P365 - Weeks 1 & 2

The last two years I've made it part way through P365, taking a picture every day of the year. I'm going to try it again this year. Hopefully, this year, no matter if I post late or stay right on top of it, I can keep a faithful record of 2013!

Here's week 1 & 2.

P365 is hosted on The Frans Clan blog.

Tuesday, Jan 1 -

My first SSMT (Siesta Scripture Memory Team) verse,

participating along with other followers 

of the Living Proof Ministries blog

Wednesday, Jan 2 -

My girls taking an online Art class

Thursday, Jan 3 - 

I take my first piano lesson!

Friday, Jan 4 - 

Rhett plays with his new IPhone and makes a split pic

of Katie playing chess with herself.

Saturday, Jan 5 - 

Katie's 11th birthday shared with Grandma's 65th birthday

Sunday, Jan 6 - 

Capiz ornament from the Philippines given to me by a friend

Monday, Jan 7 - 

Mini-van packed for vacation

Tuesday, Jan 8 - 

Girls swimming in the indoor pool

Wednesday, Jan 9 - 

Candy-bag Bingo with friends

Thursday, Jan 10 - 

Swim lessons with our favorite lifeguard, Miss Dolly

Friday, Jan 11 - 

Back home, Christmas packed away (almost-boxes lower right corner)

and a new living room arrangement 

Saturday, Jan 12 - 

Katie parties with friends at the skating rink

followed by presents, cake and playtime at home.

Mrs. Astor Regrets

Mrs. Astor Regrets by Meryl Gordon was a recommended book I read in the fall of 2012.

Brooke Astor was a New York old money philanthropist who headlined the news many times during her 104 years. Soon after her death in 2007, Anthony Marshall, Brooke's only son was indicted on charges of looting her estate.

The book jacket reads, "Rarely has there been a story with such an appealing heroine, conjuring up a world so nearly forgotten: a realm of lavish wealth and secrets of the sort that have engaged Americans from the era of Edith Wharton to the more recent days of Truman Capote and Vanity Fair."

Further down the jacket, "Even in this territory of privilege, no riches can put things right once they've been torn asunder."

This was such an interesting book. While I have never desired vast wealth, I will admit to having a desire for fame that creeps in every now and again. For the Lord's glory, you understand. ; )  This book changed my perspective and made me very content with my life. Actually, I came away feeling quite blessed.

Mrs. Astor was certainly a colorful character. She was intelligent, winsome, shrewd and was known to leave people in her wake. Like similar stories we hear about the rich, she was also very loyal to her friends and hired help.  But there are always people who attach themselves to the wealthy for no other reason than to get some for themselves. How it twists the spirit and mind!

The book does not definitively answer whether Brooke's son swindled her, but he was guilty of not treating her in the way she was accustomed. Much of the estate was going to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, her first love, and one has to wonder how that affected her only son.  At the time the book was published there was still an ensuing court battle.

I came away from the story with a profound sadness for those who bear the burden of wealth and fame without the firm foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Their lives are not ones to be envied.

It's good to get a peek into the lives of others and to walk away with a greater appreciation for your own.  If this story interests you, I recommend the book. It was well-written and emotionally compelling.

Creating & Tracking Goals

I love making New Year's Goals. (Have I lost you already?)

I spend time between Christmas and New Year's thinking about what I want to accomplish during the upcoming year.  I have to chuckle when someone says they don't make New Year's goals, but they want to work on....  Whether you take a sit-down-and-plan approach or you think about what could be improved upon in the big-picture-kind-of-way, I encourage you to have something for which to aim.

People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more

in a shorter period of time 

than people without them could ever imagine.

Successful people are simply those with successful habits.   

- both quotes by Brian Tracy

When creating goals it's important to be:

S - specific, significant, stretching

M - measurable, meaningful, motivational

A - agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented

R - realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented

T - time-based, timely, tangible, trackable

For further reading about SMART goals, go here.

I use the following chart (created in Word) to keep track of monthly goals. I love marking off each day as I accomplish my goal. (click chart to view larger)

My monthly goals might include finishing some quilting projects, organizing something, spending time in meaningful ways with people. The monthly goals are more project-oriented.

In 2011 I kept a monthly record most of the year, which was a big step for me, but last year I had a few areas that needed prolonged accountability - areas that I worked on the whole year, not just one month at a time.  I decided to create a yearly goals chart for those.

These goals were daily devotions, P365 (a picture a day), exercise, healthy eating, sleep routines, making a daily plan, keeping a gratitude journal and a few others.  I was hoping that seeing a whole year at a time would give me the extra motivation needed to stick with it and I can honestly say it did.
I've never done so well on goals before!

