One of my favorite meals is a sesame ginger salad (I’ll get the recipe up here sometime). It has a unique twist, is refreshing, and makes my taste buds extremely happy.

This dip is a play on that salad. A cream cheese base layered with some tasty toppings all pulled together with a dressing that will make you want to come back for more.

Serve with sesame chips and don’t forget you can adjust the toppings to fit your taste and even the ingredients in the dressing. (If you don’t have hoisin and don’t feel like buying a bottle, just leave it out. I think you’ll still enjoy the finished result.)

This post is part of a series. Don’t forget to find all the recipes for layer dips with an international flair here.

Linking up to Recipe Sharing Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Mindful Mommy Monday, Pin It Monday, Motivation Monday, Mama Moments Monday, Living Proverbs 31, TGIM, Natural Living Monday, Good Tips Tuesday, Share Your Stuff Tuesday, Babies and Beyond, Titus 2 Tuesday, Tending Home Tuesday, Do Tell Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Lovely Ladies Linky, Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up, Wellness Wednesday, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, All Things Thursday, Pin It Thursday, Thriving Thursday,  Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Simple Lives Thursday, Thrifty Thursday, Mommy Brain Mixer, Fellowship Fridays, Foodie Friends Friday, The Weekend reTreat, Let’s Get Real, Family Fun Friday, Follow Our Thrift, Frugal Homeschool Friday, Strut Your STuff, Link Party Palooza, Weekend Wind Down Party, Show Stopper Saturday, Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange

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Today’s post is a follow up to How to Go From Surviving to Thriving from last week. Many of us have the ability to cut unnecessary things out of our lives, learn to prioritize, and plan better to take us to thriving. There are people, though, who have said no to everything that they can, plan and prioritize perfectly and still find themselves surviving. Barely surviving even. I have so much to learn from people in that situation and hope you find yourself encouraged and challenged by this post no matter which situation you find yourself in.

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The vast majority of people I see have so much control over their circumstances, hence the ability to learn to plan, prioritize, say  no, etc. With a little effort, their lives can be vastly different.

However, there are many times I see people in the most horrible life situations, and they are such an inspiration. What is it about them that makes them different from others going through the exact same things?

How can one person be inspirational and even upbeat while the other is downtrodden and miserable? They CANNOT change any of their circumstances. They can ONLY change themselves and the way they look at life.

What have they found in their soul and spirit? I want to be like that.

What happens when your season of “just surviving” goes on and on and on. There were years when I felt that survive was all I could do. “I just need the strength to get through today” was my prayer every morning. Thriving seemed to be a very dim light at the end of a very long tunnel.

I know there are others out there in the same situation – single moms, moms of a handicapped child, severely allergic child, or a chronically ill child, a mom with a husband who never helps or is never home, a mom whose husband is deployed overseas, or a mom who has a debilitating disease or cancer.

When will their season of “just surviving” ever end? Is there any hope for them?

I used to pray that I only had to be “on duty” 23 hours and 50 minutes a day. Just 10 minutes of “me time” a day. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? I looked forward to my 10 minutes, and if I didn’t get it, I was so disappointed and frustrated. I felt sad – life had let me down. It began to steal the joy from my life.

Then, one day I was reading a very old Bible study book. Something jumped out at me and gave me a slap in the face. I was to commit 100% of my life to my family. Not 95%, not 99% – but 100%. Seriously!?!? Was I really willing to do that?

I was convicted that day and began my journey of giving 100%. I couldn’t change my circumstances. I had already cut out all of the unnecessary things that devoured my time and energy. The only thing left to change was my heart and my attitude. I determined that, for whatever reason, God had designed my days to be challenging. I was up to the task. I was in 100%.

My days continued to be exactly like they had been – no sleep, messes to clean, diapers to change, meals to cook, homeschooling, disciplining feisty kids. All of this by myself while my husband was on the road. Just like the previous week, I found myself with exactly zero minutes of “me time”. But, now I wasn’t disappointed. How could I be disappointed when I got exactly what I expected? After all, my part of the bargain was 100% of me. Was I tired? Absolutely. More that you will ever know. But I found my joy was still there. It was not being stolen anymore.

And then, the best thing began to happen. Occasionally, I got ten minutes of “me time,” and I was so excited! I was given a gift that day, and I saw those few precious minutes as a blessing. A few days earlier when I got those ten minutes, I deserved them (or so I thought), so I never appreciated them or saw them as a blessing.

The same life. The same ten minutes. But with a different heart attitude.

Life hadn’t changed. I changed.

Are you in a long season of “just surviving” or do you know someone who is? What kinds of things have others done or what things could others do that could give you a few minutes of desperately needed “me time”? I would love if you would comment and let me know how to be a blessing to you!

