In Our Homes This Week

Joanna:  We're STILL cleaning out closets, sorting through "stuff", and making trips to the local dump... You don't realize how much you accumulate over time until you start trying to sort through it all! Redoing our Junior Church theme this weekend, so we will be working on decorating the room.

Jennifer: This week we're recovering from a busy week of painting (not so fun!) and company (very fun!). We've been doing as little as possible. In fact, my husband is even giving me an entire day off! Not just for lunch or for afternoon shopping but for the entire day I will leave him to entertain our little sweeties and spend my time with no responsibilities (other than madly texting to see how things are going, of course!).

Jessica: My husband's birthday was on Wednesday, so we made the day special for him. I put our fall decorations out and played Smoky Mountain Hymns nearly every day this week. That music just makes it sound more fall-ish! :)

If you've honestly wondered what a healthy weight for you is (instead of looking at Hollywood models as your standard), then you know about the Body Mass Index. Basically, it checks to see if your height and weight are in proportion as a means to measure body fat and assigns you to a category of underweight, normal, overweight or obese (don't you just love labels?).

The Bible tells us that to whom much is given, much is required. Some Christians take in lots of spiritual "food". They go to church, Bible study, Christian fellowship and more. They just soak in and accumulate knowledge. But they never seem to grow taller to balance out the "weight". They have too much spiritual body fat and no spiritual muscle to carry out the truth they know.

Other Christians take in little food. They skip devotions and church often and pray only during a crisis. This kind of nourishment results in an anorexic faith. Sooner or later, if left untreated, anorexia can be fatal. So can a spiritual life with no nourishment.

So what do people of "normal" spiritual weight look like? I believe they take in quality nourishment instead of spiritual "junk food". I think they participate in "strength training" on their knees daily. I believe that they exercise God's love to others by ministering to them. They take in and grow tall all the while not focusing on themselves and how they "look" but doing all for the glory of the only One they hope to please.

Make your HOUSE a HOME

In a day of technology and extra curricular activities that constantly bombard our homes, the idea of "family time" has swiftly gone by the wayside. Families no longer take the time to sit down to meals together or to sit around the kitchen table playing board games as a family. Everyone is busy doing their own routine, getting to sport practice, hanging out with friends...nearly everything but spending time with family.

However, I'm a firm believer in the "old-fashioned" idea of families spending time together. I grew up in a home environment where we did EVERYTHING together. We truly enjoyed spending time together doing things as a family! I have so many fond childhood memories of times spent together. In fact, we're STILL a close family even though we're all grown and separated by many miles.

Part of the fond memories I have are of times spent together playing board games. Yes, that's right...the good old board game! There are still a lot of good wholesome games out there to use as fun family entertainment without parking your kids in front of a screen. I thought I would give you some suggestions of good games that we have discovered and enjoy playing. Apples to Apples (Bible Edition) is one of my personal favorites. It also reinforces your child's (and yours) Bible knowledge while having fun!Buzz word, Bible Outburst (another one that reinforces Bible knowledge in a fun way), and Zobmondo Would You Rather? This one is for the older kids. Teenagers usually get into this one.


If you're in to card type games, here a some ideas for you: Dutch Blitz, Phase Ten, Skip Bo, and a new one we have just started playing called Ratuki! If you're looking for something with a little more action...try Cosmic Keep away! Very active and good for all ages! Lots and lots of fun for you and your family, while learning and spending time together in the process!

Now, go make your HOUSE ring with laughter and fun...making it a HOME...

Joanna LaVan is a child of the King, wife to her incredible husband, adoring aunt "nana" to her four favorite little people, and Pastor's wife to their Church people in Virginia. Her desire is to share with the world the wonderful reality of sins forgiven. In her spare time she enjoys Kayaking, reading, occasional scrapbooking, cleaning, blogging, and spending time with her wonderful family. She blogs about her life's happenings, and passions at www.lukeandjoannalavan.blogspot.com .

Ending the Numbers Game

I held my breath as the doctor's scale quivered back and forth, then stopped to balance. One hundred pounds. And I was in fourth grade.

From that point on, my self-worth was at least partially wrapped up in that one number: my weight. On at least three specific occasions, other children openly and publicly ridiculed me for my size.
Even after I reached a normal weight in high school, I never considered it normal. After all, there is always that one girl that's thinner. And thin is good, right? Healthy even!

I am not a weight loss expert (although I am experienced at gaining and losing the same 5 pounds!). However, here are a few things that have come to mind while trying to reach a healthy weight:

1. God made you just the way you are. Although healthy diet and exercise can do a lot, there are still physical attributes that you possess simply because God gave them to you. Lysa Terkeurst shares in her book, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food, that God gave her thick ankles. She chose to be thankful for them rather than to worry about something she couldn't change.

2. Worry less about the number of your weight and more about what the weight is made of. I'll leave the science of weight loss and fitness to those much more knowledgeable than me, however a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but looks much better! Two people can weigh the same, but one can be much more healthy and energetic simply because of what the weight is made of.

3.  If you try to lose weight, lose it for the right reasons. So much of modern weight loss is about looking better (in different terms I'd rather not use on this blog). Although something can be said for looking our best for the glory of God, most of this seems to be pure vanity.  Even health itself can be an idol rather than a means to glorify God.

4. Eating God's food, God's way will often (if not always) eliminate the need for diets. This is the premise of Perfect Weight America: Change Your Diet. Change Your Life. Change Your World. Author Jordan Rubin conducted an experiment in one of America's unhealthiest towns and saw amazing results when participants switched to real, God-given food. He maintains that there is a perfect weight for everyone, and that no two people are alike.

Perhaps Michael Pollan said it best in his unique book, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual: Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not Too Much. If we do that, maybe we can forget about numbers and start enjoying our lives.

