I’m Back- Happy Homemaker Monday 4-16-2018

Posted on by Mary

Happy

Greetings friends.  It been awhile and let me just say Life kinda got turned on it’s ear.  But that’s ok we feel like we are mellowing out a bit and quite honestly I feel more focused than in recent months.  and I have some super cool things coming down the line including some nifty new blog content because even though I have been silent here doesn’t mean you haven’t been on my mind!  So I am  totally excited for the coming weeks!

So let’s jump  in and get Happy….

The weather:::. warmer and rainy.  I love the rain actually, but let’s not talk about tomorrow though.

As I look outside my window::: rain drops on the window, mud and green grass. BUT green grass is the only visible sign of spring here at our house

Right now I am:::  texting a company back and fourth about a video on my facebook account that they loved

Thinking and pondering:::bahahaaha I can’t believe I have to do this a second time ( my computer decided it needed to run an update right as I was proofreading the post the first time.  I lost 90% of the post so I am doing it again!

On my bedside table::: a few books including my new review book.  I CANONLY IMAGINE by Bart Millard

On my tv::: nothing BUT iTunes is keeping me company. which just happens to be Flawless by Mercy Me at this very minute!

On the menu for this week:::

Monday –  Pasta with meat sauce

Tuesday – Chicken and biscuits

Wednesday – Chili

Thursday –  Chef Salads

Friday – chicken Salad subs

Saturday – OUT we are headed out to a concert with friends from church

Sunday – BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Potato salad

On my to do list::: the better question is what’s NOT on my to-do list

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating::: Lettering for a church bulletin board ( using the Cricut). video voiceovers and graphics for a ladies luncheon promotional video

My simple pleasure::: reading outside while waiting for the kids to get home from school

Lesson learned the past week:::  transparency is one of the greatest influencers on others lives

Looking around the house::: Spring cleaning is under way.  Itlooks like I’m organizing our life

From the camera:::

Prayer List::: I have some friends and family who are going through some really tough stuff & our son with Autism is having some health struggles that is keeping us on our toes

Bible verse, Devotional:::  Over the last few weeks I have been studying Esther and this week as I studied Esther Chapter 4 Was hit hard with some amazing truth about this young woman life as she went to from a person of little consequence to a woman of great influence.  And is’t that how God repeatedly works throughout scripture, he takes the least likely candidate and turns them into a great influencer!

For more Happy Homemaker posts check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Book Review: Hello Mornings by Kat Lee

Posted on by Mary

Hello Mornings

About The Book

In Hello Mornings Kat Lee takes her years of knowledge and understanding of what it means to have a  purposeful morning routine.  She takes her years of experience and  writes from her passion about what it means to truly have a successful morning routine.  She begins with the importance of having a morning routine.  One of the most intriguing concepts in this morning routine  presented  by Kat Lee is the idea of a 3-minute morning..    Each morning you spend just one minute on each of three areas.

  1. God Time
  2. Plan Time
  3. Move Time

Each of these 3 areas are broken down in the simplest of tasks.  In God Time you read and meditate on one verse.  In plan time you review your calendar, and in move  time you start off drinking water.  The whole point is to set the routine, making it a bit.  As you get comfortable in the routine you grow your various times.  The beauty of this is when you come to a point of stress, change or sickness you won’t just give up where you are you can just simply go back to that simple three minute morning routine and not feel like you have completely failed.  Kat then goes on to explain the growing of each of these areas.  She gives ample ideas on how to grow each one without it seeming like she is forcing you into her way.  The whole concept really is about discovering what s right for you!

The last four chapters are a toolkit as she Labels it in section 3.  In these chapters she talks about building habits, the power of preparation , Community and accountability and Her call to action.

