Meet Jeanine

Goodbye to April's Ultimate Blog Challenge

4/30/2019

It's the end of another great month of blogging and many of us are celebrating the fact that we made it all the way to the end! But before we get to pouring the champagne, or the cups of tea, I have an invitation for you.

An Invitation for Tea & Treats

Why an invitation, you say?

Well, I'm always glad to see you, of course, but tomorrow, I have news I think you might want to hear. There are resources I want to tell you about that might be for you.

You are most likely to love tomorrow's tea party if you ...

are a blogger or work from home mom who wants guidance about using Pinterest or other social media to build your biz

have ever wanted to take a baking class

are interested in resources that help you nurture & grow your faith

want more easy tricks for decluttering your home

are ready to decorate & love new decorating or redesign ideas

sometimes can't think of what to wear & would like almost 300 new ideas

And those are just the highlights!! ;)

I've Got Gifts

Just to bribe - I mean, entice you - to come and say hello, I've got gifts for you. What's a good party without party gifts, after all?

Hope I see you here!

Thanks so much for spending this month with me, beloveds!

I always have a wonderful time!! And this time, I wrote more than 30 posts so I got to give myself the ribbon. :)

How was this month for you, if you participated in the challenge? Were you able to see an increase in traffic to your blog? I had 8200 pageviews, a 158% increase!

That increase in traffic is one of my favorite things about doing the challenge, alongside getting into interesting discussions with other bloggers.

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

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If you haven't had a chance to get access to my free lifestyle library, yet, click the highlighted link to get it. Then we can continue the conversation we have started this month, about slow living, hygge, faith books, growing your faith & other lifestyle/mom life topics.
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12 Comments

Faith Books: Leaving Church

4/29/2019

10 Comments

I thought that being faithful was about becoming someone other than who I was…I thought that it meant ignoring my own needs… I thought that it meant always trying harder… -Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church

In the beginning of the book, Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor tells us that she has always known God as a Divine Presence that she felt most connected to in nature.

It seemed an effortless connection, but she didn’t have words for this Presence until she began to hear people talk about God.

Because, as she said, she wanted to be close to God always, she decided to major in religion in college, and then, go to seminary. She was following God all the way into a career, and eventually, she was ordained as an Episcopal priest.

These stories are about the phase she describes as “finding herself.” Two more book sections follow, one about losing herself and the final one, about finding herself again. She says that we go through each of those stages in our lives, again and again.

In the stories about losing herself, she says a lot that I can relate to about busyness and wanting to help. But, they both led her away from her connections, both with God and with herself, as she took on more and more, and kept saying yes.

Her busyness seemed to be about trying to do enough, trying to help everyone she could. It was hard for her to let go of that in order to get the rest she needed.

I think the part I can relate to is how hard it was to let go of it, but for me, it has always been about being enough, or becoming enough, rather than doing. There seemed to be virtue on offer, just in the trying, in the busyness, itself, because of the possibility of getting there someday.

Eventually, I realized that I wasn't actually getting anywhere, except farther away from myself, and she seemed to have a similar realization.

In the final section, she describes the road back to herself and to peace, but I was left wanting to know more about where she was with God at the end. Her faith had changed along the way, had shifted, but to what?

Most of it is really great writing, but I felt like it ended in a kind of vague place. Maybe that was a reflection of an unresolved time, or a resolution still in progress.

I loved learning the story of her journey of faith, in general, though.

What do you think? Is it the kind of book that would interest you?

And can you relate to her idea of the three phases in life: finding yourself, losing yourself and finding yourself again? That could make a great slow faith journaling question, especially if you felt inspired to look for memories of those stages at work in your own faith journey.

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

10 Comments

God Unrecognized: The Grief Walk (Microfiction Story + Journal Prompts)

4/28/2019

4 Comments

What would it be like to have God walking with you and not know it? And is it possible that it happens to you all the time?

Microfiction: A Fictionalized, Modern
Retelling of Luke 24:13-35

We had decided to take a walk. I just couldn’t stand being in that gloomy living room with the rest of my friends for another minute.

Normally, I loved to hang out with them. They’d come over, I’d make popcorn and we’d all watch movies. I could count on them to show up a couple of hours after church each Sunday.

But today, we were just sitting there, in silence. And I couldn’t stand it.

When my best friend, Amy, suggested we go for a walk, I was so relieved, I’d have agreed to go jogging – and if you know me, that’s saying something.

We loved walking in our neighborhood, though usually under much happier circumstances. I wasn’t hoping for much from this walk, but I thought maybe it would be nice to feel the soft breeze on my face.

You see, our closest friend had just died. It was shocking to us, although she’d told us she thought something was coming.

She’d just preached a sermon last week that made us both laugh and cry, and today, someone else was standing up there in her spot. How could someone filled with so much light, be struck down in such a violent way?

As we turned the corner, onto the long side street with so many beautiful trees, just beginning to bloom with spring, Amy told me she was considering taking a break from church, because it had been so painful not to see Jessica there today.

We both had loved her from the minute we met her, and we knew they’d pick her to be our new pastor. She had a way of talking about the life of faith that made us want to keep her talking so we could have it exactly the way she described.

We’d just told her that a couple of weeks ago, that we were so grateful for the way she gave us a new and deeper understanding of God, and encouraged us in our faith. She always came over on Sundays, too, so we made her say the prayer whenever we decided against popcorn, in favor of a real meal. She was so kind, so warm and friendly, and so approachable that just being around her made your day better.

