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Happy Homemaker Monday 2/29/2016

Posted on by Mary

Let’s start off with a Big Ole’ HAPPY LEAP DAY!!!

What are you doing with you “extra”  24 Hours  today?

Me I’m Blogging…YAY!!!!!

It’s been a while…a rather long. Hard while, and while we are still feeling the effects of exhaustion stemming from a very traumatic event we are in a whole new normal and a very exciting time in our lives.

I know I have mentioned it briefly over the last year, but our story really is coming…I PROMISE!

So on with my Happy Homemaker post!!

On the weather front:   Rainy, wet, and very SPRING like…That’s saying a lot since we live in upstate NY (and  it’s FEBRUARY  29th)

On my bedside table: nothing really

On my TV: Fuller House (more  on my take on this later)

On the menu for tonight:Million Doller  Spaghetti Casserole found on this site here 

On the menu for this week:

Monday: Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole & Salad

Tuesday: Chili and Biscuits

Wednesday: Chicken Broccoli Rice Bake and Veggies

Thursday: Taco Salad

Friday: Meatball Subs

Saturday: Pizza

Sunday: For the fellowship dinner cookies, for evening meal we will have something simple perhaps leftovers…if there are any !!

On my To Do List:

  • Cancel Netflix
  • Deep clean Kitchen cabinets
  • deep clean and re-organize the school room (did you catch that a hint of a new adventure)
  • craft room organized
  • kids clothes sorted and organized
  • Linen closet sorted organized and decluttered

There is a bunch more BUT this is plenty for the week!

New Recipe I tried last week:I didn’t.  last week was TOO crazy for new!

In the craft basket:  Home organization items, a bathrobe and a baby gift for a certain very anticipated niece and cousin!

Looking forward to:: Wednesday date night with my dear Husband !!

Homemaking Tip for this week: enjoy your space, make it  what you love.  OWN IT!

Favorite photo from last week:

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Lesson learned the past few days:  from yesterday actually I planned  a meal for 8 adults and 6 kids.  What I got was 8 adults and 9 kids….can you say 5 loaves and two fishes….everyone ate until they were filled! THEN THERE were leftovers!!

On my Prayer List:

  • 5 little girls
  • unsaved friends and family
  • a teen growing leaps and bounds in her faith with Jesus
  • a sick little boy in our house
  • my children
  • my husband

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses

Ephesian :4:1-6  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (NIV

For More Happy Homemaker Posts Check out: http://familycorner.blogspot.com

BOOK REVIEW: Stress and Peace by Stanley V. Johnson MBA

Posted on by Mary

imageStress and Peace by Stanley V. Johnson MBA

Stress and Peace by Stanley Johnson is is a book based on how to deal with everyday stress and how to take those stresses and to achieve peace through them. The first three chapters of the book Mr. Johnson takes the time in each of those three chapters to:

  1. to define the purpose of Life
  2. Define Stress
  3. Define Peace

However this is a Christian book and Mr. Johnson quotes Hindu and Buddhist and Sikh writings along with Muslim and Jewish texts and a few other non-Christian writings. This is a problem because the Bible ris very clear about mixing faiths. If this is a Christian book it should be focused on what Bible says about stress and peace

The remaining of the chapters (and there’s a lot of them but they are relatively short) is based on life trials and the stresses that come into our lives along with the general parts of life as we grow and mature, Such as:

marriage

children

adolescence

end-of-life

growing older

financial

and various different areas of life

In all of these he talks about the Bible and he talks about an ideal. However we don’t live a life of ideals but that is what Mr. Johnson is communicating in his book. In this book the ongoing feeling is that this is a perfect world so you’re going to have stress. Stress isn’t in a perfect world but if you handle the way in which he tells you to your not going to have any stress. You could do all that he says, to make the stress easier or eliminate stress and still have some catastrophe that will create huge amounts of stress.

