Does the way I physically care for myself reflect a clean heart?
God's Word reminds me that my body is a temple where His Holy Spirit dwells. Therefore, it is important to God that I take care of myself and in turn do what I can to encourage this in my family too.
* Physical Activity: I've never really been one who likes to exercise. I do love to take walks though. What about my children? Am I allowing them to languish in front of the TV rather than encouraging them to play outside? I hardly sit down before lunch most days and I confess that I do consider this a form of my exercise. Housework and running after two energetic ladies should definitely qualify as exercise right now!
Action:
* I'd like to start walking at least once a week with all three littles. And, after making that a routine - add in another day and so on as it is manageable. So far, it has not seemed manageable to start this!
* Encourage activity for the girls - go to the park, do jumping jacks in the living room, dance together, do our ballet DVD together, play outside. Be diligent about our 30 minute TV time limit in the mornings.
* Grooming: I'm not as strict as the Fly Lady suggests in this area since I rarely wear shoes around the house, but I am a practicer and believer in getting dressed and presentable every day. Yes - if I'm not feeling well, I make an exception. And, lately - I've spent a great deal of time in pj's (bed rest, new baby, etc...) I have found that I am significantly more productive when I'm clean, wearing clean clothes that I feel good in and with a little bit of makeup on and my hair fixed. I generally accomplish this every morning before I get the girls up. I feel that it teaches them also, the importance of caring for ourselves and it is a blessing to my husband as well. If I were out working all day every day and came home consistently to a spouse in pj's who looked like they just rolled out of bed - I'd probably wonder what they really do all day. I know, though, that in spite of my goal - there are a couple of things I need to work on in this area.
Action:
* Establish routines for known areas of weakness.
* Take Emily to get her hair cut (I have been putting this off and putting this off because I don't know what I want them to do or where to go. Suggestions?)
* Assess clothing and acquire needed new items. Be watching for a post on clothing later this week.
* Eating Habits: Ouch - this one is harder for me. I love the *idea* of eating healthier, choosing organic when possible and cultivating better habits in this area. But, I must admit that I'm aware of the real costs of eating healthier, the challenge to find good products that are readily available, the challenge of getting my children to eat these healthier things, compromising taste and the knowledge that by God's grace we don't struggle with our weight or health and the caution to be aware of this. Living in a smaller community, it is harder to come by the quality and quantity of healthier foods. We don't have Wild Oats, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's! I also find it somewhat overwhelming to realize how many things there are to steer clear of and how many foods those ingredients appear in. A few things I think we're doing right: cook and bake from scratch; eat at home; start introducing organic as we can - milk is very well established in this area; we don't snack between meals either.
Action:
* Continue to increase fresh produce in our menus.
* Actively work at reducing undesirable ingredients in foods we eat. Look for easy switches to start off with. (For example: instead of buying regular ketchup with high fructose corn syrup - I recently bought organic which did not have HFCS in it. A small switch - but baby steps...)
* I recently found out about a local organic farm that delivers fresh produce to a store in my area twice a month. I'm considering signing up to receive a box. If I do this I'll be posting what I get and how we ate it for accountability!
* Plant a garden and use organic fertilizer. Done!
* Make Granola. Done!
* Become a label reader. Working on this...
* Rest: Another hard one for me. I am a driven and very hard worker, always pushing to get one more thing done before I sit down. But, if I refuse to take time to rest, I will have less and less to give. Nap time is my refuge. Crafting, reading, watching a movie, catching up with a friend, blogging, etc...
Action:
* Continue to invest in fun outlets for myself - do a craft or work on my blog during nap time.
* Choose to rest so that I have more to give my family.
Ok, let's hear your thoughts on all this!
I'm itching to do some reading and don't know what to read! So, I'm hoping some of you have some good suggestions of books I can request from our library to keep me busy for a while! I am set on non-fiction ideas, so am looking for fiction suggestions.
I'm so excited to show you what my wonderful swap partner, Angie, sent me for the Bloom swap!
When I opened the lid, I saw this - isn't that creative to use a piece of fabric to wrap around everything!