I didn’t know how I was going to manage church, without her, either.

But before I could respond, and try to talk us both into sticking with it, we saw someone walking toward us, waving. I thought maybe I’d seen her at church, but when she got up to us, she told us she’d seen us walking around the neighborhood and wanted to walk with us.

Her name was Laura, she said, and she told us she’d heard us talking one day about our church and had wanted to find out which church it was, so she could go check it out. We looked at each other, communicating silently that we’d tell her what had happened, and then began to explain how we’d just lost our pastor.

She listened as we all walked toward the park at the back part of our neighborhood, and it was so good to talk to someone who didn’t know the story. I could tell she really understood how heartbroken we were.

And even though it’s impossible to know what to say to someone in a situation like that, her empathy was perfect, and we knew we’d found another friend.

Amy never mentioned taking a break, but somehow, while those soft breezes became our companions on the way to the park, Laura got us talking about all the other reasons we loved our church, and by the time we reached the park, she not only said she was coming, but got us to agree to meet her there next Sunday. She turned to head back home, but said she was so glad she’d met us and was looking forward to seeing us next week.

We sat down at the park for a while, just hanging out, and I realized that I felt a little bit better. Talking to Laura had really helped.

I mentioned that to Amy when we began the walk back to my house and she said she felt the same way. I think we both felt relieved we’d promised to go to church next week.

I was even looking forward to seeing my friends again back at the house.

This Passage Inspired the Story Above

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. - ESV, BibleGateway.com

Slow faith suggestion: grab your journal & a cup of tea. Then, compare the story I wrote to the Bible verses that inspired it, thinking through the journal questions and applying them to your life. The most important question is the one below...

2 Journal Prompts for Reflection

(1) The fictional walk around the neighborhood was inspired by what happens on the road to Emmaus. I got the idea after reading the passage during a quiet time, and mentally, placing myself into the story.

Give yourself a brief meditation moment & imagine that you are one of the people on that road. What are you feeling?

Imagine having someone come alongside you who makes you feel the way you do during your prayer time with Jesus. The same, but more, because you can see this person, feel his or her energy, hear the person’s voice in response to whatever you say.

How do you think those moments of connection would feel?

Have you ever experienced a Jesus-with-skin-on moment like that before?

(2) Those two people on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus because they were experiencing him in a different way than they had before. What might have made their experience of him different?

Do you think that your experience of him in spirit might be different than it would be if he were walking down the road with you in person?

How can you deepen or shift your connection with him in spirit, so that it’s closer to what what a 5-sensory ultra-magnetic, physically warm & loving connection might be like in person?

Are there times when you don't recognize his presence?

Though the story at the beginning of this post did not actually happen, I believe it could have. I believe that, as women of faith, we have moments like that all the time.

We get distracted or upset, and just when we need most to know that God is right there with us, we don't notice or recognize him.

He understands, of course, because he knows us. But he also wants us to be able to hear his voice, know his presence and connect to his love at any time. The key to doing so is spending more time just connecting.

More slow, Mary faith and less Martha busyness.

Wishing you deeper connection and the certainty of knowing he's with you always.

Love, Jeanine

4 Comments

Life without Wincing: My Decluttering Challenge Results

4/27/2019

12 Comments

Decluttering Your Home:
for a Life without Wincing

Earlier in the week, I told you that the goal for decluttering your home is to get rid of the wince. And I offered a free printable decluttering tips checklist to get you started with at least one space in your home, encouraging you to join the decluttering challenge starting that day and have some company as you tackled your scariest space.

Well, I chose a corner of my room where a mess grew right after we moved a bookcase out of it, placing it somewhere else. Everything that got left behind, ended up on the floor, making a mess.

It certainly made me wince, but I didn't do anything about it for longer than I care to admit. I was actually pretty excited about the challenge, because I tell you, the buddy system has always worked well for me.

But I felt like I really had my work cut out for me. Not only did I need to get everything off the floor, I had to find new homes for it all. I couldn't just shove it all in a bag and hide it behind something. Mmhmm, I've done it.

This time, though, I wanted to commit to finding a new home for everything and clearing the space. Read on to find out how it went.

But first, I just want to remind you that if you want some expert help in decluttering your home, the free decluttering challenge is available for the rest of the day, today.

Last Chance: Free Decluttering Challenge

Today is the final day for the free decluttering challenge.

Decluttering guide, Dana White, author of Decluttering at the Speed of Life is offering a video, workbook and challenge to help you tackle the room or spot you are most afraid of, so you can finally get rid of the wince. But today is the last day she is offering the challenge, so get it now.

I'm offering a checklist, too, for getting started with decluttering without feeling overwhelmed. Click on either highlighted link to join us in the challenge.

I have been participating since the challenge began on the 23rd, and I'm going to reveal what I've got to show for it. But first, get a look at the scary space I had to deal with this week...

From Scary Corner to Queen of All I Survey

I know - it's dark and blurry!! But trust me, you're better off not seeing it clearly. It's a corner of the room with a wicker chair, and that bunch of stuff I mentioned that got dumped on the floor.

Where was it all going to go? Here are the 5 steps I took to get rid of the wince...

