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autumn

Blog, Faith, Family, Fitness, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Time Management

Fall’s glorious colored leaves: The beautiful lesson of letting go

fall tree’s glorious orange leaves

Good morning (or afternoon, or night, depending on where you are right now!). Today I’ve been awake since 3 a.m. Insomnia is no stranger to me; I’ve been battling it occasionally for several years now.

Melatonin helps. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body’s pineal gland, a pea-size gland located just above the middle of your brain. When the sun goes down and light turns to darkness, the pineal is “turned on” and your body produces melatonin, released into the blood. This usually happens around 9 p.m. and you start feeling less alert and sleepy.

Sleepy man.
Source: platinumtraininginstitute.com

Melatonin levels stay elevated about 12 hours through the night. After sunrise, they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 a.m. Some people don’t produce enough Melatonin.

Taking Melatonin works sometimes to help me fall and/or stay asleep. You can get the capsules at Walmart or on Amazon. Taking Melatonin doesn’t work for everyone. It even gives my friend Stephanie nightmares! But you can try it to see if it helps you sleep. (DISCLAIMER: Check with your doctor first if you have any health issues or you’re on any medication!)

I didn’t take any last night. I fell asleep and when I awoke at 3 a.m., I tried what I usually do when I have insomnia: pray. I did this for about an hour. I prayed for my family and myself.

Asian woman praying

Praying is at least doing something good and useful if you have insomnia. Sometimes I hate nighttime, because if you do wake up, there’s not a lot to do and I really dislike being unproductive (and laying there, staring at the ceiling!). Restaurants and stores are closed, too. It’s boring!

When I still couldn’t sleep after that and felt “bright eyed and bushy-tailed“, I decided to get up, dress (meaning throwing a comfy sweat shirt over my black yoga pants and putting on sneakers), and drove to get a cuppa’ caffeine. Usually that is my morning coffee, but today a cold Dr. Pepper (with chocolate doughnuts) just sounded good!

Dr. Pepper and doughnuts

It’s rare that I drink a soda any more (I quit drinking Coke years ago), but not as rare for me to eat doughnuts. I’m working on conquering sugar, just not this morning! Not the breakfast of champions and so not how I want to set the tone for the new year. Please pray for my self-discipline, would you? I know I have to make the choice, daily!

Yesterday I worked on my 2020 Vision and my Personal and Business Goals for 2020. I got this workbook in Diane Cunningham’s free webinar, promoting her Life Change Club. Have you started writing down your vision and goals for the coming year?

Vision 2020

90 Day Business Goals

I’m so happy that I completed Diane’s workbook and set my 2020 Vision and Goals. One of my personal goals is about praying for our grown children and our grandchildren, but learning to let go. To trust God. God loves our kids even more than I do!

Ray and I with our 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Leah, & Eden

I’m a recovering control freak, and I’ve been working on this one, letting go and letting God, for literally years. It’s so hard. But if I don’t let our kids go, they’ll never mature and grow. They’ll never learn to fly, and to soar.

eagle soaring

A great verse to pray over your children and grandchildren is Isaiah 40:31.

Our beautiful, precious granddaughters Violet & Annabelle

Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

I love this quote about Autumn. It is so timely and appropriate right now with me facing empty nest, learning to let my grown kids go, and fall’s gloriously colored leaves here in Missouri. “Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”

Autumn

tree with yellow leaves

red, yellow, & orange leaf

To cope with empty nest (I really love and miss my kids!), I’m focusing on cleaning, organizing, decluttering, and purging. Also for 2020, I’m concentrating on my health (despite this morning’s junk food breakfast!) and on my business and personal goals, such as writing my first children’s book. It is about my and our daughter Leah’s black cats Natalya and Jax becoming “friends.”

Jax and Natalya

I just hired the illustrator for this book to draw the pictures inside the book this week and I’m so excited and happy! She does beautiful work!

