Blessed Aroma

Our friends over at Internet Cafe are taking nominations for blogs that are a blessing! There are 10 categories, so click over and nominate your favorites. They will then compile the top ten in each category and I'm sure we'll all make some new friends!

Cleaning Out…Everything!!!

It’s funny how every once in a while all of the stars in the universe will align and point right at whatever it is God wants us to be focusing on. For me, right now, I’m feeling called to be more organized. I’m one of those weird people (forgive me, if you’re in the same boat, but people think we’re weird) who craves…no, NEEDS, organization and order in my life. When it’s lacking, I don’t function well. It’s like, no matter what’s going on, I can’t truly focus because there are so many things left UNDONE in the background of my mind. Ever felt like that?

Life has been in fast-forward around here for the past couple of years, for various reasons. It seems like one day I woke up and looked around and realized…I’m not living in survival mode any more. I can slow down and FOCUS on what needs to be done and then—you guessed it—get it done! So that’s where I’ve been for the past month or so. We started the day after Christmas in our office/playroom, and once we got that done, it felt so good, we made a master list and kept on trucking. I’ve posted on my blog about a couple of different projects, but there’s one I’ve been hiding. Because I’m embarrassed. And maybe a little ashamed.

If you’ve visited my blog before, you know that we live in a small house. A very, very small house. But we moved here from a larger house, with more rooms. Where, you ask, did that furniture go? Ah, good question. You see, we have…gasp!...a storage unit. Like all things, it started out as a positive, as we were able to move things a few boxes at a time over the year it took us to finish remodeling our house, sell it, find a house here, and move. It was great to be able to move for real on the big day in just one big truck…and we didn’t dare stop to count how many truckloads and trailers we’d already hauled to storage. You see where this is going, right? Over the past few years, we’ve inherited some things that we want to keep but don’t have room for. So we put them in storage. We had a second child, so we had to move things around a bit. Where’d we put the extra stuff? Say it with me: in storage! We’ve added to our keepsakes, our Christmas decorations…heck, sometimes when we find something and don’t know what it is we just haul it off to storage to deal with it later.

And it finally caught up with us. Last winter, we went to storage and found a very large rattlesnake skin. Yikes! Thank goodness we didn’t find the snake, but we didn’t dare dig around in there very much. Then came warm weather, but life got in the way…and then it was Christmas time again and when my husband went to get our Christmas tubs he came home just…disgusted. It was time to face it. So we blocked off a couple of Saturday mornings, called in a babysitter, loaded up the truck with trash bags and labels and brooms and hand sanitizer, and we went in. Unfortunately, I don’t have a before picture. But I can tell you—this place was stacked to the CEILING with junk. We couldn’t walk in—we had to pile stuff out to even get in a few feet. Forget getting to anything in the back! That first Saturday, we hauled off a truckload of stuff to recycle or donate or trash. So that’s one. And we were here…look, I can see the walls and ceiling!

A week later, we hauled off another entire load to donate and ANOTHER entire load to recycle (old boxes…were you wondering? We needed to get stuff out of cardboard boxes, so we moved a lot to plastic tubs and reorganized as we went.)

And then, this past weekend, we went back to finish. It’s funny—things I thought I couldn’t live without were so easy to part with. A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to let some things go. Heck, a year ago I wasn’t even almost interested in getting my storage ducks in a row. But this was hanging over our heads for too long…every time James and I would talk about starting a home project, it would always come back to, but we shouldn’t start anything until we take care of storage. It was embarrassing to know that we had so much STUFF cluttering up our storage and our lives. Not that all of the stuff was/is bad…but we weren’t honoring that stuff or being good stewards by leaving it there in old cardboard boxes to be damaged or age too quickly. And then there’s the whole, you know, stacks and stacks of stuff we didn’t want to deal with so we—literally—threw it into the storage unit. Ugh. It’s hard to think about, hard to admit. But we did it, we slogged through it all and pretty much finished. We still have 2 boxes to go through, but all in all, I’m still in shock that we could go out there now and have a picnic on the floor. It’s a major improvement to even see the floor, sadly! Another truck load of stuff hauled away later, and here it is…

It’s not completely finished—the stuff in the middle still needs to come home and be sorted out here and some of it will find a new home, but look at the difference! I’m proud of what we accomplished. It wasn’t all that hard, and it wasn’t horribly time consuming. We just had to set our minds and hearts to do what God was telling us to do all along. I can’t tell you how much better I feel having this huge item crossed off my perpetual to-do list—I feel like, finally, that part of my mind is freed up to focus on other things! Like, hmm, life with my kids!

