The Duty Chronicles

{GiVeAwAy} & Review of The Church Planting Wife

2013-01-29T07:40:00.000-06:00

Of all the interesting things Allen and I have done together, church planting takes the cake. It's hard to accurately depict the challenges, trials, emotions, heartaches and even joys that accompany the journey, but I am so thankful that a book has been written with the church planting wife in mind.

In the first chapter alone, my emotions were peaked and my eyes were watery thinking about our first year. As I remembered the early days of church planting and what it felt like to be on an emotional roller coaster...crying out to God for rest, for friendship, for balance... As hard as it was, I am ever thankful to God for testing and strengthening my faith as it could only be done in the church planting fire. I'm grateful that my faith, my marriage, my security all came through the roughest part fireproofed. Christine accurately represents the challenges we face and I appreciate her appeal to the heart of the church planter wife.

"Your heart is vital to the mission. As you give God your heart, He will give you His. God's heart for you is that church planting be the soil in which you grow in Christlikeness. With His heart as your own, your role and the challenges of church planting become opportunities for growth and ministry, and church planting becomes an exciting adventure of radical faith." (p. 23)

Weaved in and out of every chapter is a heart check and plea to cultivate a dependent heart on the Lord. I am thankful that this book isn't a church planting rant, an opportunity to discuss the injustices that the wife faces. On the contrary, the heart is addressed first and continually as the primary object of God's mission.

Relating to Christine's experience was easy. If you watched me reading this book, you would have seen me nodding and smiling (or crying!) as I progressed. From knowing my "role" to sleepless nights wondering if we were insane, to trying to find balance, to seeking true friends, I related to most everything she covers in this book. As a"Helpmate to the Man Who Does Everything," we, as church planting wives, NEED wisdom and encouragement to assist us on our journey. I am thankful that God called Christine and her husband to plant a church, as well as share her wisdom through the journey.

{GIVEAWAY}
If you would like to receive a copy of Christine Hoover's new book, The Church Planting Wife, she is giving away a copy to one blessed Duty Chronicles reader. It may just be YOU!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Homemade Christmas Gifts E-Book

2012-11-14T15:54:00.001-06:00

Last year one of my tutorials was featured on Happy Housewife and today there is an incredible opportunity to download the e-book edition of ALL of the homemade Christmas gifts that she has featured, including mine.

Hop on over to Amazon and download today so that you can get it for free and begin to peruse and decide which projects you will undertake this Christmas to bless friends and family. Enjoy!

2012 Advent Calendar and Devotional

2012-10-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

I did a little tweaking to the Advent Calendar Devotions to make them fit into the 2012 (slightly shorter) Advent season. I also made them a little easier on the eyes and a cinch to cut out and fit into your Toilet Paper Roll Advent Calendar (or whichever calendar you are using). I hope you find it helpful! Click the link below to access it!

Advent Devotional

Let me know if you have any suggestions to make it better! This just started out as something that would fit my family, but I am glad to know that it has blessed many other families and churches over the years!

Messy Party

2012-09-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

Easton turned 3 in July and we thought it very fitting for him to have a

"Messy Party" since he is our own personal Mr. Messy.

Seriously, no matter how many times I tell him that his shirt is not a napkin and offer him a real napkin, his shirt still ends up looking like he lost some sort of battle after a PB&J lunch. Not only that, he goes straight for the mud, the puddles, the dirt and the sand when given the opportunity

(or really, when given a second out of my eyesight, to be more accurate).

So, here's our recap of the Messy Party:

First off, Spaghetti Relay!

The kids split into teams and had to grab handfuls of oily spaghetti and run with it to the other side where there was a bucket to measure which team got the most without spilling. These little ones could not have cared less about winning, as a matter of fact, there were some putting there noodles in the wrong bucket. We called it a tie (if anyone cared!).

Next up, Conquer the Donut!

We hung powdered donuts by string and tied them to a low tree (with varying heights). Each child had to put their hands behind their backs and attempt to bite the donut using only their mouth. This was actually hilarious. The older kids really got into the this. The younger ones just grabbed their donuts and started eating them. Several did that before the game even got under way!

Cheerios Face-Off: We spread icing on their faces and they had to (without hands) stick as many Cheerios on their faces as they could in 30 seconds

We had several stations that kids could help themselves to, such as

Painting, Rock Painting and Body Painting (made with shave cream):

And, the Dirty Dig = kiddie pool filled with dirt, play snakes, trucks and shovels

Can't forget the Washing Station (some kids didn't want to stay quite as messy as my Mr. Messy)

Messy Cake-Eating was the highlight for my little man!

The kids had a fantastic time and the adults agreed that next time,

we want to have a grown-up messy party! Now, that will be truly fantastic!

Easton Brooks is 3!

2012-07-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

I always write my kids letters on their birthdays. It's just a tradition that I think will bless them later on in life. I usually read it to them and print it out for their journals. Here is my letter to Easton today, on his 3rd birthday:

(picture from his 2nd birthday)

(current)

Easton Brooks...

Can it possible that you are three?

Maybe it's because you are the baby in the house, but you still seem so little to assume the title of 3-year-old...

We have had so many fun, difficult, joyous and overwhelming experiences with you in your third year of life. What a crazy year it has been! There have been moments where your Dad and I have wanted to pull our hair out and check into the looney hospital because of your fits and anger. We have lost our cool, we have messed up, but ultimately we have entrusted you to God. We have had a substantial amount of joyous memories that make us forget all about the trials we have been through with you. We have had so many opportunities to praise God for the work He has done and is doing in you.

