Monthly Archives: February 2016

Be Generous and Communicate

Be Generous and Communicate ~ Lifeofjoy.meYesterday was Valentine’s Day. I hope you made sure you spouse knows of your love and respect. Now, don’t leave it there; let him know each and every day that he is special to you. Take the moments to nurture your marriage – it doesn’t take much, just a little conscious effort.

Mike makes me a cup of tea, EVERY DAY! It’s just a small thing, but it is meaningful to me. I get up and make him breakfast, if he’s having any, and lunch, which started as an effort to save money. When the kids were young, it took a little more effort than it does today. ;) But there are still some days that I just cannot manage to get it done be it because I’m not feeling well or overly tired and those days, he manages either by purchasing his lunch out somewhere or skipping the meal.

Here is an idea for you. You know how some people celebrate twelve days of Christmas by doing something special for their spouse each day. Well, Christmas can be a very busy time but February is not nearly as busy, so you could take the next ten or so days and do something special for your mate. It need not be anything BIG; it could be as simple as warming his towel in the dryer while he is taking a shower and then giving it to him to dry off with. (Warm towels are a joy to dry off with after a shower.)

Some other ideas would be to rub his neck, scratch his back, bring him his favorite drink, make him his favorite dessert, make sure you wear something he likes, or do a chore that he normally does. You could also share a little intimacy each evening.

If he didn’t meet your expectations yesterday, maybe you didn’t make your expectations clear to him. If something is important to you, it should be important for you to let him know what you need but be realistic.

One more thing, be generous! You may not have the funds to buy him things but you can still be generous in serving him, in making him the foods he enjoys, and in giving him your attention. (If your children are young, you can always put them to bed a little earlier or let them watch a movie and eat popcorn in their room, while mommy and daddy have some time alone.)

If he didn’t meet your expectations, be gracious. Maybe you expected too much or maybe he did too little; do NOT become bitter. Forgive. When you no longer have any hurt feelings over the situation, calmly talk about what each of you expects or would like. Communication if vital for a healthy marriage.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Silly But Fun Games

I like games. I didn’t usually have anyone to play board games with me and then there came the lovely event of the video game! I could enjoy playing games without having to pester someone else to play with me. It was wonderful!

To this day, I enjoy playing video games. There are some games that I don’t even understand why I like them. Animal Crossing is one such game. When it first came out we rented it from Blockbuster. (See how long ago that was!) I was surprised how much I enjoyed that silly little game that basically had you going and doing errands, building a house, paying off your mortgage, planting flowers and trees, and maintaining the yards. Seriously, silly little game. Two of the three of my grown kids still love it today.

Then that silly game came out with another silly game: Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival. This silly little game has a ‘gameboard’ but is not like Mario Party where there are a lot of mini-games, this is just a board game. I don’t know why but Sean, Tiffany, and I enjoy playing this too.

I play most of the casual games by Microsoft: Solitaire, Sudoku, Minesweeper, Jigsaw, MahJong, and Taptiles, along with Wordament and Snap Attack (the latter less frequently). For these games, I have a reason. Each one helps me keep my brain and/or reflexes engaged, which is important as one ages.

Silly But Fun Games ~ Lifeofjoy.meWell, this week we found out that an old favorite game is available to play once again. This is another of those games that I just don’t know why I like it. It really is kind of a kid’s game but nevertheless I still really enjoy it. Wonder what it is?  Toontown! Yep! I knew some time ago that there was an effort to bring back the beloved game and Sean checked the other day and Whoo Hooo!!! It’s up and running!!! Now it is called Toontown Rewritten; although I don’t know why. I think it would have been better called Toontown Rebooted because it is the same game.

For those that are unfamiliar with the game, it is a turn based game. Now, generally I don’t like that kind of game but I love it for this game!!! You get to customize your own character. I am a tall purple dog named Lady Lily Loopendoodle. :) In the game you can meet up with friends and play together. too

Silly But Fun Games ~ Lifeofjoy.me

The premise is that robots called Cogs have invaded Toontown and you help save it by playing gags on the cogs. You can work alone or with other toon players. You get better and better gags to use and have a laugh meter for your health meter. It is really a fun game. Check it out! :) Oh! There is little educational value . . . wait! If I work at it a bit I’m sure I can come up with something . . . strategy, teamwork, follow directions, turns, ‘money’ management, and staying on the sidewalk (to avoid oncoming cogs). :) There I did it! Now it is even a better idea for you your kids to play.

Well, I’m off to finish my task so that I can get another frame of my filmstrip to learn a new gag — sound gags, here I come!

Have a great weekend! Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

P.S. I forgot to mention, it’s free!!!!

Inventors, Peppermint Patties, and Visit a Shut-In Day

Inventors, Peppermint Patties, and Visit a Shut-In Day ~ Lifeofjoy.meToday is National Inventors Day. If you have young children you could use Glorious Flight Five in a Row study. Homeschool Share has a good selection of studies on inventors and inventions here.