What was the biggest surprise while tracking goals on the yearly sheet?  Sometimes real life gets in the way! When we had guests stay for a month, the power go out for a week, graduations/parties to plan and attend, sicknesses and emergencies goals fell by the wayside.

Prior to using this chart I would just see the failure of not keeping up with my goals instead of seeing how life impacts the goals I've made.  In 2012 I could look at the white spaces on the chart and know that life had happened and I just needed to get back on track or that I was truly struggling and needed to determine why.  I gave myself much more grace and it paid off because it was easier to get back on track!

The charts also helped me evaluate what goals were truly beneficial. I dropped "keeping a gratitude journal" around week 36 because it wasn't helping me become more grateful. It had just become a chore I did right before turning out the light at bedtime.  I found I felt grateful without the needed tool of a journal.  On the other hand, I realized that the goals of "getting up between 6-7am" and "going to bed between 9-10pm" were critical to the success of my days.  Sleep is a foundational goal for me again this year and I hope to make progress in it's consistency.

Where do I keep these charts?

The yearly charts I printed on cardstock and put in a 3-ring binder labeled Goals. I have a few other tabs that I use sporadically and I might share that folder with you at a later time. The most important thing is to print the charts on cardstock so they keep their integrity the entire year.

I used to have a day planner, but I didn't utilize much more than the calendar. So now I keep a pocket folder for all my daily/weekly organizing papers: a running to-do list, a running to-buy list, calendar, food/exercise log, a list of our library check-outs, and anything that I might need for the week at hand. I don't have to conform to a manufactured planner, it is just a one-stop place for me to keep the papers that I will use often. It's my working folder and it works for me!

If you are interested in copies of the charts above, just send me an email at: angie@creativityltd.com. I'd be happy to send them to you.

Have you set 2013 goals? Let me know what keeps you motivated!

Happy New Year!

Hodgepodge New Year

Join us at Joyce's place for Hodgepodge fun.

1. How did you ring in the new year?

I'm so glad you asked because I went to my first dance! Yes, really, my first one. Friends invited our family to the event where we sash shayed the night away to folk dances from the 1800's. Dances like the Virginia Reel. It was a workout! We have been talking about it all day today and can't wait to make it a yearly tradition.  Tip for next year: wear comfortable shoes.

2. What is one thing you are looking forward to in 2013?

My husband finishing his MBA. Right now he works full-time, studies full-time and adds a little bit of farming on the side. Who knows what he'll do with himself when he's done with school!

3. Steven Spielberg is quoted as saying, "All of us every single year, we're a different person. I don't think we're the same person all our lives." What say you?

Absolutely, true for me! I am a very goal-oriented person and I saw a lot of growth in several areas last year. If you experience new things and have to interact with new people, then you will become a different person.

4. The Pantone color of the year for 2013 is emerald green. Like or dislike? Do you already own something this color? Will you add something in this shade to your home or wardrobe in 2013?

I saw that was the new color and I LOVE it! I don't own anything in that color right now (but I did in the 80's.) If it makes it's way into fashion, I will definitely add it to my wardrobe.  My winter coloring will love it!

5. Speaking of emerald...what's your favorite gemstone? 

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

6. Share a favorite book or movie from 2012.

My favorite book in 2012 (you can see what I read in the page tab at the top of the blog) was The Runaway Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverinni.  I loved the story of how a quilt played into the underground railroad and I intend on making a replica of that quilt this year.

7. What is something you want to tell yourself at the start of this brand new year?

I read the January 1st entry in My Utmost For His Highest and decided to give 2013 a theme phrase: "My Best for His Glory." 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

 

We were in a church hall, not a barn and most  of the 75-100 attendees were dressed in modern dress clothes, but we were about this "rough" and it was such a good time. It's just too bad we have to wait a whole year to do it again.

Free Ebook Today Only

I am bursting with so many things I want to share with you, but one of those things has a deadline!

I have read (in)courage daily for the past few months and I'm surprised by how uplifting, encouraging and thought-provoking this blog can be. If you haven't checked it out, please, do so.

When today's post came through my Inbox I spent the time reading God-sized Dreams and the "Do What You Can" Plan with interest.   You see, right now I don't have a God-sized Dream on my plate for 2013, but I do know at my core that the Lord wants me to work on self-discipline in a BIG way this year.  Maybe that's something I can only dream of, but it's His plan for me.

I will post more on this later in the week, but the title "Do What You Can" Plan seemed intriguing so I went to Amazon and downloaded the Kindle App for my Mac (if for nothing else, thank you for opening up that world to me) and downloaded Holley Gerth's free ebook, The "Do What You Can" Plan / 21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better.

