Lifestyle

The real #topnine

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

All around Facebook and Instagram #topnine pictures are being posted.

All the while, neither Facebook nor Instagram has any idea what events made up my 2018.
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No algorithm can tell about visiting with my Grampa as he looks at me but doesn’t know who I am.
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Sitting in a hospital with my beautiful grandmother hooked up to monitors and machines. She has been taking such good care of my failing Grampa for so many months that her heart is breaking in more ways than one.
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Or being by my Grampa’s bedside as he takes his last breath. Instagram doesn’t know what it feels like to have to call my mom to let her know that her Dad is in Heaven.
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There’s no amount of likes that can explain what it is like to hear only a few weeks later that my other grandfather has cancer. To see he has gotten so thin that he looks like a shell of himself…
Knowing exactly how to take care of him, yet having no idea how to take away the panicked looks on everyone else’s faces. Not knowing how to care for everyone else once he is gone. Needed to be taken care of myself.
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No top nine can explain the knot in my throat as I watch the flag being handed over to my weeping grandmother as she is thanked for my grandfather’s service to our country. 🇺🇲
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Instagram doesn’t know about the ups and downs of loving an elderly dog that has started having seizures, or that she means more to me than most people I know. No matter how much I wish, nothing that I can do will prolong her life.
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Algorithms don’t keep track of what it feels like to see people that you have cared about as long as you can remember fight and tear each other apart. It doesn’t know what it feels like to be disappointed in people that have been looked up to and respected for years as they criticize the people that are closest to you.
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Social media prefers the smiles, the bright colors, the happy faces. Those are going to be the pictures that get the most likes. While Instagram can come up with a #topnine based off of how many times my pictures were liked, the moments that mean the most to me, the ones that made the deepest impressions from 2018, those didn’t ever make it to social media.
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Here’s my own top nine, the good the bad. The tears, the smiles. The lessons. The losses and the gains.

Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
And it is well with me

~Kristene DiMarco and Bethel Music

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

Glory in the Highest by Meredith Andrews

December 23, 2018December 17, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Hear the quiet of the starry night
Scattered shepherds watch the sky
Suddenly the dark gives way to light
The angel speaks of the Messiah

Be of good courage
See the star hovering above
Today a Savior is born to us

Glory, glory in the highest
We sing glory to His name
Peace on Earth to all who come
To worship Christ the King
We sing, glory in the highest
In the highest

See the God who spoke the earth to be
Take a break as a baby
Look beyond the child and see the King
Come to rescue and redeem

Glory, glory in the highest
We sing glory to His name
Peace on Earth to all who come
To worship Christ the King
We sing, glory in the highest
In the highest

Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo
Gloria, gloria, in excelsis Deo

Glory, glory in the highest
We sing glory to His name
Peace on Earth to all who come
To worship Christ the King
We sing, glory…
Glory, glory in the highest
We sing glory to His name
Peace on Earth to all who come
To worship Christ the King
We sing, glory in the highest
Glory, in the highest
In the highest

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

An Unrushed Christmas… Peace Be Still

December 16, 2018December 16, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

As Christmas approaches it seems we have to go faster and faster!

The traffic keeps getting worse. The lines in the stores keep getting longer. The calendar is full of special events, parties, and gatherings with family and friends.

Programs. Parties. Shopping trips. Baking days. Cookie swaps. Wrapping nights. Office Dinners….the list goes on and on.

The song says that we are Dreaming of a white Christmas. But in reality, most of us are dreaming of something else entirely… a Silent Night!

Our calendars become overloaded and we become overwhelmed. Instead of enjoying the spiritual significance of the season, we find ourselves just trying to get through the rush. We rush here, hurry there…

At every turn, there are people to see, things to do, stuff to buy. The hustle and bustle of this happiest time of the year can take the holly-jolly right out of our holidays and replace it with a go go go splitting headache instead.