To be first to hear about my children’s book’s release as an eBook on Amazon, be sure to sign up as a subscriber to my newsletter (ezine) at the top of the page on the right hand side.

freedom

What do you need to let go of this coming new year 2020?

Your grown children;
Your spouse;
Your excess weight;
Anger, depression;
Fear, worry and stress;
Control;
Broken dreams;
Forgiving someone;
A sin you committed in the past;
Excuses;
Laziness;
Sugar or carb addiction;
Alcohol and/or drugs;
A toxic relationship;
Self-doubt;
Poverty mindset or other mindsets hindering your success;
____________________ (you name it).

November 10, 2019 by Beth Jones

Blog, Faith, Marriage, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Writing

Hot chocolate with marshmallows and such

Image source: Lightstock.com

Golden Hues

“Autumn brings cooler days

Effusing fiery golden hues.”

I have a new addiction this fall: pumpkin spice cappuccino. Between that and Sonic grape slushes, I’m not doing a very good job of conquering my sugar addiction, so please pray for me! (Yes, seriously, pray.)

Below is a picture of me with my cappuccino before church yesterday. Pastor Jeff taught on discipleship and I was challenged by his question: who is discipling you and who are you discipling? We all need a Paul (teacher) and a Timothy (disciple) in our lives.

Me with pumpkin spice cappuccino

I’m also loving the beautiful colored leaves. This is my fave time of year, besides spring. It used to be winter until the last couple of icy winters, where our car’s tires were sliding on the highway and it freaked me out. Planning to get new snow tires soon! (I also dislike all the germs and how people get so sick during the winter…especially if it involves anyone in my family!)

changing leaves

colored leaves

yellow leaf

Although fall and spring are now my fave seasons, I’m still a snow bunny at heart and love how pretty the white snow looks outside, but my husband Ray (a paramedic) says I don’t have to work in the slushy mess like he does. He’s right. I get to enjoy looking at it from inside our toasty warm house, under a soft blanket with my fuzzy socks and drinking a hot chocolate with whip cream!

Heart socks

My sweet Facebook friend Debbie Oliver is constantly posting pics of delicious hot chocolate with marshmallows, whip cream, and sprinkles that inspire me, like the one in the pic below! Debbie is founder and group leader of Debbie Oliver Ministries. Isn’t she beautiful? Her heart is, too! I hope one day to meet her in person.

Debbie’s hot chocolate

Debbie Oliver

We’re now in the final quarter of the year. It’s a great time to examine the goals you made at the beginning of the year. Which ones have you accomplished? Which ones remain undone?

Let’s finish 2016 with intention and obedience. God still has things He wants you and me to do this year! Pray and ask Him what that is, and then obey.

Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith

The remaining goals I have for this year are:

Improving my health and fitness (eating healthy and walking/jogging 3-4 times a week; I need to get back on track!);
Working on my marriage (improving communication; dating; intentionally building intimacy);
Praying daily for Ray, our children, grandchildren, and other family and friends;
Outsourcing help for my newest books – hiring a formatter to format my Word file for Kindle at Amazon for my new book, Metamorphosis: Transformed from Fear to Faith, and hiring a graphic designer to design the cover for my eBook, How To Write Fast: Making Your Writing Dreams Come True, to get it ready for print (a physical book copy) for you.
Traveling. I have a specific place where I’m praying to go this year, if God provides financially (just one of many!). Where do you want to go? “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!” (Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!)

Are you enjoying this fall? What are your fave things about autumn?

What remaining goals do you have for this year that you need to get done? Leave your comments below.

