My Theme Word For 2011

Snap! Christmas was over in a snap this year! I truly can't believe how fast the hours on December 25th went! All the days of planning, purchasing, decorating, baking and wrapping can fill us with expectations that this world can never fulfill. Don't get me wrong - we had a wonderful Christmas! But if your Christmas was less than dreamy, it serves as a reminder that all this world offers is empty. We must not always be chasing the next rainbow, the next high, the next good thing, rather than chasing our Savior. Nothing this world offers can satisfy our souls like knowing and walking with the King!


So as the Christmas lights fade, I stare at the aftermath and can't believe it's already over. In less than a week the tree will be down, the cookies will be crumbs and we will enter 2011.


Did you catch that? Brace yourselves, we are about to enter 2011! And so I'd like to assist you in evaluating your past year and choosing a theme word for 2011.


The final challenge of the December Peace Challenge is this: Find a minute this week to get alone...outside is best. There is something about the big open sky, the trees, and the sounds of nature that help us to see and hear God clearly. Take your Bible with you - visit Matthew 27 and 28, evaluate 2010 and commit 2011 to living your life completely for God.


Here's some evaluation questions to assist you in your time alone.


1. Evaluate Your Walk with God in 2010 - Were you daily in God's word and in prayer? How can you improve your walk with God in 2011?


Suggestion: Ponder your schedule and then write down a set time for a quiet time each day. Mine is 6:30am every morning. Consider starting or joining a Good Morning Girls group in the new year. I email my girls every morning Monday through Friday. Enrollment for the new 3 month session begins January 1st!


2. Your Marriage - What is one word you'd use to describe your marriage in 2010? Easy, frustrating, growing, romantic, hard, strong, amazing. What is one thing you know your husband wishes you'd change in your life?


Suggestion: Write down the steps you can take to change that area in your life. ie. being more organized, cooking healthier, being more flexible, being more respectful, kissing him like you mean it more often...

3. Your Children - What was a high point and a low point for each of your children in 2010? What is one thing that each of your children need from you in 2011?


Suggestion: Write down the steps you can take toward giving your children what they need. ie. manners training, reading to them more, one on one time, my undivided attention, memorizing God's word together...


4. Health - What healthy habits did I maintain in 2010? What unhealthy habits did I create in 2010 that I need to change going into 2011?


Suggestion: Write down some goals for 2011 in this area. Write out a plan for how you will reach them. Janelle and I will be talking about this area in the new year, so stay tuned here and if you want some inspiration to get you started - here's what my fitness notebook looks like.

5. Ministry - What ways did I use my talents for God in 2010? Pray about what God would have you do in 2011.

Suggestion: Surrender your life to God. Be willing to be used for his purposes - remember that each season of life brings different priorities and opportunities. Pray over this.


Choosing a Theme Word:

Pause and look over your evaluation. Now choose a theme word for the new year. Last year my theme word was connecting. I wanted to remain connected to God, while remaining intimately connected to my husband, connected with my children and connect on-line with all of you. It certainly was a year of connecting in 2010!

For 2011, my theme word is...drum roll please...simplify.

I want to simplify many areas of my life, so I have more space to pray, laugh, tickle, write, listen, create, rest, hug, read, connect, and love more deeply than I've ever loved. In my fall and December pursuit for peace in my home and in my heart, I have found that there are some things in my life that need to be simplified in order to create space for peace - so essentially - I'm pursuing peace through simplifying.

You will see some of this theme popping up in the new year on this blog, as it is on my heart and mind. So what is your theme word for 2011?

If you are participating in this challenge leave a comment below with how it's going - if you are a blogger copy this button into your blog post, write about how it's going and link up below!

Walk with the King!

I am linking up to: Motivation Monday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Finer Things Friday, Raising Homemakers, Making My H0me Sing Monday , Holiday Haven and Works For Me Wednesday. Please check out these blogs for more great homemaking ideas.

