Encouragement in Difficult Times

Exit Strategies: God’s Plan for Escaping Daily Frustrations by Joyce Meyer We don’t have to be miserable, frustrated and unhappy in difficult places. If you and I have been in the world very long, we’ve learned there are very few days that go exactly the way we’d like them to go. There always seem to be different things happening that can affect our plans. Until we learn that our joy can’t be based on our circumstances, we’re going to have nothing but what I call a “yo-yo” experience, which is up and down, up and down, up and down. We have to find a way to stay happy, even when our circumstances don’t suit us or we don’t get a breakthrough as quickly as we’d like—or when people around us aren’t what we’d like them to be or they’re frustrating us or there’s disappointment.

God is never going to put us into a situation or permit us to be in one, without giving us the ability to be in it with joy. I believe God makes His grace available to us each and every day. If God asks us to stay in a situation, then He is going to give us a special grace, for a special season, to experience His peace and joy despite the circumstances. It’s the kind of grace that causes other people to look at us and think, I’m just amazed you are able to do this and still have so much joy and peace. This is how it should be instead of us telling them that we just don’t think we can make it. Strategy #1: Let Your Attitude Speak As Christians, I believe the attitude we live with and the level of joy, peace and stability seen in our life is what will speak to the people around us much more than if we try to preach to them. It’s about how we live our life in front of them, especially when things are not going perfectly for us all the time. For people in places right now who are saying, “I’m staying in the situation because I believe it’s what God wants me to do, but I’m so miserable, frustrated and unhappy,” there’s good news. The good news is that God has provided a way for us to deal with frustration— His grace. I know many times we hear that grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense, and that’s a good definition. But to be honest, it’s just a little bit too spiritual for me. I need something that’s going to put it into a practical format for me. I like to define grace as “God’s power to help us do whatever it is we need to do.” Strategy #2: Receive Power through God’s Grace Grace is power. It’s power, power, power! It’s God’s power we receive by the grace of God through faith. Everything comes to us through faith, which God also gives us. Romans 12:3 says, …God has allotted to each a measure of faith (NASB). We need to ask ourselves, “What am I doing with my faith?” Are we putting our faith in ourselves? Are we trying to fix things ourselves by trying to change ourselves or our family? Or trying to get our boss’s attention so we can make more money and get a promotion? If so, that’s not grace. It’s our own works. But when we release our faith and trust God to do what we can’t do, we’re putting our faith in Him. Then the grace—which is God’s power—comes through the channel of faith and enables us to do what will just amaze us and other people. Here’s my longer definition of grace: It’s God’s power coming to us freely—meaning it doesn’t cost us anything other than just putting our faith in God, enabling us to do with ease what we could never do on our own with any amount of struggle and effort. Strategy #3: Rely on God I believe every time we feel frustration, it means we’ve really stopped relying on God, leaning on Him and receiving His grace and are trying to make something happen our own way. Understanding this really helped me to see that I spent a lot of time being frustrated. To help myself, I had some signs made to put up around my house that said things like, “Works of the flesh equal frustration.” Every time I became frustrated, the signs helped me remember I had tried to become Holy Spirit Junior. When I try to work things out on my own, in essence I’m saying, “Okay, God, I appreciate Your being around, but watch me do this.” Most of us have a problem with an independent spirit. We have difficulty depending on God for everything. Grace is not only the power for salvation; it’s the victory we need every single day of our life. In Galatians 2, the Bible says that if we receive salvation by grace, we shouldn’t think we’re going to reach perfection by depending on our flesh. It’s like thinking that God saves us and helps us when we’re at the end of ourselves and ready to give up, then just kind of throws us the ball and says, “Okay, now you go make the touchdown.” Strategy #4: Keep Walking The same way we receive Christ is the same way we are supposed to live each day of our life—in total, complete dependence on Him. Grace is like light. But what we tend to do a lot of the time is fight with darkness, when all we need to do is just run to the light. What’s the purpose of gathering in the dark, banging into each other, struggling with the darkness and trying to punch it out, when all we have to do is turn on a switch? The minute the light comes on, it swallows up the darkness. Too often we struggle with ourselves and our weaknesses, trying to change, spending time being mad about things in our life. But what we really need to do is just get more light into the situation. Galatians 5:16 urges us to walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit…then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh…. Notice how it doesn’t say “conquer the flesh so you can walk in the Spirit.” What we need to do is walk in the Spirit. When we concentrate on walking in the Spirit, we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh because we will be focused on God, His goodness, our relationship with Him, and His love for us. Other things will just dissipate because of the power of God in our life. Grace is power—plain and simple. It’s the power of God available to us in whatever amount we need.