The Homeschool Mom has a listing of resources/studies of inventors with age suggestions. These look like some very good links. This one on DIY Homeschooler looks really good as well. Here is another to check out on Scholastic. And here, one blogger shares her resources for inventors/inventions study.

Inventors, Peppermint Patties, Visit a Shut-In Day ~ Lifeofjoy.meIt is also Peppermint Patty Day. So enjoy some lovely minty chocolate today. :)

Finally, it is Shut-In Visitation Day. Do you know someone in a nursing home, hospital, or just alone at home? Take a moment to visit them either today or sometime soon.

I think that is probably a bit of link overload for one day, so I’ll sign off for now.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

 

Some Heart-y Tangling

iamthedivacztThis week’s Diva Challenge is to do a tile with a Valentine flair. I thought about this for a while and kept coming back to the same idea – a large heart in the center of the tile – but I couldn’t figure out what to do with it. What tangle should I fill it with? Should I do a background tangle?

I looked at Adele Bruno’s It’s a String Thing challenge over the last few weeks to get some tangle ideas. I would really like to do her challenges but she posts them on Tuesdays and I don’t see them until it is rather late and then I don’t have time to think about it in time to get it posted here on Wednesday.

At any rate, I really loved Caught and decided it would make a good background. I was still left with what to do with the heart. I wanted it to have a three dimensional look to it and decided to just shade it rather than add any tangle at all. Of course I did consider using Printemps because it is the Square One focus for the week but in the end decided to just leave it alone.

Some Heart-y Tangling ~ Lifeofjoy.me

I’m working on  a piece for Square One and WZTV which I will add when I finish it.

Thanks in advance for any comments or likes you share. It means a lot. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

This is one delicious vegetable dish! I like my veggies very caramelized.

Roasted Cauliflower and BroccoliIt is really simple to do.

Remove the core from the cauliflower and slice.

Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli ~ Lifeofjoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.me

Place it in the pan. (I used half of a smallish head of cauliflower.)

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRemove the florets from the stems of broccoli and chop into similar sized chunks as the cauliflower.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meAdd to the pan.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meChop half an onion.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meAdd it to the pan (you can use onion powder if you prefer). Add some garlic or garlic powder.

I decided to add a few mushrooms but they are totally optional.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meAdd these to the pan as well. Sprinkle with pepper (I used 12 turns of my pepper mill) and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Drizzle with oil. I’m sorry I cannot tell how much maybe a few tablespoons.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meBake at 450º for about 10 minutes, turn the veggies over so they cook both sides well. Drizzle more oil if needed and bake another 5-10 minutes if you like yours lightly caramelized.

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meIf you keep it in any longer, keep an eye on them. I let it go a little too long yesterday but we still enjoyed them. ;)

Roasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.meRoasted Cauliflower & Broccoli ~ Lifefojoy.me

Super simple!!!

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Bowl and 7 Ideas

Bowl & 7 ~ Lifeofjoy.meI’m not really an ‘authority’ on marriage. Mike and I are a work in progress. My main aim here is to share my testimony and things I find online that minister to me. Sometimes I lose sight of that.

Over the weekend I saw a post on thexycode which is a website run by Lori Byerly of The Generous Wife, and her husband Paul. The post is entitled “Coins in a Bowl.” Basically it is a tool for a husband and wife to use to aid in communicating one’s desire for intimacy. It is a simple idea and completely doable.

The suggestion is to use a bowl, three pennies, and three dimes. You could use three washers and three buttons or any small objects, if you struggle with using the pennies and dimes. Check out their short article to read the details. :)

One article I read some time ago has some good ideas for some little things you can do for your husband. The first several are obvious but good reminders. The fourth one said instead of getting your man some flowers, get him a ticket to his favorite game. I think you could get something a bit cheaper and still be nice, like his favorite snack.

Check out all 7 suggestions here.

I hope you are finalizing your Valentine’s Day plans. We have less than a week to do so. I have some simple ideas rolling around in my head but it being on a Sunday is throwing me off a bit. I’ll get it figured out. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Football, Birthday, Hair Cut, and the Dentist

Football, Birthday, Etc. ~ Lifeofjoy.meThis weekend is the Super Bowl. I’m not really a huge football fan but I do enjoy our traditions surrounding it. Mom makes homemade pizza. We will bring our toppings and help Mom make them. She makes quite a few and we all have leftovers to take home.

I like to watch the commercials during the Super Bowl too. In the past, we have played Couch Potato during the commercials and other years we just enjoyed them, even though sometimes they aren’t that great.

This year we will celebrate Lauren’s birthday that day as well, since her birthday is the following week. Mom is making the Strawberry Poke Cake that I made for her here last year. Brian wanted her to request No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake but she wouldn’t unless she could have her poke cake too . . . Grandma to the rescue. :) We won’t celebrate her birthday here until next Friday.

