Joyfull Living

Yesterday was a typical day around here, I was off, got errands done, housework done and after lunch was just going to float along until it was time to pick the kids up. While I was cleaning up after lunch, dear husband (DH) mentioned that he had bought some bug spray for the garden and had already sprayed the garden and could use the rest in the house. I absently answered " ok " not knowing what was coming up! He suggested that we empty the kitchen cabinets so he could spray in there. " Ok ", that was fine. Here is how that panned out: He sprayed and then asked if I would move the things that were along the walls out just a little bit so he could spray the edges. I did, then sat down to read the paper. Then he dropped the bombshell: To effectively spray, you must spray the entire perimeter of the indoors. That meant that every wall needed an open space along with the closets, bathrooms etc. So...bathroom rugs got taken up, swept out, closets got emptied,

Isn't is a wonderful promise to hold dear that God sends us His grace each day and each night He is near to us? We can never escape His unfailing love.

One of the best ways to save money at the grocery store is to catch sales and combine with coupons. This week at Publix , there are a few great sales/coupon matches. Southern Savers has the Publix sale items with printable coupon links for this week. I stopped in for a few things, spent $28 and saved $29!! Yeah! Some of my sales/coupon matches were: Del Monte Orchard Select Fruit Smart Ones by Weight Watchers Wish Bone Salad Dressing Skippy Peanut Butter and a few others I had coupons cut out for. Take a peek and save some money!

Before beginning the discussion from At the Well, I want to share a little about "scents". I have a fascination/ borderline obsession with scents! I like for things to smell good, my home, self, clothes, carpets etc. For my home I have tried every product on the market- plug ins, spray fresheners , candles, gels, oils, scented wax, you name it! In beauty products, my choice is the one with the strongest scent, soaps, shampoos, lotions, laundry detergents, fabric softeners , the stronger the scent, the better for me! There are a few scents that you can just "experience." Think about the scent of a baby fresh out of the tub and lotioned up..yum! What about fresh, clean sheets that you climb into getting ready for bed. Wonderful huh?? Fresh from the oven apple pie or a delicious dinner cooking. Now, I will confess as a mother to boys that good scents can be achieved by 'faking it". Febreeze is a mother's best friend at times. On rare occas

This week brought a few memorable events at our home. My oldest attended his senior prom: I can't help it, isn't he so handsome???? Then my middle son got his driver's permit: And promptly took over the wheel! Nothing monumental with the youngest, but we couldn't leave him out, He had a baseball game: It's been a great week and I am reminded of the richness of God's daily blessings: Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord,Who daily loads us with benefits,The God of our salvation!

Today is Word Filled Wednesday where we can fill our hearts with the Word of God in verse and picture. What a great mid week pick me up! My heart has been stirred this week thinking about "Holiness". What a big word with a meaning that is sometimes hard to grasp. We serve a holy God, who has called us to be holy. Holiness scares me because there is nothing holy in me by myself. Holiness penetrates to the depth of our heart and influences every thought, word and action we take. When I think of the sacredness of holiness, it makes me shutter. But as I read what God's Word says about holiness, it becomes clear that in ourselves, there is nothing holy, but God has created us anew and is guiding us in the path of holiness. Here are a few verses that share about the holiness we can partake in: Ephesians 4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness . 1 Thessalonians 3:13 so that He may establish your hearts b

Sunday afternoon for our middle son's birthday, we went to lunch at Applebees . He got a few friends to come along! This is him in the white hat: We invited my sister in law Danell, because she brought the most cousins - 5 of them! Someone let out the secret it was his birthday: The servers serenaded him! There were a lot of boys there!! But it was a great time to celebrate a great kid's birthday!

In a recent issue of Focus On the Family magazine, a question was asked how to help a teenager be more responsible. The answer contained "Three Rules For Life" which apply to us all. I'm going to use the three rules and do a little of my own elaboration! 1. You live and die by your own choices: We are influenced greatly by people and circumstances. Many times we are bombarded by negative choices that are masked with "feel good" or "you deserve it" tags. It is imperative to think through our choices. Our response to each choice is in our own power. God gives us free will and we either choose good or bad. 2. You can choose smart or stupid: Again we are bombarded in our world of no absolutes. The world would tell us what is right for you is not right for me...etc. We don't get to choose which choices go under the stupid or smart list. God has given His absolute truth - His Word. His Word gives divine and direct instruction. 3. There's