In Luke 2 we meet a group of shepherds that were “on the clock” working in the fields. Suddenly when an ensemble of angels told them that Christ had been born they immediately left their work and went to find Jesus. Luke 2:16 says “And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”

Maybe we should do the same today. In the middle of our holiday rush and hurry and hustle and bustle, we should stop and leave our work to go find Jesus. We should slow down long enough to hurry in another direction… towards Jesus. We could be calm, quiet, and settled in Jesus’ presence.

As a result, we might discover an unrushed unhurried holiday: a season that will strengthen us spiritually instead of draining all our joy and energy.

How can we be unrushed during such a rushed and busy time of year?

In Matthew 11: 28-30 Jesus asks us to be unhurried with him.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

In Mark 4:9 and Matthew 11:15 He tells us to slow down and listen… Whoever has ears to hear, listen…“And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

In Matthew 6:27 He tells us to calm down our thoughts… “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

In Mark 4:39 he tells us Peace! Be still…”And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

In Luke 10 He tells us to stop our busy work to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His words…Luke 10:40-42 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

The Lord Jesus lived by his own teaching: he was never in a hurry except to go the cross and die for us! Mark 10:32 and Luke 19:28 tell us that When His Father said it was time he turned and headed straight for Jerusalem, leading his disciples with great resolve.

If we stay yoked to Christ then our only hurry will be to listen to God and obey him

We all want to be unrushed and enjoy the holidays in God’s presence. How can we do this?

“Abide” in God’s blessing by repeating Jesus’ words, “Peace… Be still…”

Pray “Peace Be still” over your calendar.

Pray “Peace Be still” over something you’re stressed about.

Pray “Peace Be still” for a loved one.

Pray “Peace Be still” over situations that you feel rushed.

Pray “Peace Be still” in your life and in your heart.

The parties and wrapping and baking can wait while we stop hurrying to be present with the One whom the holiday is really about.

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

Counting Every Blessing

November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Every year during the month of November I try to be even more focused on being grateful. Gratitude really does turn what we have into enough.

Whenever I find my attitude is sour, if I instead focus on the good and all the blessings that I have, I find that my outlook and attitude changes. I’ve been blessed beyond all measure!

I found myself humming this song and wanted to share its great message.

Counting Every Blessing

Rend Collective

Songwriters: Gareth Gilkeson / Chris Llewellyn / Bridget Herron / Ali Gilkeson / Will Herron / Steve Mitchell / Patrick Thompson

Ooh, ooh

I was blind, now I’m seeing in color
I was dead, now I’m living forever
I had failed, but you were my redeemer
I’ve been blessed beyond all measure

I was lost, now I’m found by the father
I’ve been changed from a ruin to treasure
I’ve been given a hope and a future
I’ve been blessed beyond all measure

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Letting go and trusting when I cannot see

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Surely every season you are good to me

Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me

You were there in the valley of shadows
You were there in the depth of my sorrows
You’re my strength, my hope for tomorrow

I’ve been blessed beyond all measure

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Letting go and trusting when I cannot see

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Surely every season you are good to me

Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me

Surely your goodness pursues me
Surely your heart is still for me
I will remember your mercies all my days
Through every storm and gale

I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Letting go and trusting when I cannot see
I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing
Surely every season you are good to me
I am counting every blessing, counting every blessing

Letting go and trusting when I cannot see

I am counting every blessing, I’m counting every blessing
Surely every season you are good to me

Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me

For your goodness, I will ever praise you

Oh, you are good to me
Oh, you are good to me
Sing it out now
Oh, you are good to me
In my hurting
Oh, you are good to me

I’ll sing it loud
Oh, you are good to me
Even in the dark

Oh, you are good to me
Lift your voices
Oh, you are good to me
All the time
Oh, you are good to me

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Review · Weekly Product Highlight

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

November 17, 2018November 17, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

~Weekly Product Highlight~Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss~

Moisturizing Shine with a Non-Sticky Feel

I recently spent some time with my sister who lives out of town. I love to look through other people’s makeup collections (Am I alone here? How about you? Do you like looking at other people’s makeup too?) She had all kinds of great products. Some I have tried and love, some I have never tried and always wondered about, some that don’t work for me but work out great for her. Isn’t that the awesome thing about makeup, it is so individual and personal.

