Tag: daily life

Back to Normal- Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on by Mary
Normal

Welcome back, friends. As some of you know we were “on vacation” last week! Well, let’s just say that vacation wasn’t really…..VACATION!?!

But we are back to our normal schedules this week and I think that for the most part, we have recovered!!! Not much work got done in the sense of what we had originally hoped but it was still good and profitable!!

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

This coming week resembles more of what spring usually looks like in central NY. We will have temps in the ’40s and 50s with rain and snow. and NOT a whole lots of sun.

♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥

Gray and rain- typical March weather here. Nugget is excited though She saw her friend the resident woodchuck…She really hasn’t left her door with the windows all day.

♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥ 

writing this post and texting a friend 

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥ 

BAHAHA there isn’t enough space here to share that! But to get an inside glimpse into my ponderings you can check out yesterday’s blog post here.

♥♥ Homemaking tips ♥♥ 

 When I plan meals for the week I always make sure there is always a pasta meal and a soup meal. I have numerous reasons for this. Top of the list is it’s economical and fast. The second reason is if I am sick or away Hubby or the kids can make it without too much thought or preparation

♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥

I am feeling really good. Working through a bunch of stuff and it has been really good. Hard but really good.

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Coffee and egg whites

♥♥ On my reading pile ♥

Hello Fears
John (from the Bible)
The Life-Giving Home
and I will be restarting the book Boundaries this week
A bunch of smaller books

♥♥ On my TV ♥♥

Hubby and I watched the hiding place last night otherwise. Nothing.
Listening to some podcasts though

♥♥ On the menu ♥♥

Monday – Soup and salad
Tuesday – BBQ chicken and Potato Salad
Wednesday – Cheesesteak stuffed Peppers
Thursday -Sandwiches and salad
Friday – Pasta
Saturday – Tacos
Sunday – Meatball Subs

♥♥ From the camera ♥♥

our girl playing soccer

♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥

The floor needs mopping again
the table needs to be cleaned off
continue packing
at this point, there are just boxes everywhere

♥♥ To do list ♥♥

PACK PACK PACK
get rid of
Downsize
Repeat
oh and keep the house clean and homeschool in the process

♥♥  Prayer List ♥♥

Wisdom strength and courage- that seems to be the ongoing theme for both myself and a good majority of my friends and family.

It seems like a good many of my friends are either just gone through a big life change are currently going through a big life change or are anticipating a big life change

♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥

These verses have been constantly coming up over the last two weeks. I have been learning a lot about God and myself. And these verses have become such reminders …

Galatians 1:10

10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Proverbs 12:18 NLT

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

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 15:14

A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
    while the fool feeds on trash.

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Thanks so much for joining me for Happy Homemaker Monday! What’s on your plate for this week? Let me know in the comments below and Have a Happy Week!

For more Happy Homemaker posts check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Has Spring Sprung? Happy Homemaker Monday

Posted on by Mary
Spring

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

Hello and Welcome!!!

Posted on by Mary
Welcome

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

24 Let 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 by Mary
morning

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!

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥

Like I said yesterday was almost 70 and today is supposed to be 55. No complaints here for sure. The rest of the week is in the 30’s and 40’s but that is SOOOO much warmer than we have seen over the last few weeks!

♥♥ How I am feeling ♥♥

Still coughing and fatigued but for the most part pretty good

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Coffee (as always) and egg whites

♥♥ On my reading pile ♥

  • I’m finishing up the book of Luke this week and jumping into John for my Bible reading  
  • I am catching up on the Life Giving Home
  • Hello Fears ( finishing from the fall)
  • The Secret Sauce to Freelance writing (PDF Book)

♥♥ On my TV ♥♥

Nothing really. we are cutting back TV time. I am listening though to the MOM to MOM podcast

♥♥ On the menu ♥♥

  • Monday-Chicken Alfredo
  • Tuesday–  Pizza Night (Family night)
  • Wednesday-Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Thursday– Leftover Spaghetti
  • Friday -Sausage, peppers and potatoes in the crockpot
  • Saturday– Sloppy Joe Casserole (we kinda are making it up as we go)
  • Sunday-Loaded Baked Potatoes

♥♥ From the camera ♥♥

morning
white outs from a snow squall two weeks ago

♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥

Despite all the sickness over the last two weeks the house looks better than we started. Thanks to hubby for helping and the two non-sick kids for stepping up their helping game!!

