JULY 7 ~ Crayons and Persuasion

Proverbs 7:21-23~
21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer stepping into a noose
23 till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.

Of course, I'm not a harlot or prostitute, but these verses remind me how very persuasive and manipulative my speech can be towards my husband if I'm not careful and walking with Jesus. I am horrified to think of times that I might have "seduced him" to my way of thinking or desires with my "smooth talk." I don't want to ever be the cause of wrongly "steering" our family because I am failing to let my husband lead us according to what he believes to be wise. But just to clarify: I do not mean to be silent! God has given us all experiences and wisdom that we need to bring to the table. I would never want to hide insight, either, under the guise of being submissive, yet neglecting sharing wisdom and discernment. I need to speak the truth in love, filled with God's wisdom to the best of my ability, and then follow my husband's lead...In all things except sin, of course! 

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Here's a fun "pinteresty" project you can get your kiddos involved in when it's too hot to play outside:  Crayon muffins!

Step 1:  Have your kiddos sort through your big box of crayons and pull out all the broken ones
Step 2.  Have them peel off all the papers & throw those away!

This top picture shows them in non-stick mini muffin tins, after they've already melted.  THEY STUCK!  

Step 3:  Place foil liners in muffin tins, and fill them with broken crayons.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and bake 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.  Allow the tin to cool; then pop out the crayons, and they're ready for use!

Hope your kiddos enjoy them, while YOU enjoy getting rid of some more clutter in the house! 


Peace, Love & Joy from our home to yours~

JULY 6 ~ Laziness and Waffles (S)

Proverbs 6:6-11
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.

I remember our dad quoting these verses when we were growing up...especially on Saturday mornings when we might have stayed up late and were sleeping in longer. It's so weird how much more wonderful bed feels to me in the mornings when I'm supposed to get up, than when I first went to bed the night before...

Now that I'm a wife and mother, especially, I am so thankful for the way my parents trained us.  Fun has its place, but it comes after work.  I cannot imagine trying to run a household and family with these priorities reversed.  God is very clear about what He desires we women do with our lives.  

SO WHAT?  WHAT does He want me to do, so that I'm not a lazy sluggard? 

Here are a few more verses that put "women's feet" to the verses from Proverbs:

Titus 2:3-5
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Proverbs 31:17
"She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks."

BUT HOW?  I'm so tired sometimes...I'm exhausted, in fact!  How can a woman keep up with the laundry, housecleaning, a happy marriage, church/ministries, activities, Bible reading and study, finances, grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking healthy foods, child training, homeschooling, birthday remembering, hospitality, exercise, family time, organizing, de-cluttering, hygiene, and sleep?   

HOW, I ASK THEE?  Truthfully, I don't.  But I know some things about HOW God's Word tells me it can be done:

Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Philippians 4:13
^"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Matthew 11:28-30
  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Isaiah 40:11
"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young."

Galatians 6:9
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Isaiah 40:29-31
"He gives strength to the weary 
 and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary, 
   they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 48:11-14
"The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,     
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³ “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

There are many books written on the subject of women, mothers, wives, and other similar topics, but there is ONLY ONE BOOK that has all the answers.  God's Word IS the standard...He created us, therefore, He is the ONLY ONE WHO has the solutions to our problems.  Human wisdom is simply a re-telling of God's Inspired Word.  

SO, to break it down in mathematical equations:

Laziness=bad
Too much sleep=bad
Tired and exhausted=expected
Solution=our walk with Christ

Our Job=throw off junk+run with endurance+fix eyes on Jesus+do it in His strength+don't lose heart+come to Jesus & learn from Him+hope in the Lord+seek His guidance, satisfaction, and strengthening+ keep the Sabbath a delight [a.k.a. Read the Bible, Pray, Worship & honor the Lord]

God's promises=He will give us rest for our souls+gently lead us+we will reap a harvest at the proper time+He will give us strength and increase our power+we will soar on eagle's wings, run and not be weary, walk and not faint+He will guide, satisfy, and strengthen us+we will be like a well-watered garden+repair broken walls & lives+we will find our joy in the Lord and ride in triumph, feasting on the inheritance [a.k.a Philippians 4:19 ~"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."]

WHY?  WHY on earth would God give us all we need for free when we're such weak and struggling and fickle creatures?  The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, sums it up beautifully!

