Summer Fun 2020

Well hey everyone! I hope y’all are doing well. I’m writing this as my husband drives us home from my very favorite beach in Texas. So thankful and blessed for a long and relaxing week of salty family fun!

I don’t really know where to start here but I will say that 2020 has thrown us some curve balls and we are in the midst of some turmoil. But God is still on His throne. He knows that we have the victory in the end! The darkness may last for the night but JOY comes in the morning. I have renewed hope. There are so many things out of my control right now but I know I can control my
Health and I can control the clutter in my home and that’s exactly what I’ll be focusing on for the next two months. At the end of those months I will be headed back to the coast w my sweet family and I hope to be stronger and to have more stamina than I did during this trip. I admit that quarantine got me down and very unhealthy.

I  plan to spend less time online and more time reading books, taking walks and playing actual games with my children. Gardening has been something I’ve enjoyed these past few months and I am hoping to plant more warm weather veggies (okra, peas and sweet potatoes). We finally have chickens again! You know how much I love my chicks. I’m so grateful to have our chickens and our garden again!  As silly as it sounds, I also plan to get back into my Cleaning routines. I so enjoy cleaning. I find it relaxing, therapeutic and rewarding. Can’t wait to clear the clutter and get my home sparkling again.

I have a LOT of work to do in order to prepare for our Classical Conversations program next year so I’ll be focusing on that as well. We have a new location which is actually right down the street from our home, it’s bittersweet really. We’d been at our last place six years. It was an awesome location but we are just blessed to have a place to meet anywhere at this point thanks to Covid.

So lots of fun and hopeful events on the horizon. I hope all
Of you are doing well. I also hope to start back to my regular blogging again now. Joy and blessings to all of you!

Grace and peace,
Adoring Family

Creative Muster #377

We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to party with us! The Creative Muster is home to some of the most creative bloggers, which means we do a lot of sharing. If you’re looking to get exposure, find some inspiration or meet new people then you’re in the right place. Grab your favorite family friendly posts, share them, then sit back and check out some of the other amazing things that are being shared. There are a ton of great ideas to be found here!

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Easter Dessert Robins Egg Cheesecake from Mama of Many Blessings

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Sorry For My Absence 2020 Quarantine

I have not felt like writing and I apologize. These are uncertain times and this week has been hard for us.

I wish I knew how long this is going to last. We do not know this. I DO know that God is still on His throne and He is immovable.

God is Omnipotent. He is all powerful. He is sovereign and I think Him for being in control of all things.

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17

He cares for you and He is with you even when you FEEL alone.

Romans 8:38

God is working out all things together for the GOOD of those that love Him.

Romans 8:28

God WILL provide for you every need.

You are worth more than sparrows.

Matthew 6

I'm praying for all of you. If you have a specific need, please DM me on Instagram.

Sorry for the absence. Just needing some time. 

Grace and peace,

Adoring Creations

Creative Muster #376

We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to party with us! The Creative Muster is home to some of the most creative bloggers, which means we do a lot of sharing. If you’re looking to get exposure, find some inspiration or meet new people then you’re in the right place. Grab your favorite family friendly posts, share them, then sit back and check out some of the other amazing things that are being shared. There are a ton of great ideas to be found here!

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No-Bake Baileys Cookies & Cream Yum Yum from The Kitchen is My Playground

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By linking to this party your are giving us permission to use your images in featured posts. ✔ Link to any family friendly post that is created by you. Please no links to giveaways, stores or other parties. ✔ Add the link to your specific post, not your blog's homepage. ✔ Show some love, visit at least two other links. ✔ Encourage others to check out the party. ✔ Not mandatory, but we would love for you to follow us in some way. You can never have too many friends.

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Creative Muster #375

We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to party with us! The Creative Muster is home to some of the most creative bloggers, which means we do a lot of sharing. If you’re looking to get exposure, find some inspiration or meet new people then you’re in the right place. Grab your favorite family friendly posts, share them, then sit back and check out some of the other amazing things that are being shared. There are a ton of great ideas to be found here!

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Food Substitutions for Weight Loss from Domestic Bliss Squared

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5 Friday Favorite Devotionals

Happy Friday to you! I hope everyone had a wonderful week. 

A few weeks a go I posted a photo of my children during our morning devotions and some of you asked what devotionals I have used with my kids.  I thought it would be a fun post for a Friday Favorites! We have used quite a few but these are the ones I HIGHLY recommend!

Let's get into it!