Crockpot Frugal Chicken

Even though I don't have to leave my house everyday to go to my job, doesn't mean that I don't still have time restraints or that I want to spend all my spare time in the kitchen.When time allows, I adore cooking with Ella Fitzgerald crooning to me and a glass of wine in hand while I'm chopping or sauteing something for dinner. Unfortunately, some days I need to rely on my handy kitchen friend, the crock-pot. I use mine weekly these days simply because I don't have to babysit it and for summer cooking it doesn't heat up my house. I have three in various sizes depending on what I need to cook that day. Last week I decided to see if I could stretch an already tight grocery budget even more. I bought a whole chicken for less than $5 at Aldi instead of a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breast, which usually turns out to be just chicken breast pieces for around $6. The results were amazing! I got four meals for two adults and around 1 1/2 quarts of homemade chicken stock for soup which will net more meals, all from one chicken. I wouldn't have gotten that from the bag of chicken breast. The meat is juicy and moist. This is all you need: 1. whole chicken. 2. one lemon. 3. 1/2 stick un-salted butter. 4.salt. 5. Ground black pepper. 6. Chicken grill seasoning. 7. one onion, peeled and quartered. 8. two ribs of celery, halved. 9. one cup water.

I always rinse my chicken under running cold water on the outside and inside the cavity. Then I take my fingers and I go under the skin careful not to tear it, to create little pockets between the skin and meat. In those pockets I take the 1/2 stick of un-salted butter that I cut into pieces and I put the pieces of butter under the skin in those pockets. Next, I rub salt, pepper and grill seasoning all over the bird and also inside the cavity. Last I cut the lemon in half and stuff it in the cavity.I put the bird in the crock-pot and then I place the onion quarters and celery pieces around the bird and pour in the cup of water.

Put the lid on the crock-pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours depending on your crock-pot. I always check mine after 6 hours. The best way to remove the bird once it's done is to put a set of closed tongs inside the cavity and lift it out onto a carving board. Allow the chicken broth and the crock-pot to cool and then strain your broth into a bowl with a tight fitting lid. Place in fridge overnight. the next day skim off the fat from the top of the broth and use or freeze for later use.

There ya have it. This saves me time and money and I hope you find it useful.You can eat the meat carved and served with side dishes or you can shred it and use it for chicken salad, soups, chicken and dumplings, or tacos. Just however you chose to use it. Happy cooking!

The smell of a home

One of my favorite things about gardening is that I can go outside and cut fresh herbs and bring them in and make a fabulous smelling homemade potpourri on the stove top. Here is one that I use for summer. I hope you like it too. :)

I used one leftover used lemon from making salad dressing earlier, a handful of fresh lavender, two capfuls of vanilla extract and about three sprigs of fresh rosemary. Just fill a small pot or skillet full of water and add your herbs,lemon and vanilla and simmer on stove. Simple and frugal and the house smells divine! Enjoy!

Non-Beef Burger Battle with Bobby Deen, Tyler Florence, and Rachel Ray

Love Changes Everything

Love Changes Everything by Joyce Meyer Are you willing and ready to become a student of the love walk? If so, you need to know that it requires education and commitment. We must have our minds renewed to what love really is. Love is tangible; it is not just a spiritual thing that cannot be seen or touched. It is evident to everyone who comes in contact with it. Love is a decision we make―a decision to treat people the way Jesus would treat them. When we make a true commitment to walk in love, it usually causes a huge shift in our lifestyle. Many of our ways―our thoughts, conversation, habits―have to change. For instance, we may be accustomed to spending all of our extra money on ourselves only to discover that walking in love requires that we spend it on others. Love Wants to Pay the Price A love walk does not come easily or without personal sacrifice. Each time we choose to love someone, it will cost us something―time, money or effort. That’s why we are told to count the cost before we make the commitment. First Corinthians 14:1 says, Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest]…. “ We need to go after love with all our might and act as if we cannot live without it! ” The word pursue means “to follow in an effort to capture or overtake.” The word seek means “to try to find or discover; search for.” In other words, we need to go after love with all our might and act as if we cannot live without it! How to Nurture the Desire to Love There are different degrees of desire. We want many things in life, but there are only a few things we want so much that we are willing to sacrifice to have them. If you and I want to learn about love, we will have to study it. We will have to read books about it, listen to teachings on it, and familiarize ourselves with everything Jesus and the apostles said about it. Look for love in action. Try to find someone who operates in love and study that individual. Watch how he or she handles people and difficult or tense situations. Observe how they give. Examine the fruit of their life. I encourage you to view love as your first priority in life. Study it, seek it, pursue and acquire it, because God’s Word boldly tells us that we’re nothing without it. This article is taken from Joyce's book, Reduce Me to Love.