(1) I threw away a lot of the paper, envelopes, etc. and put the ones I wanted to keep into a folder where I was already keeping notes and other things I wanted to save. That folder now lives on my desk.

(2) The lamps have a new home in my storage unit. At some point, I will move and then, will use them and find a new home for them there.

One of my criteria for keeping things was that I'd have to buy replacements for them if I got rid if them. I don't want to have to buy new lamps, so I kept them, even though I don't need them right now.

The other things on the floor were either thrown away or moved to a new home. So there is nothing in my room, now, that doesn't belong. It has been completely decluttered!

(3) I moved the wicker chair to a bigger wall, and moved the desk into that corner, and I love the way it changed the way they both look in the room.

I've never thought of the chair that way before, but it feels like a chair fit for a queen, now that it's in its new home...

I am so happy I took the challenge and decluttered my room. I got inspired to declutter my closet, too, by the way. Bonus!

And everything I learned from doing the challenge made it so easy, including the part I teach with my checklist.

I didn't feel overwhelmed at all. It was kind of exciting, actually.

Have you signed up for the challenge, yet? Or chosen a room to work on, once you are ready to start decluttering your home?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

12 Comments

5 Ways to Redesign Your Family Room for Closer Connection

4/26/2019

12 Comments

Thanks to technology we have more ways to instantly communicate than ever before, however creating your own conversation room is a great way to encourage more face-to-face communication with family and friends. - housetipster.com

As moms, we share a goal to create close connections with our families and to use our home to foster those relationships. We all want to create a home our kids will come visit after they make their way out into the world.

Well, you've probably heard about creating conversation spaces so that guests feel comfortable and gatherings flow more smoothly when you have people over. But imagine the power those spaces have to foster or derail the close connections you want to create with your own family.

3 Ways to Redesign Your Family Room to Create Closer Connections

Today, take a moment to think about the room in your home where everyone gathers after dinner, or for family movie night, or after church on Sunday. Often, it's the family room or living room, but choose whatever the room is for you.

Here are three ways to help your family create closer connections with you and with each other, in that room...

(1) Move your furniture away from the walls & create conversation spaces that are close enough for everyone to hear each other easily. Also, make sure they are angled in such a way that it's easy to see each other without having to turn to do so.

If it's uncomfortable to turn their heads and their bodies, they won't do it. Also, you may only have one chance to hear what they mumbled, and if you're close enough, you won't miss it.

And avoid creating a room wherein every seat is turned toward the TV and/or fireplace, but not toward each other. A big screen TV may bring them into the room, but may not bring them any closer together without a warm, conversational layout.

For longer or bigger rooms, create two conversational areas.

(2) Add blankets, quilts or throws that are easy to grab and snuggle under, and pillows that are soft and malleable, and comfortable to lean against.

Once they are tucked in, they are less likely to run away before you can talk them out of it. ;)

But also, they may stay with you longer, even after the movie is over and the popcorn has been eaten.

(3) Keep your games nearby, within easy reach, and possibly even within sight.

Walking past the game bin, shelf or box may make it more likely that your family will be inspired to play. Or, they may be more receptive to doing so when you suggest it, because they have been seeing them as they walked past or while hanging out in the room.

(4) Declutter the room, to create a more spacious feel & remove the winces.

When your eyes rest, if it rests on clutter, it may create subtle feelings of discomfort without your being aware of it.

My son has caught me wincing about areas of clutter when I didn't even realize it. Perhaps your family notices, too?

(5) Make it a room everyone loves by adding items, colors, photos, etc., that will help your family feel at home in the room.

If you're not sure what to add, ask them at dinner. Even a favorite toy or book can be kept there, in a basket or on a shelf.

Do any of these redesign ideas appeal to you, and if so, which one might you try first?

I'll be back tomorrow with another post! See you then.

Love, Jeanine

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Did you take the free decluttering challenge? Tomorrow,
I'll be sharing my results in the room I chose. Go sign up
if you haven't already & share a link to your results here,
when you read tomorrow's post or at the hashtag,
#tackleyourscariestspace
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12 Comments

What is Spring Hygge? 3 Ways to Make Spring Cozier

4/25/2019

8 Comments

Last month, when spring was here, officially, I was still cold. The day of the spring equinox, I had the heat on, and was bundled up for quite some time that day.

For me, April is usually the month that really settles it that spring is here. Which month means spring for you?

Whenever you begin to feel it, you might start wanting to decorate in a way that reflects it. And if you love all things hygge like I do, that means adding hygge comfort, too.

But most people think of winter coziness when they think of hygge. What does it look like in spring? What is spring hygge?

spring hygge, hygge lifestyle, hygge at home, hygge decor

3 Ways to Hygge Spring

Though spring hygge does not have a precise definition, I think of it as a lighter & fresher but still comforting version of the hygge experience we create during winter. And just like winter, spring hygge should be partly defined by you and what you need this season.

Here are three ways to get started making your spring more cozy...

(1) Lighten the Load: choose lighter fabrics and colors to surround yourself with as you decorate for spring. Maybe the soothing grey becomes a lighter, brighter, heathered grey and the browns and creams get lighter, too.

You won't need a thick blanket to burrow under near the fireplace, but you might still want a lighter throw for moments when the air conditioning gets a little too aggressive. Flannel pillowcases may give way to cotton ones.

