 What a week we have had globally. I'm thankful that even as things in our world change daily, our God remains the same everyday. I keep reminding myself that he is in control of the world, and that he is not surprised by this virus. What has been amazing though is seeing how God is already using this virus to bring people together and to unify others. I hope that he also uses it to draw many people to himself. Here is a look at some things I discovered this week for your personal enjoyment while you're socially distant this weekend. 1. Josh Gad Reads StoriesJosh Gad, the voice of Olaf from Frozen, has been reading bedtime stories for those isolated at home, and his reading of Olivia Goes to Venice cracked me up! 2. Gatorade Thirst Quencher PowderI try to keep Gatorade in the house in case Brandon or I end up sick or when one of us might not drink enough water one day and wake up dehydrated the next. However, I was finding that it was difficult to keep the prepared bottles in the house, because one of us would drink them in the times when we didn't need them. But then I remembered that Gatorade makes a powder mix, so I bought one. One powder mix is cheaper than 12+ bottles and makes a lot more than that too! And it means less plastic bottles are coming into my home to either store or recycle. It's a win-win in my book, and the powder mix tastes the same as the prepared bottles anyway. 3. Defining DiscernmentI've been learning a lot about the spiritual gift of discernment lately, and this article by Tim Challies was helpful in understanding more about this spiritual gift and how God uses it in an individual to care for his church. Great resource if you like learning about spiritual gifts or if you think that God might have given you discernment as a spiritual gift. 4. The Lazy Genius Feeds a CrowdI'm a big fan of Kendra Adachi's podcast The Lazy Genius and the hacks that she gives for "being a genius about the things that matter, but lazy about the things that don't." In this episode, she offers advice on how to think about feeding a crowd. Since I tend to feed crowds often, I can tell you that I plan on using a number of the ideas she suggested to love others better and for my own sanity. 5. Try the Bakewell Tart, and other rules I'm living byThis one is from Anne Bogel at the Modern Mrs. Darcy. She shares about how a Bakewell tart (you know, that treat they make on the Great British Baking Show) during her time in Scotland taught her a lesson she's continuing to live by.  (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)
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The flu hit our household last week, which is why I wan't able to send out last week's Friday Five. Oh, and we closed on a house last Friday too. A lot of life has happened around here. So... now I have a bunch of good things to share, but I want to stick to the usual five. 1. Burn the Ships Music VideoThea and I usually listen to music throughout the day, and this song popped up during one of our music listening times. Afterwards, I looked up the music video and the song's meaning and was blown AWAY! This music video is perfect and you should listen to the story behind the song. 2. One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory JournalI've been using this journal for well over a year now, recording a line or significant memories from each and every day. Now that I'm over a year in, it's lovely to get to read what I wrote on each day a year ago and compare what life looks like now verses a year ago. I can't wait for five years from now to have five years worth of memories to look back on. 3. Pecan Pie BarsThis recipe is one of my favorite sweet treats to bake! I've been wanting to make them recently, and I finally got around to making them this week. If you like pecan pie, let me highly recommend these. 4. Babies DocumentaryBrandon and I watched this documentary series over the past week and enjoyed it. The documentary follows the lives of several babies and the research of different scientists as they focus on areas of baby development: sleep, walking, crawling, eating, etc. It's a fascinating documentary and makes me eager to continue watching Thea develop. 5. Start SmallEmily P. Freeman shared in her podcast, The Next Right Thing, this week about the importance of starting small when it comes to beginning something again or for the first time. This is something I've been thinking a lot about when it comes to good habits. If you want to start a habit, you should start small. One small step at a time.  (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)  This weeks' Friday Five links are all unintentionally food related. One of my goals for 2020 is to simplify my family's meal planning, and so some of these links have been helpful to that end. Others were either fun or thought provoking. Enjoy! 1. Walmart Grocery Pick UpI just started using Walmart Grocery Pick Up after realizing how much time I spend at the store just roaming around to find things that I need only to realize that Walmart does not carry those things. Instead, I started checkin on the Grocery app to see if the Walmart in my area carries certain ingredients and then I realized, "Why don't I just save myself time and order most of our groceries." Friends, I am sold! It saves me time and money because I only get the things on my list. If you're interested in trying it for yourself, follow the link in the title above, and you'll get $10 off of your first order. 2. How to Use Google Calendar for Meal PlanningI've been making some changes when it comes to how I plan meals. I was using a note taking app and then realized that I needed a calendar to help plan further out. But I don't like the idea of writing on a paper calendar and then needing to move meals around (I know it's complicated), but I realized that Google Calendar lets me put meals in for each day and then delete them if plans change. And this great article explains how to do that. It's simplifying my life a little bit more. 3. Death of the Dinner Party?Thought provoking, and makes me want to host more people at our home regularly. Have you noticed this to be true? 4. Lent's Faux-FastingConvicting article, and I have been guilty of faux-fasting over the years, which is why I am not intentionally "fasting from something" this year for Lent. If you are fasting from something, then I hope the Lord uses it to draw you closer to Him. 5. A Gaines Family TraditionBrandon and I did something similar for Valentine's Day this year, but watching this video of Chip and Joanna Gaines celebrate Valentine's Day by having a special family dinner makes me want to try this with my family in the future.