So then what do we do with this book? My review of this book is that I first of all didn’t Agree with the first three chapters. I think that if it’s a Christian book then those other religions have no part or weight in writing a Christ centered Bible based book. It’s like writinga Diet and exercise manual while citing a Paula Den CookBook for healthy eating ideas. It doesn’t affect me because I don’t read those books I don’t partake in those religions…they just plain and simple don’t apply to me and that’s fine. As I read the rest of the chapters I just quickly discovered that his ideas are good the principles are biblical. The things that he said are good but when you do the things that it says and things don’t turn out the way they “should” then what do we do when it doesn’t ?Mr. Johnson just doesn’t deal with that so I think that my review based on the first three chapters being 90% irrelevant to my walk as a follower of Jesus and the fact that his book talks about an ideal, I’m going to give it a two out of five stars and I can’t recommend this book only because I really didn’t Agree with it.

(WRITERS NOTE: I am NOT saying that the Bible is an ideal, the Bible never returns void and is good for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What i am saying is that the author does not provide adequate help for those who might follow his advice and things still don’t work the way they “should”)

I want to take this moment to think BookLook Bloggers for letting me review this book for free and without expectation of a positive review

Introverted Mommy

Posted on by Mary

Introverted Mommy

Embracing Being an Introvert in the Land of Mommyhood isn’t Easy…NO NO NO! If you told me back when I was a teenager that I was an introvert I would have said “Say what” Ok so that wasn’t a saying per se BUT I would not have understood what that meant.

Fast forward to College and a lot of people told me I was an extrovert. I liked hanging out in large groups. We would play fun games such as “wWhose Line is it Anyway” (yes BIBLE college version) and Mafia (AHEM) yes you read that right….we spent many hours playing that game, matter of fact we still play that game with our youth group. We played other games too. I have always enjoyed games… of all sorts. Card games, board games, acting games, and games such as Sardines, Mission Impossible and Capture the Flag Basketball and some others. I even know how to play poker, black jack and a few other “questionable” games. It’s a good thing God didn’t say thou Shalt not play Cards because folks I’m here to tell you I have seen good kids play poker with UNO cards. It’s a sin to gamble NOT play a game…Ok so lets get back to the task at hand. In high school I was told I was great at public speaking and got a personal invitation from the coach to be a part of the team…think debate not dead bodies. That love of public speaking grew as I went to Bible College and took Chic-aletics ..The female (nicknamed) version of homiletics (preaching). The teacher didn’t know that the students had secretly been calling it that for years until my friend Amy and I stood talking in the lunch line and she overheard us…she was shocked and then giggled and said I LOVE IT! we just thought “WHEW” I knew then Mrs U. was a kindred Spirit.

What I didn’t realize was, that is actually an introvert quality. Liking large groups over small or one to one groups which coincidentally I find torturous!! It wasn’t until a few years ago that I began to understand who I really was.

Continue reading “Introverted Mommy” →

Happy Homemaker Monday….On Tuesday?

Posted on by Mary

Happy_Homemaker_MondayHi everyone!!!!   I know this is a day late but we have been on vcation and we still are just for a few short days more (SIGH)   It has been good but I must confess that it too has been hard.  Hard in  coming face to face with God in some hard heart moments.   When you vacation at a Bible conference you find yourself having multiple daily meeting with God.   And so it goes that those moments if you really have your heart open and ready (and even in some moments when your heart is closed tighter than a clam…those moments hurt a whole lot more!)  God meets you RIGHT where you are….usually in some sort of mess!   I have a big mess…..a mess that has been hard for nearly 10 months. and I PROMISE I will write more on that mess soon, but in the meantime….Im going to do YETERDAYS post Late so hang in there!