Be Still

It didn't take us long after we started attending the church here to figure out the favorite hymn of one of the members. "Be Still and Know That I am God".  He requested it regularly. As soon as he started speaking, we knew what he was going to say. "Can we sing number...?" 

A couple of months after we moved here, this man and his wife experienced deep grief when their grandson, who was only in his thirties,  died tragically. I couldn't help but think of that hymn, "Be still and know that I am God...I am the Lord that healeth thee...In thee, O Lord, I put my trust...." Be still? When a grandson has been taken from you? Be still? When you're overcome by grief and "whys"?  Suffering loss is hard to deal with; it's even harder to rest in the Lord and be still when you're hurting so deeply. 

And what about when finances fail? What about when the children are sick, the baby cries all night and you're so exhausted you can't even pray? What about when your teenage son rebels against you and lashes out with words that wound deeper than a knife? What about when the doctor speaks that dreaded word "cancer" and the room spins and despair pulls at your very soul? What about when your spouse has been unfaithful? What about when you've been betrayed by those closest to you and you have no one to turn to? What about when you feel like you have to do something...to fix it somehow...but you know you can't and hopelessness settles in?

What then? 

Be still. Know that He is God. He is God. He understands every heartache, every question. He's acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), and He is the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Because of sin, this world is and always will be filled with sickness and sorrow. But our Father has promised to keep us...to hold us through every trial. His exhaustless supply of grace is there to meet our need. He only asks that we trust Him.

When you don't know what to do or where to turn, turn to Him. As hard as it may be, just "be still" and allow Him to comfort you...while He works. 

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.

Is Healthy Eating About Diets?

It seems that often when someone talks about healthy eating, they are talking about losing weight. With the rise of obesity in our country, weight loss can be a valid component of health.

Obesity is certainly a sign of bad health. Cardiologists and doctors and health publications are always giving us warnings about this. However, the flip side is not true. Being thin is not always a sign of good health. Thin people have heart attacks, cancer and other health problems. There has to be more to it than a number on the scale!

Even in my short life, I've lived through a lot of diet crazes. There was the low fat diet all the girls were on in high school. No one stopped to think what was actually wrong with fat. We just thought that fat made us fat. So, we ate our preservative-laden fat free cookies and our sugar-filled candy and our nitrate-filled lean turkey lunch meat and thought we were doing great! We may have even lost a few pounds.

Then the low carb diets came along. Again, no one stopped to think what was actually wrong with carbs. We just were told that carbs were bad and now we could eat all that fat we had avoided. It sounded good because all of us were tired of fat free yogurt and turkey sandwiches without the cheese. So we piled our plates with bacon and eggs and left off the fruits and most vegetables. If we had vegetables on a salad, we doused them with full-fat, Ranch dressing, thankful to put away our low-fat Italian with the weird aftertaste.

Then there was the sugar-free diet. I'm all about cutting out sugar since it's not really a food created by God. I just wonder why all the sugar-free foods still taste so sweet. If that's not sugar in there, what is it? Most likely one (or more) of the artificial sweeteners that some of us equate with vegetables as a staple in a healthy diet.

However, when I talk about real food and share my menus and encourage you to grow toward better choices; I do it just because I love food in it's God-given form and want you and your family to enjoy the good taste and health it brings.

God gave food laws to His people, but He never mentioned their size. He didn't have a scale in the temple for them to weigh in to see how well they were doing with their eating. In fact, He talked about fat as a good thing and bread as the staff of life. He didn't take sweetness out of their life, but brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey.

We really don't know how much most of the Israelites weighed, but we do know their God-given diet kept them from the diseases the Egyptians suffered. So, they must have avoided obesity while eating fat, bread, milk and honey. Now that's some food for thought!

A Fun Fall Craft

One of my very favorite-est seasons is finally here! I love pretty much everything about fall. One thing I enjoy doing in the fall is taking photos of my children with those beautiful colors as a natural backdrop. There's a park not far from here that offers gorgeous scenery, especially in autumn, and we like to go there for our little photo shoots. 

Now, I have a great idea of how to display those photos: acorn frames! You can go here for instructions. These frames are simple, but so cute!  I'm going to try to find some frames at a thrift store or Dollar Tree and gather some acorns to do this craft with the kids. I'm thinking about gluing a fall print ribbon or artificial leaves on the frame to add some color...not sure about that yet. I like what they did with the burlap and leaf, but I think that using burlap for a background for a photo will look great, too. 

I know my kids will love making these! If you and your children make one of these frames, please take a  photo and share the link with us. We'd love to see how it turned out! 

Blessings to you, and Happy Fall!

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.

Sharing the Dream

My husband and I honeymooned in the mountains of Tennessee. It was a beautiful beginning...just the two of us, enjoying every moment together. As we woke one morning, we both began talking about the dream we had the night before. As I began to share my dream, my new husband stared at me in amazement. We had both dreamed the same dream! We laughed about it, and joked that it must be because we were together so much.

The thing that amused so much on that morning more than 12 years ago, is one thing that has kept our marriage beautiful: sharing the same dream. 

I can still hear the words of a woman older than me whose children had all left home giving me a word of warning. How she had been so wrapped up in the children and he had been so involved in putting their food on the table and how they had looked at one another when the last child left home wondering who that person was that they had lived with for so many years.

I hear the words of women my age and younger who tell me they are so exhausted at the end of a day that all they want is sleep. There just isn't energy left for a husband. And it saddens me. Because sleep is necessary, but if we go through our marriages sleeping....literally and figuratively, there is never a time to awake and share the dream. 


Sharing a dream in marriage is that quick phone call that brightens the day of a work-weary husband....that single moment of greeting one another at the door with a long kiss and momentarily ignoring the chaos of children living loudly...the stretching of paychecks and looking beyond this week's grocery money to the years ahead of feeding the love we hold for each other.

