Joyfull Living

Although it is summer, time is still flying by! Weeks whip past, new months seem to pop up out of nowhere, days can become a blur. This week I took some time looking though my phone photos and am sharing some recent highlights. We had some big and small moments, but each is to be treasured.  Our youngest son received his learners permit and is now the official driver for the family: Summer evening walks with the sweet hubby are great.  But they are extra special when you look across the river to see graceful deer grazing. Being a runner, good equipment is crucial.  Brooks shoes are my favorite.  Last pair, I chose to go a less expensive route and wasn't completely satisfied with the other brand.  This week...Brooks had it's annual summer clearance, so now, I'm back in Brooks and at half price! I've seen this advertisement on Facebook for a long time.  A 31 day challenge to pray for your marriage with separate books for the husband

What is the first thing you notice about people?  Many immediately notice eyes, or teeth, clothes or are attentive to body language. I'm a hair person. A new style is something that pops out to me in a friend or when meeting a stranger, hair is something I pay attention to.  Healthy hair and a cut I like often causes me to pause before becoming envious!  Just kidding, but I do appreciate good hair. My obsession with hair is probably because I struggle with my own. I've learned to make friends with my hair instead of fighting against it! That means knowing it and letting it be what it naturally is made to be.  As one who has fine hair, through the years I have used tons of products which were supposed to give me full, voluptuous hair, sleek and shiny tresses and gorgeous tousles.  Mostly, these products just weighed my hair down! I've finally found a shampoo product that works well with my hair.  The tradition I had for much of my life of shampoo and  conditioner was

I'm all about newness.  A chance to start over brings a sense of excitement and anticipation.  A new day, week, month, school season etc.  I love all new things!  What a fresh thought this week I had. Each new morning is a gift from God.  Another day, another glimpse of His goodness and another opportunity to do better than the day before.  Over half my life, I've been a 'night owl', one who went to bed late and rose later in the morning.  Sleeping in for me was a true treasure, that I loved and did often.  Until, the children started school!  What a difference it makes, 'having' to get up early.  My sleep pattern changed to adapt, but out of necessity, not choice! When our 3rd child was born, he was a terrible sleeper!  Slept very little at night and took short naps during the day.  He would usually wake me up very early, then after being fed, would go back to sleep, just about the time I needed to be getting up!  There is nothing more miserable

      This rarely happens, but Saturday found me with a day to spend at home, no place I needed to be AND...all the housework was done!  Laundry caught up, supper in crock pot and a day ready to do what I wanted to do!  Sweet hubby had some outside work to do, so once Gunsmoke was over and he headed outside, I grabbed the remote, hit the couch and took in an hour of The Pioneer Women on the cooking channel!   Would you believe that The Pioneer Woman is trying to eat healthier?  Right up my ally!  I found  a few 'have to try' recipes that will be happening this week at our home.   Then another show came on - Farmhouse Rules  with more delicious recipes to try!    This little blog of mine was started many years ago as an effort to be an encouragement to Christian women.  Not from one who has it all together, but to invite others to come along on the journey towards being a godly woman.  Amidst the challenges, joys and daily routines of life, God's grace is a

"You can take the girl away from the beach, but you cannot take the beach out of the girl."   I grew up as a child in a beach town.  Going to the beach was a regular family event. When as a teenager, my family moved away from the town with the beach, guess where we went for vacations?  Yep, the beach!  The beach is just a part of who I am! My sweet hubby doesn't share that beach passion.  He is a mountain man, raised as a child vacationing in the mountains, swimming in mountain creeks, camping and enjoying the rugged outdoors. In our 27 years of marriage, he introduced me to mountain vacations which I dearly love, the majestic sights, the crisp, cool hikes and cozy mountain cabins, are all perfect in the fall.  But in the summer....I want the beach!  He doesn't see past the sticky salt air, the heat of summer and the sticking sand to experience the joys of the wind, waves and water.  But, bless his heart, he tolerates it almost yearly for me..what a great g

Communication.....used well brings great benefits, but when a lapse occurs, watch out!  Misunderstood words or actions can bring chaos.  It is an important skill to communicate well and one that can continually be improved. When we communicate to others, we want them to listen, hear and follow.  Often times, we miss the mark!  The hearer may hear what we are saying, but may not really listen. Here are some valuable tips to help when we speak so that others will truly hear. 1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIME! Timing is the first key. You may be ready to talk, but are they ready to listen? Never drop a bomb! “There is a right time and a right way to do everything” Eccl. 8:6 (GN). 2. PLAN YOUR PRESENTATION. Think it through first. Especially plan your introduction and your supporting illustrations. Don’t start with the detail. In TV they move from the long shot to the medium shot to the close up. “Intelligent people think before they speak. What they say is then more persuasive” Pro

At a recent Ladies Bible Study one of our assignments was to pick one person out of the room and quickly notice 3 things about her. The second part of the assignment was to name 3 things that are qualities or characteristics that you think are important for someone to have. Some of the answers included: honesty faithfulness genuineness love being trustworthy Christ-like and the list could go on and on... When we bring it closer to home, what are 3 things you would like to see coming out of your life? What are some things you would like others to say about you? What if we wrote those things down and made them visible? Maybe put them on our bathroom mirror?  Most changes we want to see will take that painful shift of perspective of ourselves to put the focus on others.  A recent article about this topic stated.. ."Shifting your perspective to focus more on others comes at a cost. It’s going to cost you things like time, money, and energy. It means that