Living as a Victorious Christian Woman

I think I've said it every month in 2022, but I still don't know where the time is going. It seems like I just showed you my layout for November's planner, and now here I am creating December and Christmas designs.    As we enter the Advent season, it makes me happy to put together all the words, phrases and images that brighten this time of year. I was able to pull out all my Christmas sticker books and decorate all five weeks of planner pages in one sitting. That means holly, candy canes and ornaments everywhere! Even the trees and the hearts have special meanings this time of year. As the weeks of December pass, I'll share some of those symbolisms that I'm using on my layouts. For the first (partial) week of December, I couldn't resist these adorable ladies. They made me want to pull out my cold-weather clothes, which I hadn't done yet because it's been in the 50s and 60s for the past few weeks. So now I'm ready for my high boots, jackets and swea...

Yes, there are many things you will never do alone when there are dogs around. #1. You will never be able to blow dry your hair by yourself. "There's a loud noise - you need saving!" #2. You will never be able to do anything on the floor by yourself. "You're down here to be with me, right?" #3. You will never be able to stand up without being questioned. "Whatcha doin'? Where're ya goin'?" #4. You will never be able to sit down anywhere by yourself without Velcro dogs. "Hi. We're just here for the ear scritches." #5. You will never be able to walk through the house with it being an obstacle course. "Hey, I was here first. Go around." Yes, there are many things you will never be able to do alone again when you have dogs, but it's totally worth it.

If I had to go out on a limb, I'd say I've done different arrangements in this two-tiered tray for probably seven years. It's held hearts in February, flags and patriotic garb in July and lots of red, white and green in December. I've probably only created one fall centerpiece with it, so it shall be done! Almost everything I found in the fall plastic tote was either from the dollar store or on steep clearance between holidays. After I made my fall wreath last week, I took all the leftover bits and combined them into the most beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece. I usually begin with some kind of garland draped across the tiers. Then it looks like the pieces are floating in midair, nestled in the garland. Magical, right? The largest anchors, in this case, the framed picture, pumpkin, wire cage and wood crate, alternate back and forth in an interesting layout for the eyes. Then the little bits get tucked in, and there you have it! I had enough bigger pieces that I set the...

There are some pretty classic pairings in the kitchen: chicken and waffles, chili and cornbread, eggs and bacon, hot cocoa and marshmallows. But the greatest of all time is ... chocolate and peanut butter! Feel free to argue, but I refuse to budge on this one. So here's a great dessert to take to your upcoming holiday parties. You may actually want to make two, just in case. Just in case you dig in to the first one and it doesn't make it to the party. Just in case. Ingredients: 1 box French Vanilla instant pudding mix 1 package Nutter Butter cookies 1/2 cup peanut butter 1 small container of Cool Whip 30-ish mini Reese's Cups 1. Prepare the pudding according to the box instructions. 2. Line the bottom of an 8x8-inch baking dish with Nutter Butters. I fit 10 1/2 cookies in mine. I ate the other half. 3. Pour half the pudding on top of the cookies. 4. Heat the peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl until melted and smooth. Drizzle half the peanut butter on top of the pudding....

Do you run to your friends with good things, bad things, every little thing? Are you texting constantly, talking whenever possible, giving each other updates on all those things? It's a never-ending, long-standing talk that will go on endlessly if we let it, right? We all have those friends, and they're the kind we definitely need in our lives. But the Bible is very clear about who our strongest, most lasting conversations in life should be with. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Matthew 7:7 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 18:19 Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making re...

Oh my goodness, do I need this week's planner layout! My heart has been unsettled for a while, so seeing these important words of my faith every day is going to make a huge difference it my outlook on things. The words and images are all from an Illustrated Faith Print & Pray digital set, one that I haven't used for quite a while. Each one is printed in color, fussy-cut and attached with double stick tape. I'm not the best cutter in the world (I believe I flunked scissors in kindergarten), so preparing these embellishments helps me grow my patience. Thank you, Lord. Be still. Remember. Reflect. Written on my heart. Study. Fill me up. Contemplation. Ponder. Quiet time. Teach me & lead me. Yes! All of these words are my way of setting up my week for success. But they're all also things that happen when I'm alone with the Lord, so I'm encouraged to get that quiet time every chance I get. And I pray you'll each take that time every day, too.

Autumn has arrived and cold temperatures rule the day. In our teen Sunday school class, we're talking about change, as fall is the perfect backdrop for such a topic. As I walked the property yesterday, the verses from tomorrow's lesson took on new meaning. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecclesiastes ...

On Veterans Day, and every day, I say thank you to all those who have served our country and preserved the freedoms we enjoy today. Words seem inadequate, but to my husband and all our family and friends who have served and are serving in the Armed Forces, you have my appreciation, my love and my prayers. Thank you for all you do!

