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Women Living Well Blog: February 2011

Women Living Well Blog

Sunday, February 27, 2011

What I Learned At The Sally Clarkson Mom Heart Conference ~Part 1


Last weekend I flew to Dallas, Texas where Angela from GoodMorningGirls.org met me at the airport and off to Sally's Mom Heart Conference we went. {Big shout out to my hubby for taking off work to watch the kids! Thanks honey!}


I have pages and pages of notes I wish I could share with you. Sally filled my heart full with truth, ideals, inspiration and hope. Here are some of the quotes that I am still pondering (Sally had a few guest speakers, so some of these quotes include her guests):


Ephesians 6:4 says “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”


My response to my children’s sin is my responsibility.


It is God’s kindness that leads to repentance – our kindness will lead to our child’s repentance.


God is most pleased when he is revealed in us.


God in his infinite wisdom gave our children to us. We are in the right place, now maximize our time with them.


The little babies we have held in our arms have implications for eternity. What will I do to whisper into these children the secrets of the kingdom of God?


Every child hopes they will have a mommy that will tell stories, love them, listen to them and speak truth into their lives.


Choices have consequences. Satan wants us to think choices have no implications.


Teach your children to have purpose in life – their purpose is to influence the word rather than the world influence them.


We are called to teach our children the word of God – one brick at a time – one verse at a time – build a foundation. Give them thousands of hours of walking with God in his word with you.


A great place to influence children is over food.


God is not limited by any situation except by our lack of faith.


If you don’t choose to walk in the light your soul will become dark.


Am I being what I want my children to become?


Being a grump is not a good legacy to have. lol!


We are parenting our children while God is parenting us. God is training us while we train our children.


Do not give your children negative uninspiring labels.


We will reap what we sow in parenting.


Do you want your children to be holy or shallow and happy?


Sally said “Be on guard against trying to follow formulas". For example, “First time obedience”. God does not demand 1st time obedience of us. There’s this threat in some books “if you don’t get first time obedience you’ll lose their soul” Sally says – no put them to bed – give them a snack – maybe they are tired or hungry… Sometimes it’s the parent who is the strong willed child! Parent out of faith not fear. It’s the kindness and meekness of God that leads to repentance. He gives 2nd chances.
Update: Some commented and emailed about this point - Sally took the time last night to write up a full blog post explaining this further. Please go to her blog I Take Joy for more thoughts on this ~ http://www.itakejoy.com/first-time-obedience-really/


Put aside legalism and what you think your family should “look” like.


God has access to our kid’s brains. We are called to be like Jesus toward them…and let God be God in their lives – relinquish control to God or you will exasperate them.
No one can live a holy life for you.


Be intentional as you raise your children. Treat them like a garden - planting, watering and weeding.
Do not give up on your ideals. Stay faithful. It is God's will for you to be an overcomer!


Whew - that's a lot to chew on isn't it?! I have loads more but I'll save it for part 2 on Wednesday! So which of the above quotes whispered truth into your heart that you needed to hear today? Share it with me in the comments section.


Walk with the King,

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Thursday, February 24, 2011

How To Make Easy Homemade Calzones


Janelle from Comfy In The Kitchen is back today! And she says: "This is a very simple recipe for very delicious calzones! Leave the bread to thaw and rise in the morning and come home to ready made dough! You can be as creative as you like with the filling...traditional calzones typically are made with mozzarella, ricotta, and tomatoes..in this recipe I added swiss and ham for a sweet and savory kick. A definite crowd pleaser for the grown-ups and little tykes alike!" ~Janelle



Take out two frozen Rhodes Bread dough balls and place on greased and lined cookie sheet
Drizzle tops with olive oil and cover for 6-8 hours until tripled in size like so.

Cut each loaf in half. Flour a flat surface and a rolling pin.
Shape dough into a circle and roll out into a larger flat circle. You will push your rolling
pin straight in front of you then to the sides to get an even circle.


Layer ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, swiss and ham on one side of the circle



Fold over and pinch sides



Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley



Sprinkle Corn Meal on a pizza stone and place calzones on top (or you may grease and place on a cookie sheet)



Bake in a 400 oven for 20 mins or until lightly browned. Serve with a side of your favorite dipping sauce! MMMMmmmm


Calzone Recipe

2 loaves of frozen Rhodes Bread
1 lb. of thinly sliced deli ham
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella cut into squares
1/2 lb. sliced swiss cheese
1/4 cup flour for rolling
2 Tbsp of cornmeal
olive oil for drizzling
garlic powder
parsley

Tomato sauce or favorite dipping sauce.
(Grandma Ruth's Sauce)

Preheat oven to 400.

