Joyfully Thriving

Grace-Filled Frugal Living

Our Christmas 2019

As a school teacher's family, we always look forward to Christmas break and the time we have together as a family. This year, Andy and I have remarked several times that we didn't know all Christmas break would hold before it began. I'm sharing this all as an honest glimpse behind the scenes of life in our house this Christmas! Our December started with us hosting the St. Paul's faculty party of which we had a great time with Andy's fellow teachers and their spouses. It was nice to have our house clean and decorated by the 14th too so we could maintain it through Christmas! (Sometimes … Read More...

Most Popular Posts of 2019

One of my favorite parts of the end of the year is to look back and reflect over the previous one. I love looking back to see what people are reading on Joyfully Thriving. It's been quite the year here with writing new blog posts and updating old blog posts and fulfilling over 250 custom book orders. There is so much more I want to do in 2020 and we shall see what the new year holds blog wise. I always start with looking back to see what the most popular posts of the year were. What were people reading the most on Joyfully Thriving? There was a bit of overlap with the most popular posts of … Read More...

12 Best Christmas Song Books for Kids

Looking for Christmas song books to use with your children? Here are a dozen of the best singable Christmas books in print that are sure to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.  My children and I love to read! I have always been a reader and wanted to instill that love of books in my children. We read daily because we all love it. It's amazing that the more we read, the more my kids want to read. There's something else we love. My family and I love to sing. I grew up in a singing family where we sang all the time - and not just in church. I have tried to carry that into our family, and … Read More...

How to Start a Christmas Book Tradition

I love Christmas time and I love celebrating Christmas with our kids! As a former early childhood teacher, I have long believed in celebrating the different seasons with good books. When we had children of our own, I started the tradition of giving Christmas books each year. I have dozens upon dozens of delightful Christmas books on our bookshelves. Yes, we read them every year, and yes, I continue to add to the collection. However, these are my Christmas books. I want my children to build their own collection of Christmas books. I want them to have copies of the Christmas books we loved to … Read More...

Cranberry Date Bars

There is one bar recipe that I only make around Christmas time. Every time I make it, I wonder why I don't make it more often! It's these uniquely delicious cranberry bars - cranberry date bars to be more exact. I make sure to buy extra cranberries before Thanksgiving just so I can make these cranberry bars. This is a recipe my Mom made every Christmas after she received it from a friend at our church in Michigan. I've never had a dessert bar like this anywhere else! These cranberry bars have a delicious crumb topping (that also serves as the base) and has a tangy but sweet fruit mixture … Read More...

Best Lego Sets Under $20

Our household is a Lego household. My husband has long been an avid Lego builder and collector and he has instilled that love of Legos in our children. I know Legos can be expensive but we have learned some ways to stretch our money and get the best value on the Lego sets we do buy. I have even discovered there are many Lego sets under $20 - which make wonderful gifts or additions to a Lego collection. Legos are an investment but as frugal as I am, this is one instance where I would not recommend buying a cheaper version. Legos are a high quality toy and they are built to last. The basic … Read More...

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