We praise Him that you are eating dinner, even salad! (those who know our struggle with this know this is a HUGE deal!)
We praise Him that you are going tee-tee in the potty!
We praise Him that the fits are considerably less and God is helping you with self control.
We praise Him that you are a great helper at cleaning up and cooking with Mommy.
We praise Him that you are becoming more of a friend to T & B and less of a destroyer, at times.
We praise Him that your personality gets bigger everyday and you keep us in stitches.
We praise Him that you are asking questions about God and sing to Him with all your heart.

Moving you from the crib to the bunk beds was a funny process and is still going on. One day last fall, you climbed out of your bed and were scared to death. I have no idea if you landed on your head or what, but you were shook up and never tried that again until the spring, when you began to do it every day. We set up the bunk beds for you and Beckett and we have gone through many phases:

Phase 1: E gets out of his bed 10 times a night every night
Phase 2: E gets out of his bed 2 times a night every night (thank God! I was having to sit outside of your door and constantly tell you to go to sleep)
Phase 3: Getting up into Beckett's bed and sleeping with him
Phase 4 (current): Finding you sleeping on the ground next to the door (when we ask you about it, you say that it's "too comfy." We don't know if you are saying the bed is too comfy so you have to sleep on the ground or the ground is too comfy so you are sleeping there.)

We have enjoyed all the talking you have done this year. I didn't think the personalities in our home could get any bigger until you started talking more. You talk non-stop and in the most precious way. You are the center of attention and you most certainly know it. Your Easton-isms have left us in stitches and yet we have captured so few of them in writing. Thank you for making our home a place of great laughter and fun. I have no doubt that you will be our clown through the years and I look forward to watching your personality continue to grow.

Happy 3rd Birthday, precious! Life is better with you in it - it's fun, it's unpredictable, it's entertaining and it's a blessing bigger than words could articulate.

I love you, Easton Brooks!

Love,
Mommy

Book Review Blurb

2012-07-18T15:08:00.002-05:00

***** = Make time soon
**** = Worthwhile read at some point
*** = If you have spare time, go for it
** = Not the best resource
* = Steer clear

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas *****
Such a wonderful and inspiring biography! I was drawn in by Wilberforce's life and the conviction by which he lived. The way it is written is captivating and makes you want to keep reading. I was actually sad when it was over (and it's a big book) and longing for passion like his. Great read!

Becoming God's True Woman by Nancy Leigh DeMoss ****1/2
A compilation of all the wonderful resources on biblical womanhood put into one book. I went through this book as a study with my life group gals and it was wonderful content to go through with them. It goes a little beyond the basic book on biblical womanhood and takes the application a step further, especially for single women, but speaks to married women as well. Great questions in the back for discussion.

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider ***1/2
Simply written book about organizing your home, de-cluttering, minimizing and cleaning. I thought it had some great tips in there and it was motivating for me to do deep cleaning throughout the house. We had a huge garage sale shortly after I finished this book. Reading the book was the easy part; doing all that she recommended was a pretty big undertaking, but I was certainly glad when it was done.

7 by Jen Hatmaker ****
Hmmm...where to start? I could probably write a separate blog post about this book. Basically, a journal through 7 months of this woman fasting from 7 areas of excess, such as food, clothing, eating out, etc. It may sound weird, and honestly, the book starts off slow and seemingly like its going to be a journal of self-inflicted complaints, but it quickly became a wonderful read. It got me thinking about the ways my family spends their time, money and resources, the complaints, the priorities, the ways that we can serve and sustain our city, and my prayer life. I was grateful that God used this book to open my eyes and allow me to ponder much of this in my heart. It is written in a conversational way that I ended up enjoying after the initial chapters. It's worth reading.

The Soul Winner by Charles Spurgeon ****1/2
Such an INSPIRING book! I gleaned much from the wise words of this theologian. Would highly recommend to any believer, but especially to one who is feeling a bit ho-hum in his/her faith. This book will remind you of the passion you once had to tell others about Christ and refresh you in the beauty of the gospel. It will motivate you to share freely with your children and all those who God has put you in relationship with. I loved that he included many sections about sharing Christ with your kids.

1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp ***1/2
A really sweet book. The premise is about seeing all of your life as a gift from God, even the trials and suffering. Ann is the woman who began the trend of writing down things she's thankful for, all the way up to 1000 and beyond. For me, it was a great reminder to pray for gratitude, even when I didn't feel thankful. Writing down that gift that didn't feel like a gift, "cleaning up yet another spill; thankful to be this messy boy's mom, thankful you made him like you did." I am still working on my list and in the 300-400 range. I am glad I am making time each day to sit, meditate and thank God for His gifts, especially the incredible gift of His Son, Jesus.

Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem ****
Great systematic theology book that I went through as a study at New Life. It's a wonderful alternative to the full book as a beginning systematic theology because it is condensed, and takes you briefly through many of the same topics in much less time and depth. Very succinct and helpful.

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul Tripp (second time reading this) *****
Such a wonderful book that I definitely wanted to read it again. It relays the truth that
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the lives of others. Our hope is found in Christ and is lasting because HE makes change possible, not because we (as counselors) say the right thing or because those we counsel try harder or try new methods or principles...because we offer truth, we offer a Redeemer. Hope found anywhere else is false hope. I highly recommend that you take time to read this powerful book.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you thought of these books or if you have any others you'd recommend that I read next! I am always up for suggestions!

Vintage Sports Theme Boys' Room

2012-07-08T22:38:00.003-05:00

He started climbing out of his crib and we knew it was time.

Time to get rid of the crib and get him a big boy bed. Welcome bunk beds. Welcome a chance at re-decorating the room! This room seriously needed an update. It was the same as it had been since we were pregnant with Beckett.

Check out the before:

Now, feast on the after:

The boys are super-thrilled about their new bunk beds! I figured a sports theme could last

awhile with little boys, so I opted for that. I made the pennant banner with scraps of fabric I had around that house that *mostly* matched but I wasn't all too concerned with that...

