For you, Tara --- part 4

I seriously laughed out loud when I read the next question in line from Tara's comment the other day. I would stop & take a picture of my bedroom to show you just how bad it is, but I don't want to blow my image completely. ha ha! You see, Tara's next question was

" How you keep organized."

Hang on a second while I bust a gut like this lady.



Ok, seriously, I think it's so sweet that Tara thinks I'm organized. I will admit that I AM organized in some areas of my life. Unfortunately, that organization doesn't stretch into all the areas of my life that I'd like it to! I tend to be more anal-retentive/OCD/control freakish about those areas of my life, so hang on tight. If you follow any of these tips, you may be given those titles by your family too! Probably my biggest area of organization is in the meal planning/grocery shopping area, so I'll tell ya how I do that! (If you know of another freakishly organized area of my life & want to know how I do that, let me know & I'll explain!)

I get some sort of weird pleasure out of sitting down with my meal planner sheets (you can print it out from this site: http://www.homelifeweekly.com/cooking/weekly-menu-planner/) and my calendar to plan out the coming week's schedule & meals. If there is a night when I know that we'll all be going in different directions, I am more apt to plan something simple like sandwiches & chips & fruit or hot dogs. (quick things that can be thrown together or heated up in a hurry) If I know that we have somewhere to go, but it won't be til later in the night, I will plan for a bit more complicated meal, but not a typical one that will take 30 min to an hour to cook. Ordinarily, however, if we will all be home, I cook a 'regular' meal. I write out our meals for the week on the menu planner form & then pull out my paper to make the grocery list. I ONLY buy the ingredients needed for those meals. I do occasionally have to go back & buy milk or bread or fruit mid-week, but aside from that sort of thing, I buy it all at one time on the weekend. It took me years to master this skill, but I'm telling you, it's so worth the hour's time it'll take to sit down & write out a menu and list. You'll save lots of time & money in the long run!

And here's where I really bare my soul. I'm totally anal about my grocery list. Don't laugh. This is what it looks like.


I divide it up by the store's layout so that I'm in & out of the store quickly.

NOTE:
I try to make meals from items we already have in the freezer or pantry to minimize the cost. Some weeks that is easier than others! I like to stock up on meats & canned foods when I can for this reason, so watch those mark-down meats & grocery sale ads! (But be careful -- don't buy it just because it's a bargain! Only buy what you KNOW your family will eat.) I rarely use coupons because it's very easy to clip a coupon for something I DON'T NEED just for the sake of trying a new product or getting to use the coupon. Don't do it, folks! You're just wasting money!

Also, just because I have a menu plan doesn't mean that I stick to it like glue. Just because I planned to have spaghetti on Monday doesn't mean that we will eat it that night. If there is a change in our schedule or we're just not in the mood for that meal on that night, we'll have another one from the planner. I just mark them off as we go each night.

For you, Tara --- part 3

Continuing in my posts for Tara.....

Tonight's question: What family habits have you developed for devotions for your kids and as a couple and as a family?

Well, girl, I wish I could confidently proclaim how well we've done in this area. But I can't. Over the years, we've tried various methods of devotions for the family, but nothing has ever 'stuck'. We tend to focus less on having a particular time devoted to sitting & reading & talking things out (like a family church service at home) and more on living it day in & day out. We try to take conversations as they naturally happen & turn them into teachable moments.That's certainly not to say that we have somehow 'arrived' because Heaven knows we have NOT. But, we learned a long time ago that having a regimented way of doing something might or might not work where kids are involved. Sometimes it's just easier to wing it. (or at least it is for us) I read other blogs & have read a hundred books on the topic over the years and it all sounds like such great stuff....but we've just never been able to put it all into practice.

We do have some holiday traditions that include family devotions & living out God's love for others. And I'd be glad to share those things but will probably just wait til the holiday season this year & share as we go. (But email me if you want to hear about it sooner.)

However, with all that in mind, I can tell you of a few awesome books that I would totally recommend to at least point you in the right direction. We take bits & pieces of them all & use them regularly.

First is Parenting with Scripture. It is a topical guide for those teachable moments where you can slip in some Scripture & focus their hearts on Jesus.

Second is my "parenting Bible". I totally think all Christian parents should be required to read this one. It is Lisa Whelchel's Creative Correction.

Another one I like is similar to the first one. It's called 31 Days of Prayer for My Child.

