Top 10 Favorite Things about Christmas Break

From Thanksgiving to Christmas our schedule was jam-packed with events.  Every weekend was spent traveling to and from events...never again!  It felt like such a rushed Christmas season and so full that it was difficult to enjoy.

Thankfully, I was able to take the week of Christmas off from work and it was a much needed break -mentally and physically!  My children and hubby rested and healed from stuffy noses and coughs, while I relished in the bliss of focusing all my attention on God, Family and Home!  (My dream job, you know!)

Top 10 Favorite Things about Christmas Break:

10.  Time for everything!  I didn't have to sacrifice family time to get housework done, there was plenty of time for it all.

9. Spending a few $$ on myself from a co-worker's gift...I hate spending money on myself, but when it is gifted to me, I can allow myself the pleasure without the normal guilt of spending money on me...I'm too practical sometimes.

8.  Mental relief from work-related stress.

7.  Uninterrupted time with my family!

6.  Staying up late watching favorite shows and movies.

5.  Sleeping in as late as we wanted to...even the kids slept in for a change!

4.  Being WITH my kids:  baking cookies and playing in the snow...we actually got some snow this year for Christmas!

3.  Making and delivering goody bags to my hubby's co-workers and a couple of staff in the cancer center who helped make our cancer experience easier.

2.  Watching the joyful moments as others opened their gifts.  It's such a thrill to pick out special gift for someone!  Receiving is nice because I feel special, but giving is so much more fun!

1.  Celebrating Jesus' birth with a really neat Advent Calendar by thrivingfamily.com and watching my girls perform in the church children's choir on Christmas Eve!

Here's the card our oldest gave us...so precious!

Being an Example

We're constantly setting an example for the world to see, whether we like it or not.  Many times I am not a great example and sometimes I can be.

I'm not mad at God anymore, thankfully.  It was quite the slump I was in though!  My stubborn, stiff-necked self needs to find that place where I have no other way to turn except away from God or towards Him.  He truly is the only best answer.

This past week I had a staff meeting at work.  Our devotion was on the power of the tongue and gossip.  One of the points that was made came from 1 Samuel 16:7  where God informs Samuel that "man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart."  Most times the focus from teachings about that verse is on how our Lord sees our heart.  But this time the focus was on the first part...how man sees what is visible.  Our lives are a constant example to others of who God is because we are His representatives.

I sorely needed that reminder.  Even when I'm being sinful and selfish, I can't just take off that "hat" of being a representative for Christ.  There is more than just me and my soul at stake.  I cannot get stuck on myself or I neglect God's calling on my life to represent Him in everything I do.

Another point God has made for me recently is from John 4:42.  It's the passage about Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well.  The people in her town originally believed in Jesus as Messiah because of the woman's reaction to Him.  Verse 42 says, "And they told the woman, 'We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world."

That verse is a parallel to what happens now in our time.  When we share Christ with others, they often come to Him because they are influenced by the change and excitement we have shared, but once they meet Jesus for themselves, He becomes the lasting reason for their faith.  We don't have to sustain someone else's faith, we simply point the way and let Him do the rest!

Mad at God

Have you ever been through a struggle, or a series of struggles that caused you to question your faith?  Have you ever been mad at God for not fixing a situation or allowing repeated difficult situations happen to you/around you?

Recently I had been through so much struggle that I actually told God that I didn't trust Him anymore.  So many different things were going wrong and I didn't even want to talk to Him at all.  I felt a betrayed that so much was allowed to happen to me.

Let me tell you one thing.  Being mad at God is a million times worse than just going through the hard stuff.  Being mad at God leaves you alone and helpless.  You don't want to pray or you don't feel worthy enough to pray.  It totally cuts you off from your peace, your protection, and your comfort.  Such a place of darkness.

I felt so unworthy, but I knew I had to repent and ask forgiveness.  I said the words and I meant them, but when I prayed my unworthy self felt nothing.  I didn't "feel" sorry, but I knew I needed to move on and move on with my Lord and Savior.

He always amazes me, but He began touching my life again, and He's waiting patiently to touch yours too if you're in a place like that.  He'll bring meaning to you through His Word and He will touch your heart.

It's okay if you don't believe it right now.  We all have those times and need to find the place where we will be vulnerable and surrender to Him.  You'll get there, and if it's not too much to say, you'll be better for it when you do.