MADE beds! Ha! They never look this good. Don't be fooled. I did this myself.

I customized this cutie pie canvas print on Paper Coterie when they were doing a freebie.

I absolutely love. it.

Now if only the boys could understand the greatness of brotherhood.

Allen's parents bought this chest of drawers for us from craigslist and I refinished it with paint and a little distressing. I love how it turned out.

My sweet friend, Misti, works at Beckett Sports Media and acquired these

awesome magazine covers for me to use on these canvases. I used the inside pages of Allen's old baseball magazines as the background and the covers Misti gave me on the front with some scrapbook paper to frame it. Modge podge was a great and difficult friend through the process.

Great find at IKEA. Beckett has loved having a place to put his favorite

treasures so he doesn't have to keep going up and down the ladder.

And finally, the boys enjoying their beds for their intended purpose. In case you can't tell, that's Easton on the right side of the picture. He has a reputation for sleeping anywhere BUT his bed.

We're counting that part of it a work in progress. ;)

Dutyisms

2012-07-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

Easton - isms:

"Mommy, you put some white spwinkles on my baw-dom?"

(his way of asking if I was going to put baby powder on him)

(to daddy while he was washing his hair) "Be careful wif me...I'm a baby."

(and a little later) "I'm a kween man."

Beckett - isms:

Mommy, that sign says, "Welcome to our Homie!"

Beckett made a book at Chick-fil-A and these are some of the things that he told me to write in it:

Nickname: Buddy
After high school, I will: I don't know
For fun I will: Play Wii
I would like to live in: California
I would like to have 10 kids
My job will be: Dolphin Trainer
The car I would like to drive is: Dolphin Rescue Car
Someday I will take a trip to: the sea to rescue dolphins

*we watched Dolphin Tale with the kids and they are obsessed*

Taylor Joy - isms:

(after correcting Allen for using a "mean voice" with Easton)

D: Thanks for helping me be more like Jesus

T: Oh you know...just doing my thing.

Taylor Joy filled out a book that she got from Chick-fil-A. I think it's priceless:

After high school, I will: be a fir fitr (fire fighter)

For fun I will: dres up

I would like to live in: chanlr (chandler - parent's lake house)

My job will be: a fir fitr

I would like to have 8 kids

The car I would like to drive is: a van

Someday I will take a trip to: chanlr

If I could meet a star, it would be: grat

Chet the Architect: NYC Drawing Book

2012-07-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

Ever since we took our trip to NYC earlier this year and adored the city, I have loved seeing shows with NYC in the background and reminiscing about places that we went while we were there. So when I heard about these beautiful children's books that display NYC musuems, aka the Museum Mile, and teach them how to draw the interesting shapes and buildings, I couldn't wait to see them and introduce NYC to my kids.

Taylor Joy was excited to learn how to draw a cityscape and her imagination quickly set in as she went to drawing this beauty.

The quality of these books is worthy to be mentioned. The pages are beautiful and well made. The kids will love continuing to learn how to draw these museums, hear about their history, as well as referencing them in the future. I am really glad we have these.

I was provided these books at no charge in return for an honest review. All words and thoughts are my own.

Zoo Trip!

2012-06-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

This post is was meant to go out several months ago :(

We went to the zoo a few months ago and I am just now posting about it. Sorry for the delay, but I am trying to be better about posting pictures and documenting our year.

Now, read it like it's April. ;)

Spring is a time for field trips, right? I have done my best to plan some into our homeschool days and this week we headed to the Houston Zoo so that the kids and I could enjoy seeing some of God's wonderful creation! Our sweet friend, Kelli, accompanied us.

My kids love turtles. Especially Beckett who sleeps with, bathes with and adores his "baby turtle."

Easton liked watching the roadrunner, probably because the roadrunner

has a similar personality to himself. ;)

My boys. How big do they look there? Oh my.

Beckett and Miss Kelli with the elephants

Best try at getting all 3 together

Baby jaguars and their keeper, Alicia (that's what the kids called her at least). She talked about them, answered questions and fed them in front of us. Very educational!

Tigers! Beckett also loves tigers and sleeps with his baby cub tiger every night.

Our friends the giraffes...we have a great friendship with them after eating lunch only a few feet away from them. Very cool!

The petting zoo area was Easton's favorite. Particularly this fella.

Soon all the kids were gathered around and hoping to feed him.

He wasn't so interested in what they had to offer.

A great day and learning experience for the kids. We will definitely be going back to the Houston Zoo in the future!

Summer Reading Programs

2012-05-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love Summer Reading Programs?

For kids, it's the perfect summer activity to keep them learning, but not too scheduled where it doesn't feel so much like summer anymore. We also love the freebies that come with sticking with it! Here are some of the programs that I have found in BCS:

Half Price Books:
Receive $5 credit each month (June and July)
Barnes and Noble:
Receive a free book on their book list
College Station Library (for both adults and children):
Receive certificates for free adult and kids' meals
Bryan Library (for both adults and children):
Receive certificates for free adult and kids' meals
H-E-B:
Receive H-E-B Buddy t-shirt
Chuck-E-Cheese:
Receive free tokens (with food purchase)
Scholastic:
Receive free downloads and badges

Have you found any others that aren't on this list?

Camping Party

2012-05-14T16:54:00.001-05:00

When Taylor Joy started talking about her birthday party months ago, she was coming up with some strange ideas ("animal" party, My Little Pony)... I quickly realized that my job as a Mom was to redirect her to some cute ideas from Pinterest and fortunately she fell in love with some of the "camping" parties that I showed her.

Since she is only turning 6 and has many friends who are younger, we decided to do the camping party at night, but not as a sleepover. Truth be told, I don't think I'm ready for that either. The day will come, I'm sure, but it doesn't need to be this year. She is already growing up so stinkin' fast!