Here’s the thing, for me: on the surface, I seem pretty organized. Of course I don’t have it all together, but I try really hard. But for every cabinet that I am embarrassed to open in front of a girlfriend and every closet I won’t open when family comes to visit…those things cause shame and they take away my joy. Shame is a pretty strong word, I know, but anything that separates me from my God or my loved ones is shameful. Every day as I work toward my goal of getting my life—seen and unseen—in line with where God wants me to be, I count each straight drawer and every organized cabinet and every clean closet as a victory. Like the plaque on my back door says, “it’s the little things in life that make living so grand!”

Thanks to our friend Kristi from Adventures of MommyGirl is guest posting again! Be sure to pop over to her site and say hi!

Tackling LB's room

We are blessed, blessed, blessed with amazing amounts of hand-me-downs for my son.  I am extremely grateful for them.

But sometimes I wonder if they will come to life at night and smother me in my sleep. ;)

So. Many. Clothes.

And as all of you moms out there understand, just trying to keep up with packing away sizes the kids have outgrown and pulling out stuff that will fit them now is quite a task.  [Am I the only one who worked in the nursery, pregnant with #1, obsessing about arranging everything just so and putting all those cute little clothes away?  Somehow it has become less idyllic...] ;)

It had been a while since I really tackled LB's room.  All of the issues above, added to baby things he definitely doesn't need anymore but that I hadn't gotten around to packing away, meant that the storage in his room just was not being ultilized well... and it was a bit of a mess.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Ahhh... so much better.

I know this is a task so many of us dread (myself included).  When I am tempted to complain about tasks like this, I am reminded about how much we have.  As a reminder to us all:

How can I complain about laundry baskets that overflow and closets stuffed with too much clothing?   
We have been blessed abundantly.  I never wonder if my family will have clothing on their backs.

How can I complain about dirty dishes and unorganized pantries?
Those dirty dishes mean we ate today, the pantry means we will eat tomorrow.  My family has never gone hungry.

How can I complain about cleaning my house or dust that has accumulated?
We are not living on the streets.  We have a beautiful, safe, and comfortable home.

May we all press on, serve God in our homes with excellence, and remember that we have been blessed abundantly.

Thankful both for a clean house and God's rich blessings,

Kristi

Sewing Corner

As you may remember, I recently took up sewing as my new hobby. I am loving it. Well, most of it. The part I am not loving is the lack of organization to my new gadgets, scraps, and patterns.

I knew when I started I would need a storage caddy of some sort. Therefore, I bought this little guy. I want to emphasize the word little. But at the time it was big enough to hold my one pair of scissors, scraps from my first project, and pins. That is really all I needed, right?

But really, who was I kidding? It really was only big enough for the first project. After all my Christmas gifting and clothes making the little box was outgrown into this mess!

Before

Something had to be done. Instead of going out and buying a new plastic tub (sure to be outgrown) I found an extra basket I had lying around. I did buy a thread organizer box to hold all the thread. And I still used the initial box to hold pins and scissors (I now have 6 pairs and a rotary cutter. Special. I know.), etc.

After

As for patterns, I am still not sure the best way to store them. For the patterns I have found online and printed, I organized by category into a three-ring binder.

I have a couple of books that are just lying with everything else in the basket. And the 99 cent patterns I bought at Hobby Lobby the past couple of months are also loose in the basket.

I have some questions for you, my crafty readers!

1. What is the best way to organize/store patterns (the ones in the package)?
2. For the patterns I have traced using Do-Sew, where/how do I keep up with them?

3. Any other tricks you can share?

Spicing it up!

I have been cleaning a lot at my house lately, but I haven't been so good at taking pictures. We have a dining room that is closed off to the rest of the house that largely serves as a craft, decorating, storage, miscellaneous room most of the time. Unless we are hosting a large gathering, we use our kitchen to serve and eat meals.

But last Friday we hosted a navy function and needed our dining room to serve all the food. I actually cleaned the room by sorting everything in it and finding a permanent place for every item. But alas, no before picture. So, it's really not all that impressive of a task for those of you who never saw it!

Here's a smaller job that I actually do have pictures of. In the interest of full disclosure, I actually did this last summer and never posted it. But it's still organized and working for me, so here's my new and improved spice cabinet.

Before

My cabinet was full, but it was hard to find anything that I really needed.

So everything came out to be sorted. Expired spices and baking items were thrown away. And everything was grouped with other similar items. There were multiples of several spices that were combined to save space.

