Rural Simplicity

Life isn't a doorway to success, it is a journey through ups and downs. But that is about all we look for - doorways on the up and up. Final pieces of perfection to "make us happy". As if walking through a doorway could ever make someone happy for ever and ever. Does walking through the doorway of university make life good, does walking out through the carved oak doors of the church after saying 'I do' make you feel complete? Will stepping across your first homes doorstep make you a better person, or stepping out of those sliding glass doors from the hospital with your first child bring perfection? "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." ~ Winston Churchill  You might have a history, or you might be alone in the world. You might have big dreams, or not so fancy desires, but no rounding out and fulfilling of a soul will ever happen with ones sights set on one pivot point. You will find that tha...

Let's talk about hormones today. I have been on a wild hormone journey for many years now, and have just recently found a way to cope with them in a way that I feel comfortable with. I am not a doctor and am in no way prescribing anything for you. I will be sharing my experience, and sharing links to websites that have helped me a great deal. My Story 7 years ago I started taking birth control pills. I was 22, and in good health - until I started the pill that is. After several months of taking them I quit because they were making me depressed, and very disagreeable to live with. (for myself and others) Two pregnancies and six years later, I was still struggling with hormone imbalance from the pills and life in general. Mood swings, extreme tiredness (I could sleep for 10+ hours every night and take naps), brain fog, depression, and weight gain. I felt awful, and it was increasingly harder to run my house and manage my children feeling this way.  Wellness Mama If you...

Today I am pleased to share some thoughts from my dear  friend  Martha. Martha and I went  to  college together for one year, and then didn't see each other for ten years - until last weekend when I was way out in Washington state  visiting my  brother and had the pleasure of  spending a lovely afternoon with Martha and her sweet children. It's amazing how good friends can be kept through long distances and even long bouts of no communication. After reading Martha's post please show her your appreciation by commenting with your thoughts and experiences.  *      *      *  A great big thank you to Sarah for asking me to do a guest post on her blog!! I was thinking of different topics I could write on.  I am the kind of person who can be extremely socially awkward.  ("Sorry! I'm awkward! Sorry!")  I have a hard time with small talk.  But if you want to talk about something deep, I'...

Addiction is most commonly thought of in the realms of pornography or drugs/substance abuse. But there are so many other addictions, many which don't receive the same severity from users or onlookers.  Tobacco, alcohol, drugs, food (eating), pornography, working, using computers/phones, exercising, shopping, pain (seeking), playing video games, and gambling, are a list of the major overarching addictions. One can not overcome an addiction by having great amounts of will power or determination, but only once they focus on, and internalize the power of God can one see a possibility for freedom. Psalm 103:2-5 "Bless the Lord, O my soul,  and forget not all his benefits,  who forgives all your iniquity,  who heals all your diseases,  who redeems your life from the pit,  who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,  who satisfies you with good." Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west,  so far does he remove our transgr...

Gratification grat- uh -fi- key -shuh n  - noun 1. the state of being gratified; great satisfaction. 2. something that gratifies; source of pleasure or satisfaction. Instant Gratification It has become a well used term. American's have it deep in their bones and their family histories. All the way from going west for land and gold, to getting the newest smartphone every year. (Is it even a year between phones anymore?) But of course, down deep in all of the gratification lovers, at the heart of all want is a desire to be full, complete, and restored. Instantly receiving likes on a photo you posted will only momentarily fill you with happiness. Buying that new shirt will only fill that void until something else catches your eye. And that's because only God can fill the God-shaped hole in our lives. God is the gratification we are seeking. More money, more power and fame, or more tangible things only complicate your life - distracting you (artfully so by Satan) fr...

