2024 Word of the Year: Thrive!

A friend asked questions about 2023…
What was your highlight of 2023? What about your challenge? 

Do you have a word of the year or goal for 2024?

Here are my answers…
Turning 50 and having a fun party was my highlight, and losing my Dad was my biggest challenge…

My word of the new year is Thrive! 

I desire health, strength, and more of God in my life! This past year, I began walking or doing yoga nearly every day, and it was SO good for me. I plan to keep it up! It is good cardio exercise and good stress relief! I struggled a bit mentally after my Dad passed away, for about 6-7 months. I still journal about him and about other things, and that helped. Seeing a therapist 5-6 times helped too. I am doing well now, but I can always do better!

Another goal of mine this year is to give up SUGAR! I've been reading a few books which have motivated me, including "The 40-day Sugar Fast" by Wendy Speake, and "The Case Against Sugar" by Gary Taubes.  The Sugar Fast book is more spiritual, focusing on growing closer to GOD and craving HIM instead of sugar. There is one daily reading, a small chapter and I have really enjoyed it so far. The other book was recommended by Wendy Speake and goes into the science, history, and facts about sugar in the USA and around the world. It was been VERY interesting! SO giving up sugar is one way that I hope I will THRIVE!

This is the verse that I have chosen to go with it..."That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Actually, all of Psalm 1 is what I'll be thinking about and focusing on this year. I hope to strive to thrive! (see what I did there... haha!) I don't want to just survive, I want to thrive!

Definition: To thrive means to prosper, grow, or develop, flourish, bear fruit, radiate, bloom, blossom, or advance. I want to flourish in my physical, mental, and spiritual health, as well as have healthy relationships too!

Giving up sugar was partially motivated by several things:

1. I have aches and pains every day, mostly in my back and neck. My shoulder muscles have been hurting since I began college in 1991! I am fed up with feeling terrible half of the time. I know that sugar has been a big inflammation factor for me, so I hope that giving it up with reduce some or all of my inflammation!

2. I have noticed over the past 3 months that when I would eat sugar (ice cream, cookies, etc.,) in the evening, I wouldn't be able to sleep for a long time, or not sleep well at all. Caffeine has done the same thing to me before, and I cut out all decaf and regular coffee after 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. years ago! I don't eat dairy either and dairy-free, sugar-free ice cream seems like a waste! I've found other great desserts that I like a lot.

3. I have a lot of diabetes in my family. Both of my grandmothers dealt with it, both of my parents did at one time, and my two older brothers also have diabetes. My sister recently found out that she is borderline diabetic, so that is not good either! The Case Against Sugar talks a lot about diabetes and its history, and it even calls Alzheimer's "Type 3 Diabetes!" I have noticed that sugar affects my memory sometimes. 

I have basically given up sugar since Thanksgiving. I had pie at Thanksgiving and was achy for 2-3 days afterward. It is not worth it to me! I have noticed that my Candida has been feeling lower, and I know that is fueled by sugar too. While I have not had high blood sugar in a blood test before, I want to be careful. All of this is to say that my health is another area that  I want to THRIVE in 2024!

What about you? How would you answer the questions above? Do you choose a word of the year to focus on? 

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Isaiah 52:13
See, my servant will act wisely(or prosper);
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Proverbs 29:2
When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.
Proverbs 29:16
When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

Psalm 92: 12-15
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Repost: School starts tomorrow

 written on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

School starts tomorrow.

That sentence means something different for homeschoolers. For homeschoolers, it means that Mom gets to work alongside her kiddos. She gets to be there for all of the ups and downs of learning. Mom gets to be the one that sees her child's "A-HA!" moment in learning when they "get it". Mom gets to be the one that chooses what they learn and when. Dad may get to teach them one subject, like math, science or Bible. Usually, Mom is the primary teacher, the one that grades their papers, keeps them on task, and still wipes their tears, as Mom always has.