My Christmas Photos

I pondered whether to post this picture from Christmas Eve or not...but this is me kissing Keith like I mean it - cause ladies you know that's first on most men's Christmas lists!!! So if you haven't yet - do it! (My son took this photo - I think it's GREAT for your children to see you loving your husband. One of the best gifts you can give your children is to love their father.) This is Christmas morning at 7:30am. The children woke sooner but we held them off till the sun was slightly up!!!!

I love seeing that dimple shine!

But it's this face that I really love to see when they open their presents! lol!

Then we went to my sister's house where after the reading of the Christmas story, her children blessed us with some worship music.

Lexi really enjoyed playing with her cousins!

The boys got matching vests from my parents! On the left is my sister Jen's husband, on the right is my sister Kristen's husband and in the center is my hottie!

Here's all the women in my family. From left to right it's my oldest sister Kristen, my mom, my mom's mom, me and my middle sister Jen (I'm the youngest of my sisters).

And here's all the cousins. My oldest sister has 3 boys, my middle sister has a son and daughter and Lexi is in the center with Alex to the left of her.

From my family to yours - Merry Christmas!!!

Keep Walking with the King!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Philippians 2:9-11

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Have you bowed your knee? If you haven't or refuse to...one day you will...but then it will be too late.

Are you 100% sure you are going to heaven?

The Bible says in I John 5:12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

If you repent and turn away from your sin and place all your faith in Jesus' blood shed on the cross and believe that he rose from the dead - proving that indeed he is God - you will be saved.


Bow your knee to God now - do not resist...because if you do resist... one day in eternity you will bow - but it will be too late.

Dear sisters in Christ, who are already friends with Jesus (if you wonder if you are a friend of Jesus let me define it for you - Jesus says in John 15:14 "You are my friends if you do what I command"), Let me spur you on to live your faith out radically, so all will see that you walk with the King! Don't be afraid to say the name "Jesus" to those who do not know him. There is great power in his name and he is so worthy...watch this video below...remember what baby Jesus has done for you on the cross. And together - let's push each other to obey his word.

Happy Birthday Jesus! Thanks for being the best friend a girl could ever dream of - I can't believe I have the honor of walking with you - the King of Kings - every single day of my life! I can't wait to see you face to face! I love you!

A Modern Version of the Christmas Story

Both of these videos have been popping up everywhere lately because they are so well done. They tell a modern version of the Christmas Story. Enjoy!

Walk with the King!

Christmas Breakfast Ideas and an Easy Sausage Gravy Over Biscuits

Janelle from Comfy in the Kitchen is guest posting today and this is her dining room table ready for Christmas morning!


Janelle says "On Christmas morning, I am the first one awake ( a big kid at heart). I start out by making cinnamon rolls, biscuits and sausage gravy, brewing coffee, and setting water and orange juice out on the table. Once my cinnamon rolls are baking in the oven, I can hear my son upstairs waking up the girls exclaiming that he has peeked down at the Christmas tree and there are presents to open!

I hurry to place the sausage gravy in the crock pot on warm and place the biscuits in a ceramic bread basket in the microwave (so I can press the 1 to warm them up when we are ready!) My parents and in-laws should be here any second and my part of breakfast is all ready to go...now I can relax and soak up this wonderful time of my motherhood ...(.I mean my children's childhood ha, ha).

We exchange presents, pray and praise, and enjoy breakfast with one another...mom brings her egg casserole and my mother-in-law brings the breakfast meats...it is the most special morning of the year for so many reasons, the biggest reason being THE ultimate gift...Jesus Christ."

Biscuits, sausage, milk, flour, salt and pepper

Brown sausage on med-high heat, when it is cooked through add flour and turn heat down to low
The flour makes a paste on top of the sausage


Add milk and turn up heat to med-high again


Add salt and pepper and stir constantly until it thickens

Biscuits are ready!

