Lifestyle

Turning Off the Noise and Getting Quiet

October 27, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood1 Comment

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10

Since around this time last year, I have been teaching a Bible study at my church. It is one of my favorite things to do to serve in my church. Spending time preparing for the study, as well as spending time with the ladies that attend the study has made a big impact on my life!

The last few months we have been doing our study from the book by Nicki Koziarz Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind. This book has so many great truths in it. I have learned so much in preparing for the study each week. I love it when God uses different ways to give us just what we need to hear.

“I’m amazed at how much our culture resists quiet. Most of our days are spent managing noise—noise from others, noise from our technology, noise from our inner thoughts.

Sometimes it feels like there’s so much going on in my head that I can’t even hear myself think, let alone hear God. When it seems like God is quiet, we need to get quiet.

When my soul is giving me a clue that it’s not well, even just getting quiet and still for a few moments helps me recognize where I’m struggling.

When it seems like God is quiet, we need to get quiet.”

Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Excerpt from Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind by Nicki Koziarz

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.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #43 Ballet Kickboxing Workout with Jessica Smith

October 22, 2018October 7, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood1 Comment

As I mentioned in the last few weeks’ No Gym No Problem posts, I love kickboxing workouts! There is nothing better than getting an overall body workout in a short amount of time. This week’s workout is a different take on a kickboxing workout. Jessica Smith combines Ballet and kickboxing for a great workout!

Do you have 34 minutes to improve your health and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest 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.

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #42 Fitness Blender Cardio Kickboxing Workout

October 15, 2018October 7, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

As I mentioned last week, kickboxing is my favorite type of workout! I love getting an overall body workout in a short amount of time. I have been doing this Fitness blender kickboxing workout all this past week and I love it! I figured that I would share it with you so that you can love it too!

Last week’s Popsugar workout was 45 minutes and this one is only 25 minutes, twenty minutes shorter, yet, still an amazing workout!

If you are a person that needs music to workout with, you will need to add your own soundtrack because this workout doesn’t have any background music with it.

Daniel and Kelli at FitnessBlender have a great YouTub Channel with lots of great free workouts.

Do you have 25 minutes to improve your health and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest 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

What Are Our Bodies Made For?

October 6, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I love this Facebook post I read by Proverbs 31 Ministries.

You can check out the original post by clicking HERE.

“Do you ever find yourself in a group of women talking about their bodies? Everyone begins sharing what they don’t love or want to change, and it quickly becomes an overwhelming conversation of stirred up negativity.

In moments when we are tempted to feed the temptation to focus on what we don’t like about ourselves, we must remind our minds of truth about the bodies God gave us.

Our bodies are made in the Image of God. (Genesis 1:27)
Our bodies were made to be a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)
Our bodies were made for worship. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Our bodies were not made for the approval of man, but for the glorification of God.

Has this ever been an area in your life that you have struggled with, or may be struggling with now? We would love to pray for you!”

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

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #40 Real Housewives Full Body Workouts with John Spencer Ellis by ExerciseTV

October 1, 2018September 29, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Ok, so I am so sorry that I have missed a few weeks of posting No Gym No Problem, so I am going to post two “sister” workouts for this week.

While I never watch “The Real Housewives of…” I absolutely am a real housewife. 😉 These two workouts are simple yet effective. I love the way John Spencer Ellis gives guided breathing instructions.

When is a good time to start exercising? Right NOW! Do you have 20 minutes to improve your health and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it!

Remember to keep proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest by clicking HERE!

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

Beauty Subscription

Walmart Beauty Classic and Trendsetter Boxes Summer 2018

September 29, 2018September 29, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Did you know that Walmart has its own subscription beauty box? Yup, they do! It is a quarterly box and only costs $5 a season. Walmart technically calls it a “sample box” and says that the box itself is free and the $5 is a flat rate for shipping and handling. Either way, the box costs $5 each season.

In your Walmart Beauty Box, you can expect to find around 7-9 samples. Sometimes there are even a few full-sized makeup samples. Although in the past, I have raved about this box, the last few seasons have been a terrible waste of money. If things continue this way I cannot recommend that you spend your money on this beauty box. (I have added pictures of previous boxes below to show you how much the sample quality has decreased.)

How does it work?

You sign up at https://beautybox.walmart.com/
Create an account
Add your payment and shipping info
Wait for your confirmation email
Enjoy your beauty box when it arrives

The Walmart beauty box website says

“Each subscriber will be charged upon receiving an order confirmation (locking in your box for the season).
If you do not receive an order confirmation, please check your account information to make sure the payment and shipping information in your account is up to date (as well as check your junk mail). Following the order confirmation email is a shipping confirmation, once you receive the shipping confirmation email you can expect a delivery within 5-10 business days. Each seasonal Beauty Box is a limited edition and may sell out at any time. Note: Beauty products may vary by box.”There are two different types of boxes available, the classic and the trendsetter. Up until recently, only one box could be sent per email address, but that has been changed. I now receive both boxes.

Here is what I got in this season’s boxes:

Trendsetter Box

Classic Box

For only $5USD four times a year, this used to be a great subscription box to receive. (see below photos, take special notice of the Spring 2017 boxes. The quality of samples has greatly decreased since then!)

If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember that my disgust over the items I received in the classic summer Walmart beauty box brought me out of a 4 month IG hibernation. I receive both the classic and traditional boxes. I’m just as disgusted by both of them. What are your thoughts? What about you? Do you get this Walmart Beauty Box? Do you get any other subscription bags/boxes that are worth trying out? Let me know in the comments below.

Here is what I received in my Fall 2017 Classic Box: 4 sample products and 4 foil packets product 2 perfume samplesHere is what I received in my Fall 2017 Trendsetter Box: 6 sample sized products.Summer 2017 Trendsetter Box

Summer 2017 Classic BoxSpring 2017 Trendsetter BoxSpring 2017 Classic Box a special “Me Moment” box

**There are no referral or affiliate links in this post! The links provided are just because I really like to tell everyone about great deals!

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.”

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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

The Power of Doubt

September 12, 2018September 1, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

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

No Gym No Problem

No Gym? No Problem! #37 Fitness Blender 25 min Fat Burning HIIT Cardio Workout

September 10, 2018September 1, 2018 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

If you are someone that gets bored easily while working out this is a great workout for you. Although, if you are a person that needs music to workout with, you will need to add your own soundtrack because this workout doesn’t have any background music with it. Get ready to squat and sweat! (and of course, burpees, because what is a HIIT workout without burpees, right?!)

Daniel and Kelli at FitnessBlender have a great YouTub Channel with lots of great free workouts.

Do you have 25 minutes to improve your health and wellness? Yes, You Do! No Excuses, Just do it! Remember to keep good proper form, warm up before, and stretch after you exercise!

Are you enjoying these “No Gym? No Problem!” posts? If so, you can check out the rest 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.

Looking Joli Good

Kindness is beautiful!

Tag: Lifestyle

Turning Off the Noise and Getting Quiet

No Gym? No Problem! #43 Ballet Kickboxing Workout with Jessica Smith

No Gym? No Problem! #42 Fitness Blender Cardio Kickboxing Workout

What Are Our Bodies Made For?

No Gym? No Problem! #40 Real Housewives Full Body Workouts with John Spencer Ellis by ExerciseTV