Earlier this week I put together our autumn wreath for the front door - better late than never, right? Life happened when I wasn't looking, and suddenly it's the second week of November. That means changing out summer decor for fall, making it feel like I've actually changed with the seasons! So out came the big plastic tub of autumn decorations. Is it bad when you don't remember buying some of these things, let alone putting them away last year? It was like Christmas at our house, only in shades of red, orange and yellow. The one thing I do remember is finding this giant wreath in the sale cart at our local grocery store last year. I don't know what it's original price was, but it was marked down to $6, and there was no way I could pass that up. I undressed the fall wreath I made last year (don't look, it's a naked wreath), which gave me four garlands and tons of leaves and flowers. The wreath came with the plaid bow, so all I had to do was fluff it a l...

As the weather gets chilly and the days get darker earlier, pasta is the perfect warm-me-up meal. It's great for a weeknight when you don't have tons of time, but you can also dress it up a little for a special weekend dish. This creative pairing of stuffed shells and chicken parmesan fits the bill no matter how or when you serve them! Using pre-cooked chicken makes it even easier and saves you precious time. Ingredients: 12 breaded chicken tenders cut into pieces 1 box jumbo pasta shells 16oz block Mozzarella cheese 1 jar spaghetti sauce 1 16oz bag shredded Italian cheese blend Fresh basil for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. 2. Cook jumbo pasta shells according to box directions, then set aside to cool slightly. 3. Cut breaded chicken tenders into pieces small enough to fit inside one shell. 4. Cut block of cheese into pieces small enough to layer on chicken and fit inside one shell. 5. Layer chicken and cheese pieces ...

I cannot say enough about our veterans, those in our own family and among our friends. We are blessed beyond measure that there have been - and still are - people willing to take an active role in defending our country. To them, I simply say thank you. As an Army wife, I couldn't resist digging into my military-themed paper craft stash for this week's planner pages. I've used quite a bit over the years, but I found letters, phrases and images that were the perfect sizes for my full-sheet planner pages. I could insert a joke here about not finding them because they were camouflaged, but I digress. Throughout the week of Veterans Day, there are frequent reminders of our Armed Forces troops and their dedication to our nation, and I'll see that reminder every day when I open my planner. My prayer is that it won't be a day here and there or a special event a few times a year. Let's keep our soldiers past and present in our prayers while thanking God for using them fo...

This beautiful girl is the four-legged love of my life. I first saw Molly in 2014 at a community event, when the local shelter was showing pets available for adoption. I remember taking her picture and sending it to Danny, asking if he was serious about wanting a Great Dane. He said absolutely, and the rest is canine history! Molly is definitely a goofball. She has a personality as large as she is, which is now 125 pounds, so that's a lot of spark and spunk in one dog. As the matriarch of the pack, she is fiercely protective of her humans, her brothers and (sometimes) her sister. I can guarantee you that I will never, ever be kidnapped from our home. They would vacate the premises after one of her enormous barks. At the other end of the spectrum, she is also incredibly gentle and loving. Diesel adores her, and she puts up with him as her shadow and his need to be touching her and using her as a pillow. A very large, smooshy pillow. Her smile warms my heart. Her cuddles calm my mind...

Are you a planner, a doer or a procrastinator? Or are you a fun blend of all three? Is that even possible? Or does your style of accomplishing things not even fit in to one of these categories? I wish I could say that I'm a planner and a doer. I love the planning process of just about everything, and I love to see the finished product. I'm big on results and accomplishments. They keep me going until I start another project, which usually comes along quickly. But you'll notice that I left out a step from the middle of this timeline. I love planning, I love the results, but I'm not always good at the doing part. I've always been a good-under-pressure-and-on-a-deadline kind of girl. If there's a ticking clock and someone is relying on me to finish my tasks, I'm much more motivated in the doing phase. But this is not always (most often) the best scenario for me. Procrastination is a subtle condition that goes straight to my heart attitude. I'm much more like...

There are many times when I want to upcycle an old greeting card and just use the entire front. It's either a pattern that I can't break, a phrase that's too big to cut down or an image that would look weird with an eye or an ear cut off. Problems, I know! But here are a few ways I embellish those cards so it's not just a big, boring thing on a card. Acrylic dots are one of my go-to embellishments. They aren't very high, so they don't rub off or make the envelope bulky. Plus they come in tons of colors, making coordinating them with the card designs super easy. I'm totally into super easy right now! Add a little something practical. This card came with a heart charm that doubles as a gift and an embellishment. I just cut the card to fit the front, secured the charm back on and then adhered it to the new card. How cute is this? Sometimes a few well-placed stickers are all you need to accent a phrase or image. Consider putting some flowers on a flat garden bac...