Out of my three sisters, I think that the two of us look the most alike. What do you think?

Being a huge fan of glossy lips, I noticed right away that she had two tubes of Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses in her bag. She had the shades Rosy Future and Pink Pop. I am a huge fan of the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick line, but I had never tried the glosses. When I asked her how she likes them, she said that they are great, but the Rosy Future shade doesn’t work with her coloring.

She asked me if I wanted it and I said yes! I am not exaggerating when I tell you I instantly fell in love with this gloss as soon as I put it on! The shade is perfect for my coloring (don’t you love it when that happens?!)

The gloss goes on smoothly and evenly without feeling sticky at all. It does not bleed outside the lip line. It has a great sparkly shine that is not glittery. The gloss also wears off well. I cannot stand it when a sparkly gloss wears off leaving a weird looking glittery residue on the lips. (not cute!)

In the above picture, I’m wearing the shade Rosy Future on my lips. Tarte tartelette in bloom palette and It Cosmetics Super Hero mascara on my eyes. Pur Midnight Masquerade Face Palette on my cheeks.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss| lookingjoligood.blog

What does the Revlon website have to say about the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss

“DESCRIPTION

At last, a silky gloss that boosts hydration and plumps lips with moisture for a colorful glamorous shine.

Available in 12 shades

Moisturizing shine with a non-sticky feel
Silky lipgloss boosts hydration and plumps lips with moisture
Colorful, high-impact shine
Smooth, even color application
Use alone or layer on top of Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick

Moisturizing Shine with a Non-Sticky Feel
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss boosts lips with hydration for a colorful, glamorous shine. This moisturizing lipgloss delivers silky shine with a non-sticky feel. Mix and match it with your favorite Revlon lipsticks to create a variety of colorful looks.

Color Finish: Gloss

Product Form: Liquid

Suggested Age: 16 Years and Up

Beauty Purpose: Moisturizing, shine enhancing

Features: High shine, Lightweight”

What about you? Have you ever tried any of these Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses? What did you think? Let me know in the comment section below!

Remember when I used to write weekly product highlights on a weekly basis? I don’t know why I stopped writing them, but now you can basically find all my product highlights over on Instagram. (You can follow me there by clicking HERE.)

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

September 23, 2018September 1, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I love the word to the song The Will by Hillary Scott! One of my favorite lines is “It’s hard to count it all joy distracted by the noise”

Too often I let the noise of what is happening around me take away my joy.

Thy Will by Hillary Scott

I’m so confused
I know I heard you loud and clear
So I’ll follow through
Somehow I ended up here

I don’t wanna think
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of your plan
When I try to pray
All I got is hurt
And these four words
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know you’re good
But this don’t feel good right now
And I know you think
Of things I could never think about

It’s hard to count it all joy
Distracted by the noise
Just trying to make sense of all your promises
Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that you’re God
And I am not

I would love for you to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

A Seemingly Perfect Life

September 19, 2018September 1, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

I say it all the time, social media is only the very best snapshots of the life we want to show the world. Don’t wish for someone else’s seemingly perfect life. We all have fears and tears and struggles. Be an encouragement to someone today, you never know what might be happening behind the filter.

I read this post on Facebook by a page I follow called Encouragement from Women Who Have Been There.

I have been encouraged by several of the posts that I have read there. This one in particular from Becki Rogers founder of Not Quite SuperMoms was especially interesting to me.