Sharing the dream is realizing that a child is cherished and loved but only ours for about 18 short years, while our vows to each other only die when we do. Sharing the dream is acknowledging that a job only helps us to survive so that we have time to truly live. Sharing the dream is the fusion of two into one to the extent it is nearly impossible to see where one ceases and the other begins.

I don't want to wake up after decades of marriage and realize that we have been dreaming separate dreams through the years and there is nothing left to share. How about you?


Jennifer Self is a disciple of Jesus Christ who loves following His plan for her life as a wife to the most wonderful man in the world and mama to four little blessings. Her days are filled with spending time with her man, homeschooling, preparing reasonably healthy meals and keeping the dust bunnies and the clutter monster at bay with a little blogging mixed in. After her family has been taken care of, she dabbles in her other passions of reading, health and music. She blogs about her life, her Heavenly Father, marriage, parenting and home at www.joyeverafter.blogspot.com and real food for real families from the perspective of real faith at www.growingreal.net. 


Linked To:

Weekly Link List for Further Reading

MARRIAGE
When Couples Dream

CHILDREN

How to Teach Children to Pray

HOME

http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com/

Joanna's Note: Decorating tips for every room, AND a free Kitchen decorating Ebook!

In Our Homes This Week

Joanna: We have been enjoying putting up our fall decorations this week!  Well...I have been enjoying it, and my sweet husband has been enduring it.  Also, I'm preparing to have our church ladies for the monthly Ladies Bible Study in my home.

Jennifer: We are painting our living room and dining room so I have stacks of furniture and paint cans to walk around in those rooms! We're having company this weekend, so we are going to the Yankee Peddler Festival.

Jessica: This week my oldest came down with some sort of cold, my youngest seemed to be getting it too, and the other two were checking their temp constantly...I think they were jealous. ;) I have been trying to spend more time reading (it's working...a little) and we're really, truly, finally getting the fall clothes into the closets!

Jordan Rubin, author of The Great Physician's Rx for Health and Wellness, tells how he is often asked the question, "Can I get to Heaven eating unhealthy food?" He smiles and tells them, "Sure you will, you'll just get there a lot sooner."

I believe eating is one of those very personal things that each of us must decide for himself. Although God gives us guidance in His Word, I don't believe that our diets are necessarily a moral issue. There can be exceptions, of course. That is why this is one of those things that is between you and God.

Though I can't give you any hard and fast "rules" about if God cares what we eat,  I can give you these facts:

Fact #1: He cares for you.
At one point in my life, I sold home decor items. One of our trademark pieces was a pottery dish that had the creator's fingerprints pressed into the handle so no two pieces were exactly alike. This is how God has created us. Each of us is unique, has our own special ministry and has God's own fingerprints upon our lives.

Fact #2: He cares about your health.
The reason God addresses food in the Bible at all is He loves us and wants what is best for us. He wanted His chosen people, the Israelites, to experience good physical health as He led them toward the Promised Land. He didn't want them to contract any of the diseases with which the Egyptians were plagued. There is no legalistic rule here....just pure love from our Heavenly Father.

Fact #3: He cares enough not to overwhelm us.
God's Word tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He never intended for any of His commands to be grievous to us. If you are overwhelmed by your attempt to eat healthier, perhaps you need to recognize that God is not requiring so much of you. Ask Him for wisdom and strength, and He will give it to you liberally.

Does God care what we eat? He cares much more than you know!

Dressing up the Drab

All of us have a creative bone in there somewhere, but for some of us it's just a little harder to find. However, here is a little creative tip ANYONE can do to dress up whatever is drab in your home!

Have a blah-looking set of lamps? A less than eye-catching set of valances? Or do you need a cute napkin ring that matches but don't want to spend a fortune? Here is your all-in-one solution...Ribbon! That's right! Everyone can afford a little ribbon, and that's all it takes to make your ordinary lamps dazzle; your valances *POP*; and your table look well-dressed and classy. Just go to your favorite craft store (even Walmart has a decent selection) and grab the ribbon that will revolutionize your decor without breaking the bank! Still skeptical? I thought you might be...so, here are some pictures of what I have done in my own home.

My plain white lamps BEFORE... AFTER adding ribbon!



















Linen napkins tied with any color ribbon

Plain red gingham valance with ribbon added

Now go dress up what's drab in YOUR home!!

Joanna LaVan is a child of the King, wife to her incredible husband, adoring aunt "nana" to her four favorite little people, and Pastor's wife to their Church people in Virginia. Her desire is to share with the world the wonderful reality of sins forgiven. In her spare time she enjoys Kayaking, reading, occasional scrapbooking, cleaning, blogging, and spending time with her wonderful family. She blogs about her life's happenings, and passions at www.lukeandjoannalavan.blogspot.com .

Five Steps to Making Real Food Cheaper

Unfortunately, real food can be more expensive. That is, if you shop in traditional ways. However, if you follow these steps, you might find that real food can actually be cheaper than what you're doing now!

Step One:  Swap a Processed Product for a Real Product
This is the simplest way to save money on real food. Look in your cart and find one processed thing that you already buy. For example, find that box of cereal in your cart for at least $2.50. Coupons can make it cheaper, but coupons are usually for the "breakfast candy" types of cereal. If it's a truly healthy version, it's probably closer to $4 or $5. Buy a box of oatmeal for the same amount or less than the cheap box of cereal, and serve more meals with greater variety.


Step Two:  Make Your Own
It is true that not every product can be that simply replaced at the grocery store. Bakery items like breads, tortillas, and muffins can almost always be made cheaper at home. Many breakfast items like granola, pancakes and waffles can as well. I love to make my own soups and sauces as much as possible. They are pretty easy, taste much better and cost much less!

