Mandii's Muse

I think for the past few years I have done really well on my resolutions, and some I have completely failed at. This year, I really want to keep up with my resolutions, but not because I have to, but because I want to improve who I am and make it a lifestyle. My first resolution is to lose weight. I did really well a few years ago, but then I got lazy. My family's love language is food, and we are all really good cooks. This one I know will be extremely difficult for me. I'd really like to make the change to get up a half hour earlier, and workout before work. I know that when I get home, I'm not wanting to workout so getting it out of the way in the morning is going to be the best way. I also know that I am going to have to watch what I'm eating, and limit my portions. (Insert sad face here. Haha!) Another resolution I have is to read the Bible in one year. I also want to be able to spend more time with Jesus daily.  I have some devotions set up, and our monthly fa

Recently I had a group of girls over for our monthly "Faith Group." Sometimes we cover a Christian book, sometimes we cover scripture, or sometimes we just talk about the issues we are experiencing in our faith. I look forward to these nights because it is so good to get together with like minded women and just talk about our faith in Jesus. We take turns hosting, and this time it was my turn! I just wanted to give you a quick glimpse into what I did to set up for this very informal gathering. For food, we always keep it simple. I made a fiesta taco dip that I got in North East, PA. It was simple, just mix with sour cream and mayo, and pour the dip mix in. I served in with tortilla chips, and that's it! If you have something savory, you always need something sweet! I made chocolate chip dip. (Recipe coming to the blog soon!) I only make this occasionally because I would literally eat the entire bowl. It's that good! I served it with windowpane pretzels, because

I'm having a group of ladies over tonight for our monthly "Faith Group." We don't really have an official name, but that's what I am calling it for now. Haha! Our group has been dealing with the topic of anxiety. Man, this one has really hit home. We have studied the book by Max Lucado called Anxious for Nothing . This book is centered around Philippians 4:4-8. This is probably my all time favorite piece of scripture. This book details how we as people are just anxious by nature. However as Christians, we should not be anxious. God is directing our steps. He's fully aware of the path that he has put us on, knowing each obstacle that will arise before we do. I know that for myself personally, I definitely struggle with anxiety. Who doesn't? I know that I get anxious every morning as a substitute teacher. What class will I be in? How is the day going to go? Will any behavior problems or drills take place? I have been trying to remind myself that God has

Image As fun as last week's post was, I felt the need to share my heart with you today. Last week, Satan was hounding me pretty badly. He was hounding me about life, love, and my blessings. He reminded me when I logged on Facebook and saw the weddings, babies, houses, and jobs people had. All I heard in my head was Satan telling me, "you're not pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough. You'll never have what they have. You're not enough." I felt awful, my mood was awful, and I knew that I needed to seek guidance from God. I listened to this message from Joel Osteen, and had a breakthrough moment. (It is Message #660 if you can't find it!) I cried through the first 20 minutes of the sermon. (I rarely cry, so this was a big deal.) It was as if this message was meant for me, and me only to hear. Just because other people have received their blessings, doesn't mean He has given up on mine. The problem with me, is me. My blessings are my own, and if

Nine years ago, I was a shy 18 year old heading off to college. I had never lived with another person I didn't know before. I had never shared a communal bathroom before. I was not the type of child who went to sleepovers when I was little. I was, (and still am) a homebody. My parent's had tried to get me to stay home to save money, but I was adamant that I wanted to experience this "college life" and that meant staying on campus. (Luckily, home was about 15 minutes away!) The first few weeks were really tough. My roommate and I got along great, in fact, I wouldn't let her leave my side. I'm being 100% serious! We went pretty much everywhere together when we didn't have class. We went to the dining hall, bookstore, movie nights in the auditorium. When she went, I went. We were cramped in our tiny dorm room so learning to live with another person was a big adjustment. There were several times where I said "Mandii, what exactly did you get yourself in