HUGE MILESTONE!!!! (And a Review and a Giveaway to celebrate!)

Posted on by Mary
milestone

1,oooth Blog Post Milestone

Milestones…..I remember waiting for each kid in our house to meet certain milestones. first it’s to smile, then sleep through the night , then there are first teeth, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing walking, then there is riding a bike, first day of school, driving (GULP- a milestone not too far off for our oldest). The point is that life is FULL of milestones and for the most part milestone are fun and this milestone is no different.

Things happen and sometimes milestones are delayed. Delayed milestone when we are talking about small children aren’t good at all and we have had a fair share of those as well but in the growth and maturity of this blog I have had a few seasons of waiting. BUT THIS IS IT BABY!!!

January 8, 2007 (you can check it out here)

I had two kids ages 1.5 and 5 months old YEAH I KNOW! and I was just a few months shy of getting pregnant with number 3 (he was born in November of that year). Hubby was working full time, going to school full time and was associate pastor with his dad full time. I was about to turn 27 years old and I needed to do something to get the words out that wouldn’t be understood by my you g cohorts.

I don’t even remember what I called my first blog (hosted by blogger) but I remember that my first user name was Frog Princess!!! (yes I love frogs and I am God’s princess so there ya have it). then came Happy Mama and that was my next blog….a BIG GIRL real for real HOSTED blog . There was about a years time when the blogosphere (is that even a word anymore) didn’t hear from little old me and THAT’s ok. That Blog was called Walking the Walk- and I was off again.

Fast forward just a few short years and we faced something difficult. and because of that I struggled with some major fear in my life and took a major long healing process. and with that healing process came a new blog and a different person. I wish I could tell you that fear didn’t affect my blogging anymore but RGAR WOULD BE A BOLD FACED LIE! It is a struggle to write about hard things and in the coming months and years it’s not going to get easier. See the point of this blog is all about a journey, and this journey is NOT an easy one. This journey has seen my fait waiver and I have lost hope once or twice. But t I am thankful for a GOD who chases me down and doesn’t let me go!!!!!!

SO Let’s have a pasr-tay!!! Let me introduce you to AJ.

Arabah Joy

I was introduced to AJ back a few years ago when I purchased one of the first Ultimate Homeaking Bundles. I think t was a set of cards Called WORSHIP: Celebrating the names and Attributes of God. I LOVED this resource and I used it often and over the years I have bought more bundles Like a Bible study bundle and more homemaking bundles. . And it’s kinda funny when I started preparing for this post I began to realize just how many of AJ’s resources I have collected over the years. I also enjoy her Bible study Methods PDF as well.

You can purchase this PDF Here (Note I do not own the entire PDF file just the ebook and links for videos)

milestone

I have used quite a few of these and enjoy them.

Another Of AJ’s PDF’s that I have used on and off over the last few years came in another homemaking Bundle and we are currently using them in our “morning basket” (even though there is no BASKET to speak of)

You can purchase this PDF here

milestone
milestone

Over the last few years I have collected and used many of her scripture writing sheets as well. So as I prepared to make this blog post 3 1/2 months ago I was also compiling my PDF books and was reminded of just how many of AJ’s re sources I have used and enjoyed AND THEN I saw an ad on facebook. It was for AJ’s newest resource and I had an idea. AND I had to muster some courage.

I needed to take a step of faith and get some boldness. wrote to AJ. I had shared me milestone and she was so encouraging And she kindly granted me TWO copies one for me to review and one FOR ME TO GIVE AWAY! in honor of my 1,000 blog post so a huge shout out and thank you to ARABAH JOY.

So let’s get into this awesome new resource! It’s called “LOVE THE WORD BIBLE STUDY BINDER” and it comes with 66 printable pages and it’s got a bunch of AJ’s resources in it!

Here’s what you get!

  • 4 different covers to choose from
  • Spines in each of the cover patterns for 1, 1 ½, 2, and 3 inch binders
  • Tabs (both customized and blank)
  • Monthly divider sheets (January – December)
  • The Alone with God Quiet Time Journal
  • Bible Color Coding System with instructions and Bookmark
  • PROSPER Bible Study Method (workbook, templates, + 5 video tutorials)
  • Sermon Notes sheets
  • Prayer and Praise sheets
  • Gratitude sheets
  • Journaling Pages
  •  12 Monthly Write the Word Challenges (topics include Spiritual Friendship, Money Matters, Cultivating Joy, The Power of Prayer, and more)

These printable are amazing for a number of reasons……

first the are GORGEOUS!!! Love the style and the colors AND it comes with 4 different covers and end pieces for the binder. So since I put mine together during cCOVID Quarantine My resources were limited so I ended up using a binger and clear sleeves I already had

I choose the fun Plaid cover.

milestone
milestone

The there REALLY great thing about this binder is YU can make it fit YOU!!! Since I received my files I have changed and rearranged my binder to make it fit my needs. And sometimes my needs need to fit seasonally.