Step Three: Grow Your Own
Fresh produce is the staple of the healthy diet. It is so satisfying to be able to pick tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce from your own backyard or from a pot on your porch. This cuts down on cost considerably, especially if you grow enough to freeze or can.

Step Four:  Purchase Directly from the Source
If you aren't able to grow your own, it is often cheaper to buy from a farm or a farm market. Many farmers grow produce organically even though they are not officially certified. Since they don't have to pay for the certification process, they can pass on organic produce to you at a much lower price. Pick-your-own farms are also great for this. We have a tradition of picking strawberries every year and freezing them to enjoy during those months they are $4 a pound!
Step Five: Buy in Bulk
Two discoveries have helped us to provide our family with healthier foods on a budget. One is the bulk bins in the health food store. I can try new things in whatever amounts I choose, and the cost is really minimal since I don't have to get the big bag or fancy packaging.
I like to buy raw nuts this way, since really I only need a small amount for snacks. Though they are expensive per pound, I can buy just what I need for no more than a bag of chips that would be void of nutrition and last half as long. I've taken this a step further and purchase things I know we enjoy like brown rice and rolled oats in 25# bags, driving the cost down further.

The best thing to buy in bulk is meat. This can be a large initial investment, so we don't always get to do it. However, when we can set aside some money through the year, we buy half a cow.  Grass-fed beef not treated with antibiotics is $4.99 per pound or more in the health food store, and that is just for hamburger! I can purchase all my beef from hamburger to sirloin tip roast to porterhouse steak for less per pound than I would pay for hamburger in the health food store. Actually, when I buy in bulk, the cost is very comparable to what I would pay in a regular grocery store for the hamburger.

Although I can no longer be a "coupon queen" while buying real food, my grocery budget (which includes all paper products and toiletries but not diapers) has only doubled in the 12 years since I married and we lived on Hamburger Helper, canned soup, ramen noodles and coupon-purchased cereal. This isn't too bad since our family size has tripled since then and I don't buy many boxes, bags or cans anymore.

Linked To:

Delighting or Doing?

Psalm 40:8 "I delight to do Thy will, O my God..."

Recently, I have been struck with the realization that it is not enough to simply DO the will of our Father; but we are to DELIGHT in doing it. So many times we get so used to just going through the motions of serving the Lord that we become blind to the fact that we are to be delighting in doing those things for Him. It is so easy to get into a routine where we do the things "required" of us; but I'm afraid that's exactly what the devil would like us to do. If he can lull us into a sense of "duty" rather than "delighting" he has won half the battle.

Maybe your facing a time in your life where it is no longer a delight to serve Him. Perhaps you have allowed your circumstances to cloud your spiritual vision. The words of a song come to mind that says, "I'm happy in the Lord anyway; and it really doesn't matter what comes my way today I'm going to wear a smile, hold my head up high and say, I'm happy in the Lord anyway!". That is really how we must face each and every day. We may not be able to change our circumstances, but we can change our attitude IN those circumstances, and choose to DELIGHT instead of just DO. God has something so much better for us than just going through the motions. He want us to find delight in serving Him!

How about you? Are you delighting? Or just doing? The choice is yours!

Joanna LaVan is a child of the King, wife to her incredible husband, adoring aunt "nana" to her four favorite little people, and Pastor's wife to their Church people in Virginia. Her desire is to share with the world the wonderful reality of sins forgiven. In her spare time she enjoys Kayaking, reading, occasional scrapbooking, cleaning, blogging, and spending time with her wonderful family. She blogs about her life's happenings, and passions at www.lukeandjoannalavan.blogspot.com .

The Real Scoop on Bread

My family calls me the Little Red Hen because I like to "do it myself" when it comes to wheat and bread. As long as my family isn't saying, "Not I!" when it comes to the eating, this is good!
Some parts of this are  relatively new to me, so I have a lot to learn yet. This is a true beginner's guide:

Wheat is one of the three top crops produced in the United States. (This can be bad, but I'll save that post for another time!) Therefore, we eat a lot of it: bread products in particular(at least in my country, and probably many countries around the world). Although we consume large volumes, most of us don't know much about what we are eating.

There are three parts to a wheat kernel. You can see a diagram and a brief description of each part here. When we fail to use the whole grain, we fail to eat a complete food, leaving out most of the nutrients. Poor health can (and often does) result. There's much more to it than that, but that's it in a nutshell (or maybe I should say in a kernel. Ahem.)

Now, how do we know what kind of bread is best to buy for our families?

Grocery Store Guide to Bread

White Bread

This is the kind of bread I used to pick up for less than fifty cents a loaf at my local Aldi's or Save-a-Lot stores. Even now, I can get a loaf of this for under a dollar at almost any grocery store. It is cheaper because it is the bread that has only one part of the wheat kernel in it, along with a host of other chemicals. As Robyn of Green Smoothie Girl puts it, it is mostly made up of the "glue" that holds the more nutritious parts of the kernel together. When you buy it in the store, it will usually say "enriched" on it, because they have to put some vitamins back into it artificially to prevent diseases like rickets.

Wheat Bread

Often wheat bread in the store is just the white bread with some coloring added to it. Even white bread is made from wheat---just not the whole kernel. Sometimes bread companies will add a little bit of whole grains to the enriched flour, but unless it says 100% whole wheat, you know that most of it is the plain old starch part of the wheat kernel.

