Pocono Vaca 2013 - BEAUTY!

We just got back from our vacation to the Poconos in Pennsylvania.  It was soooooooo beautiful.  A friend gave us the place for a week and we invited my parents to join us.  It was such a wonderful time!

On that note, there was a drawback.  We drove.  My husband and I said after the fact. "NEVER AGAIN".  Never again, will we drive.  We left early morning, at 6AM, and didn't return home until 2AM. We didn't stop except for gas or food. So, I would suggest if you live a distance from PA, don't drive, FLY!!!

But on a good note, it was soooooooooo beautiful.  I grew up farther north and, since moving south, I have missed the changing of the leaves.  The beauty was out of this world.  It looked almost fake it was sooo pretty.  I would definitely encourage every one to visit in October and especially on the weekends.  They have fall festivals almost every weekend in October.

We also got to visit a cute little town in PA named Jim Thorpe and to bike through the area.  It was refreshing and beautiful; afterwards we enjoyed ice cream at a quaint little sweet shop.

Plan to visit!  It's so beautiful and lots of fun.  This whole week I am going to tell you about our trip and different places we visited.  I hope this will encourage you to visit as well. - Rejoicing in the Present

Guest Blog: Making Your Home a Haven (Week 3)

Courtney from Women Living Well shares yet another great challenge in her Making Your Home a Haven Challenge.  This is week 4 and I have really enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, I am expecting a baby and can't cook right now, but I love the idea of bringing your kids into the kitchen. -Rejoicing in the Present

This week’s Challenge: 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. Remember the importance of dinner time around the table as a family. Work on showing love to your family this week.  

This is such a fun time of the year for cooking.  The holidays mean we have reason to be in the kitchen! But sometimes all the kitchen work can be overwhelming. Let’s face it we eat over 1,000 meals a year (that’s counting breakfast, lunch and dinner) - and if you have a family you provide all those meals for – and snacks too – cooking can become a chore.


When I first had children, I dreamed of them cooking along side of me.  Then reality set in.  Bringing my kids along side of me in the kitchen was more work than I expected. They were messy and needed constant instruction – “stir slowly”, “stay away from the hot pot”, “be careful with the knife”, “don’t wipe your hands on your shirt”, “stop eating the dough”, “one at a time on the stool” and the list went on.  At some point, I threw in the towel literally and sent them off to play or watch Curious George so I could get dinner on the table in a timely fashion. And my dream bubble popped with the reality that inviting my children into the kitchen would be a sacrifice.

And here’s where “Making our Home a Haven” comes into the equation.

It is only when we as women learn how to lay down our lives for those in our home, that the home will begin to thrive. 

When we learn that creating a culture of love means sacrifice on our part - our homes will transform from being a shell – to being a place of hospitality, the breaking of bread, laughter, training, deep talks, loving embraces and fun memories.
Bringing the kids into the kitchen has been hard for me – but it’s worth the memories!

It starts with following Jesus – laying down our lives and our desires - so we can bless those who sleep under our roof.  And as we learn to lay down our lives – we model to our children how to lay down their lives for others.

We aren’t responsible for every home on the block…just the one God has given us.
God has given us one home to turn into a haven for his glory.
One home to use to shine brightly for him.
One home to subdue, manage and cause to flourish.
And when one home is flourishing – the souls that pass through that home are forever touched and changed by the work of your hands.

Keep your candles going this week  and add in some soft music and tasty treats full of love.
Edith Shaeffer reminds us of how deeply food can bless those we prepare it for:

“Food cannot take care of the spiritual, psychological and emotional problems, but the feeling of being loved and cared for, the actual comfort of the beauty and flavour of food, the increase of blood sugar and physical well-being, help one to go on during the next hours better equipped to meet the problems.”

Chime In: What are you cooking this week? And do you bring your kids into the kitchen with you? Do you have any tips to help other moms manage little ones in the kitchen?  We’d love to hear them!

Walk with the King,

Cooking W/ Brandy: Apple Crisp

It's Apple Pickn' Season! We are taking the girls and going picking this weekend. So, here is a yummy, yet easy, 6-ingredient apple crisp. 

What you need...

• 5 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

What you do...

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
• Place apple slices in a 8 or 9 inch square baking pan, sprinkle with 1 tsp.  of cinnamon.  
• Combine butter, oats, brown sugar, and flour in a bowl and sprinkle mixture over apples.  
• Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown.

