That is, if your idea of wild is Panera Bread, Target, Michael’s, Office Depot, and Giant.

Inspired by the brilliance of Pinterest we decided to have a crafting session which included canvases, paint, clipboards, Mod Podge, and scrapbook paper.

Check out my wonderful artistry!

The “art” was modeled after Jordan Ferney’s at Oh Happy Day.  I can’t wait to hang it in my bedroom!

]]> http://www.thegreatestrefrain.com/2012/02/a-rainy-saturday-night/feed/ 0 http://www.thegreatestrefrain.com/2012/02/the-29-project-day-1-a-look-back/ http://www.thegreatestrefrain.com/2012/02/the-29-project-day-1-a-look-back/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:44:06 +0000 Lauren http://www.thegreatestrefrain.com/?p=126 OHMYWORD.  I couldn’t stop craving Potbelly.  All. day. long.  All I wanted was a chicken salad sandwich.  WHAT IN THE WORLD?!  I have one maybe twice a year and I have never crave it.  So why?  Why my first day of this self-imposed fast that I have been super excited about?

Gladly, I didn’t cave.   I didn’t even cheat when I made brownies yesterday evening.  I didn’t lick the bowl or spoon.  I didn’t have any of the wonderful, rich caramel that was spread on top.  I’m pretty sure it was the strongest act of will-power that I have ever displayed.  Caramel is my Kryptonite.

No major revelations.  No grand acts of God.  No hand writing on the wall.

But Day 2 is here now.  And yesterday a friend posted “Pray bigger prayers” on his Facebook page.  So that’s what I’m doing.  I’m praying big prayers.  I’m fasting for a purpose and I’m confident that God will honor that.

Another reason it has resonated? I love me some good social experiments and times of discipline.  Although it is rarely comfortable and welcome at the time, I love being challenged to step outside of my comfort zone and to dig deeper.  7 has made me contemplate doing just that.  As I read I began to think, “What could I stand to give up in order to gain more (sensitivity, discipline, focus, etc)?”

Around the same time a friend approached me about doing a 30-day Paleo challenge.  For those of you haven’t heard of the Paleo Diet I’m pretty sure you’ve not been around DC for the past few months.  Crossfit and Paleo are brought up at least once a conversation.  She challenged me to join her in the endevour and I quickly agreed.

So, for the month of February, for 29 days, I’m doing just that.  I’m setting it apart as a time of discipline – physically, spiritually, mentally.  My prayer is that God uses this time in order to create habits that will glorify Him more and that He will reveal Himself in new ways.  Not only will I be partaking in the Paleo Challenge (no gluten, no dairy, no sugar) and going to the gym more regularly (and by regularly, I mean going) but also setting aside some very purposeful time to pray through and reflect, read, and talk to people in order to explore some things that have been put on my heart.

Now I know she challenged me to 30 days and not 29 – so why skimp on the extra day?

Well… that’s another story for another day.

Not only that, but I stayed up late to watch football, a game I usually only gain interest in if there’s a boyfriend attached at the other end.

No, there’s no boyfriend.

I’m totally on Team Tebow.

Big time.

I watched the New England Patriots beat the Denver Broncos 45-10 in the playoff game.  It was a game that had more frustrating moments than moments of celebration and while I was driving home I kept replaying it over in my mind. Am I disappointed for the Broncos and for Tim Tebow that they didn’t win? Sure. But in a way, I’m also relieved for them.  There has been an amazing amount of scrutiny, criticism, and pedestal raising taking place over the past few months and I can’t help but wonder about the toll that it has taken on each of the individuals involved.

This morning I checked Twitter to hear more about it and one of the tweets that came up was from TT’s brother, Peter (@petertebow).  It read, “Sometimes victories come in the form of seeming defeats #thecross #thingsmoreimportantthanfootball”

He’s right.