100% Whole Wheat

This choice is better nutritionally, but as you can see from its label, it has a lot of unpronounceable things added that I'm generally not comfortable feeding to my family on a regular basis:

INGREDIENTS:
Whole wheat flour, water, wheat gluten, high fructose corn syrup, contains 2% of less of: soybean oil, salt, molasses, yeast, mono and diglycerides, exthoxylated mono and diglycerides, dough conditioners (sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium iodate, calcium dioxide), datem, calcium sulfate, vinegar, yeast nutrient (ammonium sulfate), extracts of malted barley and corn, dicalcium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, calcium propionate (to retain freshness). (Source)

Good bread with only 5 simple ingredients can be bought, but it is between $4 and $5 a loaf. The way my family eats bread, I cannot justify that expense in my budget.Which brings me back to my Little Red Hen nickname. I skip the growing the wheat part. I just started buying my own wheat berries in bulk (think 50 pounds of wheat berries sitting in the corner of my kitchen....no, I'm not kidding!).

When I need some flour for bread or some other wheat product, I toss some wheat berries into my Vitamix, push a button, and have fresh ground flour in one minute. I use it immediately and store any excess in the freezer. That's the extent of the milling part.

As for the baking, I'm honestly still experimenting with the perfect 100% whole wheat bread for our family. If you have a recipe that makes soft, not crumbly bread that is good for sandwiches in a bread machine with just a few simple ingredients (I don't ask for much, do I?), I would love for you to share it in the comments.

Right now, I adapt my homemade white bread recipe and it's pretty good for meals and such. Which is the eating part. My little "chicks" like it best fresh from the oven.

If you're past the beginner stage, here are a few links you might find helpful:
Grinding Your Own Wheat Is Not Crazy After All (with video demonstration)
Real Food Encouragement: Whole Wheat Bread
What Are Sprouted and Soaked Grains?

This post is linked to:

Teach Them to Pray

As children, most of us probably learned prayers like these: "God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food..." and "Now I lay me down to sleep...".  For some reason, I haven't taught those prayers to my children. There's certainly nothing wrong with them. They're actually very sweet. But I guess I just wanted my children to learn at an early age to speak to God from their hearts. I want them to find it just as easy to talk with their Heavenly Father as with their earthly one. Granted, when you let your little ones pray on their own there will be interesting and even funny consequences. I wish I had written down all the times mine have said something during family prayer that cracked us up! Since we want to foster a spirit of reverence during our devotional time, and we don't want to encourage any of our children to show off while praying, (we don't want to embarrass them, either) we try to keep any little "offender" from knowing that he or she said something wrong or that they had been funny. But, sometimes we simply can't hold in the laughter. I'm glad God has a sense of humor, too!

It's so important whether they quote prayers, pray on their own, or repeat prayers after you, to encourage them to pray and to live a prayerful life in front of them. Let them see and hear you in prayer, and never, ever discourage them, even if they say something funny when they pray. When they ask you to  pray about something that seems a little silly, figure out a way to include it in your prayer. (As long as they're not just goofing off.) They'll learn as they get older what is appropriate and what isn't. Gentle teaching is necessary, of course.  They should learn to be reverent and to pray for others instead of constantly asking for things for themselves. But never discourage them!  I remember the time in school when I was about seven and the teacher asked the students if they had any prayer requests. A little girl, obviously concerned, asked for the teacher to pray for  her pet. The teacher's reply stunned me. "Oh, we don't pray about animals...." I felt so sorry for that little girl. I wonder what kind of questions came into her impressionable mind? Of course we pray for animals if children ask us to! They need to know that if it's important to them, it's important to God!

Really, maybe we could learn from our children how we should pray. I, for one, have a very difficult time praying in front of anyone because I can't pray "good enough". Too many of us are hindered by that, I think. We could take some tips from our little ones. Listen to them...to the simplicity and sincerity of their prayers, and take note. God isn't impressed by our words. He's touched by the honest, earnest cry from our heart.

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.

Are You A Rebellious Wife?

In his book, Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd Tripp writes,

"People rebel by actively or passively refusing to recognize God's authority."

Every once in a while, I meet someone who has blatant disregard for God's authority over his life. You probably know a few that want nothing to do with God and perhaps don't even believe in Him. However, most of the time, rebellion I see among adults doesn't manifest itself in the two-year-old temper tantrum variety (believe me, I know exactly what that looks like!).

No, most rebellion I see occurs among the people that sport bumper stickers with the fish symbol or "Honk if you love Jesus" and then cut off someone in traffic with an angry glare. Or they tell little white lies to get by at work. Sometimes they live however they want during the week, then show up on Sunday at church with their Bibles and an everything's-great grin. These are the people that give lip service to God, but in reality are ruling their own lives with complete disregard to His authority over them.

Sadly, that happens a lot in marriage. It is rare to find a woman who will even give lip service to the fact that her husband is her authority. But even those who do, often rebel in ways like this:

• They agree upon a certain budget with their husbands, then spend whatever they want, disregarding his wishes.
• They speak to other women about their husband's faults and arguments that they are having with him.
• They feel that they are more "in tune with God" so they disregard his thoughts and override his decisions on Biblical issues.
• When he disciplines the children, they step in and assert their authority over his, confusing the children.

All one needs to do to rebel against the authority of a police man trying to pull him over is to keep on going...to ignore the policeman's order. We can go on "refusing to recognize" authority, but essentially, by ignoring our husbands' authority over us, we are ignoring God's.


Jennifer Self is a disciple of Jesus Christ who loves following His plan for her life as a wife to the most wonderful man in the world and mama to four little blessings. Her days are filled with spending time with her man, homeschooling, preparing reasonably healthy meals and keeping the dust bunnies and the clutter monster at bay with a little blogging mixed in. After her family has been taken care of, she dabbles in her other passions of reading, health and music. She blogs about her life, her Heavenly Father, marriage, parenting and home at www.joyeverafter.blogspot.com and real food for real families from the perspective of real faith at www.growingreal.net.

Growing Real Giveaway Winner

The winner of the Tropical Traditions coconut oil was Kerrie (Kerriekg@)! You should have already received an e-mail from me. Thanks to all who entered!

If you didn't win but would still like to try the coconut oil, they are offering a free jar right now when you buy one here. This deal is on until Thursday the 22nd. Just to let you know.

