Good morning everyone (evening by the time you read this!) and a happy Monday. Last week was such a SLOW week for me. Apparently I have been fighting an infection that really didn’t hold many symptoms for me. I just kept getting more and more tired. All of this led for more tests and doctor’s teemed calls and now I’m over half done with my third round of antibiotics in way too short of a time span. I feel way less sluggish today so hopefully that’s a good sign
Let’s get into this weeks post!
♥The Weather♥♥ .
♥♥How I am feeling this morning♥♥
Much better today not nearly as tired
♥♥On the breakfast plate♥♥
Eggs and bacon and cheesecake I didn’t eat last night
Friday- Leftovers Saturday -Vegetable Beef Soup Sunday – Venison Potatoes and carrots in the crockpot
♥♥From the camera♥♥
♥♥Something I want to share♥♥
Love people No matter what!
♥♥Devotional, inspirational, prayer list or Bible verse♥♥
I finished In His Image by Jen Wilkin this morning. Fabulous book It really has challenged me over the last couple of weeks and I highly recommend this book
Every morning my youngest two sons and I have this routine. We have been making happy memories together reading before the bus comes. I give them a snack so they can take their vitamins, they take their vitamins and then we head out to our entryway to wait for the bus. It started last school year with our third youngest. He always wanted to play on my phone while he waited and I wasn’t satisfied with that so we began our reading journey together. They both have struggles especially in the waiting for the bus area of life so we began reading and when the opportunity arose to read this book together we snatched up the chance.
Korie and Chrys tell family stories with truth from God’s word weaved throughout each account. They are told in simple and sweet ways and often times with a humorous twist that even left me wanting to know the rest of the story long after the boys got on the bus! Each chapter starts with a verse, then the story and is followed by some very thought-provoking questions and then a short Bible lesson. Nothing too in-depth Just right for our 11 and almost 9-year-old. The other major plus was this was NOT a gender specific book! It was clearly meant for kids BUT as an adult I too thoroughly enjoyed it.
Another aspect included in most chapters but not all (or not as obvious as some others) were ACTION STEPS as the end of the Duck Commander in Action section (AKA Bible study). This section challenges readers to take what they learned from the Robertsons stories and God’s word and put it into action in their lives.
A Happy Review!
Our family has been a long time lover of Duck Dynasty and the Robertsons! We appreciate their family values and their humor, and their stand for faith and godly values and it was just an absolutely refreshing change from what the world had been handing us for some time now. Our boys were excited to get to hear stories about the Robertsons.
Now getting our boys to focus is difficult as one has Autism and the other struggles with Central Auditory Processing Disorder and It is a great challenge for him to listen, especially with other background noise. In a sense, I have one kid who Makes noise all the time and one who is highly distracted by the slightest noise.
Well, Korie and Chrys wrote this book in such a gripping way that in ALL the books we have read together, this was the book they were the most focused on to date!
The stories deal with issues and teach children great lessons in life. Some of the stories that the boys are still talking about are trying new things-even to the tune of trying a new food for one sons birthday dinner. Another lesson deals with Mayhaws- a small berry that Jep learns turns into something great all while learning from his father that being small doesn’t mean you don’t have a great purpose.
AND my favorite lesson out of all of the stories is about young Willie and his TUBA! I was in stitches. But Willie had to learn a hard lesson most kids struggle with today, Sometimes no matter how hard you try, sometimes you need to have the wisdom to know that it is time to say “I’m not good at this and it’s ok at least I tried!” I have a drummer and a piano player but I have yet had to send someone to the woods to practice BUT at least I now have that as a last resort!
The Boys Thoughts
I asked the boys if they wanted to help me review the book and I got a”DO we have to?” It’s not a knock against the book I think they just look at it as more school work and as we are drawing near the end of another school year I think they have had enough! So I asked each one of them what they thought of the book they both said emphatically that they LOVED it! But what’s more, as a mom I can see them take what they are learning and apply it to their lives! THAT IS THE MARK OF AN AMAZING BOOK!
Our Rating
So all of us give it 5 stars!!
OH and one more thing we loved the artwork! The pictures all look like textured scrapbook paper and gives almost a 3-D look without being 3-D! The boys absolutely loved seeing all the artwork!
And a GREAT BIG THANKS to BookLook Bloggers for providing a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes! All of the opinions in this review are completely my own and I am in no way compensated for a positive review.
I’m behind WAY BEHIND. I’m Tired BUT it’s a good kind of tired. The kind of tired when you feel like you have accomplished so much. That was my today. This warm spell here in upstate NY was exactly what this girl needed! But tonight I must confess my heart is heavy for a sweet friend. She has been walking a rough road for many years and she is struggling and I don’t blame her one bit. Because I was once there. and it hurts to see such a dear friend going through it too. BUT different. Her name is important and the situation is important but praying for her doesn’t require specific knowledge. Pray for peace, pray for courage to fight with God’s strength not her own. Pray she stay strong in her faith. Pray that she will shine through all that is false. Pray for this sweet woman!
The weather outside is::::
WELLLL this morning and most of that day was GORGEOUS! Springlike and just downright glorious! Tomorrow however Really don’t want to think about that right now!!
On the breakfast plate this morning::::
a Soft pretzel. I know breakfast of champions right? Nah not really I was in a hurry and needed something quick!
