Recent Posts

2 Minute Ways to Feel Productive

If you are caring for young children, you know that your time is not your own. Many days you don’t have five minutes to yourself. You try to unload the dishwasher and someone needs you. You come back later to the job half done and 

Straight Talk About Renewing Your Mind

Maybe you assume that because my blog is named Joy-Filled Days, that I am naturally a half-glass full, Pollyanna type who always sees the good in everyone and everything. That is not true. You know from reading here that choosing joy is a choice I 

The Good Stuff for Your Weekend

Some family news: Matthew is a high school senior and is graduating this May. He takes his ACT this Saturday. He’s working quite a bit to pay for college and is still applying. Pray for him? Rebekah is graduating from Bob Jones University this May. 

Facing Worry and Breaking the Cycle

The last three weeks feel like the rug of life has been pulled out from under us. We’ve had our share of trials to say the least. We are still waiting for things to right themselves. We’ve experienced run of the mill trials, we’ve hurt 

Monday Morning Worries

It’s Monday morning. I’ve already hit the ground running. Before 7 am, I’ve washed my sheets, cleaned the bathroom, had my devotions and coffee. Last week was crazy busy and I’m not expecting this week to be any different, so I plan and economize and…in 

The symptoms of a dissatisfied soul

My youngest daughter loves making bubbles. Not the blow-through-the-wand variety–those are too mainstream. She makes huge bubbles with her hands and some dish washing foam. She calls me over, “Quick! Look how big this one is!” It’s fun to see them expand, until POP– they 

Video: DIY twiggy front door cross {from my beautiful sister! Woot!}

So many of you loved and asked for a tutorial for my sister’s front door cross, that I asked Amy to make a VIDEO  for us and she agreed! Woot. I love her and her lovely front door decor. Enjoy!

Top 10 Favorite Recipes for Youth Group Activities

If you work in youth ministries, you’ve probably prepared a lot of food. Of course, youth ministries is more than food.  It’s about encouraging hearts who are often trying to navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence, affirming the love of God to kids who often 

Why the Internet Seems Silent about Raising Christian Teens

There have been quite a few articles floating around about the lack of articles and support for middle aged moms who are raising teens. Information for young moms is abundant, but for the mom raising Christian teens? *crickets*crickets*   The vacuum is real. I think 

DIY Spring Bird’s Nest Tutorial

Even though we still have two feet of snow on the ground, I’m working on decorating my house for spring. Today my goal was to finish decorating my mantle. I made this bird’s nest for the mantle and thought I’d share how I made it.