Here are some of my other images from my binder….

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  • milestone

As you can see in some of these images I laminated the monthly tabs and I made the dividers for some sections and I added some tabs in the back to hold the extra printables I am currently not using. You can purchase this Binder printable pack for $27.00 HERE

THEN LIFE HAPPENED

No joke! At the beginning of quarantine 3 1/2 months ago here in NY I had 3 or 4 blog posts to write and at the rate I was going it would have been posted the next week. I literally wrote to AJ the weekend before life hot the fan. On Friday the NY governor said he wasn’t going to close schools BUT by Tuesday all NYS schools were closed indefinitely. first one month, then two months then til the end of the school year and we lost our spring break. . And even though just a week or two prior to the new normal we all found ourselves in Hubby and I had decided to homeschool 3 out of the 4 kiddos next school year we joked that “apparently we were going to get to test run the idea”. HA. 4 kids 3 schools all handling school differently. NOT A BLESSED thing like homeschooling and before long I realized that my goal of 1,000 blog posts was going to have to wait!

So here we are…..

3 /12 months later. we are currently in stage four of re-opening here is New York State. We had our first in person church service in 3 1/2 months. People are wearing masks and elbow bumping each other. I wish I could tell you that our family had walked away unscathed from this virus but we have friends who have lost loved ones and we waited and prayed for good news. and were saddened by the loss of their loved ones. And then for me specifically it weighed so heavily on my heart that so many of our friends who were losing friends and family all while watching people call the illness a hoax and whatever. They had zero regard for those who were going through so much. It broke me. I had no words. And I disappeared and threw myself headlong into my family

My review

At this point I have had ampersand’s time to use a good majority of my binder and It is extremely helpful to me. I am currently working through the PROSPER Study Method while I work thru the book of Philippians. Each time I use a new study method I am stretched and this is no different. I love it that you spend so much time in the same passage and that you examine it through many different angles. I printed off all the pages I needed to go though the book of Philippians and bound it along with a printed off copy of Philippians so I could make my notes and highlights all in one place and at the end of each section I take the color coding bookmark and mark up the printed off copy of Philippians as well.

I have also used the sermon notes pages…those of you who know me know I had to go back to a regular notebook just because of the amount of notes I take.

I have also used the gratitude journal pages and the scripture writing pages.

As you can see I love the binder and I will put it to good use for a very long time. I just want to make something clear though. JUST because You get this tool, doesn’t’t mean that you will automatically start growing You have to actually use it. You have to WANT to grow. So many times we put stock in people or tools to help us grow but then aren’t willing to put the work in and make the commitment to the one who saved our souls

This is a great way to organize your prayer life which as a pastors wife can m=be down right daunting and overwhelming sometime times (ok all the time). BUT THIS HELPS A LOT! Especially in the overwhelm.

Just one more Note about AJ and her website.

I have included a bunch of links in this blog post but NONE of them are affiliate links. I want to share these resources with you. They have helped me and they have encouraged my heart. And I want that for you as well. Another thing I NEVER EVER do is encourage you to sign up for an email subscription list. BUT if ever there was one that you should AJ’s is it.

It seems like when I am in the middle of something hard an email will come through and either she will have words of encouragement of a free tool that meets me RIGHT where I am at…..

So What’s Next?\

The long and the short of it is I don’t know I have a laundry list of blog posts to be written. I hope to have a design update and some tweaks that need to be done so stay on the lookout but also hope to start adding in more art and reviewing some products of the art nature and I also would love to bring back book reviews but so much has changed with the closing of BookLook Bloggers.

So here’s the deal (I mean giveaway)

I have one set of printables to give away. I will pick the winner on July 13th and all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me two things

  1. What is one way God changed you through quarantine or showed you about yourself?
  2. What is an area you struggle with in spending time withGod?

AND THANK YOU……

I couldn’t have done this without you my readers!!! It’s been a journey of growth and excitement.I can’t believe I have hot this milestone WITH YOU!!! Thanks so much for sticking with me! I can’t WAIT for the NEXT 1,000 posts (and hopefully it won’t take almost 13 years LOL)

Blessings, Mary

Let’s Talk: Anger

Posted on by Mary
Anger

Anger is everywhere! I don’t watch the news. I don’t even have the ability to watch the news on TV. This is probably a very good thing…for MANY reasons. I do however have social media. I KNOW there is a lot of anger everywhere in this world right now. It’s everywhere we look. it’s everywhere we go. BUT….even though it is highly prevalent in our culture and world right now that’s NOT why I am writing this blog posts. It starts with a bible study Called ENOUGH bySharon Jaynes.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and as I sat early Sunday morning working though the questions of Chapter 12 entitled “I Can’t Forgive the Person Who Hurt Me” some thoughts started rolling around in my head, somethings started to make some sense. Let’s start of with some definitions.

