Women Living Well Wednesdays

10 Things I’m Thankful For & WLWW Link-up!

November 20, 2012 by Courtney 32 Comments

I could make a list of 100 things I’m thankful for but I don’t want to bore you – so here’s my top 10.

1. God’s Word – the Bible.

Daily I come to this living well, to drink a tall glass of living water and it is from this Living Well that Women Living Well was born.

2. My Husband – our fearless leader.

3. Two beautiful gifts I get to homeschool!

4. A godly heritage. (my dad, mom and grandmother.)

5. Sisters who challenge and inspire me (even when I didn’t get the “purple and black” memo for Easter lol!)

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My sister’s husbands who love the Lord and love our children.

6. Cousins who live close by and who my children can look up to as role models.

Even if 2 of the more ‘mature’ cousins steal my camera in the middle of a family get together and take 20 photos of themselves in my bathroom! lol!

{Gotcha guys – I bet you didn’t think these pics would make the ‘blog’ hehe!}

7. Godly friends – like my BFF Angela from Good Morning Girls

And my real life Good Morning Girls group that emails each other everyday -
L to R: Kimmy, Janelle (ComfyInTheKitchen), Kara, Me,
Aimee – who coined the phrase “Walk with the King“, Kristy, and Kelly.

And my real life friend and one of my favorite bloggers - Clare - Miss Peak 313 Fitness - {who currently has a 21 Day Holiday Challenge beginning – check it out!}

8. An abundance of laundry that says we have an abundance of clothes.

9. Dirty dishes that say our tummies are full.

10. Crumbs on the floor as evidence of our daily bread God has provided.

And if I could take a picture of all of you – I’d put it right here! I am SO thankful for all of my on-line friends and sisters in Christ. You, dear readers, have changed my life. I give thanks to God for all of you.

Have a FANTASTIC Turkey Day!

Walk with the King!

**Chime in: What are you thankful for today??

If you have never taken the time to check out these other bloggers – you are missing out! The ladies that link-up below are amazing writers and creators and I just know that one of them is going to encourage you today! So you’re invited to come on in!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don’t forget if you link-up below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here!

(Posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, homeschooling, finances, recipes, organization and more!)

To find the code go to the sidebar – or right click and “save as” the button and then upload it into your post!

Filed Under: Holidays, Women Living Well Wednesdays

GMG Christmas Devotional eBook has arrived! & Link-Up Party!

November 13, 2012 by Courtney 42 Comments

I’m so excited to announce our upcoming session on GoodMorningGirls.org !

It’s a 4 week Advent Study – Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus,

It begins November 26th!

We would LOVE for you to join us!

For this session we have written a FREE Advent eBook which will guide us through our 4 week study.

The {GMG} Advent eBook includes:

Weekly Devotions
Assigned Scripture Reading
Daily Family Activities
Recipes
S.O.A.P. Journal Pages

Our Advent eBook is available free to ALL subscribers at GoodMorningGirls.org. (so if you are already a Good Morning Girl – you should find the link at the bottom of your weekly emails.)

Not a subscriber to Good Morning Girls yet? Not a problem! Click here to subscribe! (Note: Once you subscribe, the eBook will be listed at the bottom of your Good Morning Girls email the next time we write another blog post.)

Now before you email me to say that all you see is the Proverbs 31 ebook in your emails – that’s because you are looking at your “WomenLivingWell” emails – please subscribe to Good Morning Girls to get this ebook. Why you might ask? Because this study is not happening here - it’s happening over at Good Morning Girls – I’ll be over there! (So not only will you get the ebook, but you will also get our daily devotionals, videos and extra resources to follow along during the Christmas season! We don’t want you to miss a thing!)

You do not need a group to participate and there’s no enrollment for this 4 week session. Just come as you are on November 26th as we blog along side your home study.

(And in case you’ve never met my high school BFF – here’s Angela – we made this video in our hotel room at Allume )

(Not seeing the video? Click here!)

Please feel free to invite your family and friends to join you for this upcoming study by sharing this image with them. You can post it on your Facebook pages, pin it on Pinterest, or upload it to Twitter or your blog! To save the image, simply right-click and select “Save Image As”!

We are so looking forward to you joining us this Christmas as we keep our hearts focused on Jesus, this Christmas season!

Walk with the King,

If you have never taken the time to check out these other bloggers – you are missing out! The ladies that link-up below are amazing writers and creators and I just know that one of them is going to encourage you today! So you’re invited to come on in!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don’t forget if you link-up below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here!

(Posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, homeschooling, finances, recipes, organization and more!)

To find the code go to the sidebar – or right click and “save as” the button and then upload it into your post!