Ephesians 3:14-21
¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Amen, indeed!

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Okay, since we're talking about laziness today, I think I can confess that laziness is one of the reasons for my recent weight stall, then beginning to gain.  Sad, I know.  Especially because I have the science and tools at my fingertips.  Thank goodness each day is a new day!  I resolved to eat healthfully for all of July, and since that was kind of a flop for the past few days, I decided to try my best for the rest of the month.  One of the things we did was to make these delicious, lovely "Healthified Protein Waffles"  from Keto Adapted by Maria Mind Body Health.  This is a Trim Healthy Mama S meal, which is served here with grass-fed butter and sugar free syrup.

Print this recipe 

INGREDIENTS you'll need:

The batter:

 In the waffle iron--don't fill it too full, even though it's thick:

 Set the timer for 4 minutes:

 And there you have delicious Belgian waffles!  We ate them for lunch while watching "Leave it to Beaver," and it was awesome!

TIP: Make sure your waffle iron is hot hot hot before adding any batter or it will stick.

“HEALTHIFIED” PROTEIN WAFFLES from http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/new-protein-waffle/

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup JAY ROBB vanilla egg white or 1 cup THM whey protein powder
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 TBS aluminum free baking powder
1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
4 eggs
4 TBS butter or coconut oil, melted
Preheat waffle iron to high. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry. Let sit for 5 minutes. Bake according to your waffle iron directions (I spray my waffle iron with THIS Coconut oil spray). Enjoy! Serve with on-plan maple syrup or Nature’s Hollow Xylitol syrup.  Makes 10 waffles.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per waffle)
Traditional Waffle = 223 calories, 8.5g fat, 5g protein, 27 carbs, 0.7g fiber (26.3 effective)
“Healthified” Waffle = 144 calories, 8g fat, 12.2g protein, 4g carbs, 2.1g fiber (1.9 effective)


~Blessings and Peace from our Home to Yours!

JULY 5 ~ Wisdom and MENU PLANNING

Proverbs 5

Verses 3, 4, 8, 9, 10~
3 "For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 8 Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, 9 lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel, 10 lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another."

Sometimes this is how I feel when others try to sweetly push  suggest that I eat things that are harmful to me.  I have been convicted at times of legalism, fear, worry, and obsession as I try to lose weight and regain my health.  Also, though, I know my own wayward heart, and I KNOW that I must KEEP MY PATH far from some things.  Like Little Caesar's pan pizza...and Pizza Hut taco pizza...and off-plan enchiladas...and hot apple fritters...and, and, and....

There are just some paths...some doors to "her" [Madam Gluttony's] house that lead me to lose my honor and dignity!  I'm not saying my dear sweet loved ones that encourage me to "treat myself" with indulgences are equal to the lips of the adulterous woman dripping honey...I'm just saying I need to be like Joseph with Potiphar's wife and RUN!  The speech is smoother than oil, but in the end, it is definitely bitter as gall and sharp as a double-edged sword.  In my gut.  As I feel the pain from the gluten barreling through my intestines...(TMI?  Sorry...)  As I feel the soaring of my blood sugar...the dumping of insulin...the carb coma setting in.  Death.  At least I feel like it at the time.  And then there's the "carb hangover" the next day.  You know the one:  achy, stiff joints; swollen face and hands; puffy "cankles" and  pillows for feet; headache; gut ache and bloat.  It's not pretty, my friends!

So, yes.  If I seem a little over-the-top when I politely refuse your offerings, please don't be offended or worried that I've joined a diet cult.  Please just encourage me to be strong.  Better yet, don't bring home the apple fritters! (Please!!)

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Since we're talking about food and temptation already, it seems natural to discuss a WISE TOOL:   Meal planning!

Meal planning is key to every effective budget, menu, and daily schedule.  It makes sure your pantry and freezer are stocked for what you need, and it keeps you from ordering out from your local pizza place if you suddenly remembered you forgot to thaw the chicken! :)

There are lots of printable menus and plans out there, but I will share the one I made.  It works well for me, and if it works for you, too, GREAT!

This corresponds with the Trim Healthy Mama (or THM) eating plan, which I love and highly recommend, but you can tailor it to whatever suits your needs!

