Goals are nice, but what’s your plan?

Having hopes, dreams, and aspirations is important. Everyone needs something to strive toward. But just the idea of what you want isn’t quite enough. You need a plan to get there. And really, a plan is only as good as the actions taken to follow it.

Your dreams don’t work unless you do.

Sure, you have to start with a goal. Something you want to achieve or attain. But then you need to make choices and do things that will help you get there! It’s not just about choosing your destination. It’s the little steps that move your feet down the path.

Having a stack of books won’t make you smarter. You have to read them. Shelling out for a gym membership won’t make you stronger. You have to exercise your muscles. Healthy foods won’t nourish you unless you eat them. People won’t hear you unless you say something.

What is it that you want? What do you need? What are you doing to get it?

My pastor often talks about asking questions. More specifically, asking the right people the right questions. Who has experience with this thing that you want? Do you see someone else achieving your dreams? Instead of comparing or competing, conspire with them. Ask them to share what they know.

I can’t think of anything more rewarding than helping someone else. Many people that I know feel the same way. We are blessed to be a blessing. If I seem to know something that you want to know, ask me!

The New Year is laid out before us, full of possibilities. Let’s get to work!

xo,

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C

It's About Time

Here’s a revolutionary thought: There are twenty-four hours in a day, and no matter how many things I want to get done, or how many hours I waste along the way, I can’t extend time.

Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5

Recently, I have listened to The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta, on CD. Actually, I have listened to it twice. “Do less, get more done,” he says.

The Power of Less is about identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary. Babauta says that in order to streamline your life, you have to set limits for yourself and focus your energy on achieving your goals.

Thankfully, God has set the limit of hours in a day and the days of my life. I know that if I were in command of the number of hours I could have in a day, I would be perpetually trapped, trying to just finish ONE MORE THING.

All I have to do is figure out what is important to me, how long it will take to get done, and when I’m going to do it. I need to set limits in my own life, so that I can focus on what is important to me instead of doing every little thing that comes up.

So the other day, I sat down to organize myself in a schedule. I made a plan for the hours of the schooldays for the rest of the school year, which is now less than three weeks. Hooray! And even so, I only planned out Monday through Wednesday, because some fun out-of-the-ordinary thing is happening at school every Thursday and Friday until the end. It’s a sprint to the finish every year!

I also scheduled my summer days with the kids, including quiet time, meals, chores, swimming… Then I realized that I had left post-pool SHOWERING out of the equation. It seems I was planning for a pretty nasty summer!

It looks like I have a ton of “free” time, which left me puzzled. I am putting MORE in my schedule, but seem to have MORE time? This should prove to be true, if I work efficiently. Hmm. Just evidence that I am a blatant time waster, and reason why this verse often haunts me:

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27

OUCH.

I need to cut carbs from more than just my dinner plate! Hopefully my sparkling new schedule will help me get my stuff together.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Our Year Without Buying

It has officially begun: An entire year without buying new stuff. I am so excited!

I know I had heard about it somewhere before, but serious consideration began when I read a magazine article last October. Since that time, Andy and I have been talking about it, planning when to begin, negotiating any exceptions to be allowed. (I’ll talk about our exceptions another day.) As we have discussed this endeavor, I have felt God’s increasing urge to commit. I am thrilled that the day is finally here!

I recently found something called The Compact Movement, which you can join online, but I feel like that is a little extreme – at least for us. The Compact appears to be based on environmentalism, stewardship of our planet. But our plan has really blossomed out of stewardship of our personal resources, and the responsibility of teaching stewardship to our children. We are simply challenging ourselves to live a bit more efficiently. I suppose environmentalism is a big part of that, but since we already recycle and compost(as mentioned here), I don’t see that as part of our year-long challenge. Mainly, I want this year to help my family have a lighter attachment to money and especially the things that money can buy.

Maybe this is a little more selfish, because we are doing it for the betterment of our household. But how can we change the world if we don’t first change ourselves?

Right now, the kids don’t get it. They’re seven and nine, and think about toys constantly. When we first told them about our Year Without Buying, they booed. But, quickly understanding that they didn’t have a say, they have started looking toward the positive, which to them means saving money for later spending. (What else?) Yesterday over breakfast they calculated how much money they will accrue if they save their allowance for the year, and listed all the stuff they could buy when the year is through. It’s okay. We’ll let them talk about spending. I think they’ll get tired of the subject and drop it. That’s one of my main goals in this whole concept anyway: That the boys will get bored with the consumer mindset and just let it go. We’ll just have to see how long it takes.

