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Hello Reader,

Did you know the third week in January is National Hunting for Happiness Week? The framers of the US Constitution referenced certain unalienable rights with which all men have been endowed by their Creator, including "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Sadly, the search for happiness doesn't seem to be going very well for a lot of folks in our modern culture. That's probably due to several factors, not the least of which is the fact that, as a country, we've turned our back on the Creator God who granted them to us.

But I think we also run into problems when we view happiness as THE GOAL, rather than as a fringe benefit that comes from pursuing higher goals.

At any rate, those were the thoughts in my mind when I decided to make happiness the topic for this week's link list. Enjoy!

Free resources for you this week:

• ​6 Secrets to Happiness - lots of folks miss happiness because they look in the wrong places
• ​Happy Face Bookmarks - with bight colors + cute emojis + Bible verses on happiness & joy
• ​Gladness and Joy Coloring Page - a prayer for God's blessing from the book of Psalms
• ​We Find What We Look For - look for reasons to be happy by counting your blessings
• ​50 Things to Sell or Give Away - since decluttering is a sure way to make my hubby happy
• ​Get Cash Back with Rakuten - since saving money is something that makes me happy

What I'm reading this week:

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​THE CLUTTER-FREE HOME by Kathi Lipp Subtitled "Making Room for Your Life," The Clutter Free Home will literally have you going from room to room in your house tackling the areas that most need to be decluttered and offering invaluable tips for creating a peaceful, orderly haven in which your family can thrive. Kathi urges readers to write down a sort of mission statement for each room including the primary purpose a given room will serve, what items the room will need to house to best serve its stated purpose, and ways the room could be arranged and decorated to delight all five of your senses. I found this to be a very practical and thought provoking approach to clearing out stuff that isn't used or needed to make space for essentials.

What we're eating this week:

Since January is also National Soup Month, we are continuing to eat our way through all our family's favorite soup recipes. This week's specialty: Garlicky Lentils.

I prepare several ziplock bags full of these ingredients (minus the water) anytime I make this recipe and store them in the freezer for a fast and easy meal when our schedules get busy. Just pop in the instapot with added water and cook at pressure for 10-12 minutes. Yum!

On the podcast this week:

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Loving Life at Home: Episode 28 ​BIBLE MEMORY TIPS & TRICKS​ Memorizing Scripture is one of the most worthwhile activities we can devote our time to. It enriches our lives and packs powerful spiritual, mental, physical and emotional benefits . If you’d like to prioritize Bible Memory in this new year, the tips and tricks I share in this week’s podcast will help you do it. ​ Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

Last week's to-do list was short, fun, and easy, so it should come as no surprise that I was able to finish everything on it: I ✅ spent time with big kids and grandkids in Round Rock over the weekend, ✅ listened to (at least) one grandchild quote her assigned memory verses, ✅ cleaned out/organized two boxes in my garage, and ✅ published a new prayer guide to help you pray for your church.

Personal goals for this week:

• deliver a talk on contentment & joy at a mother/daughter retreat this weekend
• record "YMCA" with new lyrics for a skit the moms are doing at said retreat
• prepare and teach a quilting craft project to the girls at the retreat
• attend a rock & mineral show with grandkids
• make or put together a costume for the next theme day at our homeschool co-op

The theme for that upcoming dress-up day? Sega vs. Nintendo (video games), of which I know next to nothing. Any ideas for quick and easy costumes on that theme? Hit reply and help me out, as I am completely drawing a blank. 🤔