My Delightful Journal

This post contains affiliate links, in which I earn a small commission at no cost to you. So thank you for looking, shopping, and sharing! <3  I've followed Crystal Paine ( The Money Saving Mom ) since Aaron and I have been married. She has great tips for living on a low budget, and we needed that when we were first married. So she always intrigued me.  Her oldest kids are only teenagers, so she never claims to know everything about parenting. I appreciate her fresh approach to parenting and coming strictly from the heart. She shares some of the background of her legalist mindset as a new mom and equates that into how it affected her parenting style.  I find that fascinating because it's a temptation for anyone to want to hear, "Hey, you raised some good kids" or "Congrats on your son's/daughter's accomplishments." But is   that the goal of parenting? Is raising "good kids" to be "good adults" the pinpointed accomplishment? It&

This post contains affiliate links, in  which I earn a small commission at no cost to you. So thank you for reading & shopping!  Human trafficking is not a problem "somewhere else." It's happening right where you are. You might see someone who is trafficked when you head to the grocery store or go to a local baseball game and never realize it.  Jasmine Grace found herself in desperate need for love and acceptance. She thought she found that through her "boyfriend," who ended up selling her for money. After years of prostituting herself, she covered the pain she never realized she had with drug abuse.  Thankfully, like many human trafficked victims, her story doesn't end with a gun shot or a drug overdose. Her story still continues in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. She recollects her different diary entries during her trafficking years from a fresh perspective as now a believer. She spends her life helping other women who are in the same situation.  I

  This post contains affiliate links in which I earn  a small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for looking and shopping.  Why does that quote make so much sense yet is so hard to believe? We've all struggled with this. Whether it's been a loved one we've lost or has suffered, whether it's been a broken relationship because of political arguments, whether it's been fear of the unknown, or whether it's been annoyance of the inconvenience - everyone has been touched through this pandemic.  John Piper doesn't waste his time (see what I did there... Piper's  Don't Waste Your Life ... He didn't waste his time... anyways...) in this little book. He skips past the ever changing number of cases, moves on from the political drama, and takes a step away from the medical implications or lack thereof.  I don't desire to mislead you. There are plenty of facts  in this book. Facts from the Bible. There's no exaggeration that he uses 184 Scriptur

  This post contains affiliate links in which I earn a small commission at no cost to you.  Thanks for shopping and looking!  Woohoo! I finished book two of 2021! That doesn't sound like many, but some of you know that I'm on a reading journey. If you want to learn more about how I'm trying to read more, you can check out  this post . I don't want to spoil the book... but... I'm fascinated by Hudson Taylor's beginning years. His parents prayed that if they had a son that he would one day become a missionary to China. He would say as young as 9, 10, or 11 years old, "Mom, Dad, when I get older, I'm going to be a missionary to China." His parents had not pushed him toward this thought or even mentioned their prayers to him.  His teen years consisted of apathy toward God and somewhat of a disbelief of ideas he'd been taught his whole life. However, when God a hold of his heart - he couldn't resist the pull to this particular people group.  Hud

This post contains affiliate links, in which I earn a small  commission at no cost to you. So thanks for looking. :) This is embarrassing, but I've struggled to consistently read my whole life. I enjoy reading, I majored in English, and I love to study literature and write. I would start a book, lose interest, and never finish.  I now have a strong desire to learn more through reading but still have the same struggles.  I received my advice from my dad about this because he's an avid reader. He and I are both goal-oriented people, so he gave me a suggestion on how he reads so much! I don't claim to be an expert, but I have stayed on track and even gotten ahead with this advice! Plus, I've made it into a printable for you! 😌 Good advice from Dad Choose your book, divide the number of pages to read in one month (two months if it's a bigger book, but I wouldn't suggest a bigger book if this isn't a habit yet), and follow your plan! Start with just one book, th

   This post contains affiliate links, in which I receive a small  commission at  cost to you. I was given this book when I graduated from college. I know, sounds like a strange gift; but I was pregnant with our first when I walked across the stage to receive my diploma! This is a book every momma needs to read, especially those with little ones who are just starting out. I definitely should have read this book when I got it instead of five years later!  This book is not a fake encouragement to moms that they're doing a good job no matter what. This is for the mom who wants a Gospel-centered motherhood. Gloria Furman dedicates the pages in her book to Christ and not us - isn't that the best place to put emphasis?! Her words are challenging, and Scripture is always convicting. Here are some of my favorite quotes from her book: “The highest aim of womanhood is not motherhood; the highest aim of womanhood is being conformed to the image of Christ.” "As Christian mothers God c