Monday Quote

Update on Frugal Anniversary

I can't tell you how wonderful our first anniversary was. I think one the best parts about it was that we didn't spend a ton of money but, we had such a fabulous time together celebrating. We made some amendments to our schedule but, that is the great thing about doing a frugal celebration, you can change and plan as the mood strikes! We started out by having coffee for me and Pepsi for him and eating a piece of our wedding cake top.

My mama, bless her soul saved it for us after our wedding last year and "preserved" it in plastic wrap, aluminum foil and duct tape. Did I mention we're from MS? It took us quite a while to get in it but, I have to hand it to ya mama, that cake was just as moist and sweet as it was on our wedding day! Thanks mama! You helped make our first anniversary very special! I love you!

Then we decided to have some real breakfast and I made gluten free pancakes and turkey bacon on my cast iron griddle.

Now, ladies if you don't own a cast iron griddle or skillet, you don't know what you're missing. They cook up the most scrumptious tasting meals.

The key to using cast iron is to go low and slow and make sure its well greased. I greased mine with coconut oil that I just brushed on.

Anyhoo, the pancakes and turkey bacon were delicious and hit the spot. It was so nice to sit around in our jammies eating yummy warm pancakes and just relaxing with each other. Our idea of room service! He he.

The next thing on our agenda was to go to Dayton and hit the thrift stores. We love thrifting! After we worked up an appetite shopping we headed over to one of our favorite haunts, The Oakwood Club, to grab some HUGE steak burgers, a sidecar for me, and chocolate mousse for dessert. After that we went for a walk around the town square and then headed back home. It was a fun day and again, frugal. To help save money we opted to eat lunch instead of dinner and saved a ton of money but we still got the ambiance and atmosphere we love so well. Saturday, we had massages and a romantic steak dinner by candle light at home. Dinner was out of this world good and only cost us around $25 for two filet mignons (buy them at Sam's Club, you can get four for around $25 and they're great cuts of meat), baked potatoes, rosemary foccia bread and wine and ice cream for dessert! We didn't go hiking in Hocking Hills because we were sore from a hard workout the day before but, we'll get there soon. Folks, the whole point of this long arse blog, is that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to have a nice romantic anniversary or any other occasion. Just use your imagination and have fun together!

Skinnygirl Cocktails Guide: Home Spa Treatment

Humble hump Day

EVEN IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PERFECT BODY - YOU CAN HAVE A PERFECT SOUL. This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 2 legs

- He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him. His first owner also did not think that he could survive and he was thinking of 'putting him to sleep'. But then, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him. She became determined to teach and train this little dog to walk by himself. She named him 'Faith'.

In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfboard to let him feel the movement. Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him for standing up and jumping around. Even the other dog at home encouraged him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his hind legs and to jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he could now walk like a human being.

Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he attracts people to him. He is fast becoming famous on the international scene and has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is now a book entitled 'With a Little Faith' being published about him. He was even considered to appear in one of Harry Potter movies. His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul'.

In life there are always undesirable things, so in order to feel better you just need to look at life from another direction. I hope this message will bring fresh new ways of thinking to everyone and that everyone will appreciate and be thankful for each beautiful day. Faith is the continual demonstration of the strength and wonder of life. A small request: All you are asked to do is keep this story circulating.