Linking up to Mommy Brain Mixer, Let’s Get Real, Thrifty Thursday, Fellowship Fridays, Essential Friday, Faith Filled Friday, The Weekend ReTreat, Let’s Get Real, Show Stopper Saturday, Strut Your Stuff, Weekend Wind Down, Link Party Palooza, Happiness is Homemade, Mindful Mommy Monday, Pin It Monday, Motivation Monday, Mama Moments Monday, Living Proverbs 31, TGIM, Natural Living Monday, Good Tips Tuesday, Share Your Stuff Tuesday, Babies and Beyond, Titus 2 Tuesday, Tending Home Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Lovely Ladies Linkym Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, All Things Thursday, Pin It Thursday, Thriving Thursday,  Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Simple Lives Thursday

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Have you ever read one of those books

• Where you continuously find yourself saying, “yes, yes”?
• Where you are affirmed in a lot of what you are doing?
• Where you think, “I’m so glad I’m not the only one that thinks that!”?
• Where you get the kick in the pants that you need?

Crystal Paine’s new book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, was one of those. She talks about how she went from simply trying to keep up with everything to passionately living on purpose. In the 10 chapters of this book, Crystal will give you the steps you need to “say goodbye to survival mode and hello to a life that matters. A life that makes a difference. A life on purpose!” Just take a look at the chapter titles:

• Stop Trying to Do It All 
• Say Yes to the Best
• If You Aim at Nothing, You’ll Hit It Every Time
• Discipline Is Not a Bad Word
• Be Intentional with Your Bank Account
• Manage the Home Front
• When You Feel Like a Failure
• Yes, You Can Make  Difference
• Sometimes It Is about You
• Kick-Start Your Success

As a part of the launch team for Say Goodbye to Survival Mode I was able to read a review copy last month. I loved it and found myself writing down quote after quote. In fact, I loved it so much I purchased a copy. If you know me, that’s saying something. Spending money isn’t something that comes easily to me. I can’t wait to receive my hard copy in the mail and reread it and have my husband read it as well. I’m sure that every person won’t be able to apply everything in the book, but I’m pretty confident that everyone will be able to find encouragement and advice that will help them. Reading this book is like sitting down with a friend. Crystal shares her story and lessons she’s learned (often the hard way) over the years. She will help you:

• feel healthier and more energetic by setting priorities and boundaries
• eliminate stress with savvy management of your time, money, and home
• get more done by setting realistic goals and embracing discipline
• rediscover your passions—and the confidence to pursue them

I love quotes, so I have to share with you a few of my favorites.

• Time doesn’t expand limitlessly. When I yes to one thing, I must say no to something else.
• The problem was that I was trying to be someone I wasn’t created to be.
• Getting up early is not rocket science. You just have to do it.
• You have to be willing to cut back, give up things, spend your time differently, and say no more often.
• Here’s the beautiful thing about a budget: while it’s hard and limiting at first, over time, you’ll realize that it’s your means to enjoy life without headaches and worry. Ultimately, it’s a pathway to freedom. And when you tell your money how to work for you, you can be intentional about how you use it.
• You have to feed your soul before you can be a great leader, owner of a company, daughter, sister, wife, friend, boss, manager, or mother. You may think you do not have time to feed yourself spiritually, but I assure you that you cannot afford not to.

That list could keep on going, but I’ll let you start your own list of quotes that spoke to you when you read the book and read it you must! So many things spoke true to me and helped and encouraged me. My stage of life right now is one of exhaustion and I needed this book. I needed to hear that it’s okay to do even less and simplify even more than what I’m already doing. I needed the freedom to not feel guilt over those decisions. This post that I wrote last week talks a little more about some of the ideas in the book and 5 things I have to do to go from surviving to thriving. If it’s not in the budget to purchase another book right now, I’d highly encourage you to ask your library to add it to their collection. SPECIAL, LIMITED TIME OFFER: To celebrate the release of her book this week, Crystal is offering a collection of amazing prizes for those who buy the book. Simply go to www.GoodbyeSurvivalModeBook.com now for details. You can also pick up the book anywhere books are sold, including Amazon.

Linking up to Fabulously Frugal Thursday, The Pin It Party, Thriving Thursday, House to Home, Mommy Brain Mixer, Let’s Get Real, Thrifty Thursday, Fellowship Fridays, Faith Filled Friday, Essential Friday, The Weekend ReTreat,  Let’s Get Real, Strut Your Stuff, Weekend Wind Down, Link Party Palooza, Happiness is Homemade, Mindful Mommy Monday, Pin It Monday, Motivation Monday, Mama Moments Monday, Living Proverbs 31, TGIM, Natural Living Monday, Good Tips Tuesday, Share Your Stuff Tuesday, Babies and Beyond, Titus 2 Tuesday, Tending Home Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesday, Lovely Ladies Linky, Welcome Home Wednesday, Homemaking Link Up

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