2010 August

Tasty Tuesday: A New Cook Is In the Kitchen of Women Living Well

August 31, 2010 by Courtney 21 Comments

A new cook is in the Kitchen of Women Living Well and I can’t be more excited!!! Not only is Janelle the new cook for Tasty Tuesdays but she is also the newest addition to my personal Good Morning Girls group (Becky in the middle is also a new addition to my personal GMG group)! Woohoo!

Janelle has popped up a few times on Women Living Well. Once she brought an amazing Pineapple Pretzel Fluff to my house and I immediately took pics and posted it. And about a year previous to that Janelle ran my first 5K with me!

Janelle and I also happen to be BIRTHDAY TWINS! We were both born on August 26th (although I must admit I am much older lol!)! Isn’t it funny how God works?!!

Next Tuesday I will feature her first recipe but first here’s what Janelle has to say:

Oh, how I love to cook…just the thought of cooking gets me so excited! Some of my favorite memories have started by being in the kitchen preparing meals for a celebration, a person in need, or simple meals for my own family. I have also been blessed to share these memories with my children on chairs, pulled up to the kitchen counter, eager to help and learn.

Ephesians 2:10 says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Cooking is one of my favorite ways to serve our Lord and I truly believe it is a gift he has given me to share with others.

I come from a long line of amazing cooks – not chefs – not professionals, just simple Italian ladies who insist on feeding every soul who walks through the door. Many of the recipes I will share with you are “Secret Family Recipes”-so bear with me, if you have ever known an Italian cook, we typically don’t like to measure. For the sake of this blog, I am willing to give up “pinches” and “handfuls” for teaspoons and cups.

I am a wife and mother of 3 young children. I hold a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in Advertising. After being in the work force for a small while we became pregnant with our first child. I then decided to work from home and went to school to become a real estate appraiser. After baby # 2, I found out that working from home wasn’t as easy as it looked and became a full-time stay at home mom. My husband owns and manages a local Hedge Fund.

I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends, attending and hosting bible studies, entertaining, reading Christian books and traveling. I am a people-person and am happiest when surrounded by others.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you!

-Janelle

Having Janelle cover Tasty Tuesdays will free me up to write extra posts on the new Good Morning Girls site. Also, to be honest, cooking is one of my weaknesses, so I look forward to learning off of Janelle!

Although it was hard to admit that I needed help here on Women Living Well, I am so glad I opened up to Janelle and told her on a warm July night that I was overwhelmed. She is an answer to prayer. So join me in welcoming Janelle for Tasty Tuesdays!

And Walk with the King!

I am participating in Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tuesdays at the Table recipe exchanges. For more blogger recipes go to these links.

Filed Under: Janelle's Tasty Tuesdays

How Christian Romance Novels May Be Affecting Your Marriage and a Giveaway

August 30, 2010 by Courtney 177 Comments

Today I have a great giveaway and I wish I could give one to each and everyone of you!!! Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerich, is my #1 favorite book on marriage. If you have not read it – I highly recommend it.

So I’ve been in contact with his daughter Joy Eggerich and she offered to giveaway his second book titled The Language of Love and Respect: Cracking the Communication Code With Your Mate. All you have to do is leave a comment below and you will be entered to win!

But first, Joy has a message to share with all of you that I feel is very relevant. She writes:

Courtney was so kind to ask me to guest blog on her site regarding the topic of romance novels. In my video below, I will answer how I see them paralleled to the struggle some men have with pornography. Seems kind of drastic, huh?

Maybe it is, but maybe it’s not.

I believe that as women, we can be less aware of our sin because it can take on the form of “the lesser evil”. One of the things I have tried to look at with men and women are the pre-cursers and by-products of our actions instead of focusing JUST on the action.

Example: Pornography is bad. (If not evil and destructive.) I think many would agree. But what I think is more important is looking at what led the person to pornography, its effects on people and their own expectations of their partner.

I want to ask you these questions before you watch my video:
1) When you are stressed, depressed, tired, bored and looking for a way to unwind or be entertained, what do you turn to for release or escape?

2) After you turn to those outlets, (and be HONEST about those outlets) how do you feel?

It may not be romance novels for you, but the reason I think they are a perfect analogy is because we are easily deceived by how they can affect us. Women are not reading romance novels in private. In fact, many of you are probably reading “Christian” romance novels and believing that they are helping your faith. Some aspects of the novels may do that, but I think for the most part they can be an escape, veiled in something good and can cause us to want a situation that is not realistic to our own.