What Is Anger? (and a few other definitions)

Ephesians 4:31(NIV) says:

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

That’s a lot of words (all definitions taken from lexicon.com)

  • bitterness-Anger and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment.
  • rage- Violent, uncontrollable anger.
  • anger- A strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.
  • brawling-A rough or noisy fight or quarrel.
  • slander-The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation.
  • (with EVERY form of) malice-The intention or desire to do evil; ill will.

YIKES. do you feel convicted after that? I do. Not to mention there are some pretty strong commands in that verse as well.

Let’s start with the very first one…GET RID OF ALL…and then in goes into all those words! Not some of them…Not most of them…….ALL OF THEM..

OUCH!

How do we do that?

The answer to that question is found I the very next verse….matter of fact as a small child THIS verse was etched into my brain in a little song we learned in our church’sWednesday night kids club.

And be ye kind one to another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (do-do-do-dodo) Ephesians 4:32. I know I know it’s King James language so let’s go to the NIV

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

It’s not easy . Not being or getting angry is HARD!!! Our lives are riddled with hurts. Some unthinkable. “But Mary” you say, “you don’t understand.” Don’t I? I know that betrayal, domestic violence, abuse (of all sorts) tragic unexpected deaths, babies lost, children lost, teenagers lost, young adults lost, sickness, cancer and other horrific maladies of all sorts. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, violence, divorce, cheating spouses, broken friendships. All of these things…….we have walked the paths with friends and family in the last 5 years. we have held hands, wiped tears, shared in great pain.

It’s incredibly hard, but it’s a necessary choice, the choice to forgive. Many times without ever being asked to. I know I know to us that seems to be an impossible situation but I can tell you that it can be done. Holding bitterness wrath and malice in your heart only hurt one person….You. By holding onto the pain of all that has hurt you, you are giving that person the ability to harm you.

When you choose to forgive that person you are set free. But it’s a process Many times a moment by moment process. And as we actively choose to give over our anger, bitterness wrath and malice to Jesus we are slowly being freed from the chains that those who have hurt us.

Holding onto something that eats at us keeps us from being effective followers of Jesus. Our of our embittered hearts come volatile speech by which we hurt other people.

HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE!

This journey is hard enough without holding onto all of this pain! Won’t you join me finding freedom from all the hurt deep in our hearts?

Blessings, Mary

Let’s Talk- Contentment

Posted on by Mary
contentment

Contentment 101

Definition of contentment

1: the quality or state of being contentedThere was a look of contentment on her fac

Hey all!! It’s been a hot minute since I have shown my face around here . The last time I published a post was March 16th. the first day of quarantine here is NY. Today marks 3 months. Tomorrow is our two youngest sons last day of distance learning. And today as I was finishing up a set of study questions for a book I have been working on struck a chord- The root of the questions was contentment and as I began to work through each question I saw contentment with new eyes.

So let’s start our by defining what Content meant is.

Definition of contentment

1: the quality or state of being contented

There was a look of contentment on her fac

Synonyms 

  • content, 
  • contentedness, 
  • delectation, 
  • delight, 
  • enjoyment, 
  • gladness, 
  • gratification, 
  • happiness, 
  • pleasure, 
  • relish, 
  • satisfaction

Do you see that list? Is’t that kinda crazy? CONTENTMENT=Gladness? satisfaction? Pleasure?

Now you might be saying Mary- that’s No BIG deal. You can be content. when the sun is shining and the birds are singing. When Your kiddos are laughing and hugging each other. When Your hubby is helping wash the dishes. Yep That EASY. BUT what does the Bible have to say about contentment?

Contentment in Philippians 4

The study questions took us through Philippians. And if you know anything about this book you should know the theme is joy. Sound familiar? No, visit that list of synonyms of the word contentment again.

Before we get to the verses there are 2 things you should know about the book of Philippians

  • It’s written by Paul
  • He is writing this book from Prison

Let’s check out verses 11-13

11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (NIV)

He says it twice…Do you see it? Being content in whatever the circumstance….being content in any and every situation. You might scoff and say HA this Paul dude has NO IDEA what he is talking about. I beg to differ. The very next question In the study took us to 2 Corinthians 11:22-28 NIV

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

THATS a lot of bold print.

