dish soap, water and vegetable oil on the plants. This is a natural remedy for garden pests. I'm already ...

Family dinners have always been a priority at our home.  When our boys were young, most nights found us eating a meal together around the table.  As the boys grew and we began to juggle school, jobs and daddy's shift work hours, and now dinner around the table is not as frequent.  Often we eat in shifts and sometimes (gasp) in front of the TV.  Eating together is important and worth the effort to pull together.  Conversation is important also.  In our early years, I remember 'teaching manners' at the table which mainly consisted in me correcting and analyzing their behavior. I have since learned, the dinner table is NOT the place for correction!!  It is to be a pleasant time, hopefully of sharing together. Sometimes, teenage boys need a little help in sharing!  Their minds are on boy things - trucks, friends, girls etc.  Conversation can sometimes be stilted and often takes great effort. HOW DOES SHE is a web site I rece...

In the movie Courageous, the main theme is the important roles that fathers play in the home and lives of their children.  One of the main quotes was the desire of a father to  "Call out the man in my son".   This was a powerful reminder that the power of life and death is in the tongue or in the words we use. Our words can be used as a blessing or can cause great harm.  Words are powerful!  Now "calling out the man in my son" is truly a father's role.  No one can fill the gap of a father's role in a son's life.  But as mothers, our words and tone hold great importance also.  A mother's voice has the power to settle jangled nerves and maybe even reach through the fog of a coma to bring a brain-injured patient back to consciousness, according to a pair of new experiments.   Mom's voice is surely special. I clearly remember over 20 years ago when I had my first child.  I came home from the hospital on a weekend. ...

My youngest son fits the true model of the lastborn  (baby) of the family!  He is coddled, spoiled and loves his mama! But, one day he will grow into a man and will need some tough characteristics.  This summer he expressed an interest in playing football.  Knowing this would be good to help develop and mature him, we signed him up.  Not only is he the lastborn,  but he is a bit small – only 60 lbs!  But both he and Mom are loving this experience! There he is…on bottom recovering a fumble!  Preparing for kick off! It’s turning out to be a great season!