In the morning, set out your frozen dough on cookie sheets and drizzle with oil, cover with plastic wrap for 4-6 hours. Cut each loaf in half. Flour a flat surface and shape first half into a ball and roll out into a flat circle. On one side spread appx 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, and layer on a handful of mozzarella cheese, 2 slices of swiss and 1/4 lb. of ham. Fold over and pinch all all around to close- set on cookie sheet. Do this with remaining dough. Drizzle all calzones with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder/parsley. Place cornmeal on 2 baking stones and transfer calzones (you may also bake on oiled cookie sheets-make sure to give enough room apart so they do not bake together). Bake in oven for 20 mins until bread is lightly browned. Serve with dipping sauce.


Thank you Janelle!!!!


Walk with the King!

If you are looking for more recipes or have one to share - visit Janelle's new link-up today!



You can follow Janelle on her own blog Comfy In The Kitchen or on Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in What's Cooking Wednesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , and Tuesdays at the Table recipe exchanges. I am also linked up to Raising Homemakers Weds. link up and Works For Me Wednesday! For more blogger recipes go to these links.

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The Winner of Love and Respect For a Lifetime is...

Jennifer Honeycutt - congrats Jen!


I apologize for the terrible delay in announcing the winner! Thanks for your patience!


Keep Walking with the King!

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I Am About to Walk the Red Carpet!


The Academy Awards are this weekend.


It's the famous ones who walk the red carpet.


It's the honored ones who walk the red carpet.


It's the beautiful ones who walk the red carpet.


It's the talented ones who walk the red carpet.


It's the wealthy ones who walk the red carpet.


It's the gifted ones who walk the red carpet.


And I...I am about to walk the red carpet!


Every morning, I walk the red carpet right up to my sink where I rinse the morning dishes.


I am honored to have a husband and children to take care of.


I am beautiful in the eyes of the Lord, living out his will for my life as a wife and mother.


I am wealthy on the red carpet, for many in the world do not have a sink with running water in their kitchen.


I am gifted on the red carpet - gifted with the riches of God's grace that come through my faith in Christ Jesus his son.


There is no greater honor than the red carpet walk I do every morning in my kitchen.


Join me, as you step up to your kitchen sink - in welcoming a joy that the world cannot understand.


My red carpet is...
A GIFT.




Thank you sweet Jesus for delighting me with this gift!



Today is Women Living Well Wednesday! It's a Link-Up Day!!!


Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don't forget if you join below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here! (posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, finances, recipes, organization and more!)





Walk with the King!

I am linked up at Titus2days (Time Warp Wife), Raising Homemakers, and Works for Me Wednesday. I heart Homeschooling



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Monday, February 21, 2011

Facebook and Inappropriate Relationships

I have been a Facebook user for over 2 years. I thoroughly enjoy connecting with everyone and daily I visit Facebook to catch up on what is happening in the life of family, friends, followers and other partners in ministry.


Facebook in and of itself is amoral. But because we live in a fallen world, every single user of Facebook is a sinner and therefore Facebook is sin filled. There are pitfalls at every turn that we must guard ourselves against.


We must guard against gossip, slander, and complaining spirits. We must guard against judgemental attitudes and being a busy body.


But today's post is about the biggest pitfall of all - inappropriate relationships. Within 5 days of being a Facebook user, old high school and college friends had found me and were befriending me. Old names from the past and memories that I had not pondered in 15 years flooded my mind. Some of the people from the past, I had close friendships with and others I barely even knew. But when the "friendship request" came into my email inbox I felt bad to "decline" anyone a friendship with me.


So I accepted everyone who requested a friendship for fear that they would know I declined them and have hurt feelings. I also accepted some friends because I was very curious to see what had happened in their lives in the last 15 years. So I had friendships with both men and women on Facebook...and there were some very awkward moments.


There were moments when men I never talk to at church would start commenting on my status - it felt weird but it's Facebook and this is what people do so I accepted it and moved on. It wasn't until I began to hear of marriages being broken and destroyed by these "innocent" Facebook friendships that I began to question "why in the world am I friends with guys on Facebook?"