There are affiliate links in my post which means I get a small commission if you purchase. This helps out our family so much so if you find this blog helpful and you see something you need, we appreciate it immensely when your purchase from our links. 

1. My Utmost For His Highest

There is a reason this book is a classic. It is profound and causes the reader to think deeply, to apply what they learn to their lives and to strive for obedience. I have been thoroughly impacted by this devotional. Nathan's Grammy reads this one every day which is what prodded me to look into it. I am so thankful I did. It is easy to see how a lady like Grammy would give her life in service to the Lord after reading this book, along with her Bible, every day. This book is extremely challenging in many ways and always points to the Truth of Christ. Highly recommend this. I prefer the classic edition which I have linked in the text above but for the updated edition you can click on the photo. 

“We are not made for the mountains, for sunrises, or for the other beautiful attractions in life - those are simply intended to be moments of inspiration. We are made for the valley and the ordinary things of life and that is where we have to prove our stamina and strength.” ― Oswald Chambers

2. Each New Day 

When Nathan and I were first married, I read The Hiding Place and I highly recommend it as it is my favorite non-fiction book (aside from the Bible). This devotion is written by Corrie Ten Boom of the Hiding Place. It has immensely impacted my life. Corrie's humility and surrender to Christ is weaved throughout the pages of this book and is one of the most inspiring, heart wrenching reads I have ever encountered. She is a true servant of Christ and tramp for the Lord. 

"Forgiveness to letting go of a bell rope. If you have ever seen a country church with a bell in the steeple, you will remember that to get the bell ringing you have to tug awhile. Once it has begun to ring, you merely maintain the momentum. As long as you keep pulling, the bell keeps ringing. Forgiveness is letting go of the rope. It is just that simple. But when you do so, the bell keeps ringing. Momentum is still at work. However, if you keep your hands off the rope, the bell will begin to slow and eventually stop."-Corrie Ten Boom

3.

This book has short devotions for you to read in the morning and and in the evening. Start with Christ, end with Christ. It was Gramma's favorite devotional and she read it every day. Her sweet spirit and profound wisdom were firmly rooted in Jesus. She read many books and of course the Bible.  This is the one she would always return to. Charles Spurgeon is known as the "prince of Preachers" and his poignant and profound writings have been greatly convicting and inspiring to me. We own two copies of this book and highly recommend it.

" Our joy is like the wave as it dashes on the shore—it throws us on the earth. But our sorrows are like that receding wave which sucks us back again into the great depth of godhead. We would have been stranded and left high and dry on the shore if it had not been for that receding wave, that ebbing of our prosperity, which carried us back to our Father and our God again." -Charles Spurgeon

4. Jesus Wants All of Me

Based on the classic and favorite of ours, My Utmost for His Highest. This is a well loved book in our home. I can remember being moved to tears many times as I read this to my children. I love how Phil Smouse takes the Truth of God's Word and the principles of My Utmost For His Highest and converts it to language children can understand. If you have children, this would be an excellent book to read that will span all ages, including your own. 

5.

I have purchased this book and given this book as a gift countless times. Every time I restart it I am blessed. There are guided prayers and there are spots for you to journal and write prayer requests. There are multiple prayers for each day starting with Self then Husband, Kids, and a separate topic ever day ranging from your pastor to the president.  Each prayer has a supporting Scripture. Such a blessing in so many ways. I love that it guides me to pray for things I know I should be praying for often forget if it is not right in front of me. I cannot recommend it enough. 

These are the top five but it is not all we have read. We use various Bible Study methods such as taking 1 Timothy 3:16 and dissecting the Word using that verse. You can read more about that method in this post. 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,"

1 Timothy 3:16

We are currently going through our Sunday School book. There are devotions and a Scripture passage in the book for students. My oldest two are currently in the Sunday school class that we teach. 

There are also children's Bible Studies in the YouVersion Bible App that I have mentioned before. 

Every morning after our devotion I will give the kids a Scripture to write and have them copy it three times. I do simplify it for my youngest one. 

Then I will read the Warrior Kid book. 

This is not a devotional but it is such an inspiration to wake up early and live a disciplined life! It is written by a navy seal. I am exceedingly inspired every time I pick up this book! 

"Discipline is freedom."

These are my favorite Bible stories to read at bedtime.

 

Thank you all for joining me today. Next week I will be sharing my favorite non-fiction books. I hope everyone is healthy and thriving. 

Many blessings to you.

Grace & Peace,

Adoring Family 

Linking up with Whitney, Erika and Andrea.