How do they do it? How do artists, authors, and creative people keep the juices flowing? Where do they keep coming up with so many good ideas? That blank white canvas can be so overwhelming! Stay tuned for 10 ways you can keep the creativity flowing. What? You said you're not creative so why keep reading? Do you ever write e-mails, plan a small birthday party, have dinner guests, plant flowers, go on a road trip, or teach? Okay good,stay tuned... 10 Ways to Boost Creativity 1) Don't stress out       Stress is the number one killer of creativity. Just about every project is going to have a deadline of some sort so the potential of stress is always there. If pressure helps you finish a project that doesn't mean this is an irrelevant point, stress and pressure are two different things. You can use pressure to your advantage, but don't assume that you must work under pressure to get good results. 2) Take long walks outside      There are ...

It's January in the year 2018. In short, our world is made up of internet zombies. (If you are reading this sometime in the future, you may understand this phrasing even better than I do right now.) Currently we have this huge thing called social media, and just up from that we have personal blogs and from there it just keeps getting more complex. The number of hours Americans spend looking at some sort of screen, (whether that's computer, tablet, phone, or tv, and whether that's for work, play, or hobby), is alarming. Some studies from up to two years ago show us wasting half of our day looking at a screen ,  so I'm sure you can guess that those numbers are even worse now. And here's the biggest problem with it all. Content.  The readily available content open for ALL eyes to see is majorly - useless rubbish. (to put it nicely) Wrong information, biased information, complaining, gloating, bullying, taking advantage of, etc... The Bible tells us to edify a...

Last night I misunderstood my husband while he was praying. He said Prioritize, and I heard Prayer-tize. By the end of the word I knew what he had really said, but it made me pause a think a moment. What a perfect way to summarize how we ought to be planning our day. Our priorities usually get mapped out by what would be the most beneficial, or what would hurt the most if we missed. If you work from 9-5, then you will prioritize your day to make sure you are at your job site from 9-5. Priorities are important. The way we make and keep priorities is apart of our character. Remember this though; God's timing is not the same as our timing. God has a life long perspective and a pure motive. Laying out our priorities should come through prayer. Setting aside time each day to ask the Lord what he would have you do today, could radically change your priorities. Prioritize prayer and prayer will prioritize your day.  The Bible has so many passages on prayer, because it is a cor...

When you look inside yourself and realize you have nothing to say. You've turned off your thinking brain, your curiosity brain, and you have turned on zombie mode. You go about your day to day life not making an effort to impact others, or better yourself, but simply to do, move, check off. Our world is good at getting us isolated, turned off, and whitewashed. If you go with the flow, you don't need to think. You will be told what is fashionable to wear, what the most popular places to eat out are, the hottest new T.V. shows to watch and what time they will be on, you will be coached on what extra curricular classes your child should be apart of and when practice and games are, you will be guided in what foods are "healthiest" to purchase or the fastest to make, the grocery ads will tell you what stores to buy from, and social media will keep you updated on your friends lives and all of the above mentioned as well. Do you ever get to the end of a day and wonde...

I'm always on the lookout for better ways to use my technology, More ways to go from doing good, to glorifying God. Here are three new apps that I think you will find helpful and enjoyable. Modern Homemakers  Here is the website, you can access the podcasts from there or your app store. http://www.homemakersbychoice.org Donna Otto runs the Modern Homemakers podcast and reminds me a good bit of Elisabeth Elliot. She was actually friends with and featured on Elisabeth Elliot's radio program. She has a sweet soft spoken friendly voice and wonderful Biblical advice, especially for young mothers. Below is what the podcast app will look like. Abiding Radio Go here  http://www.abidingradio.org if using a website  or look up "abiding radio" in your app store. Below is what the app icon will look like. This is a live stream radio broadcast with 5 channels, Instrumental Sacred Kids Bluegrass Hymns Seasonal First 5 - devoti...

I've been overwhelmed with the noise of life. There is always something to think about, to prepare for, to clean up, to take charge of, to listen to, to be on time to, to mend and heal...There is always something to make noise in my life. I like noise to an extent, I like crickets and frogs at night, I like the sound of my daughters giggles, the sound of dinner being made and plenty of other things to bring good feelings to a tired body and mind. Silence is one thing that humans struggle with. We like action films, active sports, parties full of people, background music, podcasts, etc... we like things to be happening, it makes us feel accomplished, and brings "happiness" to our lives long enough to make us want more noise. Essentially we think that noise = happiness. William Penn said... "True silence...is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."  I think we have a hard time understanding true silence because we look for...