After downloading the book I laid here on the couch and read through the whole thing. It didn't take long, but I wasn't clock-watching either. Don't you love slow days around the New Year!

I assumed that a free ebook with such a simple title would have platitudes heard a million times over and that it would be of no use to me, but the encouragement and common sense illustrations surprised me. I will definitely go back through the book more slowly and soak in some of the simple truths she so aptly describes.  The book is so encouraging without the added feelings of pressure or guilt about accomplishing whatever.  She has a wonderful easy-going writing style and you'll feel like you've met a friend at the coffee shop who is there to give you a little pick-me-up.

If you have any way of reading an ebook, take the time today and download this one! There are some poignant illustrations waiting for you too!

Enjoy!

Recipes to Share

For the next several days I have new recipes on my cooking blog.
You may want to check it out. Just click on the link here.

I hope to do a Christmas recap before the end of the year.
Until then, enjoy some quiet between the holidays!

In honor of Newtown

Today I am observing a blogger day of silence in honor of those in Newtown, CT. If you would like more info or would like to know how to help, please,visit this post.

Hodgepodge - a peek into Christmas

Hodgepodge Link up here.

1.  So, when did you last take a walk in the woods? A stroll along the beach? A drive going nowhere in particular in the car? 

A stoll down a country lane?  A couple months ago.

2.  Are you sending Christmas cards this year?  About how many do you send?  Photo card or something more traditional?  How do you display the cards you receive?

Yes, I'm sending a little over 100 cards. This year I purchased inexpensive cards at a local store, but usually I buy high-end cards and include a letter and photo. Not this year, just didn't have it in me.  

We display our cards in a box on the coffee table so we can look through them at our leisure. When the season is over all photos get updated in our Friends and Family album which is a small photo album kept on a shelf in our dining room.

3. What's a word you've heard too much of in the past week?

Busy. Yes, we're all busy. Welcome to America! I think busy is a frame of mind. You can engage in a lot of activity, but being prepared, getting enough sleep and not OVER-committing can allow you to do a lot with calm and peace. Not a sermon, just a thought.

4. December 13th is National Cocoa Day-are you a fan?  Plain or flavored?  Marshmallows or no marshmallows?

I enjoy hot chocolate. I like the flavored packets you can buy individually at the grocery store...raspberry, mint, hazelnut, caramel, supreme. No marshmallows, unless I'm having a fun "beverage moment" with the girls.

5. What is something you do to help alleviate the hectic pace of the Christmas season?

I have a Christmas folder - everything goes in it. Lists, addresses, ideas, plans, calendars. Everything Christmas. Many years ago on Christmas Eve (after a meltdown) I sat and wrote myself a letter about what I didn't want Christmas to be anymore.  I always hated the season (and I hate the word "hate.") I decided that the traditions were only wonderful IF I could pull them off stress-free.  That takes a lot of planning, letting go of expectations and reigning in my "let's do it all perfectly!" tendencies.  

I am also purposeful about pampering myself. I dislike shopping...a ...lot! So I take myself out to a salad bar for lunch or grab a hot cocoa at Starbucks (which is not normal for me) or I might even purchase myself a small item for getting out there and getting it done. (new fabric!)  Yep, I have to reward myself  for  shopping. Ha!

6. Besides jewelry, what's a favorite sparkly-glittery item in your home or closet?

The girls and I couldn't think of anything that belongs to me. I guess I'm not sparkly-glittery. The only thing I could think of are my daughters' clothes. They are super cute in sparkles & glitter!

7. Share a favorite line or two from any Christmas carol.

Ok, this year I am obsessed with How Many Kings by Downhere, maybe not quite a carol, but a Christmas song.

How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

A Christmas Miracle

* I know this is a long post, but I think you'll be blessed for reading to the end.

A Christian community either lives by the intercessory prayers of its members for one another, or the community will be destroyed. I can no longer condemn or hate other Christians for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble they cause me. In intercessory prayer the face that may have been strange and intolerable to me is transformed into the face of one for whom Christ died, the face of a pardoned sinner. That is a blessed discovery for the Christian who is beginning to offer intercessory prayer for others. As far as we are concerned, there is no dislike, no personal tension, no disunity or strife that cannot be overcome by intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the community must enter every day.

Offering intercessory prayer means nothing other than Christians bringing one another into the presence of God, seeing each other under the cross of Jesus as poor human beings and sinners in need of grace. Then, everything about other people that repels me falls away. Then I see them in all their need, hardship, and distress. Their need and their sin become so heavy and oppressive to me that I feel as if they were my own, and I can do nothing else but bid: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with them according to your firmness and your goodness.