Look at this cute Post-It holder:
I love this "family" key ring - I envision putting pictures of my family to keep handy in my purse or with my keys!
She had wrapped everything with cute colored tags (paint samples in coordinating colors!) and used Scripture verses on lots of items. She really put a lot of effort into this box! Here you can see an egg shaped dish, robin egg gumballs (for use in decorating!), and candles!
Some fun new sponges (I needed some!) with a verse about having a clean heart, baby lotion for Samuel, Bath and Body Works lotion for me, Aloe infused pink socks, some sprinkles for Ice Cream Sunday's (wow - you really pay attention, Angie! Emily has tried to claim these sprinkles for herself already!), and a spiral pad of fun colored papers!
Some cute stickers for Emily and Rachel, and some for Mama! And, these great plant markers which I've been wanting to get some of!
Look at this fabulous clip board! I think this may have been my favorite thing - I love it!
And, this cute pad of paper was on it - very fun! Angie, thank you - you put together a very fun box and went above and beyond in pouring yourself and your creativity into it.
Notecards:
I made her a purse and Kleenex holder, wasn't this pretty fabric!?
Also included were some seeds, a felt pouch that Carrie and I made while she was here, a lip gloss and some felt flowers to help her decorate a tree in her home for Spring!
Thanks, Angie - for making this a fun swap!
I'm sure it goes without saying why we have not had a planned Family Night in a while! But, I have been feeling a draw to getting it going again. A week or so ago - I sat and wrote out a bunch of ideas for future Family Nights!
We all got in our pj's, piled a bunch of pillows on the living room floor and snacked. We read, we laughed, we relaxed - it was perfect!
Mama - your magazine is so much more fun than our toys or books!
The bottom photo reminds me so much of Emily when she was a baby - they look so much alike! Here is a photo of Emily at about 7 weeks:
I have some really exciting news! I will be creating craft projects and writing an article to go with to be featured in Woman of Worth magazine which is published four times a year! The article will include photos and instructions for completing each project. I have enjoyed perusing their web site and being encouraged in my journey toward being a Proverbs 31 woman!
I want to say one thing right up front ~ God is the one who has given me these gifts and is the one who inspires these projects. I want Him to receive the glory for this and use these projects for furthering His Kingdom and writing His word on our hearts! I am excited and humbled to be available to Him in this way.
Ok, sorry for the pun! I couldn't resist! I've been thinking recently about clothing. And, about how it reflects on who I am: my personality, my values. But, this is an area I struggle with. I'm not really good at fashion - and shopping takes time which is a precious commodity to everyone.
Utilized my pinking shears, some safety pins and a chair to stand on. Here's the outcome:
Professional? Certainly not. But, the girls love it and I'm actually pleased with how it turned out considering I did two windows for less than $5 and in less than 2 hours!
I was inspired by this ice ring, not so much for creating artistic ice, but for making centerpieces with it. Something in the ring - something in the middle - oh, the possibilities are endless:
It's been a while since we visited Mitford - here are some more thoughts on bringing Mitford home to our real lives:
Here's a super easy meal I made the other night, enjoy!
I was recently given the opportunity to receive a copy of this book and write a review here for all of you! Since I already am a fan of the Junk Market gals - I was really excited to get to do this! I don't know about you - but when my Country Home arrives, there are a couple of regular features I'm excited to see right off and the projects these ladies come up are always high on my list!
I chose to make a new paper towel holder because of the above mentioned frustration and because I already had everything I needed to make it! I know this will cause some of you to roll your eyes - I mean how many people have an old (vintage looking) croquet mallet in their shed just waiting to make it into a paper towel holder?! Well, I did! I got four of them for $1 each several years ago at the Paris Street Market, a very fun event by the way!
I found a piece of scrap wood and cut it in half. Then I stapled the bottom edges together to make a flat surface to rest the mallet on. I spray painted the whole thing black and sanded the edges to distress it a little. I also trimmed the handle of the mallet, so it wasn't so long!
That night, David needed a paper towel and instead of offering to get one for him - I suggested he be the first to try this out! He loved it, he said, "much better!" with a sigh of relief in his voice.