But in choosing ones that make you happy, you'll still be adding your hygge touch to your home, even if it's a lighter touch than before.

(2) Cozy Eating: you can still eat and drink and offer things that comfort, but they might get lighter, too. Glasses of sweet tea or lemonade may replace your hot chocolate, and pasta salad may take the place of your winter soups.

But if it's what you love, and you take care to add it to your morning and evening routines, you can still fill spring days with hygge moments.

(3) Happy Together: continue planning warm, happy get-togethers with those you love, and allow these to lighten, and shift, too.

Maybe you'll have outdoor parties and decorate with spring flowers and colors.

What makes it hygge is the time together and the deliberate and frequent planning of those moments with family and friends. Think through what makes them special, and how they can transition into spring.

Weekly movie nights, pizza nights, weekends in the sun - if they mean happiness to you and yours, they will still be just as hygge as ever.

What comes to mind for your own spring version of hygge?

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For more information about the hygge lifestyle, hygge home decor, and other lifestyle tips, check out my free lifestyle library.
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See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

P.S. If you're still decluttering, spring hygge can wait! In fact, you'll love your hygge home decor even more if it doesn't have to compete with clutter for your attention.

8 Comments

How to Spring Clean Your Home Decor

4/24/2019

16 Comments

When I think of spring cleaning, I often think of scouring and scrubbing. And lots of hard work.

But what about spring cleaning your decor?

What would spring cleaning mean when applied to the way you decorate?

That urge that you get to move the furniture and other things around is a normal response to the newness of spring. But, as I suggested in yesterday's post, I recommend that before you go shopping for new decor, or decide on a completely new look or feel for your living room, you declutter your home.

By the way, a group of us are participating in a decluttering challenge this week, so if you don't want to do it alone, join us.

Next Step after Decluttering: Undecorate

Once the clutter has been cleared, I suggest that the letting go process continue, for at least a few more days.

Get rid of it. Your decorating, I mean. :)

Undecorating is a lightening fast practice where you remove a layer of cute stuff from your house in hopes that it prompts you to be more intentional with your decor. -Myquillyn Smith, author of Cozy Minimalist Home

I have done this step before without knowing there was a name for it. When I did it, I want to see the room at its barest, so I could feel its spaciousness and then, add the bare minimum it needed to make it hygge cozy.

Sometimes, I just wanted it bare after a Christmas season loaded with decorations. In fact, there is often a moment, right after Christmas, when I feel like I can't stand another moment of all the things being everywhere.

It's like the depressing mess after a great party. You ask if all that fun was really worth it. And there's a moment when you're not sure.

That's how I feel in the days after Christmas. What once wrapped me up in cheer is now a depressing reminder of what is now over.

And my home feels overstuffed with it all. Putting it all away gives me a feeling of relief. And then, I need some time with the bareness and spaciousness before I retrieve everything I hid away during the holiday season.

It's that bareness that I recommend here.

Getting rid of all of the decor will bring a breath of fresh air to the way the room feels. And once it's clear, if you leave it that way for several days, it will be easier to avoid going overboard in your decorating.

What if it only needs one new thing?

Myquillyn suggests making that one new thing a plant, and then, see what else it might need.

What about You: Which Room First?

So, to summarize, after yesterday's task of getting rid of anything you no longer love, or that doesn't belong there, you undecorate.

Let it stay bare for a few days and then, decide what would make it feel just right.

Do this in every room, and your whole home will feel fresh and new and spring clean. :)

Which room which you work on first?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

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Don't forget to join the decluttering challenge: Tackle Your Scariest Space.

Decluttering expert, Dana White, author of Decluttering at the Speed of Life, is offering a free 15-minute video with decluttering tips, and a workbook with printable worksheets. You also will get my decluttering tips checklist for 5 steps to declutter your home without feeling overwhelmed.
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16 Comments

Easy Ways to Declutter Your Home Without Feeling Overwhelmed

4/23/2019

18 Comments

Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you think about decluttering your home? Maybe you don't know where to start because there are so many places in your home that need your help?

I have felt the same way, so many times! I was often afraid it would take forever to get it all done, so I didn't even start.

If you have been wanting to freshen up your home for spring, I know it's tempting to try to sneak past all that clutter and bring in new things to distract you. But if you deal with the clutter first, you'll feel so much better.

Then, you'll be able to get rid of the wince...

Decluttering Tips for Getting Started

If you're ready to get started, here are some easy decluttering tips you can use today, to start decluttering your home without feeling overwhelmed.

Start with the room you most want to clear. I recommend choosing your favorite room or the one you'll enjoy most once the clutter is gone.) Put an empty box in that room, within easy reach.

(1) Look around the room at everything there - every clutter spot, every pile or stack - and ask this question: is it living in the right room?

If it really belongs somewhere else, whether you know where its real home is, or not, put it in the box and keep doing that until all that's left in the room, belongs there.

Now, take that box and remove everything you know has a specific home somewhere else in your house or apartment. It wandered in by accident and now needs your escort back to its true home.

After that, what's left in the box will be things that don't have a home. This is decision-making time.

(2) Will it stay or should it go?

It's already taken care of, in what could become a donation box. If you kept it in the box, you'd be done with your clutter-clearing for that room.

Think ahead to quick and easy decluttering your home, room by room, without overwhelm. By leaving as much as you can in the box.

I know that's the hard part, though.