Here are some pictures from the party:

Simply playing in the tent was big fun!

Watermelon Lemonade

Making S'mores, of course! They also dipped the sides in sprinkles to make them pretty!

Campfire Cake

(fitting and super yummy! I made a cinnamon frosting instead of chocolate like the link shows)

Our birthday gal

Blowing out her candle...

Pinata Time!

(Mine was NOT cute, but they were smashing it into pieces anyway, right?)

Gifts for the birthday girl!

We also enjoyed:

Making our own Trail Mix (and letting the girls take their bags home)
Modge Podging Time Capsules (and sending home questionnaires to do with their parents and be able to look back on)
Bubble blowing
Nature Scavenger Hunt

Tiled Bathroom Mirror

2012-04-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

I have had some Pinterest successes as well as some Pinterest epic fails. How about you? I have been compiling a list (mainly so I don't make that mistake again) and I will be posting them on the blog sporadically. Today, for your attention, I am letting you know about what I count as a Pinterest SUCCESS! Are you ready?

What's the project you ask?

Tiling your bathroom mirror to make it appear fancy!

I found these mosaic tiles in the clearance section at Lowe's. I honestly didn't even know that Lowe's had a clearance section until I stumbled upon it one day. The one in College Station is in the back of the store behind the organizational isles. They come by the sheet and these were on sale for around $2 per sheet. My mirror needed about 2 1/2 sheets, so this was a very cheap project.

I also needed to buy Silicone Adhesive, which was around $3 for a huge tube that has a lot leftover. So if you are wondering what the total amount is that I spent, let's break it down:

3 sheets of mosaic tiles = $6

1 tube of silicone adhesive = $3

TOTAL: $9

The only thing I love more than a successful project is a FRUGAL, successful project!

So, here goes:

Pull the tiles off of the backing and order them how you want them (if you are perfectionist like that...)

Squirt a dollop of glue on there and press hard against the mirror, holding it for a second or two to make sure it doesn't slip down.

I just decided to do two rows of them on the outside of our mirror since our bathroom is so small anyway. Didn't want the precious mirror space to get too much smaller, even if it is fancy!

Continue all the way around and when you get to the top, be sure to secure the tiles so they don't began to slowly slide down while they are drying. I did this by putting painters tape in a straight line underneath those tiles. Seemed to work like a charm!

Here is the finished result! I think it's a lovely effect and MUCH nicer than the plain mirror that we endured for many years! Hopefully this is helpful for you as well!

Run for Compassion

2012-03-14T10:19:00.000-05:00

For the past several years, my family and I have been involved in a pretty cool project called Run for Compassion. Our friends, the Bacak's, put it on every year to raise money for Compassion International, specifically for children in Ghana. Check out what Compassion and my friend, Jenn, have to say:

Sponsoring children in need is breaking the cycle of poverty

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Compassion International continues to get the highest ratings from Charity Navigator. Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.

The Race:

You can. You and your whole family.

If you’re a runner, then you will enjoy this race. You will enjoy our clearly marked route with friendly route directors, and our race atmosphere. This year, we will have chip timing. And there will be prizes. Who doesn’t love prizes?

If you’re not a runner, here’s what I want you to know:

My slogan is RUN, WALK OR CRAWL FOR COMPASSION.

If you’ve never run before, you CAN do it! (See the Couch to 5K training schedule.)

But you’re welcome to walk, or even crawl, across the finish line. I’ll stay as long as it takes you to finish.

And I’ll cheer you on!

This is an event for everyone. And isn’t it time? It’s time for you to accomplish more than you thought you could. It’s time for you encourage others to do the same.

So start training! You might feel like you’re going to die…I know that feeling well…but I have been deeply changed by becoming a runner. Not just changed physically, but changed spiritually.

You will be too! Commit yourself and register today! You might be scared…a lot of us are when we start out…but if you are, this is the perfect event for you!

I hope you will register and come out on Saturday, April 14th to run with us and support Compassion as they care for the "least of these." We can't all take mission trips but we can all do simple things like run and support their cause in this way!

PrintRunner Postcards {Giveaway}

2012-03-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

I have a special opportunity for you! Yes, you!

How would you like to promote your:

- new business
- blog
- Garage Sale for Orphans or other fundraiser
- ministry event
- charity function
- business promo event

???

If that doesn't interest you, how would you like to make something cute to give out in place of:

- birthday cards
- thank you notes
- congratulations cards
- recipe cards
- new baby meal instructions

???

If you thought, "hmmm" at any of those, this giveaway will be of interest to you. And if I know you well, you will make this blank slate of a project into a super cute, super resourceful product that is loved by all.

Printrunner.com has offered one of YOU 100 5x7 postcards to design, customize and use!

A little about the company:
PrintRunner.com was established with little more than a small press and a dream. Ten years later our company became one of the foremost quality printers in Southern California. Our commitment to provide the best value and high quality full color printing at affordable price made our company grow. PrintRunner is a full service high quality printing company located in Chatsworth, California.

PrintRunner is a convenient online printing resource. Check out their site and print postcards.

A little about the prize:
Postcard Size : Postcards 5x7
Quantity : 100
Colors : 4/0 Front Only Printing
Paper : 14 PT. UV Coating on Front,
Rounded Corners : Yes
Proof : None
Ready to Ship In : 4 Business Days
*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.
Thank you to PrintRunner for providing us this giveaway! I will receive a set of postcards for hosting this.

Now what you need to do to enter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dutyisms

2012-03-06T09:44:00.000-06:00

Taylor Joyisms:

(as she is trying to put up her princess tent I ask, "do you need help, babe?") She says, "umm...I'm trying, but this thing is slippery as a sausage!"