There you have it! What is your Friday Five this week? P.S. The Walmart link above is a referral link, which means that if you use the link and get $10 off of your groceries, then I get $10 off of a future grocery purchase as well. Thank you for letting me throw future dinner parties hehe! This week's Friday Five is focused on books and Youtube videos. I've been doing a lot of reading lately and I started looking for some cooking videos to try new recipes. Here's two books I've been reading and three videos I watched this week. 1. To Hell with the HustleHustle. Overwhelm. Burnout. Our culture is so focused on productivity and getting things done, and it's leading to burnout in our lives. Jefferson Bethke tackles this subject in his new book and how Jesus shows us a better way. I've waited years for this book to release, and I'm thankful for it! I'm eager to implement a number of the ideas related to sabbath in this book. I'll share more thoughts and a review in the future. 2. 1 Peter: A Living Hope in ChristThis Bible Study has been sitting on my book shelf for several years, and I finally started it two weeks ago. I don't know about you, but sometimes it is really helpful having a guided Bible study for my time with Jesus in the morning, and this study has been so helpful! 3. Molly Yeh Makes Bacon, Egg, and Cheese TurnoverThis recipe is on my to make list. I've been trying to make different things for breakfast, and this recipe is on the top of my list! 4. I Tried to Make 5 Dinners For 2 For Only $20I stumbled upon this video after the breakfast turnover video, and it inspired me to try making 5 dinners for $20 for Brandon and I in the near future. 5. Hair LoveThis short film just recently won an oscar, and it's beautiful. I'm thankful that short films are readily available for viewing in comparison to feature length films.
There you have it. Let me know your top five. Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I love Valentine's Day. Growing up, my family celebrated it as a day to love the people in your life, not just a significant other. My husband and I don't celebrate the day with a big gestures, but rather with small out of the ordinary fun, like having a fancy dinner at home or writing love notes. Anyways, no matter how you feel about Valentine's Day, I hope that you know that you are deeply loved by the One who made you. Our top five for this week are not love related, but they're good ones nonetheless. Enjoy them and feel free to let me know what your top five are below. 1. "Into the Unknown" at Oscars 2020I didn't watch the Oscars this year, but heard about this performance. Idina Menzel performs "Into the Unknown" with the women that sing the song in international versions of Frozen II. 2. The Advance of the New LegalismThis idea has been coming up in my life a lot lately, and I was thankfully for the article's thoughtful consideration and warning of a new kind of legalism. 3. 21 Tiny Habits That Will Make Everything You Cook Taste BetterTricks and tips for cooking are some of my favorite things to learn about, and this post offers some great ones. 4. 17 (Legit Useful) Food Hacks That Actually WorkIt was a week learning about food hacks, I guess. 5. How to Get Started With Blogging in 2020If you want to start blogging, Tim Challies offers so helpful tips for beginning to blog.