After

Then it all went back into the cabinet properly labeled with space to spare.

Cleaning out the Freezer

It isn't glamorous. It isn't fun. In fact, next time I might even wear my mittens. But cleaning out the freezer was long past due, so I tackled the frozen tundra and took pictures, just for you!

I decided to clean out the freezer for a few reasons. I'm really trying to get weekly menus with accompanying shopping lists set up that I rotate through. I'm also trying to freeze more meals (so I need space for them). And finally, I put "chicken breasts" on my grocery list every other week and I was pretty sure we don't eat that much chicken. Where could it be?

Look at that, a whole Cheesecake Factory cheesecake that I haven't even opened! Obviously, I  need a sweet reward for all that (cold) hard work!

This Week: Cleaning out the Closets

This week we're inviting you into the messiest parts of our houses. Partly to motivate ourselves to clean. And partly to encourage you to clean out the closets, or any other part of your house that might need some extra attention.

Do it for the satisfaction of a job well done. Do it to finally get the clothes your kids have outgrown put away. Do it to get a head start on spring cleaning. (Who wants to clean in Spring anyway?! As soon as it gets above 50 degrees around here you'll find us outside!) Who knows, you might even find a few things to sell on Craig's List or EBay, making some cold hard cash for your hard work!

Being intentional in 2010

Well, like KLee and Alicia, I'm not usually a resolution maker.

'Cause let's be honest... I have a big ol' type B personality, and I rarely stick with them.  My husband teases me that he will ask me what I'm making for dinner, and by the time it's on the table it is something completely different.  Apparently I like to change directions mid-stride!

So, while that is my personality and, short of Divine intervention, it's probably not going anywhere... I do need to be more deliberate and self-disciplined.  Sandra used the word "self-control" as her one-word resolution.  I think my one word would be intentional.

*I want to be more intentional with how I plan my days and manage my time.  I have the same 24 hour a day time allotment as everyone else - I don't want to waste it.

*I want to be more intentional with making time to exercise and write more frequently.

*I want to be more intentional with what I do with my children during the day - intentional training, intentional learning, intentional play.

*I want to be more intentional with my housekeeping and homemaking - making our home a haven of order and peace for my family.

*I want to be more intentional with what ministry projects I take on - which means I'll have to say "no" to some things.

With everything I do this year, even if it is updating my facebook status, I want to intentionally do it to honor the Lord and point my family and those around me to Him.

I want to look back on 2010 and know that I have chosen to redeem the time rather than waste it!

-Kristi

[For more thoughts about living intentionally, you can find me on my blog!]

Revisiting 2009

I am really not one for resolutions. I think I even said that last year. Yep, read it. As I was thinking through what I was going to write, I think everything from last year still applies (does that mean I am really bad at keeping resolutions?). But instead of having these goals with no steps to help along the way, lets talk about what action steps I will be taking to meet those goals this year.

My relationship with Christ--
I have started reading the Bible through. I have a group of people I am working with to hold me accountable and JD is doing it with me. Accountability is HUGE!

Relationships with Family--
In order to spend time with others, time must be sacrificed in other areas. I am starting simple and checking out of Facebook and minimizing other time on the computer. JD and I plan to eliminate some of the many TV shows we watch in order to do more productive things with our time (i.e. reading. Like Alicia, I want to read more. Please comment on her post with more books! I like fiction.).

Focusing on bettering my body--
I am also meeting several times a week with a group. Again, accountability. And JD is apart of this group as well. I love how he is encouraging me along the way!

Delighting in the Lord--
I will look for ways the Lord is working in my life and the lives of those around me and dear to my heart. Even when times are tough, the Lord is still at work. I need to make a point to ask others what the Lord is doing in their lives.

Books, Books and More Books

I'm not so good with resolutions. I don't usually make them and I definitely don't like them. Last year I wrote about making-over some of my usual resolutions. Looking back, I did okay, but there's definitely still room for improvement in most of those areas. (Isn't there always?!) So, while I want to continue those efforts, I would like to tackle a very specific resolution this year. In 2010 I would like to read more books.

I was inspired partly by my friend, Anna, at The Sage Room who resolved to read 52 books in 2009. She succeeded - and while I might not read that many, I do want to read more books this year. I am guilty of watching WAY too much television and not engaging my mind enough. And since I have already finished 4 books I think I'm off to a fantastic start. I'm also going to tackle more non-fiction than I usually do. (Of course, I only have to read 3 or 4 non-fiction books all year to do that!)

