Simple Christmas Decor In My Kitchen

December 2, 2016December 1, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Happy December, y’all! I’m in full decorating mode and almost finished!!

I shared with a friend that I was decorating, and she lamented that she didn’t really have places to put decorations because their home is filled with people, rather than furniture (which is a really great thing!). As I thought about her statement, I thought that there are lots of ways to add Christmas decor or touches that don’t require lots of space. Let me show you a few pictures of my kitchen and I think you’ll see what I mean.

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I added a small basket of ornaments on my cookbooks that I use as a platform for my lamp. Just a simple ornament tied to a lamp, doorknob, or coat hook adds a touch of Christmas! That picture has a sheet of metal in the frame so I can use it as a magnetic board. I change out the picture with the seasons, using an old Susan Branch calendar.

Christmas cabinet.jpg

If you have open cabinetry, it’s the perfect home for Christmas decor! I don’t have a lot above my cabinets, but every Christmas I put these blocks up on top. I made mine at our church’s Pinterest party a few years ago by simply free-handing the letters and Christmas tree on the blocks.

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The wreath above is hanging on my pantry door. I added fruits, pine cones and a cookie cutter. You could add a wreath to any room or door inside or outside without taking up one inch of needed space!

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This table is in my dining room. I’m still working on this space, but as seen in the things I edited onto my photo,like a little greenery, or seasonal cups and saucers, the room looks ready for Christmas!

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Lastly, making your home smell like Christmas is another way to create the holiday atmosphere in your home without taking up much space at all. A plug-in fragrance, a candle, potpourri or simmering pot of citrus and cinnamon would all be great. My sweet neighbor brought me this Yankee candle, and if you want your house to smell amazing, you need one of these! This is Iced Gingerbread. (Right now you can buy one large candle and get one FREE!)

All of my decor are just simple touches – nothing elaborate at all. Refreshing your home for Christmas can be minimal, yet make your home special for your family.

If you need some other ideas for decorations that don’t require much space, here are a few more ideas…

Candy canes in your current decor – baskets floral containers, or a glass jar.
Holiday linens – Place mats, tablecloths, napkins, dish towels
Slipcover couch pillows with Christmas/winter slipcovers.

Make a pinecone garland to hang anywhere – you don’t have to have a mantle!
Print off free printables. Frame and hang!

25 free Christmas printable:

Have you started your decorating for Christmas? What’s your favorite way to add a touch of Christmas to your kitchen?

Each week in December I’ll be posting ideas to help you simplify Christmas. The next post will be on Wednesday in the form of a video. I hope you’ll stop in to hear the six ideas I’ll be sharing!

Stay refreshed,

Denise Signature 150 px

Christian Life · Prayer

Who Will Choose Your Place to Pray?

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 RefreshHer7 Comments

A prayer closet – what picture comes to your mind of your own space? A cozy corner in your bedroom, a spot in front of the sofa while the family sleeps, or the floor beside your bed? It doesn’t matter what it looks like – or if it’s a true “closet.” The important thing is that you have a space where you regularly talk to God in prayer.

What does it mean to pray? Here’s my definition –

Prayer is Humbling myself before God, recognizing that I am utterly dependent upon Him, and giving to Him the care of my life, and everything that touches it.

As I read Jonah 2:1 yesterday, the Lord reminded me that if you and I as believers (Jonah was one, too) neglect to recognize the Lord each day and run to Him for cleansing, forgiveness, guidance and power, He has a loving way of making us realize that we’re not so good at running our own lives. The verse says,

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly.

Jonah was running in disobedience to God’s command.

Jonah was the reason the storm came on the sea.

Jonah was the only one on that rocking boat that wasn’t praying!

The other men were giving feeble attempts to pray to their gods, to no avail. They woke Jonah up, and he confessed to them that His God is the Lord of the universe (a powerful storm will remind you of your omnipotent God!). The other men forsook praying to their idols, and began praying to Jonah’s God, asking for deliverance! Meanwhile, they cast Jonah out of the boat at his request.