Jennifer

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Weekly Link List for Further Reading

MARRIAGE:
Being Chaste in Marriage
The Bravest and Most Beautiful Affair
Jennifer's note: I love both of these posts....the first to remind me to guard carefully what I have and the second to enjoy it with abandon.

HOME:
Creating Home of Refuge

CHILDREN:
Thoughts on Parenting and Parenting Resources
Jessica's Note: I have not listened to the audio, but this is an excellent article.

In Our Homes This Week

Just to show you how great minds think alike, we're all getting our fall clothes out this week! And we didn't confer about it at all. :-) Here's what's going on in each of our homes this week:

Jennifer: I dug out fall and winter clothes for four kids and realized I need to buy more hangers! We had a little birthday party for Jerrod who is a big boy now at 3.

Jessica: We're getting adjusted to our new homeschool curriculum, thinking about digging out the fall/winter clothes (HUGE chore for six of us), and looking forward to having a yard sale on Saturday.

Joanna: We attended a consignment Auction this week, started some fall closet busting, and are looking forward to being with family this coming weekend.

Home: A Place of Refuge

There are many definitions of the word "home" if you look it up in the dictionary. However, the one I believe that truly defines what that word really means is this: "An environment offering SECURITY and HAPPINESS. A valued place regarded as a REFUGE or place of origin."

Our homes should be a place of security and refuge for our families. We have no choice but to rub shoulders with those in the world around us, and have no control over what goes on "out there". No matter what role you play in your family (whether you're the husband, wife or child) you face the harsh reality of our world everyday. Whether at the job, place of business, running simple errands, or attending the local school, you deal with the rat race we call life. However, once we cross the threshold of our own homes we should be able to sense the peace and comfort that it provides.

As we explore this most important subject of the Home in the future, my goal is to help all of us to create just that kind of place for our families. That place of refuge.


Joanna LaVan is a child of the King, wife to her incredible husband, adoring aunt "nana" to her four favorite little people, and Pastor's wife to their Church people in Virginia. Her desire is to share with the world the wonderful reality of sins forgiven. In her spare time she enjoys Kayaking, reading, occasional scrapbooking, cleaning, blogging, and spending time with her wonderful family. She blogs about her life's happenings and passions at www.lukeandjoannalavan.blogspot.com .

Welcome Growing Real Readers! (Giveaway #3)

If you are here from Growing Real, thank you for stopping by! I apologize for the extra steps you had to take to enter this giveaway, but I'm excited to share it with you as well as my regular Joy Ever After readers. If you are a Joy Ever After reader looking for today's devotional, please check back next Wednesday!

When I first heard of Tropcial Traditions' coconut oil, I admit I was a little skeptical. I'm not a big fan of coconut, but that stems from the fact that I had never tasted it except highly processed and sweetened in desserts. First of all, a little history/science lesson about how it was discovered (after all, I am a home schooling mama!):

Because of my aversion to coconut, when I first ordered from Tropical Traditions, I purchased the Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil because it was guaranteed to have no coconut smell or taste. I don't use any other oil to fry now. I have used it to fry fish, potatoes and eggs and could tell no difference in taste or texture from any other oil I've used.

When Tropical Traditions offered me a sample of the Virgin Coconut Oil to try, I gladly accepted. When I opened up the jar, the coconut scent was not over-powering at all. It has a delicate scent and, as I used it, a delicate flavor as well. I have used it and loved it in granola, blueberry pancakes and baked oatmeal. I haven't made any desserts for awhile, but I can't wait to try it in other baked goods as well!

I've only used both oils in recipes that were already family favorites, but Tropical Traditions has a whole site of tested recipes in which to use their coconut products. Check it out here.

Still not convinced? Why not try it out? If you purchase coconut oil through one of the links in this e-mail, Tropical Traditions will include a copy of their Virgin Coconut Oil book with your order absolutely free.

BUT WAIT! Tropical Traditions is giving away one quart of their excellent coconut oil to one of my readers.

To Enter (Mandatory): Leave a comment on this post telling us what Tropical Traditions product interests you the most.

For Bonus Entries--LOTS of opportunities:

• Subscribe to Tropical Traditions' newsletter here, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Like Tropical Traditions on Facebook, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Subscribe to Growing Real through a reader or e-mail, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Like Growing Real on Facebook, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Follow Growing Real on Twitter, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.
• Like Joy Ever After on Facebook, and leave me a comment letting me know you did.

The giveaway will be open until 9:00 P.M.  on Saturday, September 16. Winner will be announced the following Monday. If you are chosen, you will have one week from that day to claim your prize.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

Trusting in His Strength

I know Jennifer already introduced me, but I’d just like to thank her for asking me to join her and Joanna here on Joy Ever After. Jennifer does a fantastic job with this blog and I look forward to spending time here with her and Joanna, and with all of you, her wonderful readers!  

I remember watching new mothers with their tiny babies and wondering what it would feel like to be a mommy. When our daughter arrived, I discovered that motherhood was more precious than I could even imagine. I was completely in awe! That feeling hasn't changed. My children are my world. So many times I just have to stop, sit back, and gaze at them as the realization hits me anew that these little people are mine! My gifts from God! They have been given to my husband and me to train, and to try to mold into the people God has planned from the beginning for them to be. Wow. What a responsibility! And with that realization comes this thought: I can’t do this alone. No matter how hard I try, I can’t get it all right and I end up frustrated and defeated if I rely on my own strength.  And so, I’m learning to lean on Him; to trust in His strength. Unfortunately, I can be pretty thick-headed at times but, thankfully, He’s patient!            