I also loved Together at Home. It's no longer in print, but if you click on the title, it'll take you to Amazon where there are used copies going for as little as 1 cent. It's a great book of hundreds of ideas for family nights with a faith-focus. And I believe there was a sequel to the book called More Together at Home or something along those lines. (I haven't read it.)

As far as parenting books that I think are invaluable to Christian parenting, I'd highly recommend Shepherding a Child's Heart and A Mother's Heart.

I hope this has helped!

Colossians 4:18

Our pastor has spent most of the summer working through the book of Colossians. Taking the book apart piece by piece, looking at individual passages, really digging in. It's been great. This morning was his final day in Colossians. As we sat reading the Scripture that he'd be preaching from today, one particular verse jumped off the page & slapped me in the face. You know how that goes, right? You read something that seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of the passage you're reading, but one little phrase really rips a hole right into your soul. This was that verse.

Colossians 4:18 says "I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you."

It's just one little verse. It's the very last verse at the end of an a tiny 4 chapters long book. Why did that one get me? It wasn't the whole verse. It was the last two sentences that struck a chord in me.

"Remember my chains. Grace be with you."

I think that alone can sum up my entire faith. Everything about my relationship with Jesus is there. Those 7 words really cover it all. Look at it.

Remember: recall, don't forget, keep in mind
my chains: my sins, my mistakes, my faults, my misdeeds
Grace be with you: unmerited love, favor, mercy, kindness; given to me on the Cross by Jesus

While my faith is built on the fact that Jesus died for me & I am made righteous & promised eternity in Heaven with Him because of what He did for me, I believe that it's important that we, as Christians, don't forget where we came from. The depths of darkness our sins created, the anguish our sins caused Him. I know there are some who would say we should focus on who we are now by our place in Christ -- righteous saints, holy ones, chosen people made blameless & pure by Him. And I agree. But if I forget my chains entirely, I tend to want to walk alone & hold myself up. So while my chains are gone & I am FREE, I can still look over my shoulder & see them. And it reminds me again & again to praise HIM for His grace.

All throughout this morning's sermon, I was hearing this song in my head. The lyrics say:

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqJsBRFdrA0&ob=av2e

For you, Tara --- part 2

As a continuation to last night's post for my sweet friend, Tara, tonight I will answer this part of her comment/questions:

Your favorite worship leaders/songs.

{You'll need to scroll down to the bottom of this page & pause the music in my player so you can watch/hear all these videos!}

First of all, I'm sure Tara will agree that we've got an awesome worship pastor at our church. Todd writes some of his own music and is great! Feel free to watch a couple videos of our church's worship style here and here and here.

I am also totally in love with the work of these amazing worship leaders/singers:
Kari Jobe (and probably my favorite song of hers in the one in this video)
Chris Tomlin
Paul Baloche
Desperation Band <---I always want to bounce around & dance to this one!
David Crowder Band
Third Day
Nichole Nordeman <--there is NOTHING she's done that I don't like. Amazing talent to bring me to Jesus every single time!
Nicole C. Mullen
Natalie Grant
Barlow Girl
Casting Crowns
Mercy Me
Matt Redman
Michael W. Smith
Sanctus Real
Mary Mary (I think this was the only big hit of theirs, but I love it!)
Brandon Heath
FFH (Far From Home)
Eli
Tenth Avenue North
Hillsong
Darlene Zschech
Selah
Chris Rice

I could go on & on. So many amazing singers/groups with fabulous stuff these days! It would be easier for me to turn on KVNE (our local Christian radio station) & tell you which groups/singers I don't like. :)

For you, Tara --- part 1

I think it was about 2 years ago. I got a friend request from a lady on Facebook. I had seen her name/picture on comments to my friends' status updates but didn't know her at all. When she sent me a friend request, I checked who our mutual friends were & sent a couple of them messages saying "Who is this lady? Do I know her? She sent me a friend request. Since you are a mutual friend of ours, can you tell me about her?" Over & over, I got the same answers --- that she worked with the kids at a local mega(ish) church & that she was a sweetheart. I don't usually accept friend requests from strangers but for some reason, I felt safe with this one. Soon after, I wrote & asked her if we'd met before. I thought maybe we'd crossed paths somewhere along the way & her answer blew me away. She was SO sweet to tell me that she'd seen my comments on her friends' pages & she just wanted to know me because she thought I seemed nice. That was all it took for me to know she was a smart cookie (ha ha!) and that I wanted to be friends with her.