"whoa whoa now! Hold your horsepower!" (while playing with Lightning McQueen, Holly and Finn McMissile)

(after kissing Allen on the cheek) "ooh! you shocked me!"
Allen: Oh, well how do you know that you didn't shock me?
T: Because it was a big shock. I only shock little.

(A convo with Beckett)
T: Delicate means real fun.
B: I'm real fun.
T: Yeah, so... you're delicate.

Easy man almost went over there, but I stopped him because it could be human. (about Easton almost opening the front door for some girl scouts)

Beckett-isms:

(he and Allen playing a game where they "kill" each other) He says, "Daddy, I sure am glad you aren't really killed. I love you."

(after telling Easton that we must strap him into his seat so he doesn't fall out and bust his head open)
B: If you busted your head open, you'd have to get a new head.
D:Where would you get one of those?
B: You'd get it from the head store!

Mom, when I run, it hurts when I walk. But when I rest, I get lots of energy.

Easton-isms:

"Miss Winsey, will you pwease hewp me open my chocowate miwk? Tank you!"

D: Easy man, what do you want to pray for?
E: I want to pway for the ceeyute tigers

(Sissy shows him a picture that she made for him)
E: SHANK YOU, SHISHY! (in the most dramatic and ridiculous voice...this phrase is becoming common in our house now, thanks to Easy Man)

{Redeeming the Time}: Purposeful Planning

2012-02-23T17:11:00.000-06:00

It’s a new year and you've made your new resolutions, right? If you haven’t done that yet, maybe you need to resolve to make some, hmm?

Has planning ever made your resolution list? Be a better planner? Certainly a worthy goal.

For some it comes pretty natural, for others, not so much...that's okay. There really are pros and cons to either being too set in plans and being too loose with plans.

No matter how different we are, we all have a common goal. We want to hear "those" words. Which words, you ask? Oh, these words...

“well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your master.” (Matt. 25:21).

To achieve that end there is definitely something to be said for cultivating the discipline of planning (even doing it for the glory of God!) 1 Corinthians 10:31 says whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God.

Even simple, mundane and routine things can be done to bring God praise. God actually commands us to redeem the time for His purposes.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil".

It’s really hard to redeem the time when you don’t have a plan!

Without a plan... you will do one of four things:

go with the flow and quickly become very busy and overwhelmed
go with the flow and become lazy
become anxious for lack of a plan
strive for the wrong things

Which is your leaning? Or can you nod in agreement at all of them? ;) In that case, let's get to planning!

First things first – it’s important to determine your personal priorities so you know how to prioritize your plan. Sit down, pray through, think through and talk through with your husband different areas of your life, including:
-spiritual health
- physical health
- discipleship (growth in you, your family, connection to community)
- service (spending time, talents and treasures on those in need)
- relationships (with the Lord, with husband, with children, friends, extended family, etc.)

Once you have ordered your priorities, come up with a general outline listed with biggest priorities first. It may end up looking something like mine (since most of them are scriptural goals):
1. Love and know God
2. Love, serve and shepherd my family
3. Serve the church with my God-given gifts
4. Love and minister to the lost, poor and needy
5. Honor my body and take care of it

After you have generally come up with priorities, you can make them more specific (serving in church nursery, MOPS group, ministering at the nursing home, etc.). Here's an example of that:

1. Love and know God

reading/memorizing (fighter verses)
journaling/praying (prayer cards)

2. Love, serve and shepherd my family

reading together/family worship @ 5x per week
sync time with husband once per week

3. Serve the church with my God-given gifts

mentor college girls once per week
preschool every other month
MOPS @ 2x per month

4. Love and minister to the lost, poor and needy

nursing home once per week
meal for potluck in Bryan once per month

5. Honor my body and take care of it

The Shred - 20 min. @ 2x per week

Get out your calendar and look at a typical week. Do your priorities align with your schedule?

Which things are on you calendar that are not on your priority list? Write those down.

These will help you come up with a "Not To-Do" list. Mine looks like this:

Not To-Do List:

Checking email too often
Checking facebook too often
Making a homemade meal for someone on an already busy night (takeout/gift card instead)
Making something homemade when its not necessary
Blogging that isn't beneficial to my family, the Lord or the gospel going forth
Reciting the "rules" to my kids more than His story of grace
Thinking there is something of my job that matters more than my kids

You get the idea...use the difference between your calendar and your priorities to make this list. You may need to go way back to get enough for a list together. Or just know your own tendencies...

In doing this exercise, we may start to feel condemnation thinking that your life doesn't line up with what you portray it to be or even just what you want it to be to line up with scripture. It's so easy to know what your priorities are (or what they should be) and in the hustle and bustle of life for things to get flip flopped…

I want to first love and know God, but if I look at how I’ve spent my time in a particular week, it doesn’t seem like is true in my life. If it’s true, then I would have put aside the email, the facebook, and maybe even some dishes to have prayed and spent time with the Lord.

So we don’t just want to know our priorities, we want them to reflect in the way that we live.

Shopping for Time is a wonderful book by Carolyn Mahaney that focuses on managing the time God has granted us on earth with the same intentionality we have with shopping. She talks about how we clip coupons, scour sales racks, carefully study garments and think through what would match and how we wouldn’t think of throwing items into our carts before doing those things BUT how often we do that with our time! Our precious time!

Starting your day... can be as simple as praying and reading from the Word. One helpful tip I have received (from Mahaney's book) and put into practice is to get a journal and complete three sentences about the passage of Scripture that you read. I like this method because it can be done simply with a Bible and a journal, anywhere, anytime and I'm not depending on a devotional or needing a new one. Plus, I am reading straight scripture.

1. What does the passage reveal about God?
2. What can I learn about myself in relation to God (based on the verses)?
3. What do I resolve to do in response?

