Verses to Pray Over Our Children
Bible Scripture is important to learn and to teach to our children. We can also pray Scriptures over our children. Below are some Bible Verses that you can use to pray over your children. Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by...
The Joy of Floral Arranging
Floral arranging brings me joy. They don't have to be real flowers. They can be silks or faux floral and they make my heart happy as well. Another thing that makes me happy is good deals. When you can combine the two I am extra excited. I recently made several new...
Indiana Dunes National Park and The St. Louis Gateway Arch National Park
Two of our newest National Parks in the United States are the Indiana Dunes NP and the Gateway Arch located in St. Louis, Missouri. We saw both on our summer 2020 National Parks trip. There are now 63 National Parks in the United States. There are many more lands...
My Close Encounter With a Bull Moose
Our trip to Isle Royale National Park did not disappoint. My goal was to see at least a single moose. I saw five and heard some more in the distance. Four of the moose that I saw were not far from me, however I didn't feel threatened by them. That wasn't true for the...
Isle Royale National Park: 6 Tips to Plan Your Visit
We have been planning to see Isle Royale National Park for over 9 months. Our trip was booked well before all of the Covid stuff was even known. We didn't cancel our trip, but debated what to do about Isle Royale because it is on an island and we would need...
VOYAGEURS National Park
We spent 6 days and 5 nights at Voyageurs National Park. My sister Natalie and her son, along with a friend and her son, joined us at The Pines of Kabetogama Resort. This resort is located on Kabetogama Lake which is part of the National Park. Voyageurs NP is located...
Cooper Lake State Park
We stayed at two Texas State Parks during the month of June, 2020. Cooper Lake State Park and Lake Whitney State Park were our stops. Cooper Lake State Park was well with writing about and sharing for others who enjoy camping in Texas. Cooper Lake State Park hit all...
Free Mini E-Book “13 Tips to a More Joyful Life”
Life is hard! We can all use more joy in life. I have a free mini e-book for you that includes 13 practical tips that will help you life a more joyful life. These tips include scripture application. God knows better than we do, so what better way to direct our lives...
Protected: 13 Tips to Live A More JoyFul Life
6 Hidden Behaviors that Destroy Families on the Debbie Chavez Podcast
My book, 6 Hidden Behaviors that Destroy Families was released at bookstores and booksellers online this week. I have been invited to participate in interviews on TV, radio, and Podcasts to discuss the book and the topic of problems within extended families. A few...
Easy Grout Cleaning
Easy cleaning projects make me happy. If you are the same, you will appreciate this information. Grout can make your floors look dirty even after they have been freshly scrubbed. Stained grout makes a floor look awful. When we moved into our home almost 7 years ago we...
6 Hidden Behaviors That Destroy Families
The day has come! 6 Hidden Behaviors that Destroy Families: Strategies for Healthier and More Loving Relationships is available at major book stores everywhere including Barnes and Nobel and Amazon. You can find it at: https://amzn.to/2ZiCX9L Every Family Has...
New Guest Room/ Office Space For Me
Our guest room has been used as a storage space for the past six months. A friend who moved back to England gave me furniture and decor, as did a neighbor who moved out of state. Thank you so much to both families for the lovely items! Both friend and neighbor had...
Decorating at my brother JustIn’s: Part 2
I recently went back to visit my brother Justin and his lovely wife Katsuree and their two cute kids. I took another Uhaul trailer with furniture and decor for them. My neighbors had moved out of state and had given them some things. I also redecorated my guest room...
Our 2019 National Parks Trip
Many people are venturing out in nature these days. National Parks and State Parks are a popular destination because you can get out of the house while still social distancing. In light of the popularity of our National Parks and our family's experience visiting so...
Home Renovations at My Brother’s New Home
My brother Justin and his wife Katsuree purchased a home in a gorgeous neighborhood in Sugar Land, Texas. The streets are lined with mature, lush trees. Across the street from their home is a beautiful lake with a great deal of wildlife thriving there. We fed the...
The Lisa Show: Talking About Discipline
Yesterday morning I had a great conversation on the nationally syndicated program, The Lisa Show, on the Sirius XM's BYU station. The topic was disciplining children. Take a listen on the link below! Thank you to the Lisa Show for asking me to be on their...
LIFEHACK: How to Strengthen Family Bonds When You’re Staying at Home
Now is a perfect time to work on making some memories with your closest family members. When situations call for social distancing outside of our home, we need to do the opposite within home. Now, more than ever, we need to engage with those living in our home. We may...
Monthly Calendar
Below is the printable calendar that you can use for your own purposes. I print one out for each month and then slide it into the magnetic sheet holder that is on our refrigerator. That way our family can view our entire month of activities at a glace. Posting it on...
Tips for a Creating a Great Ladies Cruise Experience with Friends
Tips for a Creating a Great Ladies Cruise Experience with Friends I recently went on a cruise with friends. It was the most fun I have had with friends in years!! It was the planning and awesome ladies that made it such a success. Below I will share my tips so that...
Devotionals for Kids that we play in the car
I decided before we began school this year that we would listen to something meaningful on the way to school. I drive my kids to and from school (not because we don’t choose to use the bus, but because we don’t have that option in our situation). I don’t mind driving...
Make outdoor Furniture and fixtures look new!
A few months ago I saw several ads on Facebook from people who will come to your home and make your light fixtures look new. I thought that it sounded like a nice and useful service. I filed the information away in my mind thinking I would like to have my light...
Tea and Talk with Amber Lia
This past weekend I hosted a “Tea and Talk with Amber Lia” event at my home. I had prayed for this event to go well and to be a blessing to others, as Amber is amazing has been such a blessing to me. My prayers were answered. The event was a success! I was blessed by...
Audio Books Free!
Hello, my name is Magdalena and I am a book addict. I admit it. I probably read too much. It goes in waves for me. Sometimes I have more time to read or listen to books and sometimes I have less. The month of January has been a month of house projects for me, which...
Canyon of the Eagles
We had guests for Christmas, but after they left we had a week with the kids off from school. We decided to go camping. Not tent camping, but camping in our fifth wheel camper. Justin made reservations at Canyon of the Eagle in Burnett, Texas. This is Hill Country...
6 Tips to Create Good Adult Sibling Relationships
Adult sibling relationships are not always easyto navigate. Especially if you didn’t grow up in the same household, there is a significant age gap, or there have been estrangements in the relationship in the past. All hope is not lost though. Even if you grew up in...
10 Years of Marriage
Justin and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this month. We were married on December 13th, 2009 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Our wedding was held at the First Baptist Church in Eau Claire and was officiated by Pastor Wade Duroe. He was, and still is, the...
Merry Christmas 2019
Merry Christmas from the Battles Family. These are our annual Christmas season photos. Thank you Sara Erlinger of SME Photography in Fort Worth for another great set of photos! Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Decorating for Christmas…Early!
I used to commit to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It was an annual tradition for many years of my life. I changed my mind. Yes, we are all allowed to change our minds and start new traditions. My new tradition (for the past couple of years) is to...
A Yearly Tradition of Giving: Operation Christmas Child
For over 10 years our family has been participating in Operation Christmas Child through the charity Samaritan’s Purse. It is a tradition we do before Christmas to provide gifts to children who may not otherwise get any gifts at Christmastime. What we like to do is...