Here is the best reason for keeping something that is still in that box: you know you need it & will have to buy another one in the future if that one is tossed out. Not I might need it someday but "what will I do next week when I need it again?"

If you don't even remember buying it, or you know in your heart you don't need it, get rid of it. It's not your friend.

And it's in the way of the decluttering you finally feel ready to tackle. Never waste a decluttering moment!

But what about gifts or meaningful moments from the past? You don't love it but it holds emotion from the giver or from your history.

I encourage you to take a picture of it for your memory book, but don't keep it.

I promise that looking at it there will be just as meaningful. Plus, you get the relief of not having to find a place for it anymore.

But if you just aren't ready to let go of some of those things you found lying around, create another box for temporary storage. It still needs to leave the house, but could live for a while in the garage or storage unit where so many things go to die.

These two decluttering tips (and that get out of jail free card) are an easy way to get started with decluttering your home. Hopefully, without the overwhelm you usually feel.

But we're not done yet. I've got decluttering homework for you...

Take the decluttering challenge & start clearing clutter somewhere in your home today. Even if it's just one item, moved to a new and better home.

You'll get a decluttering tips checklist for clearing clutter without overwhelm and access to Dana White's challenge. She's a blogger, author and decluttering expert whose wisdom I am excited to share with you.

She's offering a 15-minute video where she will show you how to declutter your craziest space, plus you get free printable decluttering worksheets you can use for every room in your home.

Get started by clicking the highlighted link or the image above, and then, share your progress with a whole bunch of ambitious declutterers. We'll be using the hashtag: #tackleyourscariestspace.

After you sign up, tell me in a comment: where in your home does clutter bother you most?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

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Don't forget to sign up for the decluttering challenge, so you can start today, to declutter your home without overwhelm.
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18 Comments

A Faith Book about Spiritual Doubt

4/22/2019

4 Comments

It's Easter Monday and today, we're exploring a faith book about how to handle doubt as a woman of faith...

Doubt like Thomas's can be a positive thing, especially if it brings us closer to God. Doubt can help shape our faith. - Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner

faith book for women, faith book for moms

I think what I love most about this book is her effort to normalize doubt, as part of the Christian experience.

I used to feel guilty about my own doubt, seeing it as a flaw and a weakness. I thought that if I were a better Christian, I would have certainty, instead.

But in the book, the author suggests that doubt can actually help us create a closer relationship with God. That it can become a passageway both to deeper trust and to certainty.

I invite you to grow comfortable with doubting.
- Sheryl Griesbrecht Turner

What about You?

In your faith tradition, how is doubt handled? And what do you believe about it?

When you experience it, how do you react?

I have always wished it away. But because I was raised in an academic, prove-it-to-me kind of family, I have often struggled with it.

The book suggests accepting it, instead, and shows you how to use it as a launching pad into a deeper faith.

So, if you also tend to be a doubting Thomas, and would rather be a faith-filled Mary or Martha, I highly recommend this wise, comforting book. I loved it the whole way through.

Below the quote, I've included part of an interview where the author talks more about the book and about dealing with doubt.

And by the way, if you like reading inspirational books, get access to my lifestyle library, where I've got an article with links to all the faith book blog posts I've written, all in one place.

My lifestyle library also includes articles about slow living, hygge at home, perfecting your morning routine & other lifestyle topics.

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

If ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt. If doubt is eventually justified, we were believing what clearly was not worth believing. But if doubt is answered, our faith has grown stronger. I know God more certainly and I can enjoy God more deeply. There is no believing without some doubting, and believing is all the stronger for understanding and resolving doubt. - Os Guinness

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Easter: The Conversation at the Stone

4/20/2019

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A Creative Retelling, from John 20

Jesus: Mary

Mary: Rabbi, it's you! Oh, thank God. (she hugs him)

Jesus: Listen, I can't stay. I'm only here for a moment.

Mary: You can't stay?

Jesus: No, I just wanted you to see me before I left, and know that I'm okay. And I want you to tell the others.

Mary: What do you mean before you left? Where are you going?

Jesus: I'm going to go be with God. Tell them all I'll be with the Father. Your God, the one you already know.

Mary: But you came back.

Jesus: For just a moment. I have to go, but I will be with you all in spirit.

The Grief and the Glory

I often think of Easter in songs.

There's Keith Green's lyrics - "it is finished. He has done it. Life conquered death. Jesus Christ has won it."

But there's also Bryan Duncan's song - "Please know that I love you. I'll stay by your side. If only now in spirit. I'll still be your guide. You will not suffer long. I've suffered for you. I love you with my life."

When Easter comes, I feel the triumph of the victory, but right along with that is the sadness of the loss.

I think about the confusion Jesus's friends and family must have felt. None of them had expected the story to end this way. And it must have taken a while to sort out that it was also a beginning and a very important one.

Being with him, even for a moment, would have been wonderful. But then he left again. They wouldn't have understood yet what it meant to be with them in spirit.

So, I am an odd duck, I know, to relive grief every year along with the glory of his victory, but I do.

And I understand the bigger picture. I'm so grateful that he did leave, because now I can know him in spirit. And so can you.

But I want to say that it's also okay to miss him. To wish you could hug him. Or sit at his feet the way and have dinner with him, the way Mary and Martha did.