Intercessory prayer is also a daily service Christians owe to God and one another. Those who deny their neighbors prayers of intercession deny them a service Christians are called to perform. Furthermore, it is clear that intercessory prayer is not something general and vague, but something very concrete. It is interested in specific persons and specific difficulties and therefore specific requests. The more concrete my intercessory prayer becomes the more promising it is…

All this proves that intercessory prayer is a gift of God’s grace for every Christian community and for every Christian. Because God has made us such an immeasurably great offer here, we should accept it joyfully. The very time we give to intercession will turn out to be a daily source of new joy in God and in the Christian congregation.

The paragraphs above were Saturday's, Sunday's and today's email devotionals by Bonhoeffer sent to me from Bible Gateway.  Two days ago when I read the first paragraph I wasn't surprised when the Lord  immediately brought to mind a dear friend who has chosen not to speak to me for about a year.  This broken relationship has weighed heavily on my heart off and on and when I couldn't make sense out of any of it, I would just pray. I would pray for my friend. I would pray that I would have humility and see my contribution to the break down. I would ask God to work. The prayers ended up being wordless, because I didn't know what else to pray.

I read the three devotionals and thought I will just keep praying. She is my sister-in-Christ and I love her. We're sinners, but we're still a part of the Body and even if I can do no more towards restoration, I can still pray.  I prayed fervently over the past three days, often times barely able to keep her off my mind.

While I was showering today I thought, "I'm going to see her today."  Logically, I knew it was possible since we both homeschool and one of our local Universities was hosting a school performance of The Christmas Carol. We've been to many of these plays and I've never seen her there before, but today I just had a sense that would be different.

My girls and I arrived 45 minutes early. We live over an hour away from the University and driving in DC...you never know how much time you'll need. My girls and I went up to the foyer's balcony and waited for the theater doors to open. I sat on a bench while my girls kept running from their perch overlooking all the incoming attendees back to me to inform me of all they saw.  When Tara came running back and told me that she saw the friend mentioned above and her two daughters, I knew the Lord had orchestrated this time.

They came up to the balcony and we greeted each other with hugs. My next door neighbor also came up at the same time and we joked that we should have carpooled. It made the situation lighthearted. We all sat next to each other and I chose to fall back and sit right next to my estranged friend. We fell into easy conversation about sicknesses, haircuts, homeschooling, our children, work, etc. We chatted easily for a long time. The show got a late start, but I think that was in His plan, as well.

At the end of the show we said our good-byes and hugged, but still ambled out to the parking lot together, commenting here and there as we walked. When we got near our parking spots my friend turned to me crying and asked for forgiveness. I, of course, broke into tears, but was honestly taken by surprise. (I missed the Lord's preparation of my heart in some ways.)  Out stumbled some stupid words that I immediately knew would be hurtful; I was defensive, but through tears also let her know that I missed her friendship dearly.  We talked a little more and then went our separate ways.

All afternoon the Holy Spirit was telling me to call and apologize for my defensive words. At first I thought, "but they were true and she didn't know it." He gently reminded me that truth wasn't needed. What was?

Humility. 

Restoration. 

Healing.

After dropping my girls at Grandma's I called my friend and apologized. It was exactly what was needed. My words had hurt and I was wrong. We then talked for two more hours about everything we had missed in each other's lives over the past year. I'm sure we didn't get it all packed in, but it was so good. How I missed my friend!

I just kept thinking, "Lord, this is a great Christmas gift! Thank You!"

We've promised to set up a time for dinner together once we get into the new year.  I'm just so thankful that the Lord doesn't give up on us. These three devotionals have challenged me even more to pray...really pray for my family in Christ. He can do miracles and I've just experienced a Christmas one.

A Season to...

Happy December, Everyone!

I've been sick for the past week with the flu/cold and just now feel like I'm ready to face December.

We've gotten a tree decorated and the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic. I've purchased ONE gift and a few stocking stuffers. Lights have been hung on the porch. We've attended practices for concerts soon to come, but that's it around the Martens' house.

It doesn't quite feel like Christmas around here yet.

The calendar boasts a flurry of activity over the next two weeks which seems daunting from my easy-chair today, but we'll manage one day at a time.

This week:

The girls and I will take in The Christmas Carol at our local University tomorrow. Maybe that will jump start my Christmas Spirit!  If not, we'll be baking cookies for teachers on Wednesday, followed by our CoOp concert and Christmas luncheon on Thursday. Then Christmas parties fill Friday, Saturday and Sunday so I'm guessing by the end of the week we'll be fully immersed in the Christmas spirit! Yay!

What Christmas activities do you have upcoming this week?