So, for the record, here are the benefits that I anticipate:
Saving money,
Greater appreciation for what we have,
Less trash output (No packaging from new stuff!),
Less greed oozing from my children,
and definitely
Less stuff cluttering our house!

As with all things prompted by God, I know that my expectations are just the tip of the iceberg. I trust that He will guide us through this experience, and believe that the blessings will be far beyond my imagination.

I’m sure that I will have plenty to share about this journey and, whether you think we are ingenious or insane, I’d love your comments as we go along.

Well… here we go!

We were having eggs.

One morning this summer, the boys and I were having breakfast and talking about eternity. Jackson had asked Christ into his heart at church camp in 2007, so he and I were doing much of the talking. Parker was mostly silent, but I could tell that he was deeply listening and weighing our words. J and I talked about what it is to be a Christian, and I explained how it is that a person would go about becoming a Christian, all while P thoughtfully picked at his eggs. Then P looked up and said, “I haven’t decided that yet.” And the way he said it, I thought that it might be a long time before he would.

Fast forward to bedtime last night. With a heavy heart, I told Parker that one of the teachers from his school, Kathy Albert, had passed away. We know that Mrs. Albert was a Christian. I reminded him that she had been very sick for a long time. Her body could not get better. God wanted Mrs. Albert to come to heaven. So, she did.

Thus began a discussion of heaven and hell. Parker told me about someone he knows who doesn’t choose the best behavior, and told me that he thinks this person is going to hell.

“Whether you go to heaven or hell is not decided by how many good behavior days you have at school,” I said.

“I know,” he said, and left the proverbial door wide open.

“Thank goodness for that, right? Because every person on earth messes up and sins. Every person EVER, except for one. Do you know which one?”

“Jesus,” he nods. Hooray! Children’s Church is working. Good job, guys.

“That’s right. Jesus lived a perfect life, without any sin at all. And sin is not just bad behavior. Our words and even thoughts can be sinful. We all sin. But Jesus didn’t have any sin at all. He lived completely without sin so that he could be the sacrifice for our sin. God knows that we can’t pay the price for our sin, so Jesus paid it for us. And because He paid our price, and rose from the dead and went to heaven, we can go to heaven too! Anyone who believes this can go to heaven.”

“Well, I believe that,” he shrugs.

“You do? That’s awesome, buddy! Have you prayed to tell God that you believe it?”

“Yeah, I did that a long time ago when I was six or something,” says Mr. Nonchalant. “At breakfast. We were having eggs. I prayed in my head and just didn’t tell you.”

And I knew the very breakfast he was talking about. It was this summer.

I’m glad that Parker finally revealed to us his decision to follow Christ. Now we can rejoice, along with all the angels of heaven and Mrs. Albert and all the others who have gone before us.

“…there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:10

Hallelujah!

It's just easier to SHOW you.

I have so many words buzzing around in my brain right now. So many, in fact, that I can’t form a coherent post to describe what I’ve been doing lately. Instead of lengthy descriptions, I shall give you pictures with captions. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm sure you'll be quite glad that I went with pictures.



This is what our hallway bathroom looked like a week ago. I forgot to take a picture before we took the big mirror down, but you get the idea. Notice the mauve stripes and frilly border. For once I am thankful that my boys are colorblind. They had no idea that they should have been embarrassed by this feminine wallpaper.



And this is what it looks like now! This is the best project that Andy and I have worked on together. Well, other than our children. But we’ll have to wait a while to see how they turn out.



This family tree originated in my mind several years ago, even before we had our own home, inspired by Owl’s house in Winnie the Pooh. We come from a long line of good-looking individuals! No wonder my little boys are so handsome.



Our tree went up a bit early this year. We had so much going on during the Thanksgiving holiday that I wanted to have this done ahead of time. Truly, the tree and the holiday music seemed a bit out of place until I watched the snow fall this morning. Now it all feels just right.



And this is my favorite little project of all. My Liberty Belle and her ten beautiful puppies! I’ve been planning, preparing, and praying for them for months now. I’m so glad they are finally here!



Somewhere in the midst of all of this, my little oak turned bright red. I love it!

So that’s my last three weeks in a nutshell. I hope you had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving!

The Folds of the Flag

I had planned on talking about something else today, but then I read this post from Melanie at the Big Mama Blog, and decided to change my tack.

I, like Melanie, had never heard of the meanings that have been ascribed to each fold of the American Flag. I find this to be so moving, and wanted to share it with anyone who might read it here.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother’s day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

The thirteenth fold is the last. The stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God we Trust.”

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day, when we celebrate and thank those who offer their lives in service to our country and her citizens. But I don’t feel like I’m a day late with this post. We don’t have the holiday so that everyone can limit their gratitude to one date on the calendar. I hope our nation’s servicemen and women are touched by our prayers and know what their sacrifice means to our country each and every day.

And I’d like to give a shout-out to my very own personal veteran and daily hero, my husband, Andy. I love you!

Loaves, Fish, Paint, and Paper

I just read this post from Andy, about our sorry attempts to put God in a box. And that got me thinking… Do I do that? Do I try to put God in a box? And I decided that No, I Don’t. I have a different problem. I see God AS the Box, and I put limits on what He would allow inside. Health, Relationships, Education = IN. Bugs, Laundry, Fantasy Football = OUT.

For example:

The last couple of weeks of my life have been wild with activity. Among other things, I’ve been working with a team of fellow parents to build a homecoming parade float. A fantastic parade float, bearing the name of our children’s elementary school. It was pretty awesome. And if I do say so, it was the best float in the parade.

Anyway.

On one of our workdays, when we were trying to figure out if we had what we needed to do all that we wanted to do, my friend Christy just stopped and prayed. “Please, Lord, let us have enough. Multiply our supplies like the loaves and the fishes.” And I just kind of smirked and shook my head. I had been praying for other aspects of this project, but supplies? That’s sweet, Christy, but I’m not sure God really cares about whether or not we have enough paper, paint, and salvaged scraps of wood.

But He Does.

We did the math. There shouldn’t have been enough paper to cover everything we wanted to cover. And I know how much paint was in that bucket. It wasn’t enough. But when our team put it all together, it worked out. There were mere inches of paper left over, and just a smidge of paint left in the can. There was enough, and just a tiny bit more. When the ladies told me that they were done painting, I turned to Christy and with great surprise (and yet, none at all) I said, “You were right. He cares about our little parade float. Here are your loaves and fishes.”

God cares about the silly little things in my life. Maybe because He cares about me. Or maybe He really likes a good parade float. Either way, God blessed me through this experience.

For me this was a revelation but, as I write this, I can't help but think that it all sounds kind of stupid. I’m sure it doesn’t mean much to anyone who wasn’t involved, and maybe not even them.

Then again, who am I to decide what others do or don’t care about?

And just in case you want to see it, here's the float:



See? I told you it was awesome.

My Dining Room Grew Up

Our dining room has grown up quite a bit in the last year.

We used to have what I called the Fake Table. It was really real, I suppose. Real deception! It was two white plastic folding tables, covered with white table cloths and butted-up against each other, with a table runner hiding the seam. Fantastic illusion. The walls were painted in flat off-white with white glossy trim. The carpet was light beige. Not ideal for a young family with two boys and two dogs. And when I finally put up curtains, they were white sheer-ish things from Ikea.

In summary, we had a white table in a room with white walls, white curtains, and beige carpet. All white can be classy, but this was… bland. And kind of like it should have been in our first apartment, not our grown-up, want-to-live-here-forever home.

See? Through that doorway? This is the best "Before" picture I could find. I didn't think to take one on purpose, so I had to dig to find this. And it isn't even a picture OF the dining room. But you get the gist. It was white. And boring. And there are no pictures of us actually IN there, because we really didn't spend time in there.



But that’s okay. We can’t fix everything all at once. And if we could, what ever would I do with myself? I am person who needs to make improvements. I like change. I might even love it. So the slow process of decorating (and redecorating) our home is a joy that I will savor as long as the Lord allows us to live here.

Last fall, we ripped out much of our beige carpeting, including that of our dining room, and stained the concrete floors a rich brown. Once the staining was done, we moved our real wood table from the breakfast room into the dining room, and now that’s where we have our family meals.

I knew I wanted to paint the walls something dark, but what shade? The thousands of color choices at the paint store overwhelm me. It stresses me out to look at all of the options, and the price tags, and know that whatever I choose had better be right. I’m much more comfortable with working what I have. So I mixed together a bunch of stuff from the garage, and voila!

And I bought some new curtains. Still from Ikea, but far better than the first set. These are only about, oh, thirty inches too short, so I had the added challenge (read: pleasure) of customizing them with some of my favorite fabric. Bought from the discount bin at JoAnn, of course.

Most recently, Andy’s dad and his wife blessed us with what is probably the nicest piece of furniture we will ever own: An armoire flanked by lighted shelves. I love it. The room has a whole new personality now.

I know it's dark, and I should take a better picture in the daytime, but if I don't just post this now it'll never get posted. (I could take a new picture and update this tomorrow, but let's be real. That probably won't happen.)



Before, this was The Eatin’ Room. Now I feel like this room is actually worthy of the grandeur implied. I can honestly call it our Dining Room.

Chess Club, First Attempt

My sweet Jackson has inherited quite a few of my qualities. I’m sorry to report that some of these are not the greatest. Crazy hair, exceedingly fair skin, and orthodontic needs come to mind. As well as a slightly ridiculous amount of caution.

You see, I prefer the known and reasonably predictable. I don’t particularly enjoy trying new things. I wish I did, but that’s not who I am. I have to force it. And sadly, Jackson is the same way. Only most of the time, he is not willing to force his own exploration of the new. Usually, it’s forced upon him. Sorry kid. You’re just like your mother.

Today we went to our local library to check out the chess club for the first time. When I first posed the idea to the children, both were interested. But by the time we arrived at the library, Jackson didn’t even want to come into the room. Since that wasn’t an option, he stood sulking behind the observation chairs. Parker sat next to me, anxiously awaiting his introductory chess lesson. I pointed out the pieces, told their names, and the way that each one moves. Which is the extent of my chess knowledge.

Soon, a library lady came over to get Parker and another boy, and sat with them at the nearest table. Leaving one empty seat next to Parker.

Jackson sat down next to me and asked, eager to leave the room, “Can I go look at books?”

“Sure. You can check out the Series of Unfortunate Events, book 2.” By the way, we read the entire first volume today, and are all excited about getting on to the next one. I’m pretty sure we’ll be done with it tomorrow, and back at the library looking for the third installment on Thursday.

Anyway.

Jackson protested that he wouldn’t know where to look for it, even though he knows perfectly well how to find things with our library’s computerized catalogue. Seeing an opportunity, I said, “Okay, you stay here while I go look. Or… you could sit at the table with Parker. Just so he doesn’t worry when I leave.” A pretty transparent suggestion, considering that Parker isn’t much for worry.

I left the chess room, found our next literary adventure, and checked it out. When I returned, I found that Jackson had actually taken the bait! For over an hour I watched him and Parker soaking up new knowledge, engaged and excited, triumphantly expanding their horizons by embracing something new.

Soda Pop

While storms raged outside, the boys and I stayed inside mixing up a new summer treat: Homemade Lemon-Lime Soda Pop.

Parker found this recipe in Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes. That boy LOVES to read. He will read just about anything, from babyish board books to biographies, and always cover-to-cover. He has even read (and retained some of) the Periodic Table of Elements from Hydrogen to Ununbium. So, naturally, as he was reading through every page of this children’s cookbook, he picked out a few things that he would like to try.

Homemade Lemon-Lime Soda Pop Recipe

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate (thawed)
3 ice cubes
1 cup soda water

1) Squeeze juice from a lemon and measure 2 tablespoons into a glass.
2) Squeeze juice from a lime and add 1 tablespoon to the glass.
2) Add everything else and stir. Enjoy!

Yield: 1 serving (easy to make more!)



This was fast, easy, and delicious! The real win is that you are using apple juice concentrate instead of sugar.

The boys had fun and loved what they made. There’s even talk of opening a “Homemade Lemon-Lime Soda Pop” stand. So if you’re in my neighborhood this weekend, and see a table and a couple of little boys out on the corner, stop by!

By The Way, They Won 7 - 5.

Last night was the first game of the spring baseball season. This is Jackson’s second time to play, but it’s still something new. Last fall he played in a coach-pitch league. Now he’s in kid-pitch. While it might seem scary to have eight and nine year olds throwing fastballs at each other, none of the batters were hit by any of last night’s pitches. That’s more than I can say for the first game of our coach-pitch team.

But that really doesn’t have anything to do with what I want to say today. It’s just funny.

The season-opener was last night at 7pm. I cringed when I got the news. The game starts at seven? On a school night? Oh, boy. Our kids usually go to bed at 7:30. Life is just plain easier when they go to bed on time, but sometimes we just have to let that go. It’s the season-opener, after all.