Southern Giggle for the Day

Sexy Bikini Threesome Workout

Our Family Rules

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a nice, restful weekend. As you know, it was our anniversary weekend and we had such a wonderful time together. I'll post more about that later. I saw this scripture and thought that it would be a great thing to pass along on a Monday morning to remind us all how to behave... even though it's Monday. If you find yourself harried today or just in a funk, say this over and over to yourself (preferably out loud) until you feel things start to shift in you. God has great things in store for me today or God is going to bless me today. This should be your mantra for funky or poopy feeling days. God loves you and He wants you to be happy and to walk in love. All you have to do is ask Him and He will give. That's what He tells us. "Ask and you shall receive". Give it a try... what do you to lose? Chin up, smile and shake off that funk! Have a great day! :)

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

Ingredients: 2 lbs flank steak 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped for spice rub— 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper for serving— corn tortillas avocado slices cilantro your favorite salsa limes Directions: Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot. Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours. After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is. To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy with a margarita for best result. Time: active time–10 min total time—8 hours

Stretch-and-Breathe Yoga Routine

Stretch-and-Breathe Yoga Routine

Natural Remedy Reference Guide

This is pretty useful...

Adult Grilled Cheese Sammies

For dinner tonight we decided to take it easy and start celebrating our first anniversary early with these grilled cheese sammies and wine for me. I like these little bottles because I don't drink that often during the week. One bottle is one glass (for me anyway he he). I used smoked ham, gruyere cheese and gluten free bread.

Just add as much ham to your bread as you like. I used 2 1/2 pieces. I sliced four pieces of cheese and added it to the other side of the bread.

Then I melted about two tablespoons of salt free butter in a large skillet and toasted up one side and then flipped (and burned my thumb pretty good) and toasted the other side.

Of course, the child in me likes my grilled cheese sliced on the diagonal and with a side of dill pickle slices.

Weddings & Anniversaries

Monday will a year that I married my best friend in the whole world. We've both been married before and we didn't won't to spend a fortune or have a huge blowout for a wedding. We're both very low-key and simple people. I started looking around for frugal venues and found Weddings R Us. It was fabulous! We got exactly what we wanted (pictures,dress and bouquet included) for under $500! The setting was gorgeous. I really wanted an outside wedding but most places believe their spot of grass is worth way more than it actually is. I couldn't have been happier with the ceremony. Weddings R Us has different packages to choose from. We could have spent more but we didn't need to. If you're ever in Columbus and get the urge to get married or renew your vows give them a call or visit their site,www.weddingsrus.net/index.html So, to celebrate our 1st anniversary we decided to celebrate it over three days doing things we really enjoy instead of spending money on just one big event. We are going on a day trip to Dayton to shop and eat lunch at one of our favorite places, The Oakwood Club. They have superb food and an old vintage style atmosphere to the place. It's the only place that has ever served my favorite classic cocktail,a Sidecar, correctly. If you live in or around Columbus I highly recommend this place. Just be prepared for a long wait on weekend nights. http://www.theoakwoodclub.com/

Then the next day we're getting massages and probably having a candlelit dinner at home. Our last day will be going back to the place where we got engaged, Hocking Hills, for a picnic, hiking and Frisbee. Just remember that you don't have to spend a ton of money to have fun. Just being with that special someone and laughing and sharing your love should be your focus no matter what you're doing.

Serenity Prayer

God's Promise #157

We Are Young Workout

Oxygen Women's Fitness | Training | Oxygen Beach Body Circuit

Oxygen Women's Fitness | Training | Oxygen Beach Body Circuit

Happy World Cat Day

Develop Your Potential

Develop Your Potential

by Joyce Meyer - posted August 08, 2012 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. —Ecclesiastes 9:10 Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines potential as “existing in possibility, not in act.” Potential cannot manifest without form. Like concrete it must have something to be poured into, something to give it shape and make it useful. To develop potential properly you must have a plan and pray over that plan, you must have a purpose, and you must be doing something. Many people are unhappy because they aren’t doing anything to develop their potential. In fact, many of them never develop their potential because they don’t do anything except complain that they’re not doing anything! If you want to see your potential developed to its fullness, don’t wait until everything is perfect. Do something now. Start laying your hand to whatever is in front of you. You cannot start at the finish line. You must start at the beginning like everybody else. From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.

Tone and trim with plyo-Pilates

This is a fabulous workout. I did this last week and felt the next day! http://oxygenmag.com/Training/Slideshows/Tone-and-trim-with-plyo-Pilates.aspx#slide-1

Believe

This is nice...

Lavender bath for sore muscles

Here is my go to remedy for sore muscles or if you just need to relax. Draw a hot bath and add 1 1/2 cups Epsom salts, 1 tsp lavender essential oil and some fresh dried lavender if you have it on hand. Then just grab a book, a glass of wine (or preferred beverage)light some candles and enjoy your bath. Ahhhh.....