Summer Belongs to You

The title is a song from one of our favorite kid cartoons "Phineas and Ferb" and it fits today!  Swimming lessons followed by a nice family outing to my husband's work picnic, tried gourmet PB&J sandwiches, gourmet cupcakes, and enjoyed street pizza and food truck BBQ.  It was pretty tasty. The kiddos enjoyed the bouncy houses and participating in the sack races.  I forgot the camera though, the only bummer of the day.

We left the picnic to go straight to a birthday party which was more yummy food and outdoor play.  Amazingly after 3 hours of fun, they do not appear tired!  I think we'll see it this evening.

Today has been a good day.  Everyone in the family slept in (very rare for our kiddos), and I was actually the first one up at 7:45am...yes, that is sleeping in for me!  I had time to start a load of laundry, a load in the dishwasher, and even make some homemade banana muffins for breakfast.  That makes me sound like Suzie-Homemaker, not my normal Saturday morning at all, it sure felt great!

We've had such a busy week that I feel like my kiddos have been pulled along behind me as I race around meeting all the many obligations screaming for my attention, so my WITH goal is motivating me to focus on that area of life. 

I've worked hard to catch up at work, and made really good progress.  It's very interesting.  The tasks that I dread to do are the ones that bring the biggest sense of accomplishment when I get them done...hmmm.  I have to remember that for the next time I'm procrastinating on something!  I'm working on finding a balance between giving my best while at work, but not depleting my brain energy so that I can still be present and WITH at home too!

Weight-loss Success?

I stopped weighing myself for several weeks, not intentionally, but out of discouragement in my failure.  My job was and remains very demanding.  Sometimes I have the energy to care about diet and other times the best I can manage is to grab something quick on the way home.

Imagine my surprise at seeing a 5 pound loss from my beginning weight this past week!  It was so exciting.  I thought back over my habits as of late.  I have continued to try and avoid excess sugar intake.  I am eating a lot more school lunches...so I am eating less because those meals are pre-portioned.  And I had been making an effort to have healthier snacks in the house. 

The little things do count.  It has been 6 months from my first goals to lose 7.5 pounds.  I'm over half-way there.  A 10 pound loss by December would be awesome, but if I can reach my goal by September I will be happy.  Happier still if I can keep it off.  I have seen my weight fluctuate in this 6 month effort and I hope I can remain steady.

Frozen "Elsa" Dress

Here are the pics of the dress I made...for a first ever attempt I'm pretty happy with it!  The tutorial dress is smoother and more even, but I know my little girl will still love it.

The lady in the tutorial makes these dresses and sells them and I also have a good friend who makes the most adorable outfits and accessories, you can find her on Facebook at Little K's Creations!
https://www.facebook.com/littlekscreations

 

 

If you are interested in making your own, here's the website to the tutorial I used!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbiyUf7Ie3o

Goals & Projects

Spring is in full swing finally!  I haven't given up on my original five goals, but I have to admit some are proving more challenging than others...and I added a project in the meantime to make my daughter's birthday the best it can be.

She is my girly-girl and in love with the movie Frozen, especially Queen Elsa.  She loves the songs, she loves the dresses, and is excited to be the first of her cousins and friends to do a "Frozen" themed birthday party.

When the movie first came out, she saved up her own money to purchase an Elsa wig.  Then she started saving up to buy the dress and shoes.  With her birthday coming up, my hubby and I were planning to surprise her with the outfit...and if you have any Elsa fans in your family I'm sure you know that all things Frozen are pretty much off the shelves and out of stock everywhere you look.  So, after looking online and refusing to spend hundreds of dollars on over-priced Elsa dresses I decided to attempt my own.  It's finally finished and I can't wait to see her try it on!

With my goals, I am making good progress in making time to be WITH my family.  Not everyday is a success, but I am noticing more good times than there used to be.

My relationship with God is slowly improving, or I should say that I am slowly improving.  God showed me that I was sinning in the fact that I said I wanted to have a relationship with Him, but I was putting other things ahead of Him when it came to how I chose to spend my time.  I'm starting to make a bigger effort and I notice that I get more out of my time with Him when I am taking time out of my day for Him rather than trying to squeeze in a devotion or prayer here and there.  Duh, right?  Well, I guess I learn the hard way sometimes!

My weight loss goals were at a stand-still and I think I am getting back on track again.  I can still say I've lost 3 pounds, but it isn't thrilling because I was doing closing in on a good 5 pound weight loss until I got discouraged and gave up for that few weeks.

Cleaning up my basement is a goal I did make progress with.  I didn't meet my original timeline, but I have gone through part of the pile.  The nice thing about this project is that if I do get discouraged, the pile doesn't get bigger.  It just sits and waits for me to find it again.

Happy May Day!