After a good discussion with my husband about this (who is not a user of Facebook and was not thrilled that I was "friends" with guys - but was too kind to "forbid" it) we decided it was best that I delete every single guy from my friendship list (who were not relatives).


It was brutal...it was hard to delete a few of my pastors and friends who might wonder why suddenly they were "unfriended". After they were unfriended requests came in for me to "refriend" some of the guys and I ignored them. It was hard.


Why did I unfriend my guy friends? Was I doing something inappropriate? NO, I did not have any inappropriate friendships with men on Facebook BUT I know that "Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8) and I am fresh meat he'd just love to get his hands on! And I want to be "alert" and "on guard". I am aware that I am a sinful human who is capable of being tempted and falling. I do not want to leave any known cracks in my life where he can sneak in.


Do I think you should delete your Facebook guy friends? I am not the Holy Spirit. I can not say what is God's will for your life. But I will say, we must be wise and on guard because I know that Satan would love to get a foothold in your life too.


My daily followers know that I adore the "Love and Respect" book by Dr.Emerson Eggerich. His daughter, Joy Eggerich made this video below addressing Facebook and emotional affairs. It speaks my heart so I want to share it with you.





Let's use Facebook to glorify God! My heart has been filled with joy as I have watched my Christian sisters in Christ love on one another, share verses, encouragement, prayer requests and life. God is using Facebook to spread his truth and gospel and I want us all to be a part of God's work.


If you are questioning any of your friendships or anything you have said on Facebook as to whether it is right or wrong...let me help you sort it out right now.


Ask yourself:

If the pastor of my church put up on a large screen for the whole church to see - my friends, status updates, comments, and photos - is there anything I would be embarrassed of?


There's your answer - now go and delete whatever came to mind!
Walk with the King!

Ps. If you are a facebook user and would like to receive daily updates from Women Living Well - go here and click "like".
Today's post is a part of the "Put Your House In Order" Series. Please visit the ladies below!


Making Family Rules Fun from My Blessed Life

Loving Your Family Through Meal Planning from Good Cheap Eats

Fruit of the Spirit Charts for Kids from Smockity Frocks

Family Finances from Kingdom First Mom

This post is linked to Raising Homemakers and We Are That Family.

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Saturday, February 19, 2011

I'm Being Featured on In(Courage) - Come Visit Me!

I am having an AMAZING time at the Sally Clarkson Conference in Dallas, Texas!! The weather is beautiful and my heart is so full of ideals and truths I can't wait to take back home to my family!

Today I am being featured over on In(Courage) - please come visit me there on the topic of Fasting and Prayer!


Walk with the King!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sheltering Children and My Experience In Public Schools ~ Part 5 of 5

I am about to hop on a plane and head to Dallas, Texas to attend Sally Clarkson's parenting conference. I will be rooming with Angela from GoodMorningGirls.org and I'll be sure to share my notes with you soon!!!
Thank you everyone for your gracious spirits this week! Your comments have been such a joy to read!


I taped all 5 parts of this series in one day last week. But as I posted these videos my heart began to change and I felt the need to speak briefly to moms of children in public schools...so this video is for ALL mamas - homeschool mamas, private school mamas and public school mamas. I hope that something in here encourages all of us to remain vigilant, intentional and connected to our children no matter what school choice we make!!!





Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Walk with the King!

Hip Homeschool Hop ButtonI am linked to Raising Homemakersand We Are That Family

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Challenges of Homeschooling ~ Part 4 of 5

I want to be honest - homeschooling has some hard moments, hard days and hard weeks! This video touches on dealing with bad behavior, cabin fever, socialization, surviving the stores and feeling like you can't get it all done.


At the end, I share what will be in part 5 of the video - but yesterday I changed my mind about part 5 and re-shot the video...I decided to talk a little about public schools since I am a product of public schools. So, check back tomorrow for the topic of "Sheltering Your Children and My Experience In Public Schools".



If you have any great tips on how to handle some of the challenges I mentioned or other ones I didn't mention - please share them in the comment section!


Walk with the King!


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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Our Daily Homeschool Routine and Curriculum ~ Part 3 of 5


This is my children on the day all their boxes of homeschool stuff arrived this past July!!! It was a VERY exciting day!!!


This video gives you a peak inside a typical homeschool day in our home. Every home will look different based on the ages of your children. Some of you will have little ones that need managed during homeschool time, others will have teens who are self sufficient. This is what our home looks like right now in this season of life. (and please, if you are a homeschooler - share in the comments about what your day looks like! I'd LOVE to hear about it!!! And if you have a blog post about it - pretty please link it up below!!!!)


