The Lord knows what He is doing.

Currently, we're in the curating+gathering process of this first issue of our little magazine magazine. This process could also be called the waiting process. Waiting for emails to get sent back, waiting for ideas to pop up and waiting for all the little details to come together. Which they definitely are, albeit slowly. 

If you know me, you know I'm not good at waiting. 

For anything, really.

(Which is why I'm prone to using the microwave.)

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart.

The Lord's timing is better than mine will ever be. 

When I think that really cool vendor will never reply to my email, God knows when they will (or knows that they won't, which is fine, too.) When that *perfect* job comes... and goes... gather all your patience and wait on the Lord for something even more amazing. When you've been waiting so long for someone to love forever and it seems impossible to wait a little longer... just wait. 

The Lord knows what He is doing. 

~joie team

Forever Faithful

I was at a coffee shop yesterday evening and started reading Psalm 136, the chapter that reminds us line after line that "His love endures forever".

Line after line. A reminder. A promise. 

That He loves us. And He will love us forever. 

Without fail. 

He loves you. 

Remember that today. 

Super Easy DIY: Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Have you seen the "Will you be my bridesmaid?" gift trend going around? Well, here's a really easy and meaningful DIY way to make some for your girls!

Supplies:

- Two different colors of washi tape, in your wedding color scheme (can be found at Paper Source)

- An ink pad

- A paper tag (can also be found at Paper Source)

- One small kraft paper box (I got this one at Michael's)

- Some "filler" shreds of paper. Or you could use fabric.

- Small piece of paper to write a note on.

- A small, very special gift (I chose a sterling silver ring)

- A marker

- Scissors

1. Cover all four outside edges of the kraft paper box with one of the colors of washi tape.

2. Open the ink pad and press it firmly onto the top of the box. Careful, it takes a while to dry. 

3. Cut hearts out of the second color of washi tape. Place them in a cluster, anywhere on the top of the box.

4. Also ink the paper tag (the more gold the better!)

5. Add some personal touches! Write a special note on the card inside and your friend's name on the tag. Tape the tag to the box and voila!

There you go! An easy DIY for your future bridesmaids. Definitely add your own twists to it, like using your wedding colors and choosing specialized individual gifts for each girl. 

Send us your DIYs! Tag your photos #joieDIYfun on Instagram! 

~joie mag team

Ten Dates under Ten Dollars

It's a MUST to keep dating even after you are married! Just because you have settled into a daily routine, doesn't mean you can't still have fun! Here are ten easy and inexpensive dates to give you some ideas for how to do just that. I suggest bringing along a disposable camera to capture these new memories! 

Out on the Town

1. Go to the library! Pick out books, or check their schedule and see if anything fun is happening. Sometimes local artists or musicians visit.

2. Take a bike ride. It's always fun to explore your neighborhood in a different way than usual.

3. If you appreciate art and/or want to feel cultured, check out your local museums. Most have one night a week when admission is free.

4. Go on an "adventure drive". Take turns deciding which roads to take, and see where you end up. Don't forget to document it!

5. Check the local paper for any open houses, and then go to them! It's fun to dream together as you walk around.

At Home

5. Bake goodies for each other! Cookies, pies, muffins. Whatever the other person wants.

6. Draw the head and arms of a character on the top half of a sheet of paper. Fold it in half, and give it to your guy to draw the legs and feet. See how silly of a person you can create! 

7. Pop some popcorn, change into your comfies, and watch as many episodes of your favorite show as you can, before you fall asleep.

8. Do something crafty related to the upcoming holiday! Carve pumpkins or make Valentines or Christmas ornaments. 

9. Rearrange your bedroom. Doesn't sound like much, but you'll work on your communication skills, and maybe get a workout! 

10. Write each other a love letter that you won't open for another 5 years. Be detailed, so when you open them in 5 years, you will remember exactly how you felt about each other!  

Tell Your Whole Story

Social media is a pretty fun place. You can connect with your closest friends or strangers from across the world. But there's one thing about social media that isn't so fun: the fact that it has conditioned everyone to only post the very best times of life.

Seeing other people's best moments can easily make us start the comparison game. That's not fair to ourselves! We're only getting half of their story, yet we're comparing ourselves as if it's their whole story.

Let's reverse this trend. Let's start a movement to encourage people to share their whole story. Encouraging each picture to capture what real life is like. The messy kitchens, the mismatched socks and the no-makeup faces.

The next time you think about straightening all the pillows on your couch JUST so it looks good in a picture, think again. Instead, can you post a picture of your perfectly-out-of-place pillows? It might also inspire someone else to share things that are a little more real. 

Tag your Instagram photos with #TellYourWholeStory to get the movement going.

~ joie team

For the Good.

~*~

"We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Write this verse on a slip of paper and hide it somewhere you'll remember. When the worry creeps up or the storm clouds gather, take it out and pray this prayer.

~*~

Thank you so much for the continuing support as we continue to collect and research for the inaugural issue of Joie! We can't wait to share all the goodness we have found.

Resting from Busy

Sometimes we idolize the idea of being busy. And not even just the silent idea of being busy, but the "broadcast it to the whole world" idea of being busy. Almost like by making our constant busyness public, it somehow confirms we are achieving more great things than that other person who CLEARLY isn't as busy as WE are. 

Yeah. 

I've been there, I've done that. I've been that person.  

God took a break. Yes, He worked really hard and put a lot of His energy into His big project, but then, he took a break.

Genesis 2:3

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, 

because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

~*~

This is your cue (mine too!). To take a break from "catching up on work" on a Saturday morning and instead, cuddle on the couch with your spouse and watch House Hunters and dream together about the day when you will buy your first house. (Or are my husband and I the only ones who do that? :) )

Our lives will always be full of things to do. Work, get-togethers, groceries, laundry, fix-it's, errands, weekend trips... It's stuff that we have to get done, but let's stop broadcasting all that. Let's make a pact to stop glorifying the idea of busyness. To take a rest day and actually use it to rest!

~Stephanie 

Getting Deeper.

This song has rocked my world for about a year now. Each time I listen to it (which is usually about twice a day), my soul wants more Jesus. My heart wants to love people better. People I know and people I don't. My best friends and the old lady at church whose name I always forget. Do you know that feeling?

This year one of my goals is to be more intentional with my relationships. First and foremost my relationship with God. To dig into His word each day, with no to-do list or time constraint to guide me. But it doesn't stop there. I want to be more intentional with my husband, who works hard for our family. I want to make sure he comes home to a yummy dinner and me, his wife, not stuck in her computer. With my best friends, that I can always be encouraging to them, even though most live in different states. And even the old lady at church, because, really, I should know her name by now. I bet she has an awesome story, and this year I want to listen to it.

~Stephanie