Electronics are taking over the world. We play with them, work with them, talk on them, text on them, video chat on them, make money on them, lose money on them, watch them, ignore them. So unless you've given up your t.v., cell phone, iPad, radio, and everything else in this large category you might enjoy this reminder. 1) Never make yourself/child finish a movie.   - if it's stupid, inappropriate, or you've run out of time, just walk away. 2) Do something during the movie   -  play with toys/ do handcrafts/ color a picture/ fix something that's broken. 3) Set time limits/ turn off a show before the next one come on.  - we all know that T.V. shows are geared to pull you into the next one! Don't fall for it! 4) Make "no electronic" zones ...(ex. dinner table, vacation, bedrooms)  - T.V. time is not bonding time anymore. (if ever). 5) Don't watch T.V. alone (whether it's on your phone or on the big screen)  - you watch more T.V. wh...

Relay races take a team effort. Sometimes one person is working while the other cheers them on, sometimes they are working together, but ultimately they are always working together toward an end goal. Relationships are the same way. We are not a one-man-show, we are not ever alone in our trials, and we aren't ever just an on-looker. You and any person you are in a  relationship with, be it, spouse, child, parent, friend, co-worker, etc... should have a joint goal. Pride Says: "I am the most important person in this relationship." Love Says" We are equally important " or better yet,  "You are more important than me" Pride Says: "I am the authority, I am always right." Love Says: "What do you think about...?" Pride Says: "This is how it's done!" Love Says: "I can be flexible." "There are two sides to every story, and then there is the truth." ~Mark Twain Husband/Wife - R...

I just came home from a 10 day trip to China. We saw a lot of famous sights and did a lot of walking. I just want to say that there are a lot of people in China - I mean, A LOT! We happened to be there during the Lantern festival which is the end of the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year. During the festivities that night we encountered thousands of people. You had to follow the flow, and wherever the flow was going. If you wanted to go a different direction you had to find a different flow.  I personally found it all rather exhilarating, but I know some people would be terrified of such a crowd. We each have our own fears and views in life and find ourselves constantly in awe at someone else's problems, trials, excitements, and dares. It reminds me of the many circumstances in life when we stand up for things that we feel are right, whether that be a personal view or a Biblical belief, and how we can feel as if we are one fish in the ocean swimming against millions. (One ...

Do you know that feeling you get when you have a secret... a good secret, a Christmas surprise that beats all other Christmas pasts, a Valentine surprise that's got you smiling randomly for no reason, an out of the blue surprise that's going to knock the socks off of your friend's feet! It's like turning on a hot tub and trying to keep all of the bubbles from splashing out over the sides. Clean up on aisle 7, the secret is spilling out all over my face - smile's everywhere! So when John from "Sav Plenti"walks over with the mop and bucket to clean up your mess on aisle 7 he's probably going to see that smile (which is causing the mess on aisle 7) and smile back at you. He won't know why you're smiling, but really he probably doesn't care because he can translate that smile into whatever he needs to hear. Smiles are contagious!  Whether or not the recipient returns the smile is not a sign that they did or did not feel the affect. You c...

Some days we feel overwhelmed and we don't exactly know why, other days we know why but don't want to fix the problem because it means doing things that we loath or feel too lazy to do that day, other days we just don't feel like we have the time to do it all. Let me remind you that God has a plan for your day and the more you involve Him in it, the more you feel at peace and many times feel accomplished. When you feel overwhelmed... With the dishes - take an extra minute to tell God how you feel about the situation, and then if you don't already, stack like items, silverware together, plates together, bowls, pots and pans. It really makes the job look more do-able. With the laundry - take an extra minute to tell God how you feel about the situation, then see if you can plan out 1-2 loads a day every day that week and have it under control before the weekend or the beginning of the next week. With needing to be too many places in a day/week - take an extr...