The other half of my resolution is to read more to my kids. I can't tell you how many times I brush off a request that I read them a book. How sad is that? There is nothing that I do in my day that is more important than reading to my boys. I would like to show them how important they are to me by spending more time reading to them in 2010.

Are you planning on doing more reading this year? Any books I should put on my list while I try to read more?

One Word Resolution

My goal for this year can be summed up in one word (albeit, one hyphenated word): self-control.

Self-control applies to so many areas in my life that can get out of control: housekeeping, disciplining my children, spending money, controlling my tongue, on-line time..... the list goes on and on! Each month I am focusing on one area I can exhibit more self-control. In January, it has been housekeeping. (You can read about my progress on my ministry blog this week.) February I'm working on the spiritual discipline of prayer. In March, it's money management.

Each month I'll read a book about my self-control focus area, commit to prayer and change in that area, and actually do the work it takes to make progress! Nancy Twigg writes in her book From Clutter to Clarity, "...spiritual growth is 20 percent feeling and 80 percent doing" (104). Self-control starts with feelings, but exhibits itself in actions. And usually it's little actions and decisions that show evidence of self-control. Choosing to fold the load of laundry instead of watching something on TV. Stopping just short of saying something about someone you wouldn't say to her face. Making an extra payment on the credit card instead of another charge.

Each week I get out my notebook and favorite pen and write down my baby steps and big leaps toward the resolutions I have set for myself (and my family and ministry). If a goal doesn't get met one week, it goes on to the next week, at the top.  When I think it will help, I share my goals with others, my husband or friends who can help keep me motivated and accountable.

I'm praying my one word resolution will produce much fruit in the new year!

Can you sum up your resolutions for this year in one word? Let me know in the comments!

This Week: Resolutions

This week we are sharing our resolutions. We waited a couple weeks before posting them, A) to give us more time to think, B) to try out a couple and see if we'd stick with them, and C) so we could read all of your great resolution posts and get inspired. Resolutions are all about making permanent changes, and any day is a good day to resolve to make life better!

Dear Kristi

Ten years ago... I was a sophomore in college at Cedarville University. If I could talk to myself then...


Dear Kristi,


You are nearing your 20th birthday. You feel mature, experienced, and ready to take on the world. But, you have a lot to learn in the next few years. Learn to see yourself as the broken and sinful person that you are - revel in God's grace and extend that grace freely to others. Learn to let the little things roll off your back. Learn to keep your priorities straight- it only gets harder as life goes on. Learn to cling tightly to the hand of God and find restin Him alone. Storms will come... but God doesn't waste anything.


Each quarter you open that class registration listing and cry over those Bible classes you wish you could take and dutifully sign up for the education and math classes you think you have to take instead. Hold on! That will all change soon... and you will be that odd Bible/Christian Ed major with minors in math and chemistry. It is not a waste... Pay attention in those education classes - you might hate them, but you'll use them more than you think! God doesn't waste anything.


You think that you are never going to meet that right guy - that you will be the woman who turns 40 without ever having a boyfriend. The man you will marry will walk into your life soon, and you will forever be grateful that you can say that he is your first and only love. God doesn't waste anything.


Ten years from now you might wonder about the path God has taken you down. Ten years from now you'll have different storms to face. But always remember: God doesn't waste anything.

Dear KLee

Ten years ago I had 12 months of school left, one more summer to work at Pine Cove, and 14 months left as a single. I had recently started dating my husband.

Dear KLee--

Last summer one of the leaders at camp said to the group of staffers, "There will never be another time when this exact group of staff is together again. Reunions may come, but someone most likely will be missing and new ones will fill there place. Make the most of the time God has given us together to glorify His name."

You don't know this now, but that quote will come to you mind many times over the next ten years. Be sure and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way. I know you are sick and tired of school. But one day, you will not be amongst these students. Are you reaching out to them as God desires? Are you being an encouragement and a godly example to them?

As God has called you to be the wife of a minister, you will be placed in many different situations throughout seminary and as you move about in your ministry. Be sure and learn what it means to be apart of a group God has set apart. Make the most of the opportunities with those around you. Get to know them. Work together as a team using each others strengths to do the work God desires you to do.

And God will also bless you with a family. There will be a limited number of years you will have to invest in your daughter's life. Enjoy each and every day. God has given you a job to teach her about Him. Use your given days wisely.

