Make A Difference Monday

I have decided that I want to do little things to Make A Difference in life of another.  

This could be anyone, anywhere, at anytime during the day.

Maybe it's leaving my husband a note for when he gets up in the morning.

Maybe it's giving my child an extra hug or kiss in the morning and a treat in their lunch.

Maybe it's paying for the coffee of the person behind me in line at Starbuck's.

Maybe it's a simple as telling someone that I value them.

But I think Monday is the perfect day to Make a Difference.

Will you join me?

I hope you will.  Do share what you choose to do and how it was received and how it made YOU feel.

Let's make Monday - Make a Difference Day!!!

Need a Little Sunshine?

This is moving weekend.

We're moving our business so our work is 5 minutes from our home.

It's a good thing.

Unfortunately, it's Winter here in Chicago and it's danged cold.

If I can't have sunshine and springtime in real life, at least I can dream about it, right?

Wanna dream along?

Enjoy!!!

Wood, Tile, and Paint...OH MY!

Crazy busy here, but I had to share that it looks as though a decision has been made.

You know all about my decorating dilemma on whether to choose tile or wood for my kitchen.

Hubby and I love both.  We can see either in our home.

We thought we had decided tile floors and rustic deep distressed and stained cabinets.

Then I happened across a blog and fell in love with the warmth of the wood floors.

I love love love wood floors.

Our house is small and kinda dark.

I have always been a color girl.  A LOT of color.

Red, Bright Yellow, Chocolate Brown, Mocha, Periwinkle, Electric Blue, Lime Green.

Once before I dreamt of light, bright, breezy, beachy, simple colors.  I chickened out.

I'm not chickening out this time.  The simplicity of it makes my heart happy.

So, we're doing big fat 9 inch wide planks of pine wood on the floor on staining them ourselves.

(hubby used to install and finish hardwood floors)

We're doing the entire main living area.  We'll be living in the downstairs for a while when this happens.

Creamy white cabinets will be in the house to match the creamy white doors and trim.

I'm excited to know for sure what the "plan" is.

But there is a new dilemma...

The main living space needs some TLC.

Wall or no wall?

What to do, what to do.

Photos to come on THAT dilemma.  Hopefully you will help.

So, do you ponder and change your mind again and again?

Do you love so many styles that it makes choosing difficult?

Does your heart love one thing and yet your fear keeps you from choosing that and you go with the safe road?

I'd love to hear how YOU chose the cabinets and flooring and paint colors in YOUR house.

Where's that button?

By THAT button, I mean RELAX.

My year of chaos of 2009 has been sneaking into 2010 in drips and drabs.

I'm trying not to let it happen, but unfortunately I am not in control.  (maybe fortunately)

I'm a control freak.  I don't relax well.  I worry.  I plan.  I panic.

Too much going on right now.

Do you ever want to yell, "STOP"?

Days whizzing by with barely a moment to catch my breath.

Making me rethink thing busy-ness that has been taking over my days.

I've been working full-time.  This is not easy for me.  I love being home.

I feel like I'm breaking.  Too many things pulling me in different directions.

Do you ever feel this way?  What do you do?  What's your best advice for keeping it all together?

Moving the business this week.  A huge undertaking and everything is not going smoothly.

Still working this week - gotta keep up.

Wearing my supermom cape this week for all three children.

Son #1 is (finally) looking for a job and just started college and I'm driving him (gotta help a little).

Daughter has cheer and school and gymnastics, her schedule never slows.

Son #2 has school and chess club and Fit Academy, a half day of school too.  But he needs mommy more than the other two usually.

I have work, church, kids, working out, laundry, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.

The plus?  After this week, the business (my work) will be 5 minutes from my front door via car.

The bad news?  That is my "me" time.  Just me, God, and some awesome Christian music.

Do you ever just want to get into bed, cover your head,  and hope that the storm, that is life, passes you by?

Parenting

"In the end, it's not about what we do for our children, but about what we teach them to do for themselves." ~ Ann Landers

I read this quote today.  It was shared by a friend on facebook.

I recently heard another friend share about the dilemmas she has with parenting her youngest.

I have one son who I call the prodigal son.  At every turn this boy tests my love.  And patience.

My pastor shared an interesting thought at church, he said, "Do not bail your children out of circumstances they face when they make mistakes.  Allow them to face the consequences of their choices."

He also said, "We should parent our children as our Father parents us."  

