Walking By Faith

Restore: Going Deep

Posted on March 16, 2022March 13, 2022 by Mary

I know I say this every year but here we go again. When I picked the word restore, I didn’t think think it was going to end up like it has so far OR as quickly as it did.

I expected when I began this journey with the word with Restore I KNEW it would involve a couple of houses. I knew that I would involve some heart work for me (I am a learner by nature) and certainly a restoration of our routines and habits as a family as we transition to less chaotic circumstances, specifically as we move closer to hubby’s new place of ministry since he commutes nearly an hour one way everyday.

As a Family

I knew that I needed to revisit something I was very passionate about- something we have embraced as a family and that is using our home as a place of respite not just for our own family but for others in various situations. There are various reasons we got away from that COVID being one of them but we as a family believe we are ready to embrace this purpose again.

Right now as a family we have a Skelton morning demos and reading time. We can only accomplish it a couple days a week but as we transition to living closer to church those morning routines should fall into a more consistent routine.

Then there is me.

If I could tel you one this that has been a HUGE struggle for me over this last year is DISTRACTION. I have been diving super deep into this for the last week and I have come to realize it has been a struggle for a lot longer. Hubby and I have been discussing this a lot and we believe that my modes of distraction have varied over the years.

Hubby challenged me to write out al of what I was thinking, which came a week after I changed my phone habits. I hope to share more of this journey in the future. it is going to be a journey for sure, and Im pretty sure a difficult one at that.

And that’s it for this quarterly check-in. Who knows they might become more frequent as the year progresses!

I hope you have a fabulous Wednesday!

Has Spring Sprung? Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on March 14, 2022March 14, 2022 by Mary

Hello Friends and Happy spring…??? Maybe…..If we are lucky??? Well at least here in the frozen tundra of New York (we got about a foot of snow yesterday) by Thursday we should be seeing temps of 60!! Thats so exciting at least for me!

This week hubby is on vacation his first in like 32 months. We have some major plans for our home. Our goal is to relax and get some work done on our house!!

It should be a fun week (minus IVIG on Monday! Actually I don’t mind the process it is the day after that’s not so great!

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

As much as today was cold and snowy tomorrow marks an upswing in temps . 48 for the next two days then somedays in the 5os and a day in the 60s. and some more days in the 40s. It is a far cry from the teens on Saturday and single digits a few weeks ago….It is a welcome change for sure

♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥

About a foot of snow EVERYWHERE, except for where it drifted. It’s cold and gray.

♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥

Sitting at the kitchen table writing this post

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥

About houses. there’s a lot in the works and it takes time and patience. I am pondering the things in which I am scribbling in my journal. it has been forever since I have journaled quite like that. Hubby encouraged it. Only because he knows that is how I process things. The jury is still out on if it is being effective.

♥♥ Homemaking tips ♥♥

When I meal plan I assign a meal for a day but I learned a long time ago that life happens especially right now since some food items aren’t always available. case in point last week I had planned a tater tot casserole BUT there were no tater tots to be found,,,,ANYWHERE!!! So hubby asked is hash browns would work….It was a hit

♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥

I was hoping this one wouldn’t be here…Hehe. I have been full of anxious and nervous energy over the last 3 days. I am confronted with something I believe God wants me to do. It’s not comfortable or easy.

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Coffee with oat milk and caramel syrup And whatever I choose at the hospital.

♥♥ On my reading pile ♥

The book of John
Hello Fears
The Life Giving Home
The Secret Sauce to Freelance Writing

♥♥ On my TV ♥♥

nothing

♥♥ On the menu ♥♥

Monday – Baked Ziti
Tuesday-Chicken Broccoli Rice Bake
Wednesday– Make your own salad salad bar
Thursday – Tacos
Friday – stir fry
Saturday– Chili and Biscuits
Sunday– Loaded Baked Potatoes

♥♥ From the camera ♥♥

♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥

I have to deal with loads of paper clutter. I was dealing with t before we got COVID and then it got neglected. So that is one of my major goals for this week. Otherwise despite the mounting piles of boxes we are pretty good. OH and I have t mop the floor (wood season is almost over..if you know you know)

♥♥ To do list ♥♥

Ummm did I just give that up above- see above!