Perspective on Contentment

I really want you to let all that soak in….

  • Prison
  • flogged
  • exposed to death (not once but again and again)
  • 40 lashes (minus one) 5 times from the Jews
  • 3 times beaten with rods
  • stoned
  • shipwrecked 3 times
  • spent a night and a day in the open sea
  • constantly on the move
  • in danger in the river
  • in danger from bandits
  • a danger from my fellow Jews
  • in danger from Gentiles
  • in danger in the city
  • in danger in the country
  • in danger at sea
  • in danger from false believers
  • Often gone without sleep
  • knew hunger and thirst and often went without food
  • He had been cold AND NAKED (it’s one thing to be cold-it’s another thing entirely to be cold and naked That is a whole different animal.

On top of all of those horrible things he had to cary on with everyday life….he Labored and toiled….worked hard.

AND THEN on top of all of that he faced DAILY his concerns for the churchES. I emphasized the -ES in churches because the average pastor only has one church in their concern.

My life in View of Paul’s Contentment

I haven’t been flogged or stoned. I haven’t been in prison. I’m not in danger. Paul was in danger EVERYWHERE HE WENT. Can you imagine? And yet he LEARNED contentment in ALL circumstances. Not in some circumstances. ALL of them….the good, the bad, the UGLY. Yep the ugly. the cruel string of deaths within a year. Broken relationships. Hurt feelings. Broken appliances. Broken cars. Sickness. Quarantine. Social distancing. No electricity. No propane. No internet. Deaths of friends and family. Empt store shelves. Different ways of doing church. And everything else for that matter. World in turmoil. hurricanes, earthquakes riots, senseless death. And yet…my list seems so insignificant. It isn’t it’s just as important that I Learn to be content in ALL my circumstances

I can take the example of Paul and learn a couple of lessons.

Lessons Learned from Paul’s Contentment

  • Contentment MUST be learned. It doesn’t just happen It takes great work.
  • No matter what comes our way- no matter how dark and ugly can be faced with contentment.
  • The secret to having contentment in all things…in every circumstance….I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

What about you? Is there anything you have learned from our discussion on contentment? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Blessings, Mary

NOTE: Bible references from NIV and can be found on Bible Gateway

Happy Homemaker Monday (almost Tuesday)

Posted on by Mary
Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I hope it’s been great. Over the next 4 weeks I think I’m going to try moving my blogging time to the morning.

♥♥The Weather♥♥

Sunny and quite breezy and cool but it’s only supposed to get better and then it’s gonna tank on Saturday. BUT it’s NY so it could change a lot by the time Saturday rolls around

♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥

Ahem- this evening NOT as stuffed up no sinus headache. My face doesn’t hurt and the cough isn’t that bad. NO I don’t have the current virus causing a stir but the common cold is prevalent in our area right now

♥♥On my mind♥♥

HMMMM Pretty sure you can guess!!! I’m not worried but we are constantly adapting to changes. No biggie and kinda fun.

♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥

didn’t eat breakfast this morning

♥♥On my reading pile♥♥

All of my books.

♥♥On my tv♥♥

Today was Star Wars Episode 6 Return of the Jedi . Now we will start the next set of three since the last once was just released to VuDU today (secret about me- I hate cliff hangers I would rather wait for the whole series to be out so I can know what happens next)

♥♥On the menu this week♥♥

Monday

The black blob for today was a local restaurant. Want to read more about the lesson I learned about menu planning in the midst of a crisis…You can read all about it HERE

♥♥From the camera♥♥

Monday
Have you read this book yet? You should!

♥♥Looking around the house♥♥

I’ve been sick so there is some general cleanup. And I have the spring cleaning list printed off and ready to go as soon as I take care of a few problem areas.

♥♥Chore I’m not looking forward to today, or this week♥♥

EVERYTHING- no literally. I am looking forward to this change of pace

♥♥To relax this week, I will♥♥

do something fun with the kids every day of the week BECAUSE we can

♥♥On my prayer list♥♥

Oh Man so many things

♥♥Devotional/Bible Verse♥♥

1 JOHN. READ IT

Want to read More Happy Homemaker Monday Posts? Check out Diary of A Stay at Home Mom

Lessons Learned in This New Season

Posted on by Mary
Lessons

A lesson I learned a long time ago was no matter what you are going through there are lessons to be learned. And that is kids how I have lived my life since late high school.

God really does want us to learn and grow even from the smallest things he brings into our lives. It’s called having a teachable spirit (And there is a blog post on that coming soon) but for now let’s check out some of the quirky lesson’s I have leaned I the last 4 days.