My Response

Wish I could sit here and tell you how easy of a book this is.  But it’s not.  It’s a good book.  It is a powerful book because it holds some powerful truths.  I wish someone had given me permission years ago to have a 3 minute morning routine.  It has empowered me to go back to square one and to lay a foundation that once upon a time I had, but as I became a mom, and joined my husband in full time ministry, I have  fallen short of where I really needed to be and honestly at times I have just plain and simple given up because Life has gotten too crazy or too hard and I can no longer keep all those hoops spinning.   I have now come to a place where I don’t have to drop these three hoops.  The most important hoops.  This book has opened my eyes to a new way of looking at my mornings.  yes I know I am a morning person already but this simple way of looking at mornings is even a do-able morning routine for the night owls  I call friends and family.

Yes it’s a hard book. AND yes it is worth your time.  Another amazing facet of this book is you don’t have to get through the WHOLE book in order to put these principles into practice.  You can get that three minute morning implemented ASAP!  It builds momentum and you will find yourself having more confidence as you move forward through this book.  Needless to say ( as if you couldn’t already tell.) I highly recommend this book.  I give it five stars.  AND will you join me as I say HELLO MORNINGS?

A huge Thank you to BookLoook Bloggers for Providing me with the free copy of this book for review purposes And an even bigger thank you for letting me review these books as I see fit!

Dots, Finishing, Overnights, and Skunks: Random Reflections 2-26-2018

Posted on by Mary

Random

Happy Monday Night!! I had some things that had to be done this morning and afternoon AND I have two sick pre-teen boys.  As in the stomach kind of sick and boy am I glad they are not little  and missing the bucket!

And now that I have totally grossed you out, let’s get on with this past weeks Reflections.

#1 DOTS

This arrived today. We have been in state of busy-ness over the last 6-8 months. And what once worked (chore charts broken down by days) no longer works so after much searching and countless conversations about how to simplify…and our system was pretty simple, we came upon this little gem.  I will be honest it was pricey.  BUT after researching materials I couldn’t make it much cheaper.  So this all inclusive system will be tested out.  This is not a sponsored post.  I need to add the pictures of each family member to the top row.  BUT outside of that it is pretty much complete.   It comes complete with everything you need except scissors and glue.  The Whole family is excited to give it a try .  It moves away from an allowance system and goes more towards a family store (you can still incorporate concepts of tithing and giving).  Be watching for my honest review of this in the next month or two- and updates as we work out the kinks and make it useable for our family .  You can check out Family Do Dots here.

#2- Finishing (well)

At the end of this last year….ok so if I’m honest it started when we got home from our last vacation in August, I struggled with some …eh…not sure what you would want to call it, but I had some tasks that I wanted to accomplish and they just never got finished.  As the new year rolled around I began my annual goal setting routines and I hit a road Block.  I kept coming back to those unfinished tasks.  So as I am planning for upcoming months I have decided to finish up those goals.  I think I really struggle with  time frames.  I think that if I haven’t finished something in my allotted time I just give up and move on.  This year I have realized that it does not have to be 6 months or 12 months.  They are my goals, so what if they don’t happen in the  12 months I thought it should take.  I am my own worst critic.  So this year I want to not put so much pressure on myself and finish some of the goals I stared last year and have less goals overall this year.  I want  to remember 2 things 1) Progress over Perfection and 2). It only matters how well you finish not WHEN you finish.

#3-Youth Group Overnights

I have loved youth group overnights since I was a teenager and our church did lock-ins.  I have very fond memories of playing water balloon volleyball in the gym of my middle school where I attended (amongst other crazy games courtesy of my youth leaders Robin, Brenda, Gerry and Jennifer) and for the last couple. of years I have had the privilege of helping lead the youth group and now am co-leader with my hubby.   Usually a couple of  things lead to crazy sleep deprivation like not being able to nap before the overnight.  I just couldn’t I would lay down but nothing would happen. I would just stare at the ceiling.  Then I would either be up all night or most of the night, come home and have to leave again for some long scheduled  meeting or something.  That happened on the lsat 3 or 4 overnights . SoI end up being awake from Friday at 5 or 6 in the morning til Saturday  at 7 or 8 at night.  The result is almost a half week of just wanting to sleep all the time.  Well this time was different.  This time I peeked in a four hour nap.  Stayed up ALL night with only 1 cup of coffee.  I came home and went to bed at like 7:30 or 8 am and slept until 1:30.  Great right HA! One would think But just like that newborn coming home from the hospital my days and nights are mixed up.  I still love overnights and I will continue doing them  as long as I can.  And to be completely honest I can deal with my days and nights mixed up better that just being exhausted for a week!