A collection of this week's five things found around the interwebs for your pondering and enjoyment: 1. The Inefficient Ministry of Motherhood"For mothers of young children as well as all Christian women, when we are willing to be spent in inefficiency for the most tender, impressionable, and helpless among us, we are choosing the good portion that will not be taken away from us." I need to be reminded of this daily, when caring for my daughter feels overwhelming. I'm doing kingdom work by caring for her needs and discipling her heart. 2. Handle with Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and MinistryJust finished reading this new release by Lore Wilbert and wooheee! What a thinker! The topic of touch is not one I have thought a lot about in relation to how Jesus uses touch to minister to people, but this is a great primer on the subject. My only feedback is that I wish Lore would have explored more Scriptures about touch - particularly how touch is a big part of the levitical law. 3. You Are Your Habits / Interview with James ClearI cannot recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear enough! It is an excellent book about habits and how to actually form good habits that form us as people - not just for reaching arbitrary goals. One of my favorite writers, Jefferson Bethke, interviews James Clear in this video, and they discuss how the idea of habit formation even intersects with Christianity. More thoughts of my own on this topic coming soon! 4. The Book of Daniel (Introduction) / Spoken WordIt's a big event in our house when Spoken Gospel releases a new introduction video to a book of the Bible. They do an amazing job visually explaining the main themes of books of the Bible and bringing the gospel to the forefront. This introduction video of Daniel premiered last week, and I think it's their best introduction video yet. Check them out! 5. The Enchanted Rose Tour - Grand Floridian ResortAnd for fun: a tour of the new Enchanted Rose Lounge in the Grand Floridian Resort in Disney World. Fun fact, I had a dream of opening a Beauty and the Beast theme cafe and naming it the Enchanted Rose. I had a logo and everything, but Disney beat me to the punch. That's okay. It was a lovely dream, and it is fun to know that I thought of something that Disney also thought about and brought to life. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)
 I present this week's Friday Five - a collection of things found along the way this week. 1. Laying with Your Kids at Night is Not a Bad HabitThis one made me want to soak up all of those little moments with Thea that will one day just be memories. It's encouraging to be reminded that the "experts" are not always correct when it comes to doing what loves your children and blesses your relationship with them. 2. The Confessions of a Recovering EvangelistA helpful read for any Christian. Ministering to people in this generation and culture looks different from 30+ years ago. As the article articulates, sharing the gospel with others starts with a whole lot of listening and a lot less talking to start. 3. The End of (Secular) BabiesI've been thinking about this idea a lot since having Thea. 4. Why Your Family Needs to Watch "Togo" This WeekendBrandon and I watched Togo this weekend and I one hundred percent agree with this article that you should watch this film with your family this weekend. 5. Handle with CareI'm eager to share more with you about this book, but it's a good one! I have the privilege of being a part of the launch team for this book, and I have had the pleasure of reading it before it releases in February. This book is a needed dialogue about touch and how Jesus ministered to people through touch.
Well there's my Friday Five for this week. Comment below if you have any favorite things from this week. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)  Well, we've come to the end of another week, and it has been quite a full week in my household, between salad dressing spilling all over the place and a little one that is learning to roll over already. Time is not slowing down around here. With the end of another week comes another Friday Five - a curated collection of five things that I enjoyed reading, watching, hearing, or using this week. You'll find them below, but I'd love to hear what your Friday Fives are this week. 1. Live Love Party's Youtube ChannelI'm finally getting back into regular exercise after five months postpartum, and I'll always choose dance over any other type of exercise, so I started dancing to Live Love Party's dance videos on Youtube again. If you like dancing and you want to dance to routines in the convenience of your own home, they have a number of great videos. My personal favorite is Lean On. 2. Swiffer Dusters Dusting KitMy mom cleaned with this duster growing up, and I even received a kit as a wedding present. However, it has been sitting unused under our kitchen sick for years, and I completely forgot that we owned one. That was until I was reorganizing the space under our sink this week, and I rediscovered it. Knowing that our house needed a good dusting, I took it for a spin. Here's the funny thing: I loved it! And I joyfully dusted my entire house in record time. That never happens! I don't think I will ever go back to my rag and spray ever again. 3. How Many Towels Do You Need?We can live on much less than we realize, and Rose Lounsbury explored this idea when it came to her towels, and it led to exploring how she could live with less in other areas of her life. I've been thinking about minimizing A LOT lately, especially with having a baby this past year that now has a lot of stuff. Instead of towels I keep asking myself, how much baby stuff do we actually need? 4. The Sad Tale of The Dionne QuintupletsNot a very happy read, but definitely an interesting one. It's stories like these that just remind me of how broken the world can be at times, but also how amazing God is that he made a world where identical quintuplets are even born. 5. Sparkling IceI resisted the sparkling water trend for quite a while. Mainly I didn't really like sparkling water. After trying it multiple times while living in Poland, I just couldn't get into it. BUT THEN I started buying the Strawberry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers and suddenly carbonated water wasn't that bad. AND THEN a friend bought me sparkling water for Christmas, and I really liked it. So instead of buying the mini Pepsi cans with real sugar at the store this week, I bought flavored sparkling water instead. Change is possible, friends.