God's sovereignty... There’s a fine line between making plans/sticking with them and then committing those plans to the Lord. Culture tells us we are sovereign and in control of what happens in our lives. It’s important to recognize that as much good planning as we do, human responsibility is always subject to God’s sovereignty.

Prov. 3:5-6 “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and

He will direct your paths.”

Prov. 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD

Prov. 16:9 The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps.

God's Purpose... God has given us a mission much different than the world’s. He has invited us to “come and follow him”, and to become His disciple. He doesn't need us, but He wants to use us! That's worth rejoicing over! His purpose is to use us to bring Him glory during this short time we have on earth, to be lights for Him in a dark world. But we will have a hard time doing that if we fail to prioritize our lives to make the best use of the time He’s given us.

So in all of this we are working toward finding balance in planning in order to redeem the time and holding our plans with an open grasp, knowing ultimately He is in charge of our plans. It’s a wonderful and difficult balance that we should always be striving for and always re-evaluating how we are doing in our lives.

Other ideas...

Take a personal planning retreat (an extended time once or twice a year for study, prayer and evaluation of what’s working/what’s not)
Plan special times with your family - Daddy/Daughter Dates, Father/Son projects, Mother/Daughter moments, Mother/Son Dates, game nights, movie nights {check out my Pinterest board for some inspiration}
Plan to simplify/declutter/give generously {check this out}
Plan your book list for the year. Need recommendations?

Remember this: even if you only change in one area, you will be doing more than if you hadn’t sat down to plan at all. So pick one thing and run with it! God will be honored that you are desiring to live by redeeming the precious, albeit small, amount of time He has given you!

Blinglets Review & Giveaway

2012-02-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

Given the opportunity to try out these fun, fashion forward, customizable bracelets with my daughter and her friends, I couldn't pass it up. How fun that they could create beautiful bracelets and then be able to model them for all to see!

They are appropriately named, Blinglets...bracelets with bling! They can also be found here on their website, here for Twitter updates and here on Facebook for more information and for purchase. They have a variety of fun and educational products to browse.

If you purchase the "party pack," each girl will be given 4 bracelets with coordinating sticky jewels to decorate the bracelets with. Both the bracelets and the jewels are nice quality. The jewels are a heavier weight and the bracelets are thick (not bendable), like bangles.

I would give this caution: the first time Taylor made one, I forgot to remind her to stick the jewels and then press it hard so it sticks well and a few of them came off while she was wearing them, but after she made efforts to really press, I don't think we have had the same problem. Beckett and Easton each made some as well and I have found some of the stickers on the ground, which I assume is from Easton's contribution. These aren't the plasticky jewels, like the ones little girls use for earrings, they seem nicer and bigger to me. I like the look of them once they are stuck on there good.

Also, the actual bracelet seems a bit on the big side for a 5-6 year old girl. They easily slip off of Taylor's wrist, so she wears them some and she also has been using them as collars for all of her stuffed animals. Her puppies and kittens are looking adorably stylish!

We made some with her girlfriends from MOPS, as well as Beckett and Easton, and they had a great time putting them together and customizing them. Each girl had their own method. Some wanting spaces in between each jewel and coordinating the colors and other girls who wanted to fit as many as possible on the bracelet to really "bling" it out. They had a wonderful time being creative.

So, who wants a party pack of Blinglets for their little girl and her girlfriends? I am hosting a fun girly giveaway for a pack that will entertain 12 girls (with 4 bracelets per girl). What a fun excuse to have a party for your girly!

If you would like to enter, you can gain up to 17 entries below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deadline for entries: February 29th at noon CST

Winner to be announced: February 29th at 1 PM CST

Happy Heart Day!

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ready to Pop Baby Shower

2012-02-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

One of my dearest friends, Tara, is getting ready to have her first baby this week. Sweet Everett will be welcomed into the world with wonderful family and friends awaiting him and ready to meet him.

Several of those friends helped me host her shower a few weeks ago with the theme, "Ready to Pop."

Tara was 38 weeks at the time...truly ready to POP!

The inspiration for this shower was found here.

All the food we made was food that can POP! I made a few varieties of popcorn, including Caramel Popcorn, White Chocolate Popcorn and Parmesan Popcorn.

We collaborated on the Cake Pops...navy and white goodness.

Homemade Pop-tarts were among the most snatched up item on the table. Yum, Kelsey!

The classic Rice Crispie Treats...

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins were a hit...

And to add some spice...Jalapeno Poppers!

Taylor made these precious favors...bags of Ring Pops, Blow Pops and Tootsie Pops. Adorable! I think my kids were most excited that I kept some of these for them!

We had these "Wishes for Baby" printed and asked the guests to fill them out and hang them. They ended up being really sweet and some were hilarious. I hope Everett enjoys reading these when he is older.

Lovely friends of the Mother-to-Be...

The hostesses (minus Jen) with Tara and Everett. Such a fun time of celebrating this little Momma!

Carryover Book Reviews from 2011

2012-02-05T15:41:00.001-06:00

In October I posted the list of books I had completed cover to cover and my star rating on those. Here are the rest of the books I finished in 2011. Hopefully they can be of some help to you as you pick up books throughout the year.

5 Stars - Make time soon
4 Stars - Worthwhile read at some point
3 Stars - If you have spare time, go for it
2 Stars - Not the best resource
1 Star - Steer clear

The Gospel of Ruth, Carolyn Custis James ***1/2
Engaging book about the book of Ruth that had some great truth about suffering/loss and trials. There were a few instances where I wondered if our theology differed on some subjects. Other than that, I enjoyed it and learned from it.

Generous Justice, Tim Keller *****
One of the best books I have ever read, definitely the best on the subject. Biblical, compelling, and pursued my heart and its motives before ever addressing my actions. Highly recommend!