THEN Jonah prayed unto God out of the fish’s belly. He has a new Prayer Closet! It wasn’t:

in Ninevah’s where he was supposed to be preaching.
on the road walking, making his way to Ninevah, while the sun shone down on his back.
with other believers, in unity and oneness that comes in corporate prayer.

His new prayer closet was in the fish’s belly. No light. No warmth. No comforts. Just utter, complete, desperate dependence on his God! This place of prayer was really Jonah’s choice. He had lost the realization that he could do anything if he depended on God. He had failed to run to the Quiet place to seek his God’s face for courage and wisdom to obey.

Jonah’s new place to pray was in the closet of humility.

The wonderful thing is that God heard his prayer from that desperate place! Verse two tells us that the Lord heard his voice! God can humble us to make us realize we need Him so very much, but then He lovingly listens when we pour out our burdens to Him!

The choice is ours, just as it was Jonah’s. Will we make time for humble prayer in a place of our choosing, or will we ignore the need to depend on God, and end up in a humble place of God’s choosing? He loves us too much to let us go on in our proud way.

Let’s humble ourselves before Him and receive the blessing and joy a fervant prayer life brings!

Family life · home · Marriage

Monday Marriage Matters November Recap

November 30, 2016November 29, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Another month of Marriage pictures and posts are now behind us. This is my weekly attempt to intentionally pour into my marriage, because my marriage matters to God, and it must matter to me, too.

I’ll describe the pictures from left to right.

It is essential for every couple in every stage of their marriage to take time to take inventory of their relationship. We attended a couple’s conference last week to do just that even though we were busy and maybe didn’t really have the time to do it. We needed it and it was a blessing!
Dale captured this picture when we were home visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. After 62 years of marriage, they are still tender and affectionate with one another. I see my husband watching. and observing their relationship and emulating what he sees. I am thankful for the example and the challenge to make our marriage even better in the second half.
I’ve heard people say that a happy marriage is made up of two forgivers. Humbling myself to say, “I’m sorry for being selfish” is a difficult position, but a necessary one. I’m Thankful for a forgiving God and a gracious husband. My marriage is more important than my pride.
This picture just makes me laugh!! When people see how crazy this guy is, they assume that our lives are constantly filled with nothing but laughter and knee-slapping moments. That’s very far from the truth, of course, and life is filled with all the trials and struggles that everyone else faces. But I am thankful that there are times of laughter that make the hard times easier to face and that we get to share those moments together.
Holding hands and praying is one of the BIG reasons we have a happy marriage. We both know how desperate we are for the Lord’s help. We cannot be what we ought to be unless we cry out for God’s intervention. I’m so thankful for a husband who takes me to the Throne of Grace over and over again!

Even if you’re not posting pictures of what you do to pour into your marriage, I trust that you’re making intentional efforts to make your marriage better every day. If you put it on auto pilot, you will end up in a place you don’t ever want to be!

What have you done today to show your mate that your marriage matters?

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Christian Life · obedience · Parenting · Prayer · trust

What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do

November 29, 2016November 29, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

midway

While visiting my parents in Kentucky over Thanksgiving, we took a drive to some old home sites and places I grew up. One drive took us to a small town where I had originally thought I’d go to college. My husband pulled the car into the entrance gate and my mind played back the scene as I looked through the car windows and recalled the last time I was there…

My plans were made, and in my heart, my future was set. As a senior in high school, I thought I was sure what God wanted for me. I would attend a local college, literally up the road.

I would live at home.

I would become a nurse and serve the Lord with that ministry.

It was settled.

Then one Friday night I drove through the entrance of the college pictured above for a weekend visit of the campus. This was a time for perspective students to visit and get an idea of what college life was like on this campus. It was labeled as a Christian school. I was excited about that, because Christ is my Savior, and I desired to live my life and be in places that honored Him. I had visited a large Christian university in another state earlier that year, just for a fun weekend, and was so impressed with the spiritual temperature of the campus and in the lives of the students.

However, what I had anticipated seeing and hearing on this weekend was not at all what I saw or heard. Though this was supposed to be a Christian school, that was definitely not the testimony I witnessed. I was heartbroken. At the end of my visit, I got in my car, pulled away from the school, and cried the 15 minute ride home.