Deuteronomy 8:5  "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you".

The Lord does not rescue us and fix every wrong done to us.  And yet his love never fails.

Sometimes we have to let go.

Sometimes we have to stay strong.

Being a parent is the most difficult job ever.  

Letting our children face consequences that are painful for them is so difficult.  Watching them make mistakes that can change the outcome of their lives makes you want to scream.

I have told my children something to get them to think about the choices they make in life.  I told them to imagine when you are born you have a backpack.  Throughout your life, this backpack is on your back, it never ever goes away.  Every choice you make goes into this backpack and remains there for forever.  Every choice.  The positive choices are weightless. They are like feathers in your backpack.  The poor choices, or negative ones are like a brick.  The thing to remember is that they never ever go away.  You carry them, on your back, for the rest of your life.  

I realize that this isn't quite true, but if you really think about it, it is.  Everything you've ever done in your life cannot be erased.  Some choices don't effect anything.  Some choices never go away.  You can pay the price for those choices, but they are still there.

Tough lesson.

I pray for my children all the time.  I pray they make good choices.  Wise choices.

When they were little, their mistakes were simple and generally I could fix them.

Now, it's not so easy.

I imagine that God gets frustrated too.  We have His word.  We know the rules.  We know right from wrong.  Yet we all still make choices that impact our lives negatively.  God doesn't fix our mistakes and sometimes in the midst of the storm, when we wonder where He is - it is then that He is closest.  I know that.  I try my best to find comfort in it.  It doesn't always work.

I know that my son calls me when he is in the midst of a storm, created by his own choices, and looks to me to fix it all.  I don't fix it.  Most times I can't fix it.  It breaks my heart more than he may ever know.  But, my love for him is never ceasing.  He is my son and I love him.  It is during these times when I hold him closest to my heart, praying for him without stopping.  I know that when I don't bail him out he feels I have abandoned him.  

Parenting is difficult.

But, truly one of the finest lessons we can teach our children is how to do for themselves.  

Budgets, Money, and being frugal.

Let me start out by saying that I was never good with money.  Never.

I'm horrible at saving.

But this past year has taught me to seriously change my thinking.

I've learned what truly are the difference between want and need.

There are so many choices in life that need to be made each and every day.

Temptations and wants and desires.

I'm learning to overcome them.

I'm setting limits in my life.  Boundaries.  Budgets.  Rules.

I'm learning to be frugal.

Wiser.  Creative.

Live Simply.  Find Joy in everyday little things.

It's a good thing.

Intentions

Intentions.  

Interesting word when you think about it.  Everyone always has "good intentions", right.?


But do you truly do things, intentionally?


The other morning I heard something that really got my mind working.  It was about choosing to love.  I actually heard this twice in the past week, so it struck a chord deep within me.


If you think about when you first fell in love with someone, in the beginning, everything always seems to be perfect and pretty and "wine and roses".  Eventually life takes over, things happen, stuff gets in the way.
Love isn't easy and pretty.  It's that person that annoys you and didn't put his/her stuff away.  It's that person that you just had an argument with over what color to paint the wall.  


It is at those times that we intentionally love.


Do you let your heart lead?  That is easy to do.  Because we don't always feel "in love" or "loving".


But, I'm decided to live differently.


I'm going to live intentionally.


I'm going to love intentionally.


I'm telling my heart to love.  To love with intent.


Love intentionally.


Sounds easy, but it's not.


But, I truly believe it's worth it.

Possessions

Mildred Lisette Norman wrote,

 "Anything you cannot relinquish, when it has outlived its usefulness, possesses you.

 And in this materialistic age, a great many of us are possessed by our possessions."

As I am making changes in my life I keep finding that there is "stuff" that I just don't want here anymore.

So I'm going to be eliminating quite a bit.


I don't want my possessions to own me.  I want to own my possessions.  Less is more.


So then the decisions comes into play on HOW do you get rid of your "stuff".


E-Bay...I have quite a bit of "name brand" stuff  that I will be weeding out.  E-Bay is a good place to sell that kind of stuff.  So, I have some Pottery Barn, Southern Living at Home, Home Interiors, cross stitch patterns and creative memories items that I will be listing on there.


Craig's List...I have some furniture that just doesn't work in this house.  Craig's List is a great place to list big stuff like that.  But never never never accept a personal check.  Cash or Money Order ONLY.