Today's At the Well topic is about parenting. Sowing and Reaping in parenting. There is also an encouragement to share an anecdote or example of whole-hearted parenting. I love reading and learning about Christian parenting. Mainly because you can never get enough help as a parent! Knowledge is abundant, but wisdom is essential. It has been said that "wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge." The trick about parenting is that you learn as you go, you learn what does not work, from mistakes. Then, when you think you are headed in the right direction, a new child comes and everything that you figured out from the first child, does not work on the next child! Then you start over. Parenting is truly a challenge. We have entered a new phase as parents as we have two teenagers. There is a whole new set of challenges, rules, opportunities to let them grow and freedom for them to begin making their own choices. I struggle greatly with this new phase. Many times I

My middle son was doing (supposedly) some yard work and he made a creation of his name in the sand using a rake, it was so cool, I asked him to do me one: Then I made him get a picture! Finally, I let him get back to work! Here is the youngest sporting his sling, he is a little bit proud of his injury (cracked collarbone).

Word Filled Wednesday is a blog highlight of my week! I love sharing and seeing God's Word come alive with beautiful pictures, it rejoices my soul and revives my heart for the week! The last two days have been pretty full and I missed WFW this week. Let me share a little bit about the last few days. I have been wanting a laptop computer for a while now. It would help as my blogging and writing increase, to keep those things separate from the family computer. Not to mention that with a husband and three sons who all like to use the computer, my time on it is quite limited! After doing much research online, Tuesday my husband and I were able to find a good deal on one! This is my first laptop, (I'm so technically challenged), but after great assistance from my sister in law Danell setting it up, we are good to go. While I stayed home to set the laptop up, my husband took our youngest son to baseball practice. When they got home, my son was playing around with the other

Over the Easter weekend, my husband's brother and one of his sons came to visit. This was definitely a guy weekend: Guess what they did? Yep, went fishing! Then they used this contraption to clean the fish: I can't explain how it works, but they loved it! You had to turn and turn it: Everyone got a turn! Then it was time to sit and relax: These are good times...

Have you every been to eat at a buffet restaurant? The kind of place where you know that every delectable food choice there is available to you with no restraints, just for your enjoyment? Have you ever had the talk with yourself on the way to the line - "just take a little bit of what you want" or "just pick the most healthy foods"? But when you are in line and face to face with all that food, it all looks so good and you heap your plate to overflowing. When you get back to your table and begin enjoying that food, soon you get full and then the overfull plate begins to not look so good. There is simply no room for that extra food on the plate in your stomach. You begin to feel very full and know that you have taken on too much. The food left on your plate gets tossed aside and wasted. Sometimes life can do that to us. As we evaluate our time, we begin to fill it up with activities. Sports activities for the kids, the booster club for that sport, church activities

Today is known by Christians around the world as "Good Friday". It is a day where we remember the sacrifice of Jesus' death on the cross and the "good" comes as we remember His atonement, redemption and forgiveness of our sins. I wanted to reflect on a few verses of Scripture today to remind myself of God's grace. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23), but God in His mercy provided a way for us to be pure and clean: “ Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “ Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18 Jesus death on the cross was for each one of us: "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed". Isaiah 53:5 He has given us new life and forgiveness of our sins: “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says

Recently I came across a ham recipe which would be perfect for Easter. Orange Glazed Ham with Sweet Potatoes 8 lb ham cooking spray 1 cup orange marmalade 4 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp honey mustard 1/4 tsp ground ginger 2 cans pineapple chunks, undrained 3 cans sweet potatoes in light syrup, drained Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray and put ham in pan. Cover and bake for about 2 1/2 hours (depending on the size of your ham and if your ham is precooked; you want the internal temperature of your ham to be 150°-160°F when fully cooked). Combine marmalade, brown sugar, honey mustard and ground ginger in a small bowl. Cover ham and baste with about 1/3 of the marmalade mixture. Reserve the remaining mixture for the next step. Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/3 cup of juice. Combine pineapple, and sweet potatoes. Add the 1/3 cup of reserved pineapple juice to the remaining marmalade mixture that you reserved

Today is the Wednesday before Easter which is the sacred day celebrated by Christians around the world. The foundation of Christianity is centered around the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. God's Word tells us the Jesus died to redeem us from our sins. He was buried and on the third day arose from the dead. Christians serve a Living Savior, who purchased their salvation, who has the power to cleanse us from our sins and is victorious over sin and death. As these words were spoken thousands of years ago at Jesus' tomb, they ring true in the heart of every Christian - He is Alive!