Simply Thursday

My 7 year old son's snowman.  It's been decorating our yard since the beginning of January,

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #17

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 26

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

I can picture her in my mind.  The trusted friend that you seek out for
encouragement, support, ideas, hope.

The reason this image is so clear is because I have friends who are wise and who consistently speak truth and love into my life.





Friends who successfully manage their finances and businesses.

Friends who have just the right touch when it comes to decorating.

Friends who seem to work magic when cooking or baking.

Friends who research every available piece of information before deciding on an opinion.

Friends who refuse to settle for the mundane.

Friends who have experienced hard situations and have come through them stronger and with more joy than is humanly possible.

Friends who spend their days balancing being mothers, employees, and wives while trying not to loose themselves in the midst of all the roles they play.


Yes, I am blessed to be surrounded by all these beautiful people I call friends.


May my life experiences allow me to speak with wisdom and offer faithful instruction to those who ask, just like Mrs. Proverbs.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my go to recipe when the kids want a tasty snack.  It's very easy to make and much healthier than any box muffin mix you'll find at your local grocery store.

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray your mini-muffin tin or your muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper liners.

In a Small Bowl, Mix Together the Following Dry Ingredients and Set Aside:

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a Large Bowl, Mix Together the Following Ingredients:

4 large eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups of sugar

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin

1 cup of vegetable oil

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened.  Add chocolate chips

.

Spoon batter into the muffin tins.  Each tin should be 2/3 full.  (I use the Pamered Chef Small Scoop for the mini-muffin pan and their Large Scoop for the regular sized muffin pan.)

For the mini-muffin pan, bake for 14 min.

For the regular sized muffin pan, bake for 20 min.

The tops will spring back when lightly touched.

Cool for 5 min. in the pan and then remove to wire racks to complete the cooling process.

This recipe makes 6 dozen mini muffins or 3 dozen regular sized muffins.

This recipe is easy to double and the muffins freeze well.

The original recipe was create by Tammy Clifford of Sabattus, Maine and can be found at

Very Best Baking.

A Season of Personal Reflection

A tangled mess of knots.  Twists, turns, loops all contributed to the chaos that was my skein of yarn.  It decreased my productivity and my enjoyment in the project.  What should have taken me three hours ended up taking me twenty.

I assured myself that I had just grabbed the wrong end.  Next time I would be more careful and avoid that mistake.

Yet, it kept happening.  With a majority of the skeins.

Frustrated with my lack of ability to choose the right end, I decided to undertake the tedious task of untangling the labyrinth of yarn that was beginning to cause me to loose interest in a hobby.

Rolling the yarn into a ball took a couple of hours but when I was done, I had a tidy little ball of yarn that unrolled without causing chaos and delay.

It's a lot like life.

I go through my day attempting to be productive and joyful but the knots, twists, turns and loops inevitably get in my way.  I stop and do a quick fix because frankly, that's all I have time for.  Those quick fixes don't last very long and again I get flustered, overwhelmed and stand on the edge of giving up.  I blame myself for not being smart enough to make the right choices.

I can't control everything that life throws at me but I can control my reaction to life by being at peace with myself.

I am taking the time to slow down, smooth things out, and focus on every knot that rears it's ugly head.

A season of personal reflection, nurturing relationships and organizing our home renews my spirit, allowing for more productivity and joy.  It's just what I needed.

Skein, noun: a long piece of yarn or thread that is loosely wound.
Merriam Webster Dictionary

January 2014 Goals- 1/26/14

I prayed about the goals I should set in honor of the new year. 

   

2014 Goals

In order to work toward the 2014 goals, here are my goals for month of January.

A LOVING FAMILY

Love notes to Chuck.

Have daily screen free periods of time.

Specifically pray for peace, gratitude and contentment in our home.

A PEACEFUL HOME

Organize the boy's room, our bedroom and the van.

Implement clean up before moving on rule.

A HEALTHIER PERSON

Memorize Isaiah 41:10

Drink 8 glasses of water daily.

Substitute a minimum of 4 lunches with a salad.

I was nervous about putting anything about my health goals on my blog.  Fear of failing myself and an even bigger fear of failing in front of others.  What I've been doing seems to be working so far and I even lost weight in the month of December.  I drink a nutrition drink every day, make sure to drink 8 glasses of water.  Eat a salad for most of my lunches and try to be intentional about what I eat and how much I eat.  I've also started a bible study through the Proverbs 31 ministry.  The book we are reading is called "Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst and it is teaching us to be able to tell when we are hungry and when  our cravings are really for God.

http://lysaterkeurst.com/made-to-crave/

ON TRACK WITH FINANCES

Pay bills on time.

Get certified for Simply Fun's MOPS Presentation

Make new business contacts weekly.  Minimum of 2.

Plan a GAME NIGHT EVENT.

Simply Thursday

I'm excited about all 3 Bible Studies I am participating in.  This time around I am making time to do my assignments!

A Woman Who Fears the Lord #16

The Woman Who Fears the Lord

A Study of Proverbs 31

Verse 25

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at days to come."

What does it look like to be clothed in strength and dignity?

What does it feel like to release ALL your fears to God and laugh at days to come?

Let's get real here.  If Mrs. Proverbs was a real person, she made mistakes.  Bad things happened to her because life just works that way sometimes and because sometimes, a person makes the wrong choices.

Yet, it doesn't say anything about her life's rough patches in this chapter.

This leads me to wonder who our friend Mrs. Proverbs really is...

1) Mrs. Proverbs was a model and guide to be used as inspiration, growth and personal reflection.

or

2) Mrs. Proverbs was a real person and they just didn't tell the whole story.

or

3) Proverbs 31 is based off the characteristics of several women who each had areas of strength.


We read Proverbs 31 and it shines a spot light on this woman.  This seemingly awesome, great at everything she does, perfect person-- yet we must remember, we are not perfect. I can only think of one person who was.

We can each learn from the truths and the just plain good advice found in Proverbs 31.  It can encourage us.  It can challenge us.  It can create a deeper connection to God.  It can help change us to be the women God wants us to be.

Do I see myself clothed in strength and dignity?  Nope.  I see myself as a stumbling mess who can be strong or who can be found curled up on the kitchen floor, crying because I feel so overwhelmed.  Not very dignified.

On this journey we call life, I will use this verse to aspire to trust God more.

Maybe the next time I am feeling overwhelmed, I will remember this verse.  I will pick myself up spiritually by praying and then literally so I can go about my tasks.

Believing that God is in control and that He loves me because I am his child will help me laugh at the days to come...

I'll start small and remember our friend, Mrs. Proverbs.