I will share with you our curriculum choice in the video below. Some of you will be disappointed with our family choice - you will be surprised to find that we do not use Christian curriculum. This is one reason I hesitated to do this series...this post is sure to upset a few of my faithful followers who I love and care about. In July, I shared about our curriculum here and the comments were ugly.
There are tons of awesome choices for curriculum out there - we each must do our homework and choose the one that works best for our family. One reason we chose this one is because my oldest sister - who I adore - used this curriculum for 7 years with her 3 boys and she loved it. She currently works as a virtual High School Math teacher for our on-line school. Be assured, there is no shortage of spiritual teaching in our home. I will talk more about this on Friday. But for now - here's part 3!



I mentioned above my chore pack system. If you'd like to see the video covering that - click here.


Today is Women Living Well Wednesday! It's a Link-Up Day!!!


Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don't forget if you join below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here! (posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting and homemaking)





Walk with the King!
I am linked up at Titus2days (Time Warp Wife), Raising Homemakers, and Works for Me Wednesday. I heart Homeschooling

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Monday, February 14, 2011

The Benefits of Homeschooling ~ Part 2 of 5

Yesterday, I shared why we homeschool. If you missed part 1, please stop and take 5 minutes to go back and watch it here. These videos taken out of context could be misunderstood so please take the time to listen to part 1 before jumping to any conclusions.


Today I want to share with you the benefits of homeschooling! Of course there are many more than I listed here...one being if you have a gifted child or a child who is struggling in a certain subject, you can choose your pace. This is not an extensive list but rather a list of the benefits to us personally!




Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."


Join me tomorrow for part 3. I will share what our daily routine looks like and our curriculum.

Walk with the King!

Hip Homeschool Hop ButtonI am linked to Raising Homemakersand We Are That Family

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

Why We Homeschool ~ Part 1 of 5


This week I will be posting a 5 part series on the topic of homeschooling.


Monday:
Why We Homeschool

Tuesday:
The Benefits of Homeschooling


Wednesday: Our routine and Curriculum


Thursday: The Challenges of Homeschooling


Friday: Sheltering Our Children


I am praying praying praying this is NOT a controversial week. Please understand that I do not expect your convictions to match mine and vice versa - please do not expect my convictions to match yours. They are going to vary. We each must pray and seek God's will for our family in each season of life.


So let's get started!




Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 says "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."


Join me tomorrow for part 2 titled "The Benefits of Homeschooling."


Walk with the King!


I am linked to Raising Homemakers, We Are That Family, and Hip Homeschool Hop Button

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Janelle has done it again! This is an amazing recipe perfect for Valentine's Day!!! She writes "One of my favorite restaurants serves this amazing dessert...Make it for guests, or half the recipe (like I did) and make for a more intimate gathering...Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Much love to you, Janelle"

Eggs, butter, semi-sweet chocolate, flour, sugar

Place butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl

Microwave for 1 min and stir, then microwave an additional 20 seconds and stir until smooth.


Add flour with a whisk to the melted chocolate.

Beat eggs and sugar together until frothy and light yellow


Pour chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and beat until well combined


Pour mixture into buttered ramekins (or large muffin/cupcake tins)

Bake until edges are done and center is still molten


MMMMmmmmm....


Put the kids in bed, start a fire, cuddle up on the couch with your Sweetheart and enjoy chocolate bliss!


Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes
Makes 8 (4 oz cakes)

2 4 oz Ghirardellli Semi-Sweet Chocolate baking bars
2 sticks of butter
5 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour


Preheat oven to 375 degrees


Butter 8 ramekins or a muffin tin


In a microwave safe dish melt butter and chocolate together for 1 min, stir and microwave again for an additional 20 seconds, stir until smooth. Add flour with a whisk to the melted chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl beat eggs and sugar until well whipped and yellow. Combine the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour into ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Place in oven for 15 mins. Sides will be done and center will be molten.


Thank you Janelle!!!!
Walk with the King!

If you are looking for more recipes or have one to share - visit Janelle's new link-up today!



You can follow Janelle on her own blog Comfy In The Kitchen or on Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in What's Cooking Wednesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , and Tuesdays at the Table recipe exchanges. I am also linked up to Raising Homemakers Weds. link up and Works For Me Wednesday! For more blogger recipes go to these links.

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