This Easter ending of the story foreshadows the one we all long for, the time still to come when we will be with Jesus and see him with our own eyes.

Happy Easter!

Love, Jeanine

I would like to say, just before I leave you, I'll be back some day. And with me I will take you. So do not be afraid. Only watch and pray. And wait for my return. ... I'll prepare a place where we can live together. And we'll be face to face. And share our new forever. ... Please know that I love you, I'll stay by your side. If only now in spirit, I'll still be your guide...
- Bryan Duncan, Love You With My Life

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Anticipating Easter: 5 Things I Learned During Lent this Year

4/19/2019

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This year, my approach to Lent was slightly different.

Less passive & more slow faith contemplative. Instead of just reading through a passage or devotional, I talked about it during my quiet time. I prayed it during my quiet time.

And I jumped into the story to get a closer view. As a result, the stories seemed more true & in an even deeper way than they usually do. They became more real to me in those moments.

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. -Robert Flatt

5 Things I Learned During Lent this Year

(1) God is my God & I am his people.

When you personalize what you're reading in those Bible verses and passages, it almost feels like a story written just for you.

This year, I let go of a lot of the self-imposed rules about my faith - what I should be thinking as I read, what I'm supposed to get out of a passage, how a quiet time is supposed to go, whether or not my faith or beliefs are good enough. And I just dove in without the baggage.

Each time, I let go and begin again, it's at a deeper level. And my faith morphs into something a lot more God+Jeanine and a lot less this-is-what-it-should-look-and-feel-like.

(2) The one who knows us is with us.

Though you might feel like you've been dropped off alone in the middle of a never-ending story that isn't going your way, God is right there with you in it, caring about exactly what you're going through, in a way that you might not be aware of at the time.

If you're grieving, he's grieving with you. He knows that ultimately, you're going to be okay, but he also loves you & understands exactly what you're feeling. And what was even more important about this idea is the following...

(3) Feelings are normal.

The Lazarus story was my favorite this year. And one thing that really stood out to me was that Mary and Martha both understood clearly who Jesus was and what he was capable of, but still cried as they talked to him about losing their brother.

But not only did Jesus not chide them for being upset when they knew he could ask anything and God would grant it - that might be a slight paraphrase - he cried with them.

So, trusting him does not mean you can't be upset when things go wrong. Feelings are allowed.

(4) No matter what, God wants to use you.

It really stood out to me this year that Jesus sent out his disciples to do the same healing work he did. He loved them tenderly, and often seemed to be training them to continue being there for people after he was gone.

But these same disciples were often so clueless that half the time, they didn't seem to get who Jesus, why he was with them, or what was actually going on at the time. And sometimes, I could totally understand that because Jesus said some confusing things.

But they were still the ones he told his secrets to and he chose them, again and again, to be with him, to learn from him and to do the work he called them to do.

They were helpful in spite of themselves. And so are we.

(5) God is like Jesus.

I am grateful for all of the Lent and Easter stories because of what I learn and remember about what God is like. The tenderness, the radical acceptance, the healing, the friendship, the calling, the rescues and the miracles.

That's the God I walk with every day, my hand in his.

Knowing him and holding his hand - that's what Easter means to me this year.

What Does Easter Mean to You?

Renewal. Rebirth. New Beginnings. Hope. Restoration. Resurrection.

There are so many words that surface during this season as people write and speak about anticipating spring and Easter. What does this time of year mean for you, or in your life?

Here are a few journal prompts you can use during your next morning quiet time...

(1) How did your relationship with God or your faith grow during this season of Lent?

(2) Did you get any new insights on familiar Bible verses or passages?

(3) What does Easter mean to you this year?

Wishing you an Easter filled with meaning, or a spring filled with the possibility of renewal, or whatever you celebrate that you dive deep into its energy.

Love, Jeanine

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Lenten Meatless Meal Planning Ideas: Breakfast for Dinner

4/18/2019

14 Comments

As I've mentioned in previous posts, many people celebrate Lent by going meatless on Fridays, so I have been suggesting meatless dinners that might be fun for the whole family. Comfort food dinners, so the same dinner that takes away meat adds something good.

Well, I have always loved breakfast for dinner! So I wanted to suggest that at least one week, as Lent comes to a close, or anytime you want to add comfort, you consider breakfast for dinner.

French toast, pancakes, bacon - there are so many choices. But if you're wanting healthier comfort food in your breakfast-for-dinner meal, read on...

meal planning ideas, meal planning on a budget, family meal planning on a budget

Today's meatless dinner idea - that is also a breakfast for dinner - is huevos rancheros. Yummy, and healthy, too! Have you ever had it for dinner?

Hope you enjoy it. See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

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The Sabbath Simplicity Lifestyle, Part 2: How to Create One

4/17/2019

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What were Sundays like when you were growing up?

We'd go to church and then, sometimes go out to eat after the service. But once we got home, my mom would do the laundry. I can still hear the sound of Neil Diamond's "Soolaimon," sometimes also sung or hummed by my mom, in concert with the sound of the washing machine. I'd read with the music as a backdrop, sometimes singing along.

Yesterday, in part one of this two-part series on creating a sabbath lifestyle, I talked about how the book, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, inspired me to make changes toward creating a slower, sabbath lifestyle.

I described how doing so has changed my morning and evening routines. It's also changing my experience on Sundays.