Some moms look forward to their kids going back to school so they can have a break. For homeschool Moms, it's the opposite. It is the start of using a curriculum, and working on the 3 R's... right alongside the students, your own children. It is teaching your child to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. It is teaching your child the letter sounds and how to read. It is working on their handwriting, first printing, and later cursive. Homeschool moms get back to work when school starts.

The new school year beginning marks a new time to read new books on the couch, maybe one or four missionary biographies over the year. It is sitting at the table, explaining their grammar and the rules of capitalization. It is helping them learn punctuation and practice it in their writing. It is exploring new things in science that your child may not have ever learned before...like how the eye or ear works. It is learning in-depth with your child all about a country, such as Brazil.

It is getting to be together, day-in and day-out, not getting away from the child, but fostering the relationship. It is helping your child get along better with their siblings, who will become their life-long friends. It is reading the Bible together first thing in the morning and memorizing Scripture together. It is teaching character traits and seeing your child grow in the area of patience, or perseverance.

I am looking forward to getting back into the daily routine, not making spontaneous trips to the store, but plan them better. I look forward to being with my kids at the table learning together again. Sometimes I wonder if I am ready. It seems like a big job to teach my kids. But I know God is with us and has a plan for us. "I will never leave you or forsake you."(Hebrews 13:5) "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) I am so thankful that He will help me all along the way. I have a good teacher to learn from- Jesus! May I strive to be like Him each and every day as I teach my children. I have given this year to the Lord, and I hope it is one of our BEST!

How about you? Are you ready?

School starts tomorrow.

This is a writing prompt by Mama Kat's. Prompt 4: Write a post that begins and ends with the same sentence.

Word of the year 2020... Hope

I recently wrote about this in my journal and thought I would share it with you here. I've thought about many different words this January and had a hard time narrowing it down to just one word to think about, meditate on, and pray about. The main word I keep coming back to is hope.

On the cusp of a new year, I have many hopes. I hope to exercise more. I hope to eat more fruits and vegetables. I hope to eat less sugar. I hope to spend my spare time well. I hope to read (at least) 15 books in 2020. I hope to be closer to God and read His Word more. I hope to honor God in my life, and as a wife, as a mother.

I hope that my kids do well in school. I hope my kids and I have good friends. I hope my back pain doesn't bother me too much. I hope we can stay within our budget for the month, and for the year. I hope that work goes well for my husband. I hope that my relationships will grow in a godly way.

The Bible says that man plans his way but God orders his steps. (Prov. 19:21) I'm praying about what God wants me to do this year. I feel called to lead VBS again this year. I can take what I learned and use it to be a little better. I think others on my team want to do the same... a little better each year. While I am not super excited about the VBS theme, I've felt that way before and always enjoyed it.

HOPE:
(definition) -the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
- to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence
-to believe, desire or trust
-to feel something desired

Here are a few verses related to hope that I love:


"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (Sidenote: this is also a prayer for my children)

"Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will praise Him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5

"The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." Psalm 147:11

"... but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31


While I do not know my 2020 holds or any of my future, I know who holds my future in His hands, today and every day. I choose to trust God and put my hope in Him.

Christmas & New Years 2019

Our wonderful Christmas began with our traditional candlelight Christmas Eve service. It is my favorite service of the year. I love the glow of the church under candlelight. My husband had another pastor build him a manger this year for the stage. I thought it was a perfect addition! 

 I enjoyed my new, comfy cozy socks from my husband!

 On Christmas morning, after a little coffee and opening stocking stuff, we dove into our gifts!

Bethany liked her new book! 

Caleb was really excited to get a Jumanji Fluxx game! 

Mallory got a new, green Hydro-Flask! 

Rebekah enjoyed her gifts too! 

Daddy opened a new beard/ facial hair trimmer! 

I love all the kids on the couch together! 

We spent the rest of the day at my parents' house. It was great to see my sister and her family there with another brother and my parents. 

We followed my sister to her new home one day later for a New Years' get-a-way! The morning after we arrived, so did the snow! We were glad we weren't caught in it while traveling over the mountains!