Garage Sale or Freecycle...This is for all that "other stuff".  Clothes, old coats, misc. goodies that you have tucked away or have outgrown or just have grown tired of.  Garage sales are nice as you can make some money.  But, on the flip side they are a lot of work and you spend the day haggling over a 50 cent pair of jeans that your kid never wore and someone only wants to pay 10 cents for.  


So, now the de-cluttering begins.

Tales from the Treadmill (Day 20)

Okay, so still going to the gym and the other day my daughter came with.

Apparently she has the same people watching issues as her mother.  LOL.

I've been noticing that many people have unique running styles.  I'm not a runner (yet) so it will be interesting to see what my style will be.

There's "Flat Stanley".  This is the runner that runs with his/her arms straight up and down next to his body.  At first thought it doesn't sound strange, but try it.  I tried it while walking and couldn't do it.  I need to bend my arms and move them.

There's "Forest Gump".  This one my daughter discovered.  Treadmill set to 10 and the knees barely bend. The legs kinda flick out to the sides.  It was so strange.  Almost looked painful.  But this guy was bookin'.


There's "Crazy Runner Man".  My daughter found him as well.  He ran for 15 minutes on 9.7 and then paused the machine for 3 minutes and started again.  I'm not sure I understood the point of it, but he kept doing it - for a solid hour (maybe more, but that's all I watched).

Day Dreaming...

My girlfriend and I were shopping a couple of weeks ago and happened upon this delightful store.

The other day I received their catalog in the mail.

Today I'm sharing some dreamy pictures with you

all photos from ARHAUS

Bling

While at the mall making some returns, we popped into one of my very favorite stores, Z-Gallerie, and I was oohing and aaahing over the bling.

I do like bling.

Just not all the time.

And definitely not to much of it.



Bling is not something I think I could be surrounded by on a daily basis.

My tastes are a tad more simple.

BUT, bling is GOOD. Pretty. A happy adornment. Around. The. House.

So, I passed on the bling.

Until I read THIS post by the amazing Sarah.



I think I need to go and get me some bling touches.

So when the mood strikes.

Do you bling?

Do you bling all the time or some of the time?

Obstacles

obstacle

OB'STACLE, n. [L. obsto, to withstand; ob and sto.]

That which opposes; any thing that stands in the way and hinders progress; hinderance; obstruction, either in a physical or moral sense. An army may meet with obstacles on its march; bad roads are obstacles to traveling; prejudice is an obstacle to improvement; want of union is often an insuperable obstacle to beneficial measures.


So, I've covered Change.

I've talked about Determination.

But I have been really thinking about obstacles lately.

There are so many of them.

They happen every day.

Sometimes more than once a day.

In this year of "Change" I have decided that there are no excuses either.

Obstacles will not be an issue this year.

I believe that with careful planning, much prayer, and determination I can overcome any obstacle.

I know that somedays it may be as simple as spending time just meditating.

Somedays a simple cup of tea might do it.

Other days I may need to be on my knees praying with every ounce of my being.

I am standing behind my right to say NO.

Keeping my yeses for the most important things.

Remembering it's okay to say NO.

Do you struggle with saying No?

Do you struggle keeping your focus and overcoming the obstacles?

I'd love to hear how keep the obstacles from standing in your way!

Hard Working Girl!

This is my daughter and her dear friend.

This is them holding their FIRST PLACE trophy.

Their cheer squad competed against 21 teams and they took FIRST PLACE.

It was their first competition of the season.

I was so proud that I cried.

Sobbed would be more like it.

These girls work HARD.

My daughter gets to practice an hour early each day (they practice for 2-4 hours a day)

so she can run and stretch and watch the Varsity squad and learn what they learn.

She goes to gymnastics classes on her only day off of practice.

She goes to open gyms to practice even more.

Instead of basking in the glow of their win (some of the girls, okay, MOST of the girls napped)

her and her buddy in the picture reviewed their scores and tried to figure out how to make

their routine better, to increase their scores.

Sometimes it's good to be a mom.

Sometimes you get to be really really proud of the people your children have become.

This is one of those times.

Tales From The Treadmill (Day 15)

Well I have done it.  Despite having some really dreadfully bad days, I have only missed ONE workout. I go 5 times a week.  I am feeling rather good about that.

Can we talk?

There should be some general rules that everyone follow at the gym.

We should all want these things.

They aren't difficult.

Like, wipe down your machine when you're done.  Nobody wants to touch your icky germs.  I don't know where those hands have been.  The clorox wipes are right there - there are at least a dozen dispensers.  USE them people!!!!

Phew!  I feel better.

I have been seeing lots of the "beautiful people" lately.  A couple of girls I swear could be on that ridiculous show, Jersey Shore.  Seriously.  If they spend half as much time working out as they did flirting, they would have some serious muscles!  The one girl made me laugh so hard I almost peed myself.  She would lift one weight and look around the room to see who was watching, put it down, lift and repeat.  It was pathetic.  Of course she was competing against Jersey Girl #2 who had all the boys pouring over her and her thong sticking out the back of her pants.

There was another "beautiful people" incident involving a completely different gal.  This one was on the treadmill.  Right next to the mirrors.  Normally, not a big deal.  Through the whole workout she kept staring at herself.  Fluffing her hair.  Touching her arm.  Touching her butt.  It was crazy.

Then there was the beautiful guy.  Like holy cow beautiful.  It was like a kid in a toy store - I wanted to touch him.  No, not in some sick way, but because he looked almost surreal.  He was on the stair climber and I swear his body was perfect.  Long and lean, almost like a dancer's body, but very masculine.  His bum was, and I do not joke, rock solid.  It was truly amazing.  This dude works it!

Now, there are the people that are doing crazy things that really make me question their motives.

Maybe you can help me understand why they would do this.  There's the person who has the treadmill incline set at this insane amount and they have to hang on to keep moving.  What's the point!?  There's the person who I saw walking backwards on the treadmill - seriously I swear - backwards!  And there's always at least one or two people hanging on for dear life on the stair climber.  Uh, Dude?  Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

This week has brought my attention to crazy runner man and super-hero sweat guy.

Crazy runner man runs on the treadmill at 9.5 and I swear his knees hit his chest.  Occasionally he jumps off the treadmill (while it's still on) and does a stretch on the area behind him and jumps back on.  I was certain he would either do a back-flip or get flung off the back of that bad boy like a sling-shot and hit the machine behind him, but nope.  If I tried that, I'd be in traction.

My new hero at the gym?  Super-Hero Sweat Guy.  He's got to be in his 70's.  I swear.  And he can go on the stair climber for forever.  But, he's got this crazy sweat thing like I've never seen.  He has sweat literally running down his face to where it almost appears to be a faucet or it looks like maybe it's shooting out of pores.  I've never seen anything like it.

Thank heavens for the entertainment factor at the gym.  Seriously, I might lose it otherwise.

The Biggest Loser

Okay, GREAT show, right!?

I think it encourages everyone to get up and get healthy.

So, the other day I was hashing some things around in my brain and was thinking about my workouts, my lifestyle, my changes, ...

And I was really pouring my heart out to God.

Begging him for direction, for encouragement, for guidance.

It would kinda be nice to have someone hold your hand and lead you down the right path.

I love Jillian Michaels, but I 'm kinda scared of how I'd deal if she yelled at me.

I love Bob Harper, but he's not coming to my house to drag me out and get me moving.

I'm on my own here.  And really, when you think about it, Jillian and Bob can HELP you, but they can't  do it for you.

So, guess who was on my K-Love radio station the other day!?  Danny Cahill, the Biggest Loser winner from Season 8.

He shared some POWERFUL things and I'd like to share them with you.

The first was PERSISTENCE.  An easy word to say.  An easy concept to comprehend.  A difficult concept to stick to day in and day out.

The second was, "Do Not Feed Your Weaknesses".  The enemy is going to attack you where he can.
He wouldn't tempt a drug addict with food - he knows that wouldn't work.  He wouldn't tempt an alcoholic with food - he knows that wouldn't work either.

My weakness is food.  He's going to use every opportunity to attack my weakness.

I don't have to let this happen.  I can be aware and alert and stand firm and I will overcome.

His last statement that I noted was this.

"It's not about fat or skinny.  It's about being held back from being all that God intended you to be".

I think these things can apply to so many of us who are battling so many different things.

I think we all want to be ALL that God intended us to be.

THAT is what gets me moving.

That is what keeps me going.

That is how I know that I WILL succeed.

Because more than anything, I want to be EVERYTHING that God intended for ME to be.

Are You Listening?

God is talking, but are you listening?  Do you hear him?

This has been really really difficult for me.  I used to half-joke that I want to wake up in the morning and find a post-it note from God on my bathroom mirror so I would KNOW what he was saying.  That idea always got lots of giggles, but I wasn't really kidding.

Think about it.  Wouldn't it be easier if he'd just drop us a note or an e-mail even, saying, "Hey ...  Would you please stop worrying about ...  I've got it under control!  And while you're at it, you need to get a new job (or move, or visit so and so, or become a missionary, or whatever)".  But, no, he's a man of "mystery" and expects US to be paying attention and LISTEN.

I'm busy.  I am surrounded by noise.  My mind is always going.  Not so easy to hear when I'm like this.  Sometimes those one-sided conversations I have going on with the Lord doesn't leave him much room to respond.

"Be Still and know that I am God."

So, lately, God's got me trapped.  I'm in the car going to and from work every morning.  Mornings he gets me.

I listen to this radio station, K-Love, every morning on the way to work.  Their morning team is really awesome.  I admit, I'm a station switcher - a song jumper if you will, but lately, no jumping.  No touching that dial.  Just K-Love.

They're doing The Love Dare.  Now, if you saw the movie Fireproof you know all about The Love Dare.  If you didn't see the movie, I cannot recommend it highly enough.  If you want to know more about The Love Dare, you can google it, get the book from any bookstore, or check out Lisa and Eric's morning show on the K-Love website.  Trust me, you won't be sorry.

Hearing the testimonies of people who have struggled and overcome bad spots in their marriage is encouraging.

Hearing bible verses about marriage and love and forgiveness is a blessing.

It's in these moments while I am in the car, in the peace of the morning, when I allow myself to not think or worry or be consumed by anything but breathing in and out that I hear God.  For a few days he was kinda shouting over my tears and pitiful prayers of HELP, but he is there and he is talking.

But are you listening?

It's A Wonderful Life

One of my all-time favorite movies is, 'It's A Wonderful Life'.

The past 48 hours I felt like George Bailey.  In more ways than one.

Let's just say it was a bad day.  A day that was so bad I honestly didn't see how things could ever get better.

I asked people to pray for me.

I asked a LOT of people to pray for me.

I knew these people would pray.

I prayed for myself.

I cried.  A lot.  In the car.  In the bathroom.  At my desk.  On the floor.  I cried.  I begged.  I prayed.

At some points I could only manage to pray the word HELP.

I imagined all these voices going up to heaven asking for God to help me.

God heard these voices.

God did an amazing thing at 5:55 last night.  Just as the bank was closing.

God made the impossible, possible.

God took a wrong, and made it okay.

God answered these prayers.

Our God is an AWESOME God.

For those who prayed, thank you.

For those who are broken, please know that God DOES answer prayers.

God still performs MIRACLES.

Resolutions...

res⋅o⋅lu⋅tion  


1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.
2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.


We all make them.

We don't always live up to them.

I've been asking myself why this is.

Years and years ago (in 1999) I resolved to quit smoking once and for all.

On January 3rd, 2000 I smoked my last cigarette. I can tell you the time, the location, and the feelings that ran through me as I sat and smoked that cigarette. I can picture it in my mind as though it were yesterday.

I find it odd that I can remember it so fondly. As though it were an old friend.

This year my resolution is just as strong as it was on that day in 1999 when I decided that I would have my last cigarette on that designated day.

This year my resolution is to take care of myself.



For me this is huge.

This is unheard of.

This is something I haven't done in nearly 20 years.

From the moment I realized I was pregnant with my first son in 1990, I ceased to exist. My children came first. In every situation, on every day, my children. Second my husband. Then you add in the house, the bills, the dogs, and whatever else the world happened to throw at me on any given day.

I. did. not. exist.

But I do exist.

Somewhere along the way, the girl who loved fashion and days at the salon and making herself look pretty got buried beneath the needs and wants of everyone else.

The girl who watched her health and laughed and let loose disappeared.

This is the year that THAT girl is uncovered.

2009 was a difficult year. So difficult that I hope to never ever experience anything like it again in my life.

2010 is the year that I change things.

With so many things lost in the past year, I realize that God was trying to show me something very important.

Sometimes we have to clean house.

Start over.

Re-focus.

Put our priorities in order.

God is first. Always. forever.

But, I am important.




My health and well-being are important.

Taking care of ME makes me a better mother.

Taking care of ME makes me a better wife.

LOTS of changes in store in 2010.

I am excited!!