I hope this is a help to you...it's not fancy or elaborate because I try to print and use it weekly, and I don't need to waste a lot of printer ink. I just circle whether I'm planning an S (Satisfying) meal; an E (Energizing) meal; or a FP (Fuel Pull).  I noted guidelines for the meal types at the top for easy reference, including SH (S Helper).  There is also some space at the end to jot down your grocery needs.  If you use it, I hope you enjoy its simplicity as much as I have!

Click Here for my Trim Healthy Mama Weekly Menu Plan!

Blessings from our home to yours!

JULY 4 ~ The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

Proverbs 4:18-27
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
    shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
    they do not know what makes them stumble.

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight,
    keep them within your heart;
²² for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.
²³ Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
²⁴ Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶ Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.

I love this word picture...the path of the righteous is like the morning sun...bright, dazzling, radiant, full of hope and promise, cheery...shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Wisdom's words are life and health...

Keep my eyes looking straight ahead, fixing my gaze directly before me...not to the right or left, watching what others are doing.  Sigh.  That's really where I mess up and miss God's glimmers in my life.  I'm so busy trying to keep up with her, or this and that, I end up struggling through the daily journey instead of enjoy the ride...MY ride.  I don't want to be like that.  I'm tired of it.  I want to be filled with JOY, and PEACE, and HOPE, and PEACE.  Did I already say that?  I think I'm always so concerned with measuring up somehow, somewhere that I miss the blessing of the journey.  Lord, please change me...please help me to just find my purpose in YOU and know Your pleasure in having me as your daughter. 



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I bought a new flag.  Ours has been tattered for years, and because I am a true patriot and refuse to fly a tattered flag, I flew none.  Is that truly patriotic?  It's not that I meant to go so long without a flag, it's just that it never happened until now.

But now...NOW we will fly our flag!  It's my husband's day off and he mounted the bracket.  Now we can let Old Glory wave...she's not big, but she's our Grand Old Flag!

We were so excited to spend the weekend of the 4th with my parents, and in the name of America, I made a homemade apple pie...Pecan Praline apple pie, to be exact!  Oh. My. Yumminess!!!  I can't share the recipe, because I combined about 3 different ones, but one day I'll write it out so it can be an official recipe.  My hubby calls me "Suzie Makeover" for a reason, for sure!

Granny Smiths, Galas, and Fujis...the perfect blend of sweet and tart, and so many delicious textures and so much flavor!

Then, I made a Caprese Bruschetta salad, too...

I used heirloom cherry tomatoes and served it with toasty Italian baguettes. The burst of the tomatoes, the zingy sweetness of the balsamic, and the brightness of the fresh basil all make the taste buds sing.  You don't really need the bread...I could just drink the stuff!  I basically used this recipe from For the Love of Cooking, but substituted the white balsamic vinegar for regular, and continued adjusting flavors to taste.  Enjoy! 

As you may well know, we'll be "back on the THM wagon" again on Monday, but for now...what a delightfully delicious diversion!

JULY 3 ~ I have seen "Delight"

Proverbs 3:5-10

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶ Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
    Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
⁸ Then you will have healing for your body
    and strength for your bones.

⁹ Honor the Lord with your wealth
    and with the best part of everything you produce.
¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain,
    and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 are the most commonly quoted verses from this chapter, probably, but where I get convicted starts with verse 7...

Am I impressed with myself? 

Do I fear the Lord and turn away from evil, or do I just try to avoid or ignore it?

I need healing for my body and strength for my bones........

Do I honor the Lord with my wealth...with the BEST PART of everything?  My time?  My tithe?  My thoughts?  My loyalties?

My bank account is not overflowing yet......

Verses 11 and 12
My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
¹² For the Lord corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Um...just for the record...I do, in fact, get upset when He corrects me.  It hurts my feelings.  I feel embarrassed, awkward, sad, and sorry.  Did I mention embarrassed?  I am so thankful it's because He loves me and that He tells us that's why.  It's really hard to remember that He "delights" in me when I'm foolish, mean, hurtful, disobedient, rebellious, cranky, PMSing, whatever.  It's just beyond me.  That kind of love is unfathomable..."delight" is not the first word I think of when one of my daughters does those things...

 
Verses 15-18

Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
    nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶ She offers you long life in her right hand,
    and riches and honor in her left.
¹⁷ She will guide you down delightful paths;
    all her ways are satisfying.
¹⁸ Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
    happy are those who hold her tightly.