Redemption, Mike Wilkerson ***1/2
Hard to read because of the devastating effects of sin conveyed throughout the chapters, but if you can get past that, it's a helpful book for counseling and ministering.

For the City, Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter ***
Really a book about the stories of how their churches and commitment to the city got started and where they are now. Interesting, but definitely not a must-read.

Community, Brad House ****
A wonderful book about the heart of community in your church body. First half was way better than the latter. Must read for church leaders.

Honey for a Child's Heart, Gladys Hunt ****1/2
I LOVED this book! It inspired, encouraged and refreshed me in the shepherding of my children through books. I would recommend this to any mom, especially as a resource for all of those great, classic books it lists at the end.

Money: God or Gift, Jamie Munson ****1/2
The best little, compact book I have read on the subject that combines practicality with theology of money.

Jesus Calling, Sarah Young ***
A one-year devotional I read last year, more sporadically than everyday, but nonetheless, it encouraged my heart. I wouldn't classify it as Gospel-centered, but scripture saturated for sure. Each day was based on many different scriptures that spoke from the heart of God to you on that particular day.

Currently, I am reading Becoming God's True Woman, Amazing Grace and 7. Just finished up Real Marriage. Book reviews to come...

Big Apple Adventures

2012-01-31T17:17:00.002-06:00

I have missed NYC almost everyday that I haven't been there. Seriously the coolest city I have ever been to. And to be able to explore it with my best friend, I can't even explain the fun, the bonding, and the memories that we made.

In November, the two of us were supposed to go to Seattle together to do an Acts 29 Boot Camp and Assessment to benefit the A29 Network, of which New Life is affiliated. We bought our tickets and hadn't yet reserved our hotel room. In September, the whole boot camp got cancelled. The NEXT day, we got an email saying that we needed to confirm our flights because the time changed by 10 minutes OR we could get a full refund if that didn't work out for us. Really? Wow, thanks God, for an out.

The only thing about it was that it was supposed to be in conjunction with my 30th birthday and we were extending the time to spend there. So...Allen mentioned maybe going to NYC instead since it has long been a dream of mine. I was off and running with the planning and we had a free weekend in January, which also coincided with Allen's 30th. What a fun commemoration of our birthdays together!

Since several people were asking for the rundown, I am excited to share. I think we packed a lot into 3 days, but by God's grace, it did not seem rushed or hurried. We thoroughly enjoyed all of it!

We got there on Thursday night, dropped luggage at the hotel and rode the subway to Times Square. The way it all happened was so surreal. I walked up the steps from the subway (was looking down the whole time), noticed that the steps were glittery and the moment I looked up, I saw this. You look around and its crazy to see how bright it is at night. How it really is the "city that never sleeps." It can be 11 P.M. and there are still tons of kids, strollers, people, lights...it feels just like the afternoon there.

We ate at Junior's, which claims to have the world's best cheesecake. Funny thing is, we didn't order cheesecake, we got carrot cake, which was also very good. I am not a cheesecake girl. :(

The next day we woke up and headed to ABC Studios to be in the live studio audience at Live With Kelly (the former Live with Regis and Kelly, since he retired in November). The co-host on the day that we went was Apolo Ohno, the Olympian gold medalist. Here I am waiting in line to go inside.

Here are all the women waiting to go inside the studio. Allen was literally one of very few men there.

Kelly was so sweet and personable! She came down just to talk to the audience at every commercial break, with the producer literally pulling her back to her seat with seconds until she was back on air. She is so adorable!

Lana Parilla from Once Upon a Time was a guest on the show, as well as Common, for the musical guest. Common performed the song, Celebrate, and Allen downloaded it as his favorite souvenir of the trip (I should mention that he downloaded the "clean" version). It was so fun to be in the audience while he performed. Kelly danced all around the studio, claiming she was going to be his backup dancer.

After the show, we went to see the 9/11 Memorial, which just opened at the 10th Anniversary and was beautiful. The two "pools" were the North and South Pool, located just where the North and South Twin Towers were. All around the outside were names etched into the sides as a tribute.

We couldn't go without trying out some NY style pizza.

I opted for a broccoli and chicken version and Allen went all out with a Meat Lovers'. He was very hungry, I suppose. Either that, or he was just being himself ;)

After that, we headed to the Ferry to go on our Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ride. It was the coldest and windiest day!

Here we are at Ellis Island at the Immigration Museum. It was so interesting to see the history here. We were also glad to get inside. My goodness it was like a typhoon out there.

We got some pretty pictures on the ride.

We met Erin and Kelli at Rubirosa, an amazing Italian restaurant in Little Italy. It was all family style, so we ordered salad, lasagna and tortellini. All of it was SO yummy! And so lovely to see some familiar faces in NYC!

After our dinner, we made our way to the Winter Garden Theater to see Mamma Mia. The show was so lively and fun! I think Allen would have preferred about 10 less songs (he's not a musical kind of guy), but he indulged me and I was a happy girl!

The next morning we had breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Diner, famous for the singing waiters and waitresses. Some say they are so good they could be on Broadway, a goal which most of them are working towards. We had Challah French Toast and it was amazing.

I need to figure out how to make that!

Heading down towards Rockefeller Center, we stopped at Radio City Music Hall to take some pictures. For some reason, all I could think about was Lucille Ball and her adventures there from I Love Lucy.

Rockefeller Center...we decided against skating on this particular day, but it sure did look like fun!

Our NBC Studio Tour started here.

It was truly interesting, but I'm not sure if we would do this tour again.

Next, we went to Top of the Rock Observation Deck. We had heard it was a better view than the Empire State Building so we did that instead. It's where this famous picture was taken while it was being built.