Filed Under: Announcements, Christmas, Women Living Well Wednesdays

How To Make Homemade Crayons & Link-Up Party!

November 6, 2012 by Courtney 10 Comments

I am not a very crafty mama but this is one craft we do yearly…after I explain the steps you’ll see why.

How to Make Homemade Crayons:

1. Have your children peel the paper off of worn out crayons. (This is great because it should keep your children busy for a long time while you get work done or read a good book – like your Bible!)

2. Get out metal cookie cutters (if you don’t have these on hand you will need to purchase them – but they are usually quite cheap at dollar stores this time of year!)

3. Break the crayons into pieces (this is a little messy but it’s so worth it…the children should enjoy this part!) and sort them in piles according to color (again another time consumer !)

4. Then put foil around the cookie cutters (if you don’t use the foil the crayons won’t stay in the cookie cutters.)

5. Place the cookie sheet in a 300 degree oven for 8-10 minutes, or until melted.

6. Then place them in a freezer to cool (or in our case, out on the back porch!). The crayons should separate from the cookie cutter just enough that you can pop them out easily!

Now give the children time to color with their brand new homemade crayons and enjoy their new works of art!

Walk with the King!

If you have never taken the time to check out these other bloggers – you are missing out! The ladies that link-up below are amazing writers and creators and I just know that one of them is going to encourage you today! So you’re invited to come on in!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don’t forget if you link-up below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here!

(Posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, homeschooling, finances, recipes, organization and more!)

To find the code go to the sidebar – or right click and “save as” the button and then upload it into your post!

Filed Under: Crafts, Women Living Well Wednesdays

The 3rd Annual Making Your Home a Haven Challenge Is Back!

October 30, 2012 by Courtney 182 Comments

For the past 2 years we’ve done this challenge, and an overwhelming number have been asking where it is this fall?! So it’s back and I’m excited to get started! Each week I will give you one practical tip and one spiritual tip that you can do to create a haven in your home.

Stuffed full calendars and to-do lists sky high can leave the entire family feeling tense during the holiday season. I believe we can create a physical environment, as well as a spiritual environment, that can bring peace, harmony and a sense of calmness to our homes if we are willing to be intentional.

So let me introduce you to the “Making Your Home a Haven” 3rd Annual Fall Challenge. I am writing fresh material this year so I hope you will join me again.

This challenge will begin next Monday, November 5th and run through the month of November. Check out last year’s video and topics below:

Here’s the topic schedule for those who want to link up each week (the content of the posts will be new for those returning from the previous years)

November 5th -Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. I will be starting mine in the morning! But you can start yours at dinner time. Do what makes sense for your family. I will be placing mine in the kitchen – the main hub of my home. Each time the candle catches your eye, say a prayer for peace in your home.

November 12th - Play soft music everyday in your home. Choose worship, classical or another form of peaceful music that the family enjoys. I’ll be playing Christmas music! Focus on using peaceful words and maintaining peaceful relationships. Work on gentleness this week.

November 19th – Focus on the kitchen, the heart of the home. Cook things with pleasant aromas – like homemade bread, pies, and cookies. Don’t wait to have a reason to make something special – do it simply to show love to your family. Invite your kids and/or hubby to cook along side of you – make memories in the kitchen – test tasting, being creative, laughing and loving. Remove discontentment and give thanks to God for the home God has given you in which to create a haven for your family.

November 26th - Decorate! The holidays are upon us. Ann Voskamp says “Creating is good theology. In the beginning God created.” Be creative as you make your home warm, cozy and inviting for the holidays. Think about ways you can keep Christ in Christmas even in the way you decorate.

Jesus said in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled.”

I have been lighting my candle all winter, spring and summer long. It’s my daily habit to light my kitchen candle and then say a prayer for peace in our home. Join me today – light a candle in your kitchen and say a prayer for your family.

Bloggers – I invite you to place the wreathe button on your blog and link up your “Making Your Home a Haven” post here! If you are not a blogger, leave a comment in the comment section to let me know that you would like to join the challenge.

Walk with the King,

If you have never taken the time to check out these other bloggers – you are missing out! The ladies that link-up below are amazing writers and creators and I just know that one of them is going to encourage you today! So you’re invited to come on in!

Join the fun, do a little blog hopping and don’t forget if you link-up below -please add the Women Living Well Wednesdays button to your post so your readers can find us here!

(Posts can include the topics of marriage, parenting, homemaking, homeschooling, finances, recipes, organization and more!)

To find the code go to the sidebar – or right click and “save as” the button and then upload it into your post!

Filed Under: Making Your Home a Haven Challenge, Women Living Well Wednesdays