October 24, 2016 by Beth Jones

Blog

Organizing, cider doughnuts, and Pumpkin Pie candles for fall

autumn leaves quote

The last couple of days, I’ve been doing chores, cleaning out my closet, and taking clothes to GoodWill. Fall and spring are a great time of year to clean, organize, and declutter. “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Here’s a few tips to organize and declutter:

Haven’t worn that piece of clothing in the back of your closet in 6 months to a year? Sell it, give it away to GoodWill (if it’s still in decent shape), or if it has holes, rips, is badly faded, etc., then throw it out. Some consignment shops will take gently used clothing, that you can sell to make a little money. It’s taking up space, which you can use for good, new things to come into your life!
Are you a book-aholic like me, and have stacks of books? Go through your personal library and choose some books that you’re already read (or haven’t), that you can part with to bless someone else. Some book stores even pay you a few dollars or cents for your books, so you can make a few bucks–or buy more books!
Is your Tupperware cabinet overflowing with extra lids and plastic bowls? Organize this space. Put all the same size bowls and containers together. Do the same for the lids. Or close the containers with the lids and neatly stack them on top of each other. Throw out or give away that extra lid! Like the one sock that has lost its mate, it will do you no good.
Tackle your junk drawer. Most families have one in the kitchen, bathroom, office, or somewhere, that is a place where everyone tosses random things in a messy pile: screwdriver, hammer, nails, picture hooks, scissors, cords, etc. Recently I went through ours and organized it, getting rid of anything we didn’t need. You’ll feel so much better–until it piles up again!
Look through your supply of sheets, pillow cases, and blankets before winter. If they are ripped and torn, get rid of them and buy new ones. Make sure your electric blanket isn’t real old and in good shape to prevent a fire hazard. Now is a good time to buy fresh, new pillows because of dust mites. You can find cute, colorful, soft pillows for your couches or loveseats at Walmart, Kohl’s, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Walmart has pretty, soft blankets to curl up in and read a good book this cold winter.
Go through every room, closet, and drawer in your house. Look at with a sharp eye. Are there piles of papers? Drawers stuffed with junk you don’t need or use? Cobwebs and dust? Things are in disarray and needing organized? I highly recommend Jennifer Ford Berry’s cute, orange book, Organize Now!, for a complete guide on getting your home and life organized. Get it all done before the holidays hit, so you can just relax and have fun with your family and friends, not worried about your house looks.

It’s also fun to buy inexpensive fall decorations, like this set of two appetizer plates inscribed with “Thankful/Grateful” and the ceramic orange pumpkin that I found at Target.

appetizer plates

A fun, annual event that our family does in the fall is visit the Louisburg, MO cider mill, where we buy hot apple cider and eat delicious cider doughnuts.

fresh apple cider

cider doughnuts

In autumn, we can enjoy deliciously-scented candles, too, like Pumpkin or Apple Pie or Cinnamon. Light your favorite one at meal time, or take a hot bath soak with lavender, with the lights dim and soft, instrumental music playing to de-stress after a long, hectic day.

Pumpkin scented candles
Pinterest

And of course fall is time for Thanksgiving, when we celebrate God’s goodness with family and friends over a feast. My personal faves are the turkey, dressing with gravy, and pumpkin pie! (My mouth is now watering at the thought of the pie!)

http://www.promopro.com/shopping-tips/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Five-Best-Thanksgiving-Apps-for-Your-Perfect-Holiday-Meal.jpg

Thanksgiving meal

What are some of your favorite things about this season? Leave your comments below.

October 5, 2016 by Beth Jones

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I'm an International Speaker, Author of 29 books (and still writing!), traveler, wife to fire chief/paramedic Ray, and a blessed mom of 3 beautiful daughters, Heather, Eden, and Leah. I encourage women to use their gifts for God's glory, fulfilling their great purpose, and living a life they love. I help aspiring Christian speakers & writers to share their hearts' unique, powerful messages. The ocean is my happy place and place of peace and refilling. I love Jesus, my family, my adopted cat Natalya and my new (stray taken in) cat Silas, traveling, chips & salsa, coffee, chocolate, nature, music, and art. My husband Ray calls me an enigma: I love to laugh and cry a lot. What about you? I'd love to connect more with you and hear how you desire to make more of an impact here for God's glory. Thanks for stopping by here. I pray you will find the hope, inspiration, and motivation you need to become all God created you to be. Dream big because we serve a big God!