♥♥ To do list ♥♥

DISINFECT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! And mop the floors.

  ♥♥ Today’s Devotional ♥♥

Today I’m reading Luke 22

For More Happy Homemaker Monday posts Check out Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Life’s 5 Greatest Questions (Purpose Driven Life)

Posted on by Mary
Questions

Hi Friends today we are going to tackle life’s 5 greatest questions. These are 5 questions posed at the end of Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life (Not an affiliate link).

But first a little back story

I started The Purpose Driven Life in 2019. The book originally came out while I was in Bible College and many of my college peers (including my future hubby ) had to read the book for various classes. It was not part of my reading so I just didn’t read it.

Over the years hubby and I talked about me reading it but I just never “got around to it”.

So I started it towards the end of 2019 but I was diving deep into it even listening to the messages that went along with each chapter. I was learning so many things. I couldn’t get enough.

I had been struggling with my purpose. That happens when you find yourself living in the expectations of others trying to fill in all the gaps. Things start getting cloudy and lines are blurred. What I didn’t know was God was using this book and the corresponding messages to draw defining lines for me AND for hubby. (he would listen to the messages right along with me. ) I couldn’t read the book in 30 days but I finished the book and messages not long after quarantine hit in 2020.

And this blog post got added to a long list of others.

I knew that I wanted to blog out my answers to the questions BUT……I knew that many of my fellow ministry leader friends and fellow Christians didn’t appreciate the book. And so…I let my fear leave this post on the every growing list of posts that found me crippled by other people’s opinions.

And for the last year and a half this post has haunted me, eveytime I read through the list I would become even more aware that I was not CHOOSING Courage. Even over the last few months I have found myself saying “next week”. I would feel that twinge of fear and hear that echoing “BUT, But, BUT…and the excuses would roll around my heart.”

So today…

Today I am answering these questions. I am not going to get into negative discussions about the book or the author. These are my answers to these questions. These are the things I have had to wrestle through. And the person I have to answer to is God.

So here we go.

1)  What will be the center of my life?  

The center of my life will be Jesus. In everything I say and do I hope will reflect him being the center of my life. I know somedays I will make wrong choices BUT my desire is to quickly get refocused back on Jesus.

2)  What will be the character of my life? 

I want the Character of my life to be that of integrity and purity. Choosing what is right over what is easy. Not looking for my own profit or gain but seeking to be honorable in all that I say and do.

3)  What will be the contribution of my life? 

I want my life contribution to be that of a godly influence to everyone within my sphere of influence. I don’t just want to be good . I want to impact Christians and help them reach their full potential rather than live a life of mediocrity. I want to help Christians choose excellence rather than living in name only, seeing that their lives are fully devoted to Christ rather than only bits and pieces through this blog and personal interactions and teaching.

4)  What will be the communication of my life? 

First and foremost the gospel but then to believers to commit living a life of better Jesus followers. Sharing with other believers how to live more like Jesus and encouraging each other to grow in our walk with Him,

5)  What will the community of my life be? 

First and foremost my family. These are the people I do life with the most. But then it is my connect group, some close friends and my church family and those I serve with as well as my community here on my blog.

THIS IS MY SPERE OF INFLUENCE!

It took me all of 30 minutes to write this blog post and nearly a year and a half to gather the courage to do so.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. Have you read the book and wrestled through these questions? Did they come easy for you or not so much? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are new here Welcome! I am so glad you are here! Please introduce yourself in the comments below.

Fell free to check out the rest of the posts in the Choosing Courage 100 day blogging project!