          

           “The LORD God is my strength;

            He will make my feet like deer’s feet,            
           And He will make me walk on my high hills.”                                
                                                             Habakkuk 3:19

As a parent, (well…as a person in general) I have so much to learn. As I share from my heart on this blog, I hope that you’ll understand that I have never and will never claim perfection in any area. I’m actually encouraging and prodding myself when I write, aiming just a little higher every day as a Christian, wife, and mother. Will you join me on this upward trek? I hope we can have a little fun along the way as well! Oh, and your comments are always welcome! 
~Jessica

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.

The Parable of the Pearls

There was once a man who labored long hours, over many years for his life's treasure--a beautiful collection of pearls. He fashioned a box and lined it with velvet so that he could protect his pearls  from harm and treasure them always. He tenderly placed the pearls in the box and put the box in a safe place in his very own room.


Every day, he came home, opened the box, and gazed at the pearls, enjoying them and appreciating their rare beauty. The years passed and more responsibilities seemed to crowd his schedule. One day, he came home weary, and decided to skip his nightly ritual. He could see the box up on its shelf as he passed. He smiled to himself, knowing that they were still there.

As his life got more crowded and his time seemed to pass more swiftly, he forgot more often than not to stop and view the pearls and to enjoy them while appreciating their beauty. One afternoon, a friend knocked at the door. He told a sad tale of financial woe and lamented that he had a bill due soon and he had nothing with which to pay it. "I know just the thing to help!" the man told him. He went up to his room and withdrew the box. The lid creaked a bit as he opened it, and he thought absentmindedly that he should fix the hinge. The pearls were all there, but he blinked a bit and wondered if perhaps they weren't quite as lovely as before. "But of course they are!" he told himself, and hurriedly closed the box as he went to deliver one of the pearls to his friend. "I won't miss one!" he reasoned with himself. "And I'm helping out a friend in need."

Not long after, a stranger came to the door and told a tale of a great charity work in which he was involved, and how much they needed help for their noble cause. He asked with eloquent words for any help the man could give. The man had spent his life working for the treasure in the box upstairs, and didn't have a lot of funds at his disposal, so he went up to his room and withdrew the box again. He blew some dust from its top and opened the creaky hinge. The pearls were still there, and this time he barely glanced at them with a brief smile as he withdrew one and satisfied a twinge of discomfort with these words, "It is good to help out humanity. And, of course, I have many pearls left."

As time went on, and more needs arose, it became easier and easier for the man to dispose of the pearls he had so greatly treasured. He always assured himself that there were plenty there and though he really should take better care of the box, it still kept them nicely protected.

One day, an old beggar came to the door, asking for a handout. It was obvious that the beggar was able to work, but chose to use his time in other ways such as asking for the support of others. The man, impatient to get the man off of his porch so he could get back to his own responsibilities, hurried upstairs as had become his custom to give the beggar just one of his pearls to satisfy him. He grasped the box and pulled it towards him. He had to pry a bit to lift the lid, but it finally gave way. As he reached his hand in to remove one of his pearls, he felt around in dismay. He opened the box that had kept his pearls safe all these years a little wider, but all that was in the box was a frayed, velvet lining. "All my beautiful pearls! Gone! Who has taken them?"

It was then he realized that his greatest treasure had not been taken at all. It had been given away, little by little, by none other than himself. He, who had pledged to keep it safe and enjoy it forever. He, who had thought that the box he had carefully crafted would be sufficient guard to protect it. He, who now had nothing to show for his life but an empty box.

So many treat their relationships with their husbands like the man did his pearls. They remember the day when they would give anything just to be with him and call him their own. They look back to those early years, when they would spend evenings together, just enjoying one another. They fondly recall the days when they appreciated him and valued him. Now they try to find that relationship again, only to find that they have only an empty and deteriorating box called a marriage, with all pearls of loving relationship gone.

I am convinced that most marriage relationships are not taken from us. They are given up, little by little. We may rely too much on the protection we call marriage and over time forget the beauty of our relationship with our husbands. We get busy and stop cultivating and enjoying it. Then, we begin to give it away. We have many good intentions....at least in the beginning. A flirtation here, letting our guard down there, a disparaging word about him to a friend here and harsh words spoken to him there. One pearl handed away at a time.


Let us dust off the box that we call marriage, repairing the hinges and the lining if necessary. Then, let us simply enjoy the relationship again. Let us appreciate our husbands and guard that relationship with our very lives:  before the pearls that we once treasured so highly have all trickled away and all we hold is an empty box.


Jennifer Self is a disciple of Jesus Christ who loves following His plan for her life as a wife to the most wonderful man in the world and mama to four little blessings. Her days are filled with spending time with her man, homeschooling, preparing reasonably healthy meals and keeping the dust bunnies and the clutter monster at bay with a little blogging mixed in. After her family has been taken care of, she dabbles in her other passions of reading, health and music. She blogs about her life, her Heavenly Father, marriage, parenting and home at www.joyeverafter.blogspot.com and real food for real families from the perspective of real faith at www.growingreal.net.

Linked to:

One Final Announcement!

As some of you may know, I have finally bought my own little corner of the web and set up an official blog for my real food obsession interest. You are all breathing a sigh of relief that you will no longer have to hear the details of my latest findings and cooking experiments!

If, by chance, you would like to stay with me on my crazy real food ramblings, pop over and subscribe at www.growingreal.net. I'd love to see some familiar faces!

I hope you will all forgive my ramblings for one more week because as I launch the blog over there next week, we will be doing a whole week of giveaways and that makes me a little over-excited!

I will be giving you updates on at least one of the giveaways here on Joy Ever After. The company is requiring I use an established blog to post the actual giveaway and I guess this is it!

So, just be warned, you may hear a bit about the new blog next week, but I promise we will get back to "regular programming" quickly.

What to Expect on the New (and Hopefully Improved) Joy Ever After

In keeping with the focus of this blog, we want to major on the main roles of the Christian woman as a child of God, a wife if she is married, a mother if she has been blessed with children and keeper of her home.