Here you have it! MMMmmmm


Sausage Gravy over Biscuits
1 lb Bob Evan's Sausage (bulk roll)
1 (8 count) container of Grand's Buttermilk Biscuits
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


*Bake biscuits according to package instructions- while they are in the oven do the following:


1. Cook sausage in a skillet on med-high heat and crumble into small pieces with a spatula.
2. When sausage is cooked through, turn down heat to low- add flour and stir to make a paste on sausage
3. Add milk, salt and pepper and stir.
4. Turn heat back to med-high while stirring constantly while it thickens
(about 5 mins)


P.S. Because I use "skim milk"..this recipe has no effect on my waistline (LOL)


I pray that the Lord will fill your cup and you are able to share His love with those around you during this very special time of year...Merry Christmas! ~Janelle


Other Women Living Well Breakfast Recipes Ideas (click on the title links to see the recipe):

Janelle's Easy Egg and Ham Quiche

Courtney's Egg Casserole

Chef Mickey's Breakfast Pizza

Courtney's Homemade Waffles

Walk with the King!


You can follow Janelle on her own blog Comfy In The Kitchen! Follow Janelle 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.

This Means War!

Ready or not - here comes Christmas! This is it! This week it all HAS to come together!


This is the week that Jesus' birth is celebrated around the world! There is no day on earth where Jesus gets more attention than on December 25th and you better believe our enemy, Satan, does not like it! He would love to see you buckle under the pressure of ribbons, bows, lights and cookie trays! He would love to see you frustrated and miserable. He does not want this to be a week of peace for you - he wants you to dread every family moment and be highly sensitive to every word others say so you will be bitter, angry and say things that you regret. He does not want you to find time to read God's word or enjoy JESUS, the very one we are celebrating!


Whether you know it or not - you are in a spiritual battle! And if this means war - what's our battle plan? I Peter 5:8 says "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."


Our plan must be to be self-controlled and alert! Self-control means - restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires. And alert means - on the lookout or watch against attack or danger; ready to act. So are we ready to show some restraint this week when things don't go our way? Are our emotions under control? Are we on the look out for the attack?


The only way we will have this superhuman strength to withstand the Christmas pressure is to step out of this horrific dreamland marketers have tried to sell us void of Jesus and be still with Jesus.


Here's this week's challenge: Christmas is just 5 days away and so much of our time is often spent helping the children to remember the "Reason for the Season". Now it's our turn. Once the kids are in bed get yourself a HOT drink (again we are warming the body as we warm the soul.) Get ALONE and turn out the lights by your Christmas tree, a lit fire, or a candle and just be alone with God. Pray, talk to him, I encourage you to sing Christmas carols or songs praising him, and just rest with Jesus.


It is in our still moments that music is born, rest is born, talking and laughing is born, prayer is born, love is born and peace is born.


And so, even as I am typing right this minute at 9:32pm on Sunday night...my husband is wooing me away from the computer, "Come have hot chocolate with me and let's talk." And I bristle and in my mind I think "But I have this blog post to finish and I had a few other things I wanted to get done tonight"...and then I remind myself "go and receive the love that is born in these quiet moments together."


Embrace the peace in your home that is there right before you in Jesus. Do not rush past his offer "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled." John 14:27.


If you are participating in this challenge leave a comment below with how it's going - if you are a blogger copy this button into your blog post, write about how it's going and link up below!

Walk with the King!

I am linking up to: Motivation Monday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Finer Things Friday, Raising Homemakers, Making My H0me Sing Monday , Holiday Haven and Works For Me Wednesday. Please check out these blogs for more great homemaking ideas.

Random Tips and Clips From This Week

Here's a few random happenings in our house this week:

Lexi sweeping with her new broom! What a blessing she is!

I LOVE getting the mail every single day! It's like hitting the jackpot every time I open a Christmas card from family or friends!

Here's what we do with our Christmas cards... (and I know some of you are already doing this!) We have placed all the cards in a fish bowl (you could use a basket)and at every meal the kids each pick a card out of the bowl and we pray for the two families who are chosen. We will continue to do this into the month of January! This is a fun and easy way to remember to keep family and friends in our prayers and to teach our children to pray for others.