Keeping your toddler active

That's almost a hilarious title because all moms of toddlers know that they ARE active.  A better title would be:  keeping them educationally active or actively out of your stuff and into productive fun.  So here are a few of my favorite ideas from toddlerapproved.com - Rejoicing in the Present

Sponge Towers

Building with Blocks

Make-Your- Own INSTRUMENTS

Make- You - Own Obstacle Course

We hope that this will give you some ideas. For more ideas and pictures, go to toddlerapproved.com. 

Guest Post: Making Your Home a Haven 2

Hello... from "IT'S officially FALL in the Pocono's"  Yes, my dear friends, with the sweet cool fall air, a warm fire in the fireplace and leaves the color of fire, I am eating this up, and as well, I am enjoying my time with family! Well, I hope that this Fall Challenge from Courtney will encourage you this week to "Make your Home a Haven". - Rejoicing in the Present 

Also don't forget to stop by Woman Living Well to enter to win some AWESOME prizes.

You all are doing great!!!  Let’s keep the candles and prayers going this week and add in this challenge.

Week 2 Challenge: - Plan a Family Fun Night.   Have a pillow party in the family room and get out every blanket and pillow in the house and be cozy with the kids and your hubby! Even if you live alone you can do this. Enjoy a cozy evening of hot cider and caramel corn.  Bust out some old fashioned games and take the time to savor these moments with your loved ones.  Work on gentleness this week.

J.R. Miller says “The richest heritage that parents can give is a happy childhood, withtender memories of father and mother. This will brighten the coming days when the children have gone out from the sheltering home, and will be a safeguard in times of temptation and a conscious help amid the stern realities of life.”

~An excerpt from the book titled Women Living Well~

In our home, I’m the family night coordinator.  If there’s going to be a game night, pizza night, movie night, or a social happening, it’s because I planned it.  I’m guessing I’m not alone in this.  Growing up, my mother did a great job of creating fun family memories.  They weren’t complex or over the top, but they happened!  They happened year in and year out, and now the memories of those fun moments give me security, comfort, joy and a bond with my family that will never be broken.

My children enjoy long evenings of playing Monopoly, watching re-runs of The Brady Bunch, lots of Chex mix, and enjoying lots of cuddles and back rubs, and even wrestling and nerf gun wars (my husband loves to flip couches and make forts).

A wise mother knows how to have fun and how to be tender. She knows the healing touch of her hands. Jesus used his hands to touch and heal many.There is power in the gentle expressions of love through warm embraces and cuddles.

Mark 10:16 says that Jesus “took them {the children} in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” 

Bless your family with tender, physical love.
~Page 178

4 Ways to Pursue Gentleness in Your Home

1. When you feel tempted to raise your voice, use a child’s name in a snarl, furrow your brow into a scowl or speak rapidly in anger…purposely lower your voice to just above a whisper.

Proverbs 15:1 says “A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Focus on gentle words, facial expressions, and touches.

2. Purpose to not let someone else’s anger make you angry.

Many times as a wife and mom, I find myself responding to other’s emotions. Someone in the family is grumpy and two minutes later I’m grumpy too. Someone in the family is speaking harshly and two minutes later I’m speaking harshly too. Purpose to stay in control of your emotions and not let the other members of your family dictate your mood.

3. Yelling at a bud won’t make it bloom.

Your home will not blossom into a haven, if you are not controlling your temper.

4. Continue to light your candle and pray for peace in your home.

Persevere in prayer for your family. James 5:16b says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

**Chime In: Share with us what you have planned for your family fun night. What is your favorite game to play as a family?

Walk with the King,

Fall Arrangments

It's Fall YA'LL!!! Here is the arrangement that I did for our Kitchen Table. Hope you like...

What you need.

1. Corn Kernels
2. Candles
3. BIG GLASS Jar
4. Leaves and buttons

What to do.

1. Fill up the glass vase with raw corn kernels
2. Place your candles inside jar
3. Then sprinkle leaves and buttons around the bottom

Simple and Cute - Rejoicing in the present

Bow/Headband Hanger

 I like to pretend I’m a girly girl and so I have lots of accessories.  In fact, before I was married, I had A TON of stuff. I  have given away a lot of that type of thing, but I do still accessories a bit.  I have about 8-10 head bands and I didn’t like the pile they were making on my dresser, so I decided to make them their own hanger.  Here is what I did:


What you need:

• Ribbon (About 1-2 yards)
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue  

What you do:

• Tie a big bow in the center of the ribbon.
• Then take 1 side and make a 1-inch loop with the ribbon.
• Glue the loop shut.
• Let it dry and then go about 4 inches down the ribbon and make another 1- inch loop
• Do this all the way down the ribbon or until you get the length you desire.
• Then do the loops on the other end of the ribbon.

It’s super simple, see the pictures for better clarification