The weather in my neck of the woods: Both today and yesterday SUNNY and Warm…..OH so LOVELY!
Things that make me happy: swimming, hearing my kids giggle and laugh, camping at our favorite place in the world
Menu for this week: we tend to go off the fly during camping, we buy stapl ingredients and then whatever floats our boat we go with
What’s on my TV today:  what’s in The Bible with Buck Denver…Ive been trying to decide what DVD I’m going to be giving away…..(HINT watch next week for said giveaway)
Looking around the house:haha…i can’t see my house from here, however when  I leave my lovely writing spot, I will see our camper. and with 6 people it gets a little cramped AND cluttered
On my To Do List: relax, hang out with my family and grow closer to Jesus….That is it people and ITS AMAZING!
New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:NONE
In the craft basket: not a thing!
Looking forward to this week: nothing really just peacefulness
Tips and Tricks: just be….that is it, be present , be loving and BE AWARE
My favorite blog post this week: absolutely nothing, I haven’t seen any blogs this week
Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):same as above
No words needed (favorite photo or picture):IMG_20150707_130514_035My writing spot at camp!  it’s a beautiful porch with lounge chairs….so peaceful and relaxing!
Lesson learned the past few days: Trials you can either EMBRACE it, ESCAPE it and ENLIST it (Warren Wiersbe)  God and I are having an ongoing conversation on what it looks like for me to enlist a certain trial
On my mind: a friend who had surgery this morning, my kids and my hubby, our church and  SOMEONE WHO IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF JESUS
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: Genesis 34 and the account of Dinah.  I have some serious observations……that will come later but in the meantime I also have questions I need to answer first!   But my Bible reading was Gen 34-38and Psalm 21-23 and Chpter 3 of Anything By Jennie Allen

For More Happy Homemaker Posts Check out:
http://familycorner.blogspot.com

Coffee With Friends: An Introduction

Posted on by Mary

imageMy whole life I have been surrounded by a lot of people, but just because there are a lot of people doesn’t mean you feel less alone.  But think about it :

School = A LOT  of people

Church = a lot of people

Large families = a lot of people (have 7 uncles and 1 aunt on one side and at  the time 5 aunts and 5 uncles on the other side…now add in my parents,brothers,  grandparents, aunt’s and uncle’s spouses AND cousins!   ).  That’s a whole lot of people.

Work = a lot of people

Then we go off to college

College =  a lot of people

And then…..I got married!

I worked full time, hubby worked two jobs at first and full-time seminary and with no drivers license that left me on a college campus for long hours with….you guessed it A LOT of people.

Then due to circumstances hubby and I decided that I would quit my job and be a full time homemaker…with no kids.   I learned all sorts of new things but the novelty wore off quickly and I missed having people around.  An introvert by nature I’m ok with people around but I don’t have to always talk….maybe that’s why when I worked on campus the majority of my free time was spent in the library …lots of people with little to no talking.

Out of this came an intense desire to read my Bible and to read Christian authors……these people quite literally became my friends.   Then came mommyhood…four kids  = a lot more noise,, a hubby in full time ministry and at times full time school! and not a lot of friends. A year ago it struck me….these people ARE my friends, I may not have ever met them in real life, but we have an eternity for all that.   A book idea that day was born , and from there came my blog post ideas.   So here’s how this is going to work each Wednesday I’m going to do a blog post.   It will be a person from the Bible or a person from church History.   In the post I will write them a letter (just like the old days).  I will share bits and pieces of my life with them, ask them about theirs , and ask for advice.  When the book is eventually ready  (like a gazillion years from now) the letter will appear first thing in each chapter and then I will write the rest of the chapter about that person, what their lives were like, how they might have or did struggle and how we can relate in today’s culture with these future BFF’s

Basically I’m inviting you into my devotions and Bible Studay as I have Coffee With Friends!

So now it’s your turn…..

If you could have coffee with any one person in the Bible or in church history, who would it be?   What would you ask them? or how do you identify with them?

(To get the conversation rolling and your wheels turning I asked this same question of my facebook friends.   My friend Katie W. Had my favorite response…. She would like to talk to Daniel’s parents and ask them for parenting advice.   ISNT THAT AMAZING).  So here’s your chance!  Go!