 We spent time with cousins in Joshua's family too! The girls baked together...

 They enjoyed our gift of a new game called, "Whozit."

The kids played on their Nintendo some. Our big kids followed us later to accommodate work schedules. 

 We had a fun evening playing Bunco all together! Lots of laughs and silliness...

Bethany enjoyed playing with her cousins' kinetic sand. 

 Our New Year's toast at 11:00 p.m. before we climbed into bed...

 Mallory got a neat hairdo from her Auntie!

 We played lots and lots of games!

We spent another evening back at my sister's house. My nephew made a tree out of Bananagrams tiles. We played games there too!

 While we were there, my girls and their cousins had a fashion show. This was one of the only pictures I took. I love her!

We had to snap a picture of the three of us siblings together. Can you tell who is the oldest?

How was your Christmas? Did you travel anywhere? I'd love to hear about it!

But Christmas is not about the gifts, or the tree, or even about family. This is what Christmas is all about... (I feel like Linus in "Charlie Brown's Christmas!")


Luke 2:1-20

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.  He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,  and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.  But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, my readers!

Ski day 2019

Last weekend, we ventured up to the local ski area for the day. Our homeschool group has a deal that gives discounted lift ticket/ rentals/ lesson in a packaged deal, it was still about half price! We've never taken advantage of it before, and thought we'd try it out! It was Mallory's first time skiing, and Joshua's first time snowboarding in about EIGHT years! Caleb has skied a bunch, with a friend from church. He took a lesson (more advanced level) and learned something new in his group of "little kids." 😄

They both did very well in their lessons in the morning, while Joshua did a few runs alone and with friends. Bethany decided not to try skiing yet, maybe she will try next year. I'm not a skier, so we hung out in the lodge reading books, eating snacks and chatting with friends. It was a nice day! When we got tired of sitting, we'd walk around the lodge and outside. Bethany played in the snow in her snowsuit a few times. It was fun to watch Mallory get the hang of things. They have a "Magic Carpet" on the bunny hill for lessons, which is like a moving walkway. It was an easy way to get up the hill!

 Hanging out while others get rentals...

 Getting ready to go...

 Let's go, Mom!

 Daddy was taking a break with Bethany when Caleb skied right by us!

 In the afternoon, they were ready to take a run all together!

 Getting on the lift...

Mallory and her girl friends from co-op taking a lunch break...

It was a nice and sunny day, although it was windy, a COLD wind! Caleb said the snow was like a crusty donut, it crunched when you first went down into it. That night, it snowed more after we left and the next day was a great powder day for skiing!

What about you? Have you enjoyed skiing or sledding this year? I'd love to hear about it!


Job 38:22
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail...?"

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Proverbs 31:21
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

School year favorites 2017

This is a beginning of the school year tradition that I have done for many years with my kids. I used a different app this year called "Over".  I haven't used it much, but it was pretty nice when I figured it out! This is kinda late for me this year, but I have a hard time remembering to ask my son these questions when he is home and not busy! He attends 2 band classes at the high school in the morning and later in the afternoon, is home from 9:15-2, when he does his homeschool, and then he has marching band after school almost every day! He is a busy guy!

I didn't make one for my oldest daughter, since she is in our local university now! (?!!)

I love seeing their answers to the questions from year to year, HERE is last year's post if you're interested...

 Our 9th grader...

 Our 3rd grader...

Our 6th grader...

Sure am glad that I can be home with these kids to homeschool them!

This is our home academy verse:

Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates...

This is a promise that I hope for my children...
Proverbs 22:6
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Word of the year 2017

This year I had a hard time choosing a word for the year. Nothing came to me easily in the end of December and early January. I prayed about it. I looked online at some word lists. I wrote a list of words. I wrote down words that I have had the past few years. Last year my word was prayer. I wanted something that would encourage me this year. I finally ended up choosing the word ABIDE. 