On another note, I definitely have to get my hair cut this weekend. The last girl who cut it made it too boxy for my liking and as it has grown out it’s looking pretty bad. I don’t like to get my hair done; I never know how to explain what I want. I go to one of those discount places and don’t get the same beautician each time.

I had to have a root canal this week. I have a difficult time with pain killers, in that it takes a lot of medication to work on me. Then it wears off quickly. People don’t usually believe me but my dentist and his assistant do now. ;) It was already wearing off before I left the office. By the time I was nearly home I was clenching the steering wheel so hard my hands were hurting. I was extremely relieved to get home and take some pain killers and was even happier when they kicked in and actually started relieving pain. It’s not been too bad today, easily relieved with over the counter medications.

Well, I think that is all I have this week. I hope you have a good weekend.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Soup, Lent, Pizza, and More

Granny's Chicken Soup ~ Lifeofjoy.meAs with most months, there is a lot going on this month. Today is National Homemade Soup Day. I wish I had posted the recipes for potato soup or chicken and dumplings because those are ones that sound really good to me right now – creamy comfort food. :) But I do have a couple of soup recipes online . . .

It’s also Thank a Mail Carrier Day. The National Day Calendar has some fun facts about the postal service.

Lent

Easter is March 27th this year. That means that Lent starts February 10th. I wrote about Lent twice last year.

Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.meNational Pizza Day

Tuesday the 9th is also National Pizza Day. :) Sounds like my kind of day. Last week I wrote about pizza in conjunction with Little Nino’s Pizzeria. Sounds like a great day to eat pizza to me.

And So Much More . . .

For more observances you can check out both National Day Calendar and Brownielocks websites. I mention some other websites for observances in the Haiku link above.

I hope these are helpful to you.

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

Sez, Molygon, and C-Scape

iamthedivacztFB□1 ~ LifeofJoy.meThis week’s Diva Challenge is to use the newly released tangle Molygon. Square One’s focus tangle is C-Scape, which is also new to me. Then WZTV’s tangle of the week is Sez – finally one I’m familiar with. :)

This probably isn’t a shock to anyone but I combined all three in my tile for the week. I didn’t get very creative with it at all and I’m not really pleased with how sez or molygon turned out. I probably should’ve shaded molygon better and I’m pretty sure that’s what I don’t like about sez either – well, that and the fact that my circles are a bit shaky.

On the other hand, I really like how c-scape turned out. I didn’t add any embellishments to it but like how it is shaded. I almost added some perfs but felt it just needed to be left alone.

Molygon, Sez, and C-scape ~ Lifeofjoy.me

I decided to try the shading again, so I did and then re-scanned it. I don’t know that I like the shading on Sez any better but I like the one on Molygon better.

Molygon, Sez, and C-scape ~ Lifeofjoy.meI probably should’ve smudged the sez shading a bit but I’m done.

Thanks in advance for your comments and likes. It is encouraging and means a lot. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Veggie Wrap

Veggie Wrap ~ Lifeofjoy.meI hope that looks as good to you as it does to me because it is really really good! As I’ve mentioned recently, we’ve been eating more vegetables lately. Lunch most days consist of a wrap similar to this one.

Tiffany encouraged me to share this today. I thought it was too simplistic but she assured me that sometimes people just need ideas to spark their own creations. So, since I didn’t have anything else to share, this wins. ;)

 

 

 

 

It all starts with a flatbread, wrap, or tortilla. If you are on a Daniel’s Fast, make sure there is no yeast in your wrapper of choice. We found some Lavash, Flatout, and whole wheat tortillas that fit the bill. Our favorite, by far, is the Lavash but it is so large it counts as two ‘wraps’, so we cut it in half.

Veggie Wrap ~ Lifeofjoy.meSo what I do is lay down my wrap or in this case, half of a piece of lavash. Then I spread on some Miracle Whip, which I guess, probably isn’t “legal” on a Daniel’s Fast. You could wait until just before you roll up the finished wrap and sprinkle it with some vinegar and oil or approved salad dressing of choice. At any rate, I then place baby spinach over the entire lavash and then follow it with either an early spring mix of lettuces or a leaf or two of green leaf lettuce, torn. Next is a sprinkling of alfalfa sprouts. Those are the items I use daily.

Veggie Wrap ~ Lifeofjoy.meNext add whatever veggies I feel like at the moment. On this one I added thinly sliced yellow squash/crooked-neck squash, red pepper, diced grape tomatoes, a bit of green pepper, and some julienne strips of carrot.

Veggie Wrap ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen simply roll it up from the short side of the lavash, being careful to keep the veggies pressed into the roll rather than squishing out the other end or the sides. ;)

Veggie Wrap ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd whatever veggies you have. I was adding avocado but I ran out. I’ve added broccoli, mushrooms, green onions, zucchini, and hot peppers (to Mike’s, not mine ;) ). The possibilities are only limited by what veggies you have on hand.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº