I love this quote as it holds so much truth! God created an order to marriage with him at the top. If the husband is not leading by example and submitting to God why would his wife want to be submissive to him?
Day 9 A favorite quote.
My daughter and my grand fur-baby.
The picture above is my daughter and her puppy Mavey, or Mavey baby as she is so affectionately called by our 4 year old. She is a Yorkie-terrier mix and is full of spunk. We noticed she doesn't really stay warm. Target had puppy shirts and sweaters for $3 this week in the Dollar bins. My daughter bought Mavey 2 new winter sweaters and pretty in pink puppy socks. Not just any socks, these are non-slip socks. She is one spoiled pooch!
And that's about sums up my day in a picture or two. Not very exciting today. Hope you have an amazing day.
Today a few conquered their fear of snakes. Okay, conquered may be a bit of an exageration..... faced is better. Our oldest had a friend over for church and as he is new to the area we decided to take him to the local bug museum. It was actually a really neat place. Everything from scorpions, turtles, hissing cockroaches (EWW!) to Albino Burmese Pythons.
I thought these Purple Moon Crabs were really pretty. I never knew crabs came in purple.
Those are hard to see so here is a picture I found online. They are really quite pretty, for a crab that is.
After we walked around a bit we entered the Reptile Room... snakes and lizards oh my. I've always been one to think bigger is better when it comes to snakes. The bigger they are the easier they are to spot. Great until you are in a room with glass cases all around full of snakes and legless lizards. The owner did get out "Jigsaw". He was a Ball Python. Not real big, but very calm and used to being handled. I only got pictures of two of my girls and my hubby holding him. My oldest did it before we were there and she wasn't doing it again after that, lol.
Tinka was brave and let the owner put him around her neck. She was great until the owner played a joke and told her he was color blind but as long as she wasn't wearing pink she was safe. He said "Jigsaw" didn't like the color pink. Her face turned red, her voice turned high and she said "My whole dress is pink". It was a time of laughter when he then said he was just joking.
Tinka holding Jigsaw while listening to his owner (in pic) tell about him.
My brave hubby. He is terrified of snakes. He made a deal with Tweety that if she held Jigsaw so would he. He's a daddy of his word :)
Tweety was the most scared as you can see on her face. The video was hilarious! I'm so proud of her for facing this fear. Will she ever do it again,, not likely! Yet she did today. A life lesson in courage: Being afraid and doing it anyway. She has big plans for her future and she will face many things that may be fears. I hope she remembers this day.
A small blessing was today's photo challenge. As I was going through pictures from the harvest party at my parents church I came across this one. It's my almost 16 year old "Tweety". Attached to her legs are two of her cousins. There are games being packed up, candy and prizes going into separate bags, tables being broken down, cars being loaded, decorations cleaned up. She kept the little ones entertained while their parents took care of siblings, helped clean up and just sat for a minute. She was exhausted as we had been at our own church until after 11pm the night before. All she wanted to do was go home and go to bed. There was never a complaint, never a harsh word to the kids hanging on her legs, running circles around her, showing her their ever growing supply of candy and prizes. She just smiled and laughed and let the kids be entertained so the harvest party could be cleaned up.
Tweety has always had a heart for kids. Even as a little girl she was always carrying around a baby doll and playing mom. When we were foster parents she was the first one to ask to help with the kids. Now that she is older she volunteers in the church nursery and babysits. One day she is going to make an amazing mom... And that is a blessing :)
As a mom I want my home to be a healthy one. With health comes cost, just look at the price of a salad compared to a hamburger. It's crazy. The rise of things like cancer, skin issues and allergies is enough to make anyone do a double take. My own 14 year old has psoriasis, and has had shingles over 4 times already.
Did you know that Scrubbing Bubbles is banned in other countries? Or that Hydrochloric acid is in some Toilet Bowl Cleaner, that 409 cleaner can be used as a pesticide? I don't know about you but I wouldn't clean my counters or floors with pesticide but I have a bottle of 409 under the sink. I was shocked at what I found when I started researching what was in my cleaners.
The picture above is what made me start questioning what is in our cleaners. Only 5 out of 84,000 chemicals in our cleaners are regulated by the FDA??? So who is making sure our cleaners are safe? These are the things we spray on our counters and then lay our food on, clean our floors with and then sit our children on to play. Did you know many cleaners allowed in the US are banned in other countries? Me either. There had to be another way!
I was invited to an online Norwex party to help my friend jump start her new business. I had originally told her I wasn't interested . That I was raised if it didn't smell like bleach it wasn't clean. She had been too. She asked me to watch one video and said there was no pressure to buy. She understood. Well curiosity got the best of me and I watched the video. That got me watching more videos. Here is one of them.
It was hard for me to argue. I bought the Basic Package. It includes:
(1) Grey EnviroCloth®:-- The Norwex antibacterial Microfiber EnviroCloth removes dust, dirt and grease from all washable surfaces using only water—no chemicals! Norwex Microfiber has the ability to remove up to 99% of bacteria from a surface when following the proper care and use instructions. Our super-absorbent EnviroCloth picks up dust particles and traps them in the cloth until you rinse it out. Then BacLock™* in the cloth goes to work to self-purify and inhibit odors from bacteria, mold and mildew growth within the cloth. (From Norwex Site)
(1) Window Cloth--Our hard-working Window Cloth gets windows, mirrors, shower doors, glass tables, crystal, granite countertops, jewelry, brushed and stainless steel, chrome, knickknacks, patio tables and shiny surfaces sparkling clean with only water. BacLock™* in the cloth—our micro silver antibacterial agent—goes to work to self-purify and inhibit bacterial odors, mold and mildew growth within the cloth (From Norwex Site)
Now, I haven't been brave enough to use it with raw chicken like some videos show. I have used it on my counters and i LOVE it for the stainless steel fridge and dishwasher. And the black stove. I previously worked for a cleaning company and cleaning these without leaving streaks was a nightmare! We would have to scrub them, use cleaner, then finish with windex. Now I get my EnviroCloth wet, ring it out and go to town. Then finish off with my window cloth and I'm left with streak free appliances!