♥♥ Prayer List ♥♥

Oh how I wish I could share, but I can’t. Ukraine. Unsaved friends and family

♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥

Proverbs 12:18 NLT

Some people make cutting remarks,
but the words of the wise bring healing.

I read this earlier this eek as I was in the middle of hubby’s writing assignment he gave me. I was actually doing the Bible Study portion of The life Giving Home. And this really served as a reminder of what kind of person I want and NEED to be even when people are making cutting remarks, I can bring healing with my wise comments. Daunting yes.

Fro more of my Happy Homemaker posts click here.

And to check out other bloggers Happy Homemaker posts check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Gratitude In the Middle

Posted on March 10, 2022March 10, 2022 by Mary

Hello friends! Welcome to Gratitude in the Middle! I can just hear you now saying “Mary what on earth is Gratitude in the Middle?”

Have no fear I’m going to explain it right here (sorry I was reverting to my inner poet.)

Gratitude in the middle is what this years Thankful Thursday is going to look like. I know it took me til March to get this out there but sometimes other things need to happen first and that is exactly what needed to happen for me. I needed to work through some stuff (more on that next week when I talk what RESTORE looks like for the first three months of this year.

Gratitude in the Middle

This year’s weekly thankfulness post is going to look a little different than other years. Usually I spent Thursday’s post listing out what I am thankful for…and this is a great practice for a number of reasons and we will get into that in future blog posts, but specifically on Thursdays we are going to chat about what Gratitude in the Middle of various seasons of life looks like…Say for instance grief, change, or illness. Don’t worry there will be lots of positive scenarios too.

I want to have this discussion because Gratitude when directed and focused on the right person (PSSST the short answer is God) has the capability to really affect our perspective on life in General and it affects how we view future circumstances as well.

Gratitude in the Middle is….

…….On Thursdays which in in the Middle of the week (kind of).

So instead of a lengthy list in the middle of the week let’s meet to discuss how we can best be grateful in whatever season we are currently in. Now sometimes seasons don’t change week by week (I mean this winter has been going on for at least a decade now right ??? Just kidding!).

So I will be pulling from past seasons in life to share what worked and what didn’t in those seasons pertaining to gratitude.

We will also discuss what keeps us from being grateful….we will call them gratitude gators.

And I might even have some fun stuff along the way. I have some really neat ideas in the future about like printable resources or graphics.

I hope you Join me on this journey as we explore GRATITUDE IN THE MIDDLE!

You can check out my previous posts (2021 Joy Dare) and (Thankful Thursday) here.

And you can check out one of my favorite book on the subject of Gratitude One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (Not an affiliate link)

So how about you, what season are you in right now? Are you finding it hard to have gratitude? We have all struggled with this…it comes and it goes.

Blessings

Mary

Hello and Welcome!!!

Posted on March 9, 2022March 9, 2022 by Mary

HELLO Myy name is Mary and welcome to my little place on the internet, I have been blogging here for about 7 years BUT I have been blogging in general for 15 years! YIKES. Feel free to poke around and get to know my home on the internet.

So who am I?

Like I said I’m Mary- I am in my 40’s. I am married to my red-head hubby and this May we will celebrate 19 years of marriage! We have 4 kids ages 16, 15, 14, and soon to be 12. It goes boy, girl, boy, boy.

We are an animal family too. We currently have 3 dogs and 3 cats and I know horses are in our near future.

I am a Christ follower. This is the single most important part of my life. Because if my relationship with Jesus isn’t first and foremost, the other areas of my life will and have suffered when I lose sight of that priority.

My purpose in life is to make God famous -to bring Him glory in everything I say and do. I’m human and I make mistakes. I fall short but the amazing thing about God is he is full of grace and mercy, He wants me to grow and learn from my mistakes. I am his creation!