There's that word again:  "delightful."  I'm discovering more and more how UNwise I am.  I have a vision of  garden pathways in the botanical garden...Wisdom's Garden.  Delight...I'm thinking of another verse now: 

Psalm 37:4

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Okay, so what does "delight" really mean?  If we check Webster, we will come sorely short of God's intended meaning.  Webster's definition has far more to do with our self-focus of happiness, rather than the intended meaning of these words in Scripture.  We must be students of the original words.

DELIGHT
de-lit' (verb, chaphets, ratsah, sha`a`; sunedomai):
"To delight" is most frequently expressed by chaphets, which means originally "to bend" (compare Job 40:17, "He moveth his tail"), hence, "to incline to," "take pleasure in." It is used of God's pleasure in His people (Numbers 14:8; 2 Samuel 22:20; Psalms 18:19, etc.), and in righteousness, etc. (Isaiah 66:4; Jeremiah 9:24; Micah 7:18, etc.), also of man's delight in God and His will (Psalms 40:8; 73:25; the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American), "There is none upon earth that I desire besides thee"), and in other objects (Genesis 34:19; 1 Samuel 18:22; Esther 2:14; Isaiah 66:3); sha`a`, "to stroke," "caress," "be fond of," occurs in Psalms 94:19, "Thy comforts delight my soul"; Psalms 119:16,47,70, "I will delight myself in thy statutes."

http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/delight/

So here we see that delight as a verb indicates bending and conforming, or inclining ourselves to God and His Will.  It also means that God takes pleasure in His children and delights (or inclines Himself), bending to be near us...to be close to us in His loving, gentle, nurturing tenderness. What sweetness!  Studying God's Word truly is digging for treasure.  We can read it flatly and appreciate what we see, but it's not until we delight in the Lord and bend, incline, take pleasure in, Him and His Word that we really begin to discover and comprehend what glittering, radiant treasures lie beneath the surface!  DELIGHT...A whole new understanding has dawned on my soul this morning!

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A Delightful project I have been working on in my desire to become a more intentional and joyous homemaker has been the girls' bathroom...we decided to retire the beach theme for now and opt for a "Parisian Powder Room," ala Hobby Lobby, Ross, and World Market.  I highly recommend these stores if you love unique and affordable decor.  We have to "design on a dime" for sure, so these stores have been a fun treat! (Also, I dream of traveling, and since so far we haven't made it anywhere so far, I decorate my house with themes from around the world.  It brings me joy.) :)

JULY 2 ~ Ask, Seek, Knock

I don't just desire wisdom...I NEED it.  I long for it.  I am so thankful that Proverbs not only instructs me that when I fear the Lord, it is the beginning of that wisdom, and that Wisdom cries out for me.   But it's verse 6.  Verse 6 is the best comfort of all!  "For the Lord GIVES wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding."  I don't have to earn it.  I don't have to be a good girl to get it.  I don't have to be a scholar or have tremendous talent or skills...I just have to ask, seek, knock, and He will give it to me.  I need but to read His Living Word to receive.  What a relief!  Every day I am faced with challenges and struggles that require His wisdom--how to negotiate a sibling conflict; whether or not to accept an invitation for something; if I have time to help another person or if I need to stay focused on my own household affairs; how much money to spend, and the list goes on...


 Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.


What an incredible thing to be a daughter of the King.  I'm His daughter!  There's no better name to be called in this life!

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Today I shall post a few pictures of our fun painting projects.  I came home one day, and my dad and the kids had painted some plastic lawn chairs with spray paint.  It was such a fun idea, that I wanted to do all of our chairs in bright, cheery colors, too!  I have also seen these ideas on Pinterest since then, but as far as I'm concerned, my dad was the pioneer!  I picked out some colors, and the girls and I got to work...we even ended up with his and hers camoflauge chairs (I forgot to take a pic of those, so I will try to remember to add those soon).  Here is some of our work!

Lawn chairs and folding chairs.......

 Bed springs for future planters or candle holders

And while we were still in the painting mood, I painted some flower pots, my clothes hamper, and then the girls decided to paint some rocks for the garden or paper weights...

I hope your July is filled with fun and making memories!
Blessings from our home to yours~