#4- Skunks

I know I have said it before but we live in the middle of nowhere.  Wildlife is a part of our life.  Deer, rabbits, squirrels, wild turkeys, ducks, geese, raccoons, ferrel cats, coyotes, eagles, hawks, pheasants, frogs, turtles, rats, bats, mice, opossums, foxes , snakes and skunks.  We have them all, and who knows there could be some other fun creatures lurking around our house.

But this last week some poor soul hit a skunk right in front of our house.  I woke up to this terrible smell and blamed the dog.  I was wrong.  Our WHOLE house wreaked of the striped nocturnal beast. Hubby wonderfully moved the skunk from in front of our house to the woods.  Some comments were made about it looking like it was digging a hole in the middle of the road (only my brothers and dad will get THAT  reference)  We have had some skunk activity BUT wow.  Then two nights later I needed something from our truck so I opened the front door and I was hit with tear inducing stench.  SERIOUSLY!  There was no dead skunk this time BUT some poor soul, or animal met with the wrong end of that variegated vermin, and I wasn’t’t about to be victim  #2!

I chuckle to myself as I thought back to a camping trip as a teenager.  In a matter of a couple of hours we had seen 20-30 skunks.  we called it the year of the skunk.  My brothers and I ran into one at dusk  that resulted in a three stooges moment where the first one stopped dead in his tracks and the other two of us ran into the one in front of us.  Then on the way back to the campsite (my brothers ditched me) in the dark armed with nothing but a small flashlight heard something in the underbrush next to me .  I flashed the light expecting to see a deer or bear but instead was met with the beady black eyes of a skunk just a few feet away.  I ran.  I got to the campsite where my parents had been watching skunks (yes Plural) at the edge of the forrest.  Mom and I ran into yet another skunk as we headed towards the shower house before going to bed and upon returning we found my dad in the van…..a skunk ran across his foot.  Sometime in the middle of the night my dad and I were  awakened by the most hideous noises I have ever heard while camping.  we went to the window of our TENT and saw the biggest raccoon (he had to duck to get out from under the picnic table) and a bunch of skunks fighting over the watermelon seeds we had spit onto the ground at dinner.  I whispered “dad what happens if they spray”?  My dad  whispered back “We go home”.  In all of the skunk sightings we never once got sprayed, we finished out our vacation with not another skunk sighting.  Funny how smelling that awful  stench brings back such funny memories!

How about you?  What randomness has happened in your life this week? and I look forward to sharing again next week!

Happy Homemaker Monday- 2-26-2018

Posted on by Mary

Happy

Happy Monday Friends.  It’s been two weeks already!  Wow!  Last week was CRAZY!  And it went out with a bang.  Both on a great note and on a not so great note.

More about that in a few minutes .  I can’t believe it is the end of February already.  This year is flying by!

So let’s get started with the last Happy Homemaker of February

The weather:::.