 The verses that I found for ABIDE are from John 15:4-7. I really liked verse 9, which says,
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now abide in my love."

What does Abide mean?

Here are some dictionary definitions:
to remain, continue, stay, to have one's abode, dwell, reside, to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, attitude; to wait for, await, to await the coming of the Lord.

I looked in the thesaurus, and this is what I found:
to submit to, put up with, accept, acknowledge, be big about, bear, bear with, concede, consent to, defer, endure, hang in, hang tough, live with, put up with, receive, sit tight, stand, stomach, swallow take, tolerate, withstand. Also: continue, endure, keep on, last, persevere, persist, remain, survive. Also: exist, act, be alive, have being, have place, hold, inhabit, last, live, move, obtain, subsist.

I looked in my Strong's concordance and found other uses of ABIDE in the Bible. Many of the instances in the NIV when it is used say Remain instead of ABIDE. I like the word abide better. Here is one verse that I like... "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." (NASB) The NIV says rest instead of abide.

The word abide is used many times in John 15. I like verse 5 which says, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Christ goes on to say that the one who does not abide with Him is like a branch thrown away, withered up and cast into the fire to be burned. He says that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love.  To me, this sounds like a contrast of heaven and hell. I don't want to be cast away from him, especially into the fire of hell! I want to remain in Him, abide with Him and His love. I want to obey His commandments in my life.

Another place in the Bible that mentions abide often is in 1 John 2, toward the end. John talks about how God's anointing abides in us, and teaches us. Verse 28 says, "Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." I have thought a lot about abiding with Him, and I know that I don't want to shrink away when Jesus returns. I want to know Him, remain in Him, know His face, and look forward to seeing His face soon.

How can I abide in Him? By reading His Word, studying, meditating, confessing and acting on His Word, and by loving others.

It is a great goal for me this year. I always desire to grow closer to God. I pray often that He will draw me closer to Himself day by day. I hope that you will desire to abide with God this year too.

New appliances!

We had some new and exciting things going on at our home after Christmas. We got a really great deal on used, matching appliances on Craigslist at the end of December. The lady had moved into a new home and she already had her appliances, so she sold us the ones that came with the house. Our refrigerator was over 20 years old, had a cracked handle, the ice maker never worked, and a few other minor problems. My hubby worked very hard moving the appliances out, getting the new ones in, and I cleaned them all. 

Our old stove/ oven-- it was a nice one, but the wrong color. We liked the convection fan in it, and miss that already.

Our old dishwasher was terrible, we really put up with it for too many years! We no longer have to rinse every dish perfectly before running the dishwasher! I didn't get a picture of our old fridge, but it was white, with a big door that ran into the counter.

So the dishwasher made a bad sound and didn't start washing when we first got it in. We took it out, Joshua got 3 or 4 screws and a plastic piece of pipe out of the bottom of it. It still didn't run well! So on Saturday morning, we took the whole dishwasher apart. I learned more about the inner workings of a dishwasher than I ever thought I would! My hubby was my hero that day. We never found anything else inside of it, other than a kinked hose in the back. When we put it in the next time, it finally worked and washes the dishes really well! They come out so sparkly clean!

So pretty! (if you notice carefully, we accidentally chipped the countertop putting in the dishwasher the first time...)

Our new oven has some new features, such as a simmer select, an inner and outer burner on one burner, a warming drawer underneath (no more storage!) and a warming spot on the stovetop. I'm excited because my big baking sheet fits into it, and it never fit into the old oven.

Last but not least, here is a our big, fancy side-by-side refrigerator with ice and water in the door. That has been getting lots of use, and we are happy to not be emptying ice cube trays anymore. They have all been a worthwhile investment, even though they are not new. They are newer than what we had! My kitchen is so much brighter now! They match our microwave and toaster oven too. :-D

Now we are working on selling the old ones, and have gotten a few interested people already. Happy new year to us! (And a belated Merry Christmas!)

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

John 6:27
Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Genesis 6:21
You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”