Biblical Abigail in a Modern-Day Setting

“If you read 1 Samuel 25, you’ll meet a lady who seems like a superwoman.
Humor me while I describe Abigail in a modern setting: she’s got a college education. Her hair is perfectly styled and her roots never show. She’s fit, hitting the home gym every morning without fail. Her Bible is well-worn, and her prayer journal is opened daily. Her home is decorated like the pages of a magazine, and her weekly shopping trips include stops at all the best boutiques. Her personal cook and housekeeper adore her, and her Instagram account has 450k followers. You might know her. Or, you might follow her Instagram account. You might secretly wish you could be her. I can’t blame you. I would want to be her too! But beyond those pristine photo filters, her marriage is a mess. Her husband is a drunken, incorrigible man, and she silently wipes tears as she fixes his messes. She is a peacemaker on his behalf, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders day after day.

I know, I know. The Bible doesn’t say all that about Abigail, but it DOES say that she was wise, and peacekeeping, and wealthy (at least, her husband was). It also mentions that she was pretty. In today’s world, she could have been everything described above.

However, her home life was miserable, to put it mildly. The Bible describes Nabal, her husband, as a cruel and brutal man in all his dealings. And yet, despite being married to such a man, she didn’t waver in her faithfulness to her loathsome husband.

The story takes an unexpected turn when the future king, David, came along. Her husband was rude to David and his men, and David planned retaliation. Abigail secretly defied her husband and humbly approached David with food and an offer of peace, taking the blame for her husband. Sadly, she’d probably had to do this many times before.

Instagram filters can hide a host of heartache. Don’t assume another mom isn’t struggling just because her social media looks good.

I love how Abigail wisely approaches David —first with food, and then with reason. There’s very little that a good meal can’t pacify! In addition to the food offering, she humbly suggested to David that to avenge himself by killing her husband (as well as their entire household—including Abigail herself) would not be in his best interests. She de-escalated the situation by appealing to his conscience: she reminded him of who he was—the Lord’s soldier, fighting His battles. She gently suggested that he would later regret having this bloodshed on his hands, and she prophesied that all of his enemies would be as cursed as her husband was. Talk about a crisis negotiator! I need some of that wisdom in refereeing my kids’ bickering!

***(Challenge)
The bottom line is, I don’t have a clue what struggles you’re facing based on your social media posts. I can imagine that those pretty filters hide a lot of tears. You don’t know what another mom is facing either. Don’t wish for her life, no matter how good it looks. Instead, we need to pray for each other. Call a friend today and ask if there’s anything you can pray about. It may look like she’s got it all together, but she may be silently begging God for a friend. Be that one. And if you’re the one struggling behind closed doors, reach out. Ask your Father to bring you a trusted confidant who may be able to give you wise, godly counsel.”

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle · Love and Life

Happy Mother’s Day, 2018!

May 13, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

I have been blessed with two wonderful, sweet, loving, healthy children. I have also been blessed with a wonderful, loving, and healthy mother!

I never knew just how much I was loved by my mom until I became a mother myself! Being a mother is the best and most important job in the world. It is also the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done.

I appreciate all that my mom has done for me throughout my life. Happy Mother’s Day, I love you, Mom!

Happy Mother’s day to all you moms and if you are not a mom make sure you call your mother to tell her that you love and appreciate her!

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Lifestyle

6 Ways To Ensure Unhappiness

March 23, 2018March 9, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

We all want to be happy, but yet often we are our own worst enemies! I know that quite often the only reason that I am unhappy is that I choose to be. Here are 6 quick way to ensure that you are unhappy!

1.Have Unrealistic Expectations

Unmet expectations will almost always be the cause of your unhappiness in life.

Unmet expectations are usually what causes anger as well. It is not always easy to admit that the true source of your anger and unhappiness is from not getting what you wanted!

Minimize your expectations, maximize your joy.

2. Have Uncommunicated Expectations

Guess what? No one is a mind reader! Can you believe it?! It is true.

If you want someone in your life to do something, first they need to know what you want from them. Don’t get upset when you expect something from someone that they have no clue about.