You may be able to handle it and still be satisfied with the husband you have chosen or the husband you desire, but for many women I believe it can simply create dissatisfaction with reality. And like many pornography users, it’s a simple thing to turn to when life isn’t going the way you wanted and you need something to make you feel good…and usually that’s because your husband isn’t.

Do you see the cycle this can create if not tended to?

Do I want everyone to go out and have a romance novel book burning? No. But I want us to be aware of the things in our life that create false expectations or pull us away from our husbands or our hope of a husband.

Move towards your husband. Move towards the hope of a husband. Move towards reality.
- Joy Eggerich

Thank you Joy for your wise words and for something to chew on.

If you’d like to win her father’s book – leave a comment below. I will choose the winner on Sunday night, September 5th.

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Giveaways, Marriage

I Live In A Miserable Place

August 27, 2010 by Courtney 29 Comments

Two years ago Forbes magazine dubbed my hometown among one of “America’s Fastest-Dying Cities”(many of our steel mills have closed leaving people jobless). This year we ranked 9th among the magazine’s “Most Miserable Cities” in America. Our closest city to the north is Cleveland, Ohio who was voted NUMBER ONE as the most miserable city! This is not a list you want to be ranked on!

How did we get to 9th place? The newspaper says, crummy weather, high unemployment, high rates of violence and crime, problems within the education systems, corruption with public officials and poor sports teams (while we boast of having the Pro-Football Hall of Fame in our town, our pro-football team – The Cleveland Browns – haven’t had a winning streak in decades!)

The newspaper says I live in a miserable place! But I beg to differ! No matter where my home is – a hut in Africa, a city studio apartment or a ranch in Texas – God, the giver of joy is there! My joy is not dictated by weather or public officials but by my hope in Jesus!

I’m in agreement with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like home!”.

One of my favorite blogs to read regularly is A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. I found this quote there:

“I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him.” –Lydia Sherman

Do you sometimes feel like your home is a miserable place? You have the power to turn it around. The woman influences the entire tone of the home. We all know the saying “if momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

Hold your tongue. Build your family up with your words. Create memories and special moments by adding special touches like lighting a candle or baking a cake for no reason at all. Work hard to create a joyful haven, a peaceful rest, and a place of growth for your family. Do your best! Be creative and glorify the King of Kings as you manage your home. Our homes are a form of worship.

Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Homemaking

I’m 35 Today!

August 26, 2010 by Courtney 73 Comments

I woke to a new beginning. The age 34 is behind me and today I’m 35! A lot happened in my life last year – I began my first year of homeschooling and LOVED it! We moved to a new home. The blog grew with the Rachael Ray appearance. The Good Morning Girls groups began on-line and grew to over 600 ladies this past summer! My husband began a new business. We lost two loved ones to death. We made many wonderful memories as a family and have grown spiritually. I grew as a wife, mom and friend. It was one of the busiest years of my life. It was a good year filled with many blessings but we also had our fair share of struggles and sadness.

As I reflect, my heart is filled with thankfulness to God. I sat this morning quietly with the sunrise – alone with Jesus. I looked at the communion cup that I keep by my computer. It’s a reminder to me of why I honor my husband, why I read God’s word daily to my children, why I do this thing called “blogging”. It is my whole reason for living. Jesus is everything to me.

The last time we took communion at church, I was at a discouraging point with blogging. I felt “exhausted”. As I held this cup in my hand there in the pew, I sensed God’s presence. And these thoughts went through my mind – “Jesus is Worthy of all my sacrifice. He is worthy of my complete surrender. He is worthy!” And so when communion ended, I slipped this cup into my purse. And now it sits by my computer reminding me of the blood Jesus shed on the cross that takes away my sins and THAT is what I am MOST grateful for on my 35th birthday.

I don’t know what the age of 35 holds for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next on my journey. But I know who holds the future and I know “My Redeemer Lives”. I am not alone. And that gives me great hope for the future.

If you do not listen to anything else I say on this blog, this is the one thing I so desperately want for my birthday from you, my dear reader. For you too to experience Jesus in your daily life. He is alive, he speaks through his word. He hears our prayers and answers them. He is worthy of our complete surrender to him. He is worthy of us rising early to meet with him. He is worthy of our sacrifice to serve our family and friends. Don’t let your life slip by too busy to sit down alone with him. One day we will look sweet Jesus in the eyes. We will see his nail scarred hands and feet. Will we have regrets? What we do today in our homes matters. Live it for him alone!

This is my life verse and my prayer for you. Galatians 6:9 “Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season you will reap a harvest IF you do not give up.”

Persevere sweet sisters. You are not alone – we are in this together! I love you!

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Birthday Thoughts, Jesus