As I look outside my window:::
Blackness. we live in the country so there aren’t many lights at all
Right now I am::::
sipping my favorite tea (Plantation Mint aka spearmint tea) basking in the silence as I type
As I look around the house::::
Well the kitchen in in really good shape. the living room needs some tidying and there are a few loads of laundry to be doe but our back stairwell, my sewing cabinet, bedroom and craft room needs some help! Thats Thursday nights project!
On today’s to do list::::
Well today was tackling the kitchen and it’s 90% there and the kitchen bathroom is cleaned and dinner was made
Currently reading::::
oh man I have a big list as of right now!
Enough by Sharon Jaynes
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
The Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas by Ace Collins (I told you I was way Behind)
the Bible Specifically a verse/topical study on Joy My word for the year
and a book with my two youngest sons – 10 Boys who Changed the World by Irene How
On the TV today:::: Different Strokes I’m such an 80’s-90’s kid!
On the menu this week::::
Monday – Leftover chili ( I had a salad since I can’t eat chili at night time)
Tuesday – Mac and Cheese with hotdogs
Wednesday – Sloppy Joes with Tater tots
Thursday – Grilled Cheese and soup (I will decide what type I will be making Thursday morning)
Friday – Pizza and wings
Saturday – Steak um sandwiches (LOL this is leftovers (frozen) from a few weeks ago when hubby and I had a family night and gave the kids a blast from our past)
Sunday – Meatball subs
What I am creating at the moment::::
a wrap for around hubby’s face when he is splitting wood outside in the cold some paintings and some Cricut projects
Favorite photo from the camera::::
Our girls first yea playing basketball, she loves it so much
Prayers, Inspirational Quotes or Devotionals::::
Friends and family going through stuff. Physical, emotional faith struggles.
our family has 2 big things coming up in the future. can’t say anything as of yet. Stay tuned.
My verse for the Year
Romans 12:12
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Have you ever stood and stared and watched a sunset as it changes. It’s like it’s a living water color painting. I love sunrises too and they are the same way. But as of late I have been watching sunsets and pondering them. Every sunset os different and there are Many factors that go into that. A sunset os very similar to life. sometimes it’s full of color and vibrant and other times it’s dull and gray. The one thing we know and can expect is that nighttime is coming. I the Bible we are promised dark and hard times, but we are also told joy comes in the morning which as you guessed it is something else that beautiful. a sunrise. the thing is that just like life if we don’t take the time to soak up the beauty, we will miss it! That’s what I love about Happy homemaker posts is that it makes me sit down and think about all that is going on around me! So let’s get started!
The weather:::. Fall showed up on Saturday after quite the storm Friday night. But since then it has been bright and crisp. The clouds started rolling in this afternoon and now is overcast and ready to rain at any moment.
As I look outside my window::: I see my neighbors porch light and an occasional car whizzes by but other than that it is pitch black outside
Right now I am::: sipping sinus soother tea and mentally working on my #write312018 blog posts
Thinking and pondering::: about many things but I have really been pondering a challenge given by a speaker while I was at camp all by myself this summer. My word for the year has been influence and it has been forefront in my mind but this speaker challenged up to write letters to those who have had an influence on us. specifically ministry leaders who have poured into our lives so I have compiled my list and am preparing the preamble to those letters.
On my bedside table::: a whole bunch of books wanting my attention
On my tv::: nothing
On the menu for this week:::
Monday – Chicken bacon Ranch casserole (I tweaked the recipe so I could make it in the crockpot”
Tuesday – Meatball subs and salad
Wednesday – chicken pot pie (also in the crockpot- yeah we will see how that goes)
Thursday – grilled cheese
Friday – chili
Saturday – hayride 9there is dinner -kinda with that
Sunday – Hamburgers, salt potatoes and veggie
On my to do list::: well ya see I kinda made this mess, a VERY BIG MESS. I kinda lost something and so I went on a hunt to find that something (with no positive outcome) and when I was done it looked like a tornado had hit the place. Now I have to fix it.
What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating::: I am starting on the curtains for my craft room this week. I also have to sand and paint the trim and sills of my three windows in the craftroom. And I have a sign that is the theme thought for my room and that involves painting AND Cricut work.
My simple pleasure::: hot beverages. I LOVE me some COFFEE but I also really enjoy tea and hot cider as well.
Lesson learned the past week::: oh I have two. 1) well on Sunday I was catching up from my missed devotions while I was away at a conference. and as I read I began to see a pattern I a couple of different places waiting on God was forefront I my reading and then my secret sister gave me a cute ceramic pen holder with a very cute pink sloth on it and it says Take your Time. Ok I get it. So many times I think it should go on my time line and that I can fix it but in reality I need to wait on God. he has it all under control. 2). over the last month r so there has been some heavy stuff I have had to process through. and I have learned these last few weeks that sometimes you have to let go of self-imposed expectations and go with simpler disciplines and routines and build back to where you once were. so That is what I have done. I have gone back to my 3 minute morning routine I set up when I read through Hello Mornings, and it has been a huge blessing. Because God has met me in the simplicity and deeply fed my soul. As much as I would like to say I am back to my old self , I can’t. ButI’m getting there for sure.
Looking around the house::: UMMM did you read what I wrote on the to-do list part??
From the camera::
:
This was the sunset from behind our church Saturday night during youth group. It’s unfiltered and I firmly believe that we have some the best sunsets around!
Prayer List::: unsaved friends and family and I have a bunch of friends and family going though some really hard stuff.
Bible verse, Devotional:::
Isaiah 40:31English Standard Version (ESV)
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