Patterns you make in your life today will remain patterns in your life 10 years from now. It would serve you well to put good habits into practice now to save head aches later in your life. Bible reading, exercise, eating right, etc. The longer patterns are in place, the harder they are to break!

Dear Alicia...

In Siloam Springs, Arkansas, I spent my days going to class, studying and having more than a little fun with friends. Like Sandra, I had big plans for changing the world teaching algebra to one middle schooler at a time. I was still waiting to meet the right boy at college and plan our life together. Little did I know what God had planned for me...

Dear Alicia,

I could give you a lot of advice about school. Study a little more. Take more time to get to know your professors. Worry less about dating and just develop the quality of your friendships. Enjoy the freedom you have of being in school full-time. (18 hour semesters are NOTHING like a full-time job!) Pay attention in all those early child-development classes. You might learn something to help raise your own children.

I could also give you a lot of advice about things that will happen to you over the next ten years. Spend less money on clothes your first year of teaching and put more money in savings. Learn that friendships evolve and that it's a normal and healthy part of life. Be especially tough your first year teaching 8th graders. Know that you won't always hate Norfolk, VA. Get involved in a church as soon as you move to a new place. Get the epidural sooner than later. Trust your husband's leadership.

Those are just a few high points, but the main lesson I'd like to teach is that it's not all about you. In fact, it's not really about you at all! That might seem a little harsh, but the sooner you learn that the better. Your entire life is a gift from God above and your whole purpose is to glorify Him. It might not always look the way you imagined it would, but He is sovereign and good. Trust in his faithfulness and you will not be disappointed!

Dear 20 Year Old Sandra...

I spent most of my twenties in school- graduating from college in 2001, teaching for three years, and graduating from seminary in 2007. It's funny what I thought I would do with my degrees is far from what I'm actually doing, but far more rewarding!

Dear 20 year old Sandra-

You are sitting in class after class, imagining yourself changing the lives of hundreds of students by teaching them to how to use those tricky apostrophes and introducing them to Atticus Finch. Outside the window, the long, flat west Texas landscape seems as limitless as the plans you have for your life.

Study hard. Read a lot. Proof read that paper one more time before you turn it in to the professor. "Suffer" through Principles of Education and Adolescent Psychology. They are the means to the end- the teaching degree, followed by the teaching job, followed by the day you wake up and realize you don't want to be a teacher anymore. It won't be the demanding parents, the kids who don't care about apostrophes, or even those who leave their copies of To Kill a Mockingbird on the floor of the bathroom that will push you out of teaching.

It will be God's call to stay home. Teaching a two year old the difference between his elbow and his shoulder will somehow become more interesting than teaching twenty Sophomores the difference between a simile and a metaphor. Proof reading your husband's sermon power points will be more rewarding than using your red pen on sixty essays. Even trading Tennyson's epic poems for Sandra Boynton's funny rhymes will be a joy.

God will use every class, experience, relationship, opportunity, and mistake to mold you into who He wants you to be, even if that is years and miles away from where you think you will be. And twenty years from now, who knows where God will have you! 

Baby Announcement

We are happy to share the big news that Kama's second baby was born this week! We'll wait to let her share all the details with you. We just wanted to let you know Mom and baby #2 are doing well. Please continue to pray for Kama and her two boys (who are 16 months apart!).

Erin's Favorite Photos of 2009

Hi. My name is Erin Conrad. I'm a wife and a photographer and I am thrilled to be guest blogging today. I like thunderstorms, polaroids, Sooner football, live music and hope. My heart belongs to Oklahoma.

I literally take thousands upon thousands of pictures every year, so to narrow down to my "favorites" is like asking me to not salt my food. It's impossible. So instead of sharing with you my ACTUAL top favorites (because that would take, well, an entire year) I decided to share with you the images that I have taken, be it professional or personal, that invoke or portray high emotion. That is after all why I love to take pictures. To document the journey. To never forget. To always remember. It's about a moment in time that is yours to have forever.

Here is my 2009...

A family in the park.


And a baby on the way.


Best friends.




And high school seniors finding their way.








Kids that make you smile.










A baby on the greatest book of all time.


And those who can't get enough of all this life has to offer.






The ones I love.






And being in love.






It was a 30th birthday trip to New York City with the girls.


Plus magical moments.


And meeting David Gray.


A 60th mustache themed birthday party for my dad.


And an ugly Christmas sweater party.


It was a year filled with everything that makes this life worth living and I wish you a 2010 filled with images that capture your story for all the world to know.

Happy picture taking!


PS - to see more of my 2009, check out my website here.