No Good Excuses

by | Jul 31, 2024 | road blocks

WHAT'S STOPPING YOU?

DON’T BE FUSSY  (Day 4 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

How did yesterday go for y’all?

A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike … Proverbs 27:15a ESV

Were you aware of your fussy moments vs. your kind or encouraging moments?

I find that I tend to excuse my fussiness (like I have a good reason for it or it’s not really that bad). It’s amazing how we can believe what we need to in order to excuse our own bad behavior.

FUSSY WOMAN

Were you aware of any particular area where fussiness ruled? Housework or chores? Politics? The kids or your friends?

Really examine any time you find yourself on a negative bent.

I was watching a YouTube where a gentleman took on a particular challenge to help with self-discipline. The challenge was way harder than I would like to try, but I rather liked the idea. I’ve gotten a bit lazy about some things around the house and I’ve left some projects undone.

NAPKIN NOTE

So, I’m creating my own personal August challenge. Certain chores, exercise, reading, and three specific to-do’s each day (those projects I was talking about). The list may morph over the month, but I think I need a bit of a push. I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes. Feel free to do likewise, but please start out fairly doable. Yes, a challenge is a good motivator, but a little success is nice too. 🙂

 

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Image credits – fussy woman © Enoch111 / Pixabay, napkin note © MarekPhotoDesign.com / Adobe Stock
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Hold the Drip

by | Jul 30, 2024 | first try

GIVE IT A TRY

DON’T BE FUSSY  (Day 3 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Keep an eye on your words today.

A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike … Proverbs 27:15a ESV

Are they positive and encouraging, or negative and fussy? Can you let the little things go? Can you set down a preference and smile?

SCOREBOARD

If you’re not sure, grab a piece of paper and keep score. At the end of the day, you’ll clearly see the balance of your words.

Do ask yourself questions, like where and when are you more likely to be negative? Are there particular things around which you tend to be more fussy? Use today’s practice as a learning tool.

I think Tilly is really getting into this gardening thing.

TILLY IN THE GARDEN

We’ll have green beans soon!

 

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Image credits – scoreboard © HeungSoon / Pixabay, Tilly in the garden © Lori / Doing Marriage Well
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Do You Drip?

by | Jul 29, 2024 | self-examination

SELF-EXAMINATION

DON’T BE FUSSY  (Day 2 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

Yesterday we spent some time considering unnecessary fussing about trivial things.

A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike … Proverbs 27:15a ESV

Ongoing fussing and negativity are difficult to be around. Drip. Drip. Drip.

UMBRELLA IN RAIN

Are you aware of the negative? Is that the focus of your day? Do negative or fussy words dominate your conversation?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be aware of and fix those things that are not going well in our lives. I’m talking about a mind set and focus that creates an ongoing negative bent. Complain about this. Fuss about that.

That sort of behavior is hard to be around. Take the time today to examine your words.

Paul and I went to Church in the Park yesterday (a number of churches meet at a local park for worship, giving to a local charity, and listening to a special speaker).

LADYBUG

This little lady joined in for a time. She was a dark orange-brown. Turns out ladybugs come in a number of colors.

 

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Image credits – umbrella in rain © AI / StockDreams, ladybug © Paul / Doing Marriage Well
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Stop the Fussin’

by | Jul 28, 2024 | concept

CONCEPT FOR THE WEEK

DON’T BE FUSSY  (Day 1 of 6)

I ran across this in Proverbs.

A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike … Proverbs 27:15a ESV

My next question was what exactly is a quarrel? (I came up with all kinds of synonyms and not all of them were bad.)

quarrel: a heated argument or disagreement, typically about a trivial issue and between people who are usually on good terms.

So we’re talking about unnecessary fussing about trivial things on an ongoing basis.

FUSSY WIFE

Let’s give this some thought.

It’s good to talk through difficult problems, but fussing about every little thing for no real good reason is a continual dripping and hugely annoying.

How would this play out in marriage? (Not just wives, husbands can be quarrelsome too!) What is important and what is trivial? How do you handle the trivial instead?

The audacity!

DANDELION

This little dandelion appeared this morning in the area that Paul is tilling for a garden extension.

 

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Image credits – fussy wife © Kirsten Davis / Adobe Stock, dandelion © Lori / Doing Marriage Well
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Seasonal Self-Care

by | Jul 27, 2024 | let's chat

SAT AM COFFEE CHAT

Hi, y’all.

We’ve had a break in the heat, so it’s been nice to be outdoors. I try to suck up all the blue and green I can because we have white/gray winters (and they last for several months each year).

YARD WITH BLUE AND GREEN

We’re also getting busy on the remodel/upgrade on a few rooms of our home. It makes for a bit of chaos, but it will be nice when done. I do have a bedroom and bathroom that are unaffected by construction. I keep those rooms nice so when I need a bit of order, I can go there.

I’ve been considering self-care again.

An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly. Author Unknown

I need certain things for my sanity – order and beauty are high on the list. Since I know this, I try to plan for it. One thing I have learned is when I am running low, I’m not at my best (I have a wobbly little light). It’s smart for me to do those things that brighten up my light.

What do you need to be at your best? What makes your day a little happier?

I love having chickens!

CHICKENS

We toss all our yard scraps in the chicken yard and they pick everything into compost. They are also fun quirky birds. We have Mac the rooster (haven’t named the two new roosters) and “the ladies.” We also have Lumpy. The poor bird is a bit misshaped and she thinks she’s a duck (she was raised with a couple of ducklings).

 

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Image credits – yard with blue and green © Lori / Doing Marriage Well, chickens © Lori / Doing Marriage Well
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It’s the Grace

by | Jul 26, 2024 | conclusions

MY THOUGHTS

OVERLOOK OFFENSE –  (Day 6 of 6)
(Need to start at the beginning? Day 1)

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a week for me.

… it is (a person’s) honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense [without seeking revenge and harboring resentment]. Proverbs 19:11b AMP

I think at the heart of this concept is the ability to offer grace. Harsh judgements make it easy to see and hold onto offense.

I’m not saying we should take our brain out of gear and go all loosy-goosy with sin. I’m just saying our world can be pretty harsh and others could use a bit of understanding and gentle encouragement.

BUTTERFLY RESTING ON FINGER

How did y’all do at overlooking offense with your spouse? Others? What did you learn about yourself?

My first sunflower of the year!

FIRST SUNFLOWER

I looked out my window and saw this bit of yellow. It’s just opening up and will be one of those sunflowers that has the super large seed head.

 

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Image credits – butterfly resting on finger © Amy Humphries / Unsplash, sunflower © Lori / Doing Marriage Well
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