Happier At Home

I will admit when my husband saw this book, he said "Happier at home?  I don't think so!  You need to work more.  That will make you (and me) happier!"  I know he was just kidding. 

I work away from home 20 hours a week. I think it is the perfect amount of hours.  It gives me three days each week that I can get stuff done while the kids are in school.  

One of my favorite things to do on a quiet winter afternoon is read.  So I was very excited when I got the chance to read Gretchen Rubin's newest book. This is the first book of hers that I have read, and I am really excited to share it with friends.

Each month, Gretchen picks a few goals she wants to work on.  These goals are things that have been driving her crazy in her home (like organizing her thousands of photos) or things she know she could do better (like holiday celebrations).  And then each month she gives an update on her progress.  

I love how she makes small attainable goals each month.  It is encouraging to me as a reader to realize that change is possible.  And if I work hard enough at completing a task, the end result is deeply satisfying.

I encourage you to check out Gretchen Rubin's website, The Happiness Project.  My favorite part of the site is the Daily Quotes section. I am a quote collector, and have found some of my new favorite quotes here!

No greater LOVE than Jesus!

I cannot believe Christmas is in nine short days!  I know Christmas comes every year on December 25th, but for some reason this year has gone incredibly fast.  I have done minimal decorating this year.  I have not really done much shopping yet.  It just feels like we have been busy busy busy!  I do know Christmas will happen if I am ready or not.  And I do know that for some reason this year we are choosing to focus more on LOVE this year.  

I think God has been trying to teach me about love since January.  There have been so many times that love has come up in conversation.  Our MOMSnext (a branch of MOPS International) theme verse this year is "love as if your life depended on it."  I have watched and listened to sermons about love.  As a wife, mom, leader, nurse, and friend it can be so hard to be loving.  I recently watched an Unglued video session by Lysa Terkeurst.  Her challenge was to choose the right thing (being loving) instead of the easy thing (reacting with sarcasm, anger, or other harmful emotions).  So this has been my challenge to myself.  And this Dayspring Christmas tree skirt is a constant reminder!

Greater love has no man than this:

To lay down one's life for one's friends.  John 15:13

To me that is what Christmas is all about.  Love like Jesus.  Love as if my life depended on it!  Love because it is the right thing to do, not the easy thing to do!  You are more than welcome to check out the DaySpring collection for yourself.  I think you will find reminders of what the Christmas season really is all about!

*DaySpring provided me with this Christmas tree skirt.  The picture and opinions are mine.*

Torani isn't just for coffee!

Who doesn't love a hot cup of coffee on a cold day?  I know that is one thing I look forward to as the days get shorter and colder!  And I am now so glad to have Torani Gingerbread syrup to add to my coffee!  I start with about a 1/2 cup of skim milk in a mug and microwave it for about 30 seconds.  {Just enough to get it steamy.}  Then I brew a large Kcup of coffee. {usually breakfast blend by Green Mountain}  Then I add two splashes of Torani Gingerbread syrup and stir well.  This makes a perfect gingerbread latte for a lot less than the coffee shop prices!  Yummmy!!

Have you ever tried Torani syrups?  You can also use them to make flavored teas, Italian sodas, smoothies, and even cocktails!  There are over 120 flavors of Torani syrup and there are Regular and Sugar-Free varieties.

I engourage you to enter the Torani Holiday Cheers Contest! Torani wants to know how you use their syrups to turn your everyday coffee (and recipes) into an everyday treat!  Be sure to send your holiday recipe creations to HolidayCheersContest@torani.com - don't forget to snap a pic, blog about it and share it on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Be sure to tag Torani at @Torani and #Torani. Starting November 12th you’ll have the chance to win special Mr. Coffee prizes along with your favorite Torani Syrups each week! This contest runs till December 9th so we want to see all the recipes you have incorporating Torani.

This is a sponsored post for shespeaks and Torani.  The opinions are mine.