View of Central Park from the Top of the Rock

I think this is the top of St. Peter's...

Out toward the Hudson Bay...

Toward the Empire State Building and Ellis Island

Next up: Shopping on 5th and Madison Ave! (Maybe my favorite part of the trip!)

Allen doing his best "You're fired!" in front of the Trump Tower

Then, off for a night at the Met...wish we could have spent more time in there. I think we saw *maybe* 1/4 of what it had to offer...

Last Day! We went straight to Redeemer to hear from Tim Keller and spent the rest of the morning walking (quickly, since it was so cold) around Central Park and then camping at the local Starbucks for a bit to read and talk. I also locked eyes with Elisabeth Hasselbeck and her precious kids. I have to be honest, I feel a connection with her now. We have kids the same ages/genders (girl, boy, boy) and she was sitting in church near me. I have been praying for her influence on The View ever since!

Yes, you read that right on that CNN sign! It was 15 degrees outside!

I couldn't have asked for a better trip!

Thanks for caring enough to make it to the end of this super-long post!

Craft Pegboard

2012-01-23T12:31:00.002-06:00

The pegboard for my craft desk is one of my favorite things about my craft corner. Seriously, the fact that I don't have to go digging for items all around the house is a huge benefit and has simplified my craft time. This pegboard was made so cheaply, and since several of you have asked how I made the supply containers, here's how!

They were made out of metal cans... so the kind with Rotel and Cream of Chicken or crushed tomatoes. The can size is pretty standard, but make sure that they are all the same and completely cleaned out with lots of soap and let to air dry. Have hubby punch a hole in the back of them near the top so they can hang from your peg hooks.

Then, you will want to get some spray adhesive, cardstock and the fabric that you want to use. You could easily substitute scrapbook paper here too! I cut out my fabric and cardstock to the correct size to wrap and sprayed the cardstock, laying the fabric on top of it. Make sure you do it this way instead of the reverse, it will make the fabric all sticky and hard to control. The double layer is important since the cans are "ribbed" and could make a single layer of fabric or paper look kind of messy.

Once they are dry, you are ready to attach them to your cans. Get the hot glue out with lots of extra sticks and go to town. you want these to be stuck good. Starting at one end and wrapping all the way to the back. Don't worry about covering the hole. We'll fix that in a minute.

Keep going until you've done them all and successfully used a whole bag of hot glue sticks!

I used a sharp object to punch through the paper/fabric and into the hole in the can. Don't worry, it won't show if it isn't a neat hole, the hook will be in there to round out the hole and your items will be inside of the cans.

Your completed project! Time to get your craft on!

Craft Desk

2012-01-20T13:17:00.000-06:00

My dear, sweet and thoughtful husband really blessed me a couple of weeks ago by making me a super cute craft corner, complete with a custom craft desk and organizational peg board to hang over it.

Seriously, I never thought I would see the day where I would have this. I figured the kids would have to be out of the house for us to have the space (and time to craft, honestly!). But here I am, with my own little space and I am one happy girl!

We had a framed picture above our couch in the family room that I just recently replaced and so I decided I wanted to use it for the frame around my pegboard, to make the pegboard look a little nicer. Allen painted the pegboard and we bought a little peg hanging kit with all of the hooks and shelf hangers from Lowe's. The rest of it Allen made by hand, including the spool organizer. I made the cup organizers from metal cans and leftover fabric, so all of that was completely free.

The ribbon is hanging from a dowel rod that Allen already had in the garage. Such a huge improvement from how I stored my ribbon before (just a huge basket of spools with ribbons flying everywhere!).

I used the glass from the frame and put it on the desk with fabric and a measuring tape underneath for a quick measurement now and then. So far it has worked out perfectly and it brightens up the desk a bit.

The baskets that were in my craft closet fit perfectly in the spaces under the shelves. Allen says he knew that, that's why he did it. ;)

We also attached the power strip to the top of the desk so that there weren't a bunch of cords hanging around on the ground (one thing I can't stand!). And he made me a cord keeper to put all the cords in that hangs from the top of the desk.

Now the only thing missing are 3 little chairs for the little people who always want to help with whatever I am making!

Beaded Serving Spoons

2012-01-10T15:01:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying, anyone can make these. I taught my MOPS group how to make them and even self-proclaimed craft rookies cranked these out to perfection. So tune back in if you are one of those who tunes out every time there is a post about crafting.

I LOVE THESE! Not only are they beautiful, we have lots of people in our house every week, and I will get to show them off on a weekly (or maybe daily with how busy we are this spring) basis to serve up dinners and desserts.

I believe they would also make an adorable hostess gift, Christmas gift, Mother's Day gift...you name it! I actually gave out many of them this Christmas, along with etched dishes, like these, for a lovely package deal.

Let's get started!

What you need:

Glass or crystal beads of all sizes
20-24 gauge stainless steel wire (20 is super sturdy, 22 and 24 are less thick/sturdy), approximately 30 inches per spoon
Stainless steel serving spoons
Pliers
Tape measure

1. Start wire going up the spoon about half an inch, loop long piece of wire around spoon and back through the half inch piece where you started. Use pliers to loop the small piece around the other piece several times until the end is not showing anymore. It may still feel loose at this point, but it will begin to be very secure once you get to the top with your beads. I left about ½ “ at the bottom because if you get lower than that, it can slip off.

2. Begin to put beads on, beginning with the smaller beads and leading up to the larger beads since it starts narrow, gets larger and then is narrow again. For each row that you bead, circle the wire around very tightly and then start with your next row of beads.

3. Once you get to the top, loop your wire around to the back and loop it through the other wire a few times like you did at the bottom until it’s not showing anymore. Use your pliers to help!

Enjoy serving with these! It's the little things, isn't it?