Give the people in your life the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to meet your expectations.

3. Don’t Be Honest With Yourself

Sometimes, I have to stop and ask myself “Why am I doing what I am doing?” Sometimes I know exactly why. Sometimes the answer is clear and positive. Sometimes I don’t really know what my motivation is.

Sometimes I have to really take a step back and be honest with myself, “What do I want out of this situation?” I don’t always like the answer that I have to give myself.

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
Proverbs 11:3

4. Don’t Be Honest With Others

So many ugly situations in life could be avoided if we were to live by the simple truth of “Say what you mean and mean what you say!”

Do you want to host Easter dinner? Nope.

Then when you are asked to host, be honest about it and say “No.” Don’t say you will host and then make it clear to everyone around you that you don’t want to have them at your house.

Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.
Proverbs 15:17

Are you upset because someone hurt your feelings? YES!

Tell them the truth about the way you feel, don’t say “Nothing” when asked what is wrong. If it is important enough to you to make you upset, it should be important enough for you to share.

Be respectful of the relationship and give them the chance to correct the situation.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18

1 John 3:18 | lookingjoligood.blog — photo credit: Bible app

5. Assign Intent To Others

On a daily basis, we can find a something to get offended about.

What happened?

Your friend didn’t like your IG photo.
Your co-workers went to lunch without you.
Your sisters got together for a playdate with their kids and you weren’t included.
Two people you know were having a serious conversation and didn’t acknowledge you.
Your friends had a girl’s night out and you couldn’t go.

Don’t take things personally! Almost always, people are not against you, they are just for themselves.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13

Colossians 3:13 | lookingjoligood.blog — Photo credit: Bible app

If you want to be unhappy give intent to the unintentional things that other people do!

6. Compare your life to others.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”-Theodore Roosevelt

In this world of social media, it is so hard not to get sucked into comparing ourselves with others. Due to social media, we see so much more of people’s “private” lives.

The problem is that we are usually comparing all of our flaws with the snapshots of an edited filtered picture perfect life. Their reality is that they also have flaws that we do not see.

Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵for each one should carry their own load.
Galatians 6:4-5

Stop it! Be grateful for what you do have!

Follow these simple steps to have a completely unhappy life! 😉

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Lifestyle

The Devil Made Me Do It

March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

While recently away in Florida on a family vacation, we did A LOT of driving. During these times in the car, we passed the time listening to old episodes of Adventures in Odyssey. My kids LOVE them, as both my husband and I did as children.

Adventures in Odyssey | lookingjoligood.blog — photo credit: daystar.com

Something about the episode we listened to the one night caught my ear and really made me think. The episode is called “The Devil Made Me Do It” It has three separate stories done in a “variety show” style each with the similar theme of resisting temptation.

While Adventures in Odyssey is made for children and done in an entertaining way, the concepts have such deeper meanings.

The Bible tells us the enemy is roaming the earth seeking people to destroy; it is also true that as Christians we have the power of God living inside of us. We already have the power to resist.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

Is it wrong to be tempted? Of course not, even Jesus was tempted by Satan.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

We all have different hang-ups and different things that tempt us. Maybe you’re trying to get healthier and you are tempted by the bread basket or having second helpings of dinner. (My weakness is chocolate chip cookies!🍪)

Maybe you are tempted to compare yourself to others which in turn can lead to unkindness and gossiping.

Maybe you are a procrastinator always tempted to put things off until the last minute.

Whatever you’re tempted by God has given us the power to overcome it!

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Romans 6:12‭-‬13

When it comes to temptation does the “Devil make me do it”? No, but he’s definitely going to be ready to tempt you to sin. Put up a good fight and resist that temptation!

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Looking Joli Good

Kindness is beautiful!

Tag: family

The real #topnine

Glory in the Highest by Meredith Andrews

An Unrushed Christmas… Peace Be Still