Football isn’t our Savior.  Tim Tebow isn’t either.  God is.  Our hope, assurance and praise belong at the feet of the One who created all things and gave His only Son to die as a ransom for our sins. The One who is unchanging, perfect, and just.  God didn’t decide that He didn’t love Tim anymore and was no longer going to support him.  God’s primary concern is not the score on a football field but that His glory will be made known.  That can happen with or without a win.  My literal prayer is that regardless of what happened last night, Tim continues to proclaim Christ and uses his platform and resources to share Him with others.  I have a feeling he’s going to be asked a lot of questions that are going to give him the opportunity to do so.

This morning I’m pondering the following questions: What areas of my life have seemed like defeats but are really opportunities for God to be made known greater?  What things do I get wrapped up in that take my eyes off of what is truly important?  How can I share the work of the cross with others even more?

Let’s celebrate seeming defeat that, in actuality, was the greatest victory.

Today’s Favorites are from my never-ending reading list.   Oh how I love thee, non-fiction.

Enjoy!

Enjoy!

‘He was like, “What?!”‘

“…she would have been really heevay.”

“They called the baby Geejus…He has two daddies…”

Get over yourself.  Quit complaining.

This week consisted of apologizing to people I didn’t want to apologize to, completing tasks I loathed, and swallowing my pride.  Oh!  How I hate those things.  I hate them. I hate them with a burning passion.  I will avoid them at any cost.

But I had to.  You know why?  Because I’m a big girl.  And big girls do things they don’t want to do. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do.  And I like being right.

You know what?  It wasn’t so bad.  The world did not, as I had erroneously predicted, end.  I didn’t seize up and die.

So take THAT stuff-I-hate-doing.  You’re not half has awful as you touted yourself to be.  Double-whammy: I was right and those things lost their “I hate you” power.

But then again I am also madly in love with it.  Mainly because I have this fear that one day I will lose my memory (50 First Dates, anyone?) and I nor anyone else will have any idea about all of the little details I keep in this crazy brain of mine and I know that technology (or a ridiculously long journal) can help alleviate some of that pressure.

So here are some of the newest (to me, at least) tools that I have been using in order to breathe a little easier:

• www.evernote.com – This website/phone app allows you to write notes, take pictures, record messages, and clip websites and then stores them for you forever online.  A perfect companion to my obsessive I-have-a-list-for-every-possible-topic making self.
• Key Ring App – This app allows you to scan in your 135093285 member bonus cards (think grocery stores, retail stores, clubs, etc.) into your phone and then stores them for you.  This app will also catalog any coupons or discounts that are associated with your bonus cards and have them on your phone for you to present at the time of checkout.  Brilliant!
• Restaurant Nutrition App – This app, made by United Lifestyle, allows you to search for nutrition information from hundreds of popular restaurants.  Then again, there are some things you just may not want to know…

Now, before you go thinking, “Ohmyword, she’s so cool – so savvy!”  please know that I also spent Saturday night finally figuring out how to use itunes.   No, my ipod isn’t new – I’ve had it for years.  I’m not really sure how music has gotten on it in the past.

What apps/websites do you love?

*A special shout-out to khagadorn for her suggestions and allowing me to steal 2/3 of these things from her.

Today my baby brother turns 23.

Happy birthday, Brian!

You’re a good man and I love you.

Yes, you read that correctly.

This Hamburger Happy Meal indulging, Dairy Queen Heath Blizzard enjoying, crusty bread adoring, and grilled chicken loving-girl has decided to give up eating animal products for the next 6 weeks.  6 weeks and no meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs.

Why?  Because I want to know if I can.  That’s it.  I am one of the most undisciplined people I know and this is an incredible test of discipline.   And it’s healthy.   We could always do with a little more healthy in our lives, no?   I know that I certainly can.

I’m five days into this experiment and so far it has been a mixed bag of challenges.  My weekly Monday night dinner with a co-worker, not being able to eat the gummy bears that my students offered me during our party, and the inability to eat a 9:30 Cupcake at Buzz while pulling an all-nighter have been the hardest instances so far.  It’s funny how a routine becomes a significant challenge with a declarative decision  like this.

So, here’s to the next five weeks  and two days – to the temptations, the challenge to keep it interesting, and to growing in discipline.