But doing so in good ways, that make my days better. As I mentioned yesterday, it's a slow lifestyle, and her book is actually a slow lifestyle book.

Slow living always means taking more time to savor life, in addition to the Sabbath rest this lifestyle generates.

The heart of honoring the Sabbath happens on the day you choose each week, which for me, is Sunday. That is the shift I am tweaking even more than the other days of the week, toward rest.

Do you have a day of rest on the weekend?

“Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
- Mark 6:31 (NIV)

Shifting the Way You See Yourself

Sabbath Simplicity can become a lifestyle that helps you uncover your true self & keeps you from defining yourself in misleading ways.

In the book I've quoted above, the author makes the point that giving ourselves a Sabbath and spending time with God will infuse that day with love that has nothing to do with accomplishments or possessions.

She says that we sometimes see ourselves in terms of what we own or think we need to own. Or define ourselves in terms of what we have accomplished or failed to accomplish.

Taking a break from shopping and working breaks that spell and may make it easier to see ourselves the way God does.

Applied to myself, it means that when I choose this lifestyle, I become the person who loves Hallmark movies, and laughing with her son. Or the person who gets lost in a novel and returns to awareness to find that the light in the room changed as afternoon headed for evening.

Life, in those moments, becomes quiet times, and cups of tea. Family time and time with friends.

How to Create Sabbath Simplicity in Your Life

I suggest starting with creating moments of rest in your day. And then, you can move toward changing what you do on the weekends.

Try it right now: take several deep breaths in a row, before continuing to read.

Mentally let go of any stress you have been feeling. Stretch if you need to and then, take another deep breath or two.

Take a moment to imagine what’s next for you, in your day. Imagine it going smoothly and well before returning to what you are doing now.

Could you find a way to take a break like this several times a day?

The next step might be to create an hour’s rest in your evening that does not include multitasking. Time with family, time with your spouse, or time just for you. At the end of that time, imagine restful sleep that night, and a peaceful day the next day.

And finally, how might you create more Sabbath rest during your weekend, each week? What shifts would you have to make?

As this post comes to an end, I encourage you to continue thinking about your need for rest and how you might meet it.

A Gift for You

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To access Sabbath Hygge: 4 Ways to Use Hygge to Create Deeper Rest, other slow living lifestyle inspiration, and the rest of my lifestyle library, click the highlighted link.
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What are your thoughts about making time for rest?

Do you create moments of rest each day? And a weekly time of rest? If you don’t, what could you shift in order to do so?

See you next time!

Love, Jeanine

12 Comments

The Sabbath Simplicity Lifestyle

4/16/2019

16 Comments

Just like my faith book posts, today's post and the part-two post, tomorrow, began with reading a book I wanted to share. But then, I realized that I wanted to share more than I normally would about the impact the book has had on me, and the decisions I am making as a result. Keep reading, and I'll tell you why.

rest: living in sabbath simplicity, sabbath simplicity

When I first downloaded the book, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, I really just wanted some encouragement to rest on Sundays. With my chronic illness, I am sometimes sick for long periods of time, and I find that when I don’t make it to church, it’s all too easy to make it just another day to work from home.

Reading the book did encourage me that Sunday needs to be a day of rest.

But then, the idea of sabbath simplicity as a slow living lifestyle began to call my name. And this slow lifestyle book was suggesting a lot more rest than I was getting at the time.

Was I finally ready to hear the common refrain my life kept trying to sound about how I needed to rest much more than I normally did?

It began to seem like the calling that it was. And finally, I started seriously thinking about how I could do it. How I could make it work.

And I found that it does work. Maybe it would work for you, too?

For women of faith, the sabbath simplicity lifestyle merits a closer look...

...you need only to be still. I know how weary you are…You have been struggling to just to keep your head above water, and your strength is low. I am calling you to rest in Me. - Jesus Today, by Sarah Young & Exodus 14:14

What is Sabbath Simplicity?

Sabbath simplicity is creating a slow living lifestyle around honoring the Sabbath. But not just on one day of the week.

Sabbath simplicity can begin with honoring the Sabbath once a week, but it also means gradually beginning to honor that rhythm every day. So, your deepest extended rest would begin on the weekend, but your daily rest can begin every evening with dinner and family.

We need moments of rest throughout the day, where we give our minds and bodies a chance to push the reset button. Creating a Sabbath Simplicity lifestyle will give you those moments.

My Own Plan for Sabbath Simplicity

Though I still need to shift toward a better weekly Sabbath rest, I am benefiting already from adopting the Sabbath Simplicity lifestyle during the week.

I start each day with a morning quiet time routine that includes reading the Bible, prayer and other inspirational reading. Which means my day begins with rest.

I work from home, but even when work is calling me to jump in and get started, my days go better if I have a morning quiet time first.

“If you are the type to keep running all the time, perhaps the first step on your Sabbath Simplicity journey is to begin to see the evening as a time to take a small rest, to reconnect relationally, to stop.”
- Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity

My after-dinner evening routine brings me rest, again. Though I sometimes do, my goal is to shift away from getting back to work after dinner and toward reading, watching something on TV, and hanging out with my son, instead.

I also pause, throughout the day, instead of rushing from one activity to the next. That pause seems to be lessening my stress by letting me sort of catch up to myself before going on to the next thing.

What would a Sabbath shift be like for you?