 This week's Friday Five has a theme: tv shows and movies. We tend to watch more tv in our house during the winter months when it's too cold to leave the house and it gets dark early. Here are a few things we've been watching and enjoying lately that you might enjoy too. 1. Lady and the TrampAfter recently reading the Lady and the Tramp children's book to Thea , I wanted to see the new live action Lady and the Tramp movie available on Disney+. This new retelling is visually beautiful and holds closely to the original story. 2. Anne With An EIf you're a fan of Anne of Green Gables, you might like this series. It's a new retelling of Anne's story, and the third season just released on Netflix. I've been waiting a year for this next season to release, and I'm so excited to get to enjoy it. 3. HeartlandMy sister read the Heartland books by Lauren Brooks growing up, and Canada's broadcast cable company produced this show that is in its thirteenth season! My family watched this show while we were home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I started watching it when we came home. 4. Nailed ItHave you ever tried baking something and it did not turn out like you planned? This show takes that situation to a whole new level. Brandon and I watched a few of the holiday episodes of this show before Christmas, and we died laughing. We now watch it if we need a good laugh. 5. Olaf's Frozen Adventure My mom bought Thea the book Olaf's Night Before Christmas, and it made me want to watch Frozen again. But while looking for Frozen on Disney+, I realized that I have never watched Olaf's Frozen Adventure, so Brandon and I watched it the night before Christmas Eve, and I think watching it might become a new Christmas tradition in our house. It was a sweet little 20 minute film. Well there's my Friday Five for this week. Comment below if you have any favorite things from this week. (P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!)  We've come to the end of another week, and here are a few of my favorite things found along the way. (The Links to them are in the titles). What are some of your favorites from this week? 1. The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying NoSaying "no" doesn't always feel like a productivity hack, but I'm learning the same things that James Clear shares in this article: that saying "no" gives you the freedom and space to say "yes" to better things. Sometimes we're able to be more productive by saying "no". 2. Seven Advent Practices to Find Quiet in the BustleDiana Gruver shares some insights and practices for this Advent season. I particularly appreciated her points of Saying No and Simplifying. Are you catching a theme? I think saying no and simplifying are helpful in a holiday season filled with so much stuff. These practices are helpful in putting things into perspective and remembering what Christmas is all about: the celebration of the birth of Christ. 3. Panera's Christmas To-Go BagsI've been on a graphic design kick lately and enjoying all of the different Christmas designs on retailers' bags. I've been particularly enjoying Panera's to-go bags. The craft paper with red ribbon design is adorable! It gave me some ideas for future Christmas gift wrapping.  4. Honest Diapers' Winter DesignsI recently purchased these diapers for Thea, and I just loved the little deer designs for this winter. I'm a huge fan of cute designs.  5. One-Pot Cheeseburger PastaI made this recipe this week for Brandon and I, and we loved it! It's a healthier homemade take on Hamburger Helper. Plus I used a veggie rotini pasta, so we had some servings of veggies in the pasta too. Win, win.
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Welcome! I'm Madi, a laughter-loving, movie-going, spontaneous-dancing, follower of Christ. Join me as I seek glimpses of God's grace in the ordinary and everyday.
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