This is just a start in chemical free cleaning. I have a long way to go. I'm not one to say "do this" or "do that" but I will suggest you research on your own. To start don't go by what any blog says just grab a bottle of your favorite cleaner and start googling the ingredients one at a time. Write them down and google the side effects for each one. Then make your own conclusion.
We just may be causing our own bodies the hurt we so desperately try to avoid.
*I am in NO way affiliated with Norwex as of the time of this post* I have received NO compensation for a positive review of Norwex products*
The book of Ruth is my all time favorite book of the Bible. Edging just past the book of Esther to first place. The story of Ruth reminds me to stay steadfast and faithful knowing that in any circumstance God is there and in control. What a comforting feeling through the storms of life. Ruth trusted where God had put her and continued to follow Him along the curvy path of her life. This is the reason I picked the book of Ruth as my "favorite book of the Bible" for today's challenge. If you haven't had a chance to read it, take the time to do so. You won't be disappointed.
Sometimes the best meals come from the frantic scramble of the "What's for dinner" text from my husband. I've been trying really hard to plan ahead and be prepared. This particular day just got away from me and I found myself in the kitchen staring blankly into the cabinet. I had chicken thawed and knew it had to be used. This is what I came up with, my version of Chicken Pot Pie.
Everyone loved it, even those who don't like normal chicken pot pie. I sprayed my Pampered Chef baker with Coconut Oil and lined it with crescent rolls along the sides and bottom. In a large bowl i mixed chicken (cooked & shredded), cream of chicken soup, green beans & carrots (both canned), sweet peppers, onion, and Pampered Chef spices in Garlic Rub, Bell Pepper Herb, and Rosemary Herb. I only measured the Rosemary and it was about 1/8 tsp. A little goes a long way with it. Mixed it all with a splash of milk and poured on top of the crescent rolls and sprinkled cheese over it all. Then I rolled out a few Grands Cheese biscuits and used my pizza cutter to cut into strips and layer in a lattice type pattern over the top. Baked at 350 until the biscuits were done and it was heated through out and Voila' dinner is done.
We will make this again. Not bad for a thrown together last minute dish.
A "Goal" is the challenge today. I thought for awhile as I have many goals, to drop some pounds, grow my Pampered Chef business, read more, somehow none of those seemed to feel right. I prayed about it and realized my biggest goal of all, to make my home a haven for my family. When my girls were little and my husband and I first met my home was a haven. A place everyone wanted to come home too. I always had a candle lit (had never heard of Scentsy back then), it was clean, I wasn't stressed, dinner was planned and on time, no piles of laundry, no rushing. Just a relaxed comforting place to seek shelter from the storms of the world. Through the past couple years and some RAGING storms I have lost my focus of my family and home. My home is no longer a shelter, it's usually a continuation of the storm. The Lord has been laying it on my heart to bring back the haven of years before. And that is my biggest goal right now.
Here we are at Day 4 of Kristins' Lamp & Light Instagram Photo Challenge. The challenge today is "Your Bible Study Spot". My spot changes frequently depending on who is home, what time of day it is etc. so I usually just take my "pillow"and find somewhere comfy. I guess that makes my pillow my favorite spot.
Today is Day 3 "Mug Shot". This mug is one of my favorites as my daughter bought it for me about a year ago. At 14 years old she had received some money and bought it for me "just because". She put thought into it, picking a color she knew I'd love and one that has the simplicity and rooster I adore. I had been looking at it and couldn't justify spending the money for it. She selfishly thought of me, a blessing for sure!
Day 2 of the Lamp & Light Photo Challenge is "A Favorite Verse". While I have many this one stood out to me during this season of my life. I have allowed the storms and trials to take my focus off God and off His calling for me. This verse helps remind me of my daily duties and to find joy while doing them. It's hard to focus on the storms when you are busy taking care of those you love.
Today's Photo Challenge was "Your Bible". This is my church Bible. The one I take every Sunday and use at home doing devotions. The spots on the front are from where one of my daughters laid a Bath & Body works plug in on top of it. The oil leaked and ate away at the color. In the top spot I drew in the flower and the spot below says "Everything you need is inside these covers.... Read Me!". At first I was upset that my "perfect" Bible was flawed. Then God reminded me, that like the cover of my Bible I too am flawed. The words inside are still perfect, God word is perfect. Just as one day when I stand before God I too will be perfect as I have the Holy Spirit inside and Jesus took on my sins. Until that day I will leave each day flawed remembering only the Lord is perfect.
While looking through my Instagram feed I came across a friend doing the Lamp & Light Challenge by Kristen Schmuker and thought "why not". You can follow along here on the blog or visit me on Instagram. I pray the challenge will be a blessing to you and might encourage you to find joy in the everyday things.