Lesson #1: Can You Guess It?

Let’s just get this lesson out of they first, because let’s be honest as soon as you saw the title this is what you thought. Lesson #1 is that we have reached a whole new level of CRAZY!

You know it and I know it. I live in NY and we get some decent snow amounts but even in the worst sense of the imagination, I have never expected to experience the mass amount of “preparedness” that has seemed to reach epic proportions, not just here in New York but across the entire country.

Lesson #2: A New way to Menu Plan

Let me just start off by saying that this is NOT my preferred method. This lesson kinda hot me yesterday (Sunday) as I sat down to prepare my menu and shopping List for the week. And I unsnapped my two month menu plan I use to make my weekly menus and I began to assess what I had in the pantry and what I needed fro the upcoming week. And as I began to plan I realized something.

For the first time I didn’t have confidence that the store might not have what I was going to need to basic meals.

In our family of 6 we have some dietary needs as well. AND as the afternoon went on I learned that we were going to be embarking on a “homeschooling adventure of sorts. Good thing we have experience in that. BUT it meant that two kids who usually eat 2 meals a day at school would now be eating them here at home.

HMMMM…..I usually start stocking the kitchen with kid food weeks prior to summer break and yet now I had zero planning time.

So I wrote out my list and told Hubby that the list was bigger than normal to deal with extra breakfasts and lunches AND there was stuff that in case you couldn’t find………You can get this instead. There were a bunch of things he couldn’t find

  • Pasta
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Tissues
  • Frozen Veggies

Have no fear we have plenty of food. we know we have a couple of cases of chicken we ordered a few weeks ago so no meat wasn’t really on the list and we have plenty in our freezers as well. I keep a pretty well stocked pantry but there were somethings that we were out of.

So this week for the first time ever I have made my menu based on what hubby COULD buy. (FYI I do NOT like or recommend this method)

Lesson #3 Speaking of Tissues……

So we are sick- 4 out of the 6 of us to be exact. I know I know Go ahead let the COVID -19 comments fly…..Are ya done ? Ok good Glad you got it out of your system :).

SO I have a 1/2 a box of tissues. So naturally that goes on the list. Well I put it there and NO luck. ANYWHERE. normally no big deal right? Just grab the roll of toilet paper….Except for that new level of crazy we talked about in Lesson 1 had lftf us in a TP shortage.. Never in my whole life have I had to second guess the usage of TP. It struck me as humorous.

Here we are living in a first world country and enough panic has been created that we have created a shortage on something EVERY single person in the=is country has probably taken for granted at one point or another.

And I thought about the question that has been circulating for a number of years “What if you only woke up with the things you thanked God for Yesterday?” HMMMMMM!!! Maybe we should be thanking God for the simple things we seemingly take for grated.

I must confess that I have learned many lessons in menu planning but this one has been the most difficult to wrap my brain around.

Lesson #4 Local Businesses

Today in our area restaurants were told to move to a take out only model. . Earlier in the day I had spoken with a friend of ours who drives our kids bus. She is not working because the schools are closed. Her hubby owns a local restaurant (one we love) and how they might be forced to close and the government was asking them to still pay their employees. THAT’s difficult if you aren’t making any money.

By lunch time we knew that they had to switch to take out only model. They rely heavily on college students until summer but the colleges have all closed as well. So today we supported our friends and even though we chose not to dine in because of the sickness we got take-out.

Out of all of these lessons, this one is probably the most serious.

Lesson #5 A New Use For My Planner

Ok this one got me a little today. Hubby and I were talking about how we keep taking things off our schedule because of COVID-19 and as two Introverts this is not a big deal. I told hubby I was really glad that I use erasable Pens (PILOT FRIXON PENS to be exact) in my planner.

Hubby told me not to erase everything but to just draw a line through it so we have an accurate depiction as to just how much our lives have changed. So that’s what I’ve done and you will see that in a later post.

That’s the monthly part but what about the weekly part. Each week I sit down and write the weeks appointments in. well I haven’t done that this week because there isn’t anything to really move over. So instead I have decided to use it as a daily journaling space to keep track of what’s going on.

Different for sure and I am sure t is going to take some getting used to.

So there you have it, 5 lessons I have learned so far in this new season of blank canvas. Tomorrow I hope to blog about some of the fun things we plan to do in the midst of this new season.

I am a firm believer that you only get out what you put into something so if you put in a bunch of negativity into life’s lessons that is what you are gonna reap more negativity So let’s keep a positive outlook.

Let’s talk about it : What lessons have you learned?

This is a positive space so comments in a negative complaining light will be deleted.. Thank you and Blessings