Secondly, we had turbo amounts of snow this week, which meant lots of wet clothes and hot chocolate! So here's a tip my big sister taught me a few years ago, duct tape your children's coat to their gloves so snow cannot seep into their sleeves.

The warmer they stay, the longer they play lol!! (Only do this when you are out with them or keeping a close eye on them...)


And finally, this week my children sat down and watched sweet little Vivi from 10 Million Miles make Pebble Snacks. (Laura will be a speaker with me at the Relevant 11 Conference! Woohoo!) Here's the clip:

Then we made them!

They were SO easy (the recipe is here) and we can't wait to serve them to Grandpa today when he comes over to do some history and science with the kids!

So this is what we have been up to this week! Hope you have a great weekend! Just 7 days until Christmas!!! Oh my!!! Keep lighting your candles and covering your homes in prayer for peace. And don't forget to take care of yourself by taking a bubble bath, getting to bed early and reading God's word!

Walk with the King!

I am linked up to Raising Homemakers and Works for me Wednesdays at We Are That Family.

Because We Do Not Rest - We Lose Our Way

Christmas is now less than 2 weeks away and I know that all of our to-do lists are a mile long. And because of our strong desire to make Christmas special and meaningful we women do not rest. And because we do not rest, we miss our target...our target for peace, joy and love. We feel overwhelmed, irritable, frustrated and unappreciated. Emotionally we lose our way.

We have been poisoned by the belief that more cookies, more presents, more decorations, more parties, more more more will make us happier. Even when we are pursuing something noble such as serving others at Christmas through charity the over-activity brings chaos to our homes and families.

This frantic pace most often means that we are also lacking in time alone with God to listen, to gain strength, and to gain wisdom. And sadly, we begin to act like the rest of the world. As the world grasps for joy in things and activity - we also begin to grasp for joy in things and activity. And then December 26th comes and guilt sets in...it's over...and maybe it was lots of fun...but we are left with this hollow feeling of the emptiness that things and activity bring.

Today in Ohio, we are in the midst of a icy snow storm. I am thankful for this forced dormancy. A time where we must stay inside. As I look out the window, I am reminded of how much of nature is dormant in the winter time. It is a time of rest for our plants and animals and come spring time these plants and animals will display the majesty of their creator.

In the same way, we women need forced dormant moments, where we come inside and rest. We need quiet and unproductive moments to be Women Living Well. We need to be drinking from the living well - that is the living waters of Jesus. We need to be in his word. We need to be in prayer. It may appear unproductive in the moment but figuratively speaking - come spring time - we will display the majesty of our creator when we have rested with our sweet Jesus.

So our challenge this week brings Psalm 23 to mind.

1. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. 3. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Are you experiencing the green pastures, the quiet waters and the restoration of your soul that Psalm 23 speaks of from resting with your Shepherd?

Remember how the crowds pressed in on Jesus every where he went. Every where he turned there was a need unmet and though there was SO much to do - he withdrew to rest. Luke 5:16 says,"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

If Jesus needed alone time with God then certainly we do. Just think of the wisdom he wants to impart to you, the strength and the peace you may be missing out on.

Give yourself permission to not have your to-do list all checked off in order for you to rest and get alone with God.

This week's challenge: Pull out your calendar and SCHEDULE a night where you will go to bed very very early. Take your Bible with you to bed and read in bed for at least 5 minutes. Read in Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Jeremiah 23:5, and Isaiah 53. These are prophecies that were fulfilled by the birth and life of Jesus. Get extra blankets for a warm nights rest, pray God gives you deep rest and that no one wakes you. Then turn out the lights and sleep. I pray that when you wake, you face the new day of Christmas stress with extra strength and vigor.

If you are participating in this challenge leave a comment below with how it's going - if you are a blogger copy this button into your blog post, write about how it's going and link up below!

Walk with the King!

I am linking up to: (In)courage, Motivation Monday, Hip Homeschool Hop, Finer Things Friday, Raising Homemakers, Making My H0me Sing Monday , Holiday Haven and Works For Me Wednesday. Please check out these blogs for more great homemaking ideas.