And I am a pastor’s wife. Yep my hubby is in full time ministry. As much as this doesn’t define me it is an intragal part of who I am. We just left a ministry we were in for 12 years and accepted a position at the very church we have been attendiing since we left…..it was a God thing for sure and wasn’t on our radar! God really is amazing!

Let’s get a little deeper

I write for 3 reasons

For my sanity- I love to write. I have been writing little stories and poems and journaling for as long as I can remember..
It really helps me to process th things I am struggling with vs. what I am learning about. I am an avid reader, and sometimes the things I am reading hits a deep . And I become very passionate. Because I want to live a life of excellence in how I live for and serve God.
For the growth of others. My thought is, if I’m struggling with something I know I’m not alone. My goal is to help other women grow right along with me.

I am passionate about living with God-fidence…..as in confidence in God, rather than myself. I can’t do anything. I’m a flawed human being who has been saved by Jesus and it’s only through him that I can do anything!

I’m passionate about having a godly influence. So mach so that I have written a HUGe series on the Power of Your influence here in my blog and I have spoken to a group of women on the topic as well. I am a firm believer that we are all influencers whether we like it or not, it’s a matter of WHAT KIND of influence we are. You can check that series out here. (there are 2 sets ones from 2018 and ones from 2021)

I am slo passionate about living a life of excellence for Jesus. Now this has been a struggle for me personally over the last number of years. And even though it has been a struggle for me and I have fallen short doesn’t mean I can’t be passionate about it. Sometimes our greatest struggles are born out of our passion. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not confuse excellence with perfection!

Some fun facts about me

I (am)

an introvert- but that doesn’t mean I’m not a little weird or quirky. and that I can’t get upon front of people and speak
kinda a nerd…yeah I’m completely ok with that!
a creative…..in a whole bunch of ways
have been on a journey of learning how to paint…not very good but I love the process
have been a missionary as a fresh out of high school graduate and went half way around the world…which was also my first time on a plane
did I mention I’m afraid of heights
enjoy reading (I think I already said that)
want to write a book (can you guess the topic?)
know that I have a very specific calling for helping women and girls to bridge the generation gap.
passionate about women’s ministry
have been a mentor at a Crisis Pregnancy center
directed more plays than I have fingers
helped build/ design parade floats
served on a women’s conference planning team
have been a book reviewer for major Christian publishing company
have been legally blind since I was 13
We have two special needs kids
loved to play basketball
Heath bars are my favorite candy bars
love to cook
was a tomboy.
have eaten silkworm…..and liked it
have used a squatty potty and it’s not the type advertised by a cute unicorn
took every wood-working class available to me at my middle and high school
enjoy learning new things. BUT it takes me forever to actually take the next step to actually try the new thing.
am a planner
actually like public speaking (remember I said I was weird and quirky)

My purpose

So now that you have gotten to know me a little better here’s my purpose

Hebrews 10:24 NLT
²⁴Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

So let’s join in community. …..

to fulfill that purpose!

This isn’t just about me! I want this to be a safe place for us to grow together and help each other…So join in the discussion in the comments or you can check out my blog’s facebook page.

It’s my goal to make that usable and if you like the page you can get updated when I add a new blog post.

Thank you so much for checking out this post and my blog. I hope and pray for you my readers that these posts will meet you where you are ate! I hope you feel welcome, loved and seen.

Let’s get started together! You can start by introducing yourself in the comments below!

Good Morning Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on March 7, 2022March 7, 2022 by Mary

Good morning friends. I don’t know about you but I am excited this morning! First off I’m a weird one….I love mornings and I LOVE Mondays! It’s a fresh start and boy do we need one I this household. It finally happened. After two years ( we may have gotten it two years ago but we had no way of being tested) We got Covid. Yep 4 out of the 6 of us. It wasn’t bad. Hubby and I have been vaccinated but even our kids didn’t have it bad either. Snuffy noses, coughs and a sore throat or two. But all in all we are on the mend. This week started out great too because here in upstate Ny we are getting a very nice taste of spring!

Yesterday was also 70!