We want to discuss her relationships with God, her husband, her children and even with her home, since it is to be a living picture of Heaven. We will even discuss a woman's relationship to herself at times---those things that make each of us a unique creation of God.


On Mondays, Jennifer will be talking about marriage and our relationships with our husbands.


On Tuesdays, Jessica will be sharing about children and our relationships with them.

Wednesday will be a day to focus on our relationship with God and for us to take turns sharing with you what God has been teaching us from His Word.

On Thursdays, Joanna will discuss our homes and how we can make them beautiful havens of peace and joy.

Friday will be a fun day for each of us to share what has been going on in our "real life" homes that week.

On Saturday, each of us will share a few links for further reading on the subjects that we have discussed throughout the week.

If you happen to stop by the blog on Sunday, you can read past posts and be refreshed because we will be taking a day of rest to worship the Lord, minister within our churches and enjoy the families God has given us.

We hope we can encourage you and that you won't want to miss a post. If you want to be notified each time a new post is up through e-mail or a feed reader, check out the sidebar and subscribe.

We'd also love for you to join the discussion on the Joy Ever After fan page which we will try to keep active as well.

Many blessings to you all!
Jennifer, Joanna, and Jessica

Meet Our New CHILDREN Contributor, Jessica Geise!

In that crazy way of the blogging and online world, I have never met Jessica in real life. Our conversations have been over e-mail and on facebook. We know each other by reading from each other's hearts on our blogs. Even though we've never met in "real life", Jessica and I are kindred spirits right down to our love of books and alliteration. We share the same passion for our children and preparing them for Heaven. Which is why I announce Jessica Geise as the new CHILDREN contributor here on Joy Ever After:

Me: How long have you been married and how many children have you been blessed with?  

Jessica; Derek and I have been married for fourteen years. We have three sweet daughters and one rambunctious son (who is challenging every idea I ever formed about parenting).

Me: What are the ages of your children? 

Jessica: 12, 9, 6 and 3.

Me: What activities most often fill your days? 

Jessica; Housework, homeschool, and hope (for a more organized day tomorrow!) That's alliteration, right? :)

Me: Name 5 topics you are most passionate about...those subjects that are hard for you to stop talking about once you get started! 

Jessica: Faith, homeschooling,  parenting, books, photography...wait! Only 5?

Me: Realizing that none of us have "arrived" when it comes to any area of Godly womanhood, what topic are you contributing to on Joy Ever After and how do you most want to encourage women in this area? 

Jessica: My topic is "children". I hope to share tips, etc. but, most importantly, I hope to encourage mothers to take all the time necessary to prepare their hearts and those of their children to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Me: Anything else you want our readers to know about you? 

Jessica: My family is my world.  I love to laugh. I'm very, very imperfect in every way. I frequently blog late at night when the house is quiet...and that can have interesting consequences. :)

What Do You Eat at Grandma's House?

Grandma's house. I have memories of roast beef with mashed potatoes and noodles (my grandma had Pennsylvania Dutch background). I have memories of non-alcoholic egg nog and a huge ham at Christmas time. And sitting around the table with a cup of coffee and a pile of Oreos to dunk in it. Hardly the healthiest fare.

Just because I have become the family "health nut" doesn't mean that everyone else shares my interest. They try to accommodate me when it comes to the kids, though. My mother will say, "Can he have some Sprite? It's the all-natural kind." Or someone will offer my child a dessert and smile at me knowingly, "Don't worry! It's sugar-free." I have found that life is just too complicated to explain that Sprite can not be natural with all chemical ingredients, and that sugar free is worse than sugar if it involves an artificial sweetener.  So I smile and say, "He'll eat whatever you serve him." (I try to make exceptions for genuine allergies...most of the time.)

Though some mothers enforce their real food policies at all times, I just want my kids to enjoy their grandparents and other family members. They don't see their grandparents every day and sometimes not even every week. If Grandma slips them an Oreo once in awhile, I won't complain. In fact, I may just pull up a chair, refill my coffee mug and grab one myself!

Meet Our New HOME Contributor, Joanna LaVan!

I know of few who are more talented and capable when caring for their homes than my own sister (in real life!), Joanna. She's my baby sister, born to my parents when I was 7 years old, but we've grown close through the years even though the miles now separate us. I am pleased to announce her as our new HOME contributor for Joy Ever After:

Me: How long have you been married?

Joanna: Married 3 wonderful years to the man of my dreams

Me: What activities most often fill your days?

Joanna: Hmm... As a pastor's wife I never know what a day may bring, but a typical day finds me cleaning house, running errands, encouraging a parishioner, preparing for children's church and Sunday school to be held on Sunday, and taking care of my hubby.  In other words, taking care of house and home. :)

Me: Name 5 topics you are most passionate about...those subjects that are hard for you to stop talking about once you get started!

Joanna; Some would say I'm opinionated about many things, and they're probably right, but there are some things I won't bend on and those are the following topics:  My relationship with my Heavenly Father, my dear family, kids "being kids" in an age of media, mothers taking time to be moms, and showing our world that God's kids can have fun with no regrets.

Me; Realizing that none of us have "arrived" when it comes to any area of Godly womanhood, to what topic are you contributing on Joy Ever After and how do you most want to encourage women in this area?

Joanna: I will be doing posts on the Home for Joy Ever After, which is where I believe our focus needs to be in this day and age that we live in.  We cannot control what goes on in the world around us, but our Home should be our Haven.  My goal is to help us (because I need it just as much as you do!) to make our homes that kind of place.

Me: Anything else you want our readers to know about you?

Joanna: I'm a daughter of the King, wife to my sweet husband, doting aunt to my favorite little people, and pastor's wife to God's flock.