Over the course of the next year (roughly), we had a Facebook relationship. We commented on each other's pictures and statuses, but we never saw each other in person. Earlier this year, she sent me a message about some issues they were having & we realized very quickly that God had put us together for a reason. She felt very awkward about reaching out to me with a problem since we barely knew each other, but they were dealing with some things that Larry & I have dealt with firsthand. We were able to pray for them, tell them how things had worked for us, what we did to handle similar circumstances.

Several months ago, Tara's family began attending our church. She is an absolute doll! All those things people told me 2 years ago were true! She's one of the most authentic, honest, genuine people. And I LOVE that about her. I've long said that we need more transparent Christians in the Church and being a friend of Tara's is a breath of fresh air. I love this girl!! Her kids are precious, her husband is a hoot and I've had the best time sitting beside her in church, worshiping God together. She often says that she's glad I am her friend.......but she doesn't know that it's actually the other way around. I am thrilled that she's my friend!

In my last post, I asked if anyone would like to hear about anything in particular & my sweet friend Tara commented:

"I would love to hear who inspires you. Your favorite worship leaders/songs. What family habits have you developed for devotions for your kids and as a couple and as a family. How you keep organized. What you had for dinner! LOLOLOLOL...ok now I'm off on a tangent. I just like to hear how others make their homes centered around our Precious Savior! Just helps me to develop those things in our house!"

I may have to break that down into a couple of posts.

I would love to hear who inspires you.

For me, inspiration means someone or something that gives you a feeling, thought or idea that pushes you to move forward. Whether that means a recipe that I read that makes me want to try it....or a devotional I read that makes me want to follow Him more closely.....or a person who does something really cool that makes me want to do something really cool, too. So who inspires me?

My kids inspire me. Healthy people jogging down the street inspire me. People who get in bed at a decent hour all the time inspire me. My husband inspires me. My pastor inspires me every week! The list could really go on & on & on. Apparently I need a lot of inspiration in my life. ha ha!

I am so thankful that I have so many amazing people in my life that inspire me to do all sorts of things.

I'm stumped.

This morning when I woke up, I went to wake up the kids & found Samuel camped out in the bathroom. And let's just say it wasn't because he was throwing up. Oh yes, the OTHER thing. So I am home from work today. We've played video games & watched Tom and Jerry and Phineas & Ferb together. We went to the store & got him some Gatorade. He's mostly layed around in front of the TV all day long. Every time he tries to eat or drink, he says his stomach cramps again. But he seems to feel OK in between bouts of that.

On a totally different note, I've been trying to blog for a week but keep getting writer's block when I sit down to type. I can't think of anything to talk about. Is there anything in particular you'd like to hear about?

Fun survey!

1) If you were a doll, the accessories packaged with you would be:
a tiny laptop, paper & pens, books

2) I have an irrational fear of:
I'm not sure if it classifies as irrational but I can't stand even the thought of snakes or mice/rats. ick!!!

3) What would you do if you were stranded on an island with the person you hate most?
I don't know. Because I can't think of anyone I "hate most".

4) I find the thought of childbirth:
is exciting! I enjoyed being pregnant, being in labor & giving birth. It's the months of little sleep & constant neediness of a newborn that scare me.

5) My toenails are:
not looking too pretty tonight. This morning I attempted to remove my toenail on my big toe of my right foot. Well, at least that's how it appeared. I opened my bedroom door into my toe & heard a lovely crunching sound right about the time I winced in pain. I could've sworn I had ripped my toenail off, but it's still attached & very sore! It's not bleeding but I am still getting some clear liquid seeping out now & then. I'm soaking it in Epsom salts a couple times a day, keeping it clean & dry and spraying it with Bactine every time I have to do anything with it. I'm crossing my fingers that it won't get all nasty & infected and won't require any drugs or doctor visits! I have pictures if you want to see! :)

6) Who is your partner in crime?
Larry, of course! :)

7) What was the last thing to make you cry?
When one of our students at school graduated last week. I didn't totally cry, but I welled up. What can I say? I'm a sap.

8.) What’s most confusing to you?
quantum physics
Just kidding. I don't even know what that is! There are many confusing things in life!

9) What is one thing you’ve learned about life?
that it passes SO quickly. Live every minute like it's your last.

10) Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?
yes! In 2005 when Larry first went on staff at the church, he went out of town for some conference & it was up to me to take a group of single parents & their kids to an out of town play. We got there safe & sound, but 2 minutes after entering the building, me and my kids and a handful of other people in our group (with their kids!) all got stuck in an elevator. We were there for over an hour & had to be rescued by the fire department!