Faithful Friday

30 "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31 is about a virtuous woman! I would love to be that woman who seems to be perfect but alas, I am but a human. My failings are real and yet I get up each day and try again.  My weight is down this week. It was not hard since I was sick for most of the week. However, I believe I will try hard next week to keep these pounds off.   Let me be virtuous and care for my body. Caring for my body is caring for my family. Beauty is fleeting for sure and at my age I have many of my own thoughts coming from my mouth than to worry about pleasing as much as I used to.  It is worth it. I do have a healthy fear of the Lord but I am not looking for earthly praise.  

Let's be honest. We tie so much of our worth to our beauty, friends and um....our weight or collection of flab. I have avoided shopping to avoid buying larger clothes. Vanity.  My goal is really to get healthy and to have more energy for my family.  I am on the mend today and that means that my quest for all around good health and energy is on the way!  

Everyday Confetti

I have been reviewing Everyday Confetti by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitwer. Over the years I learned the hard way that I book too much for the holidays. All holidays. From the days I made every cookie for Christmas to the time I made my then two-year old daughter an Easter dress the day before I just pushed myself. What did I get? Tension, extra stress and the anxiety of not having the best for everyone at my table.

Everyday Confetti is a book that makes sense for perfectionists like me.  Karen and Glynnis have captured the essence yet simplify the special days of our lives. In this book you will find a recipe for Overnight Sticky Buns (a personal favorite), highlights to make an day special comments by Lynn Cowell  and other Proverbs 31 Ministry speakers.

Something that is an aha moment for many of us is that we can't do it all. Our family doesn't care if we serve a Crown Roast with paper crowns on all the ribs...or what dishes we use. I recommend this book to all women who want to enjoy time with the family on these special days rather than being stuck in the kitchen.
Everyday Confetti has great ideas for more than just Christmas and Easter. It gives great ideas for last minute celebrations of ordinary days that we can implement with things on hand and within budget.

As we look back on family time well spent I think most of us remember simple times with laughter and love.  Everyday Confetti will be released on January 21st. You can pre-order it at http://www.p31bookstore.com/products/everyday-confetti  I recommend it for every woman who celebrates life!

New Year New You?

New Year's day is a time of reflection on changes I want to make in my life. I have never been one to

actually write a list of resolutions, thinking that every day can be the beginning of change. I have several areas where I can improve my life but it is a daily thing. I can struggle minute by minute to lose one pound or a week to actually get active and ride my stationary bike two days in a row. I can look at the daily bible reading plans and hold true to the schedule for a few days. 

If I had one resolution for this year it would be to resolve to see things through for more than a few days. I am blessed with the gift of perseverance so I don't  understand how some things are just so hard to stick with. Life changes frequently. I embrace change so what gives on lifestyle change? All things are possible with Christ yet I still find these little areas where I have to take charge and not let God guide me. 

Later this month I will begin an online bible study with Proverbs 31 Ministries. We will be going through Lysa TerKeurst's book Made to Crave.  I have read this book before...well most of it because as I have said, change can be hard for me to stick with. The ladies at my church will also be studying this book so I will have their camaraderie in addition to the ladies posting in the online study. I look forward to this study and commit to check in occasionally on my progress.