Tomorrow, we’ll talk more about this idea of creating a lifestyle around honoring the Sabbath. And I’ll share some other thoughts from the book that inspired me.

Meanwhile, download my new, free slow living eBook.

See you then!

Love, Jeanine

16 Comments

The Slow Morning Solution for Night Owls

4/15/2019

0 Comments

Today is a cozy, slow living one here at MeetJeanine.me.

Four slow living posts are up already and this one is the final one, today. The first posts describe and explain the slow living philosophy and lifestyle and then, several do the same for cozy, slow morning routines.

It's that last idea we'll take a closer look at in this post, as a solution for night owls. If you're a night owl mom, who does battle with mornings because life won't let you sleep in, take a look at slow mornings to see if they might help.

But first, here are the other posts in the series ...

The Slow Living Lifestyle and Philosophy
Slow Living for Women of Faith
How Do You Want Your Mornings to Feel?
Tea and Meditation: Tea Ritual Ideas
The Slow Morning Solution for Night Owls

To download all of the slow living posts in a free printable pdf & bonus getting started checklist, plus bonus information about slow living for families, go to The Slow Living eBook.

If you’re naturally a night owl, dragging yourself out of bed early is challenge enough. There’s no need to add meditation, journaling, a five mile run and a head start on emails on top of that. If mornings are hard, your morning routine should be easy. - Beth Swarecki,
A Night Owl's Guide to Surviving Early Mornings

Are You a Night Owl?

I know I've mentioned on this blog before that I am, so if you are, too, then you have my sympathy. I know what it's like to be staring down an unbelievably late bedtime because you're just not sleepy yet. And then, being forced to greet morning far earlier than you want.

And morning might be an even bigger challenge if you're a mom with young children who are usually bright-eyed and bushy-tailed long before you're ready to concede that morning has arrived.

So how can those of us who are night owls wrest control of our mornings from our late nights? ...

morning routine for moms, morning routine, best morning routine for night owls

Being a morning (or evening) person is inborn, genetic and very hard to change. "What I think we’re showing here is that there’s some sort of importance about us ideally being able to work, wake, and match up our schedule as best as we can to what we are biologically suited for," Patricia Wong, as told to Brian Resnick, Vox.com

The Slow Morning Solution: Don't Force Yourself to Get Going too Quickly

For struggling night owl moms, who have to get up too early, design your morning routines to be as easy as possible. I'm not sure that means you can't do meditation or journaling, as the first quote suggests, or anything you want, as long as it works for you.

But give yourself the amount of time you need to come to life, no matter how long that is, before demanding anything of yourself that will challenge you unduly.

Slow mornings, as I have come to understand them, are morning routines for moms (or anyone) during which you don't rush through getting ready and you take the time for self-care or other experiences you'll enjoy as you gradually wake up fully and become more alert.

They can last 15 minutes or 2 hours or can include the entire morning - how long the routine is designed to last would depend on your needs and your schedule for that day. My slow morning routine usually lasts for 3 hours, and then, I feel much more ready to face whatever comes next in my day.

And slow mornings can include beginning the day later, when you can do that, as mine sometimes do. Creating a slow morning routine may help in many ways to make mornings easier for night owls.

But hitting the snooze button as many times as you want is likely to be a mistake. Especially if you have to go in to work.

Because when you do that, you leave yourself with no time to adjust to the fact that it's morning before you thrust yourself out into the middle of it. What if you got up earlier, but had plenty of time to actually wake up?

I have tried it both ways - giving myself plenty of time before working outside the home or at home, and sometimes I got ready first and then allowed myself free time before working and other times, I gave myself time to do nothing, and then I got ready for the day.

For me, it's the second strategy that works the best. If I have a cup of tea, have a quiet time, read or do other things that don't require any movement, I get the time I need to move later with much more coordination. :)

But for others, gentle movement like yoga or stretching might be a better way to wake up gradually. That's why I don't think there is any one way, except your way.

I do think, though, that forcing yourself to rush and giving yourself very little time to wake up is unkind, if you're not a morning person. So my question for you, night owl moms, is what would be kinder for you?

And is there one change you could try to see if it helps?

Consider adapting the slow morning routine idea to fit your own morning situation.

And speaking of your morning situation, tell me in a comment what your morning routine is like. Is it challenging?

See you tomorrow!

Love, Jeanine

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An Invitation for Tea & Treats

I've Got Gifts

Microfiction: A Fictionalized, Modern Retelling of Luke 24:13-35

This Passage Inspired the Story Above

2 Journal Prompts for Reflection

Decluttering Your Home: for a Life without Wincing

Last Chance: Free Decluttering Challenge

From Scary Corner to Queen of All I Survey

3 Ways to Redesign Your Family Room to Create Closer Connections

3 Ways to Hygge Spring

Next Step after Decluttering: Undecorate

What about You: Which Room First?

Decluttering Tips for Getting Started

What about You?

A Creative Retelling, from John 20

The Grief and the Glory

5 Things I Learned During Lent this Year

What Does Easter Mean to You?

Shifting the Way You See Yourself

How to Create Sabbath Simplicity in Your Life

A Gift for You

What is Sabbath Simplicity?

My Own Plan for Sabbath Simplicity

Are You a Night Owl?

The Slow Morning Solution: Don't Force Yourself to Get Going too Quickly

Jeanine Byers

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