The next few days are really supposed to be very spring like! (I am so excited!!)
As I look outside my window:::

I see brown. Mud. ICK!
Right now I am:::

Listening to my husband as he watches a movie I recommended.
Thinking and pondering:::

how long my poor kiddos will be tossing their cookies
On my bedside table::: pens and a journal
On my tv:::

Champion
On the menu for this week:::
Monday – Chicken and Pasta
Tuesday – chicken Tortellini Soup
Wednesday – Pork BBQ and potato Wedges
Thursday – Mc & Cheese
Friday –  Chili
Saturday – Grilled Cheese
Sunday – Salad (for fellowship dinner)
On my to do list:::

the kitchen needs a deep deep cleaning, laundry, my bedroom needs straightened
What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

My newest Cricut project is a coffee mug with vinyl on it that says “Coffee is my Love Language”
My simple pleasure:::

Reading outside and I am definitely hoping to do some of that this week
Lesson learned the past week:::

I still can pull an overnighter with the teens.  No movies and no sleep.  I love them.  and this time I didn’t have anything crazy to do afterwards so I came hoe and slept.
Looking around the house:::

I have a whole bunch of work that needs to be done pretty much everywhere .  and the sick toll has reached four. Me and Hubby are over it  and Child 1 and 3 have it now.  With each person it seems to change slightly.
From the camera:::

Just a snippet of the youth group overnight
Prayer List:::

Friends Family and church members who are sick and/ or going through Hard times
Bible verse, Devotional:::

Titus 27-9 NIV

7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them

These are my verses to go with my word for the Year…INFLUENCE!!  I am trying to keep them forefront as I go about my days.

For more Happy Homemaker Monday Posts check out Diary of aStay At Home  Mom.

 

END IT- More Than Just a Red X- Shine a Light on Slavery Day

Posted on by Mary

End It

Faces

Names

Stories

Babies

That’s what the red X on my had is for.

End It

There are millions around the word who are sporting red Xs on their hands today for Shine a Light onSlavery Day! But my X on my hand serves more than just awareness.   It serves as a reminder of my commitment to fight for the women in my community.  It reminds me to pray for the women who have touched my life with their stories and it  serves as a reminder to pray for those trapped in the horrible bondage.   It’s more than just a red X.

Have you ever met a slave? It is likely you have-you just never realized it. How about someone who has escaped the grips ofHuman Trafficking or the sex slave industry?  also not unlikely.They look just like you and me.  But the scars are deep.  I have held one of the most beautiful babies born to a girl drugged and held captive in a hotel room. She chose life.   People look at me and say not in my community NO that can’t be.   If you are sitting at your computer reading this and say that YOU are WRONG!

It happens everyday…everywhere!  No place is exempt.

Have you heard of the End it Movement?  @enditmovement #endit

#shinealightonslavery  www.enditmovement.com and  A21 Check them out!

These Organizations are fighting to find and free women, teenagers and young children all around the world from the sex slave and human trafficking industry.The stories are remarkable and every time I see a post reading 19 girls rescued today my heart leaps for joy!  but their ministry doesn’t end there.  They then help rehabilitate and provide counseling for these young women as they return to their homes.

You can find out more about what tase amazing organizations are  doing around the world to free children, children like yours and mine.  Children who have had their innocence robbed, stolen away by the inhuman.

I live in the middle of nowhere…..seriously from my window I see one neighbor’s house and I have to move to do so.   BUT 20 minutes from my house is a pregnancy center that I volunteer 1 day a week…..1 Day.  Not that much right?  This June it will mark 3 years, Ive been going in there once a week.    For the sake of this blog post that is roughly 130 days.  (that’s accounting for vacations, holidays and sickness). That’s 520+ hours, but ya know what. I can’t leave my clients and their stories at the center.  I carry them home in my heart.  I cry.  I ache. I wonder.  Three or four girls with stories oh so different.  and yet they are free.   And then I think about all those who aren’t.   They all have names.  They all have faces.  They are mothers.  They are daughters.  They are sisters, cousins and friends.  They are all like you and me.  They are no different.   They didn’t ask for it.  They are alone and they are scared.

Want to learn more about what exactly all these red Xs are for check out the above links and their respective social media accounts.  Will You shine a light on slavery?  and stand up to end it in Your community?

Want an eye opening  account of what  human Trafficking, the sex slave industry looks like I highly recommend the movie Caged No More.  This movie should not be viewed with younger audiences and is the raw truth of what these young women and even children go through.    We need to be bold and take a stand.   END IT!