There were some challenges, of course. Jackson spent much of the afternoon in uniform. We ate a wind-blown picnic dinner at the ball fields while wondering if we were indeed in the right place. Parker is a restless little guy, who doesn’t enjoy sitting on bleachers for extended periods of time. The boys went to bed two hours later than usual.

But all of these challenges are also provided great moments to be enjoyed.

Jackson spent much of the afternoon in uniform, including the time spent with our HomeTeam. How cool is it to go to non-sports-related places while dressed in your full uniform? Yeah, I play baseball. We’re headed out to the fields right after this. My uniform IS awesome, isn’t it? I know he likes running around in that getup.

We ate a wind-blown picnic dinner at the ball fields. We didn’t see any of J’s teammates, so we kind of wondered if we had come to the right place. But that’s only because we were really early, so we got to take our time enjoying our meal. It was windy and a little chilly, but a beautiful day. And I would always rather be cold than hot. Eating at a ball field picnic table is different than eating in my dining room, but it was a chance for my family to sit down around a table and share a meal. I can’t ask for more than that! When we were done eating, Andy and J went to warm up and Parker and I read a chapter from a library book.

Parker doesn’t really enjoy sitting on the bleachers to watch the game. We can only manage to focus his attention on the field when Jackson is up to bat. Even then, he may not watch the whole thing. Instead, Parker scaled the chain link backstop, ran footraces with Andy, and paced back and forth on the low stone wall between our field and the next, lost in the world of his imagination. Every outing with Parker is an adventure.

When we finally got home and got the boys showered, brushed, and jammied, it was 9:30. Exhausted, they happily fell into bed and quickly drifted off to dreamland.

While we won’t be taking the whole family to any more 7pm school-night games, I’m glad we were all there last night to kick the season off right. I’m looking forward to the rest of the games, watching Jackson play and entertaining Parker (or should I say being entertained BY Parker) in the stands.

Break out the mom jeans and minivan.

We've always known that our children would someday need serious orthodontia. Both Andy and I are veterans of the Metal Mouth Club who previously faced a variety of issues. We wore braces, rubber bands, retainers. There was even involvement of a pallet spreader and headgear. Sadly, our poor children inherited all of our dental problems. The boys made their first trip to our orthodontist on Monday. Those were some scary looking x-rays, my friends. I shouldn't have been surprised.

So today, suddenly, Jackson has braces. I can't believe I have a kid who is old enough to have braces. Scratch that. I can't believe that I am old enough to have a kid who is old enough to have braces. I always thought that I would be older when my boys were ready for such things. I pictured myself, I don't know, more mom like. I'd put on my mom jeans, slurp a glass of Metamucil while I watch the news, load the kids up in my minivan, and drive them to the middle-aged man orthodontist. Cliche. My imagined scene was very different than the reality of my life, which I consider a great blessing!

Jackson is doing very well. He watched Ice Age the Meltdown while reclining in the dental chair, seemingly oblivious to the hands and tools at work on his teeth. He doesn't really have anything to compare this experience to, so all he says is that it's "weird" to have braces.

Parker is fascinated. He stares and asks questions. On the ride home from our orthodontist, he said, "Jackson, I really like your braces. I can't wait until I can have braces, too. I'm going to start wiggling my teeth tonight so they'll fall out sooner." Lord help him. Actually, don't help him. P's mouth is such train wreck... the last thing he needs is for his little baby teeth to come out too soon!

Here I am, starting another thing. Blogging. I start a lot of things. I get excited about ideas or events or possibilities, and so I begin. I begin to plan, arrange, gather supplies. A couple of months ago, a friend stood in my living room with an expression on her face that I can only discribe as offended and said, "Hey... you don't have a blog. Why don't you have a blog?" I never really considered it. But of course, that got me thinking. Why don't I have a blog? What I would I say if I did have one?

Just a few minutes ago, I was putting a fresh set of candles on the piano and thinking about all the things that are coming up in my life. Events at church, household projects, the change of season, and on and on. Ah, this is an exciting time! I sighed to myself. And then I thought, Why am I keeping this to myself? These are God's blessings, and I want to talk to someone about them. So here we are. I think this makes a good blogging subject, especially for me, since I always seem to be excited about something.

Today I'm excited about this new avenue of expression. Tomorrow I'll post about something else that I am excited about! But right now I need to finish setting out those new candles.