I couldn’t have been more sure that God was saying a firm, “No” to all my plans.

At the time I remember how devastated I was. I wasn’t sure what I would do now. I had literally had the rug pulled out from under my feet.

I cried and I prayed.

I also talked with my parents, whom I knew were much wiser, and would give me godly counsel. I suggested the Christian college that I had visited earlier in the year, but they had valid concerns and they lovingly said, “No.”

When you’re an 18 girl who is a child of God, and you live at home, have no job, or no idea about where to get an education, you quickly enroll in the school of prayer. As I submitted to my parents counsel, and prayed for God’s direction, He provided me with a job at the Coca Cola Bottling Company, working in the accounting department. That was totally of the Lord, seeing I had NO experience in this field, and didn’t even do super well in my math classes!

I went to work there, and enjoyed my life as a young single adult, all the while praying that if God would allow, He would open the door for me to attend the Christian college eight hours from my home. In the middle of the year, my mom asked if I was still desiring to attend school there. I answered that I was. She gave me their blessing! I finished out the summer working at Coca Cola and prepared to leave in the fall.

That move to the large Christian university in September changed the direction of my life forever and in wonderful ways.

God’s timing was perfect.

His provision was complete.

His grace was sufficient.

His plan was perfect because He is God.

I learned some really important lessons during those months of waiting and wondering that have served me well as an adult. In my mind’s eye, when I visit that driveway of the other school, I don’t just remember God shutting that door, I remember the lessons I learned about trusting Him, the sweetness of prayer, and of Him opening the next door – in His time and in His perfect way.

What are you waiting for today? God’s will to be revealed? A test result? A mate? A provision? An answer? Don’t give up and do your own thing. You can trust God with every detail that He will arrange in His sovereign ways. Wait and trust. You’ll be glad you did.

So thankful,

Denise Signature 150 px

breakfast · Cooking · Lunch · Uncategorized

(L)ovin’ Monday

November 28, 2016November 27, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

Every Monday I’m showing you what’s been in my Oven that I’m lovin’! Ready?

omelets2

This was Thanksgiving Dinner at my mom’s last Thursday at 1:00. Don’t you wish every day’s lunch looked like this…

Ha, well, maybe not that much food, but tell me, is it just me, or do others find lunch a difficulty? I’m usually well into a busy day and just need a quick bite to eat, but I find it hard to stop my day and fix something that’s tasty and quick.

As a matter of fact, even breakfast poses problems. I’m not ready to eat when I first get up, and by the time I’m ready for a bite, it’s too late to want to get into any big cooking ordeal to accomplish what I need to give me energy for the rest of the morning!

Recently I prepared these Make-Ahead Omelets and froze them. I made tiny ones for the shower I hosted. I took the leftovers and froze them in a plastic container, putting sheets of waxed paper in between the rows of omelets.

Then I popped a frozen muffin into the microwave and it made the perfect breakfast! In a matter of about 4 minutes everything was hot and ready to eat. That’s better than instant oatmeal – and a lot tastier!

omelets1

Then another help came for lunch. I had made Sloppy Joe’s for our meal after Sunday night church, and had plenty left over. Wrapping them individually in waxed paper, I warmed them at about 80% power for about 45 seconds.

It dawned on me then – why don’t I make up something like this at the beginning of each week and have it prepared in the fridge? Lunch could be less than a minute away each day! If you take your lunch to work, it would be so easy to have it packed and ready in the morning before you head out the door.

I’ve come up with a few ideas of things that would be made ahead and ready. Here’s my starter list:

Breakfast:

Omelets

Waffles

Baked Oatmeal

Lunch:

Sloppy Joes

Broccoli Soup

Salad in a jar – Like this one (I haven’t made this particular recipe, but I made one similar and they are great do-ahead salads!)

Chicken Salad – Ready for sandwiches, or to eat alone.

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I hope this encourages you to prepare ahead for your busy mornings and lunchtimes. When you’re heading into Christmas, why not take away a little stress by having some nutritious breakfasts and lunches all ready to serve?

What quick tips do you have for breakfast and lunch?

With love from my country kitchen,

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