The Secret To Having Energy
January 11, 2010
I have tapped into an energy giving secret.
Are you ready for it? It’s just so simple…
Allow yourself the freedom to do something you get jazzed about.
Seriously, that’s it, and let me tell you, it works! Find something you thoroughly enjoy, something that makes you come alive, and then make time for it in your schedule. When I do this, I don’t drag as much. In fact, I become a much more effective wife, mommy, and homemaker. (Disclaimer – if your “jazzy” comes at the expense of your family, it’s not worth it).
So whatever it is that makes you come alive, gives you energy, gets you jazzed, carve out a couple hours in your week and go for it!
Maybe you will even find yourself exploring how you can combine your jazzy activity with your main priorities. Wouldn’t that be a lovely and energizing collision?
My jazzy and my priorities have collided, and I can’t wait until I can share it with you all.
So tell me, what gets you jazzed?
Let’s get jazzed together everyday – subscribe to Like a Warm Cup of Coffee here!
Four “Most Used” Design Tips & Techniques For Your Home
August 18, 2009
Today, while I’m over At The Well with the post, “Home in 140 Characters,” I have a guest post for you from Mirinda Dawe, the gal behind October Belle Designs. She is an interior designer with a real talent and love for art. She especially enjoys creating special pieces of art for your baby or child- even your tween or teen. She also does design consultations through email. I asked her to give us all some design tips because, well, I am design inept! Enjoy!
Can I just say that when Sarah Mae asked me to guest post I giggled & squealed like a four year old? I am so honored to be here sharing my favorite design tips! My education in the design world did not come from a four year university {don’t worry; I’m not moving people’s walls around!} Rather, it comes from almost ten years of home staging and owning a decorating company that offers turnkey packages for vacation rentals. In offering personal interior consultations I quickly found that the techniques used in a client’s vacation home works in any home! Here are my four most used tips & techniques:
Relax.
And grab some paint. I’ve known countless people who have lived for years with white walls out of fear of ‘messing up’. Trust me when I say that color is the easiest thing to change if you do actually dislike the shade. I recently painted a nursery three times in one day to get that perfect green! Color will also give your space personality & warmth. So get to painting!
Design for a Lifetime.
Oftentimes people will procrastinate decorating their home because they feel overwhelmed at purchasing many items at once. Unless you are having a designer come in to fully “do a room” you shouldn’t be buying several pieces at one time. Always be on the ‘lookout’ when traveling or just shopping around town! You never know when you will come across that perfect piece that your home has been missing. This also helps take into account that your style may change & you can adapt that into the look of your rooms over time.
Let your home be a statement.
What do I mean by that? Well, what statement do you want your home to make when a guest walks in the front door? Do you want your home to feel warm & inviting? Most of us do! Would you like the furniture to beckon your children to snuggle up and read a book? Your sister to sit and chat for hours? Mine for our family is simply ‘A Safe Haven’. I want my home to feel like the safest place on this earth for our children and any guests. Decide on your style statement and decorate accordingly!
Go big or go home!
Many homes today are built with the open floor plan. This means large wall spaces that are confusing when it comes to deciding what goes there! Buy one large statement piece such as a mirror or over sized canvas. This generally looks more pleasing than several small pictures being scattered throughout the room and is also a great investment. If you have several small items, pull them together in an arrangement that is cohesive and will make a bold statement.
I hope these tips will encourage you to try something new. We can be inspired by anything out there, so take what you love and transfer that into something wonderful for your home! Let your space be livable and work for your family and most importantly, be blessed!
Thanks Mirinda! Okay, it’s Sarah Mae here and I just want to encourage you to scoot on over to October Belle Designs blog because she is having a giveaway for a 12 x 12 customized gallery canvas, valued at $52! All you have to do is comment!
Don’t forget to stop by and visit me today! :)
Photo Credit: October Belle Designs
What My Day Looks Like
August 12, 2009
Sometimes my brain just doesn’t want to cooperate. It is on these brain funk days that I post something completely random. Today is one of those days.
Therefore
if any of you have an inkling of curiosity about what my sunup to sundown looks like, today is your *lucky* day.
My (ideal and striving towards) day:
5am – Wake, Get dressed, make my man’s lunch, prepare for day mentally, spend time in the Word, drink large mug of glorious coffee
7am – Kiddos up, they listen to bible on CD and color/write while I make yummy breakfast, we eat and then I read bible story, sing a hymn/Christian song, pray
7:30am – Clean up kitchen, put load of laundry in, train kiddos in chores (make bed, pick-up toys/books in bedroom, wipe down table, unload/load dishwasher) while listening to classical music or praise
8am - Reading time, free play, video, craft, homeschooling (very simple), cleaning, errands, play dates, teachable moments, giggles, hugs, boo boo kisses, and “mom, look what I did/can do!” exaltations
11:15am – Pick-up toys/books, make lunch
11:30am – Lunch, clean-up after, reading
12pm - Naps (Thank you Jesus that you made little’s need naps!)
12-2pm – Me – Clean, blog, banking (bleck)
2-4pm – Snack, free play, craft, prepare for dinner,teachable moments, giggles, hugs, boo boo kisses, and “mom, look what I did/can do!” exaltations
4:30pm – Dinner (yes, we’re weird and eat early)
5pm - Family time/play, baths, family worship (my man reads out of a devotion for little, we read the scripture, talk about it briefly, and pray)
6:30 – Bedtime for son and baby, three year old spends time with daddy
7:30pm – three year old to bed, blog, hang with the hubs
10pm – Beautiful sleep
What does your schedule/routine look like?
Related Articles:
Awesome Resource:
List Plan It – “lists to put your world in order”
(Having a schedule works for me!)
Today I have a very special treat for you, a guest post by the super creative Kristen from PajamaMama! Kristen is a running stay at home mom of three under five, on a quest to make the best NY style pizza to be found in Texas. She cannot take a drive without noticing a few license plates, although she doesn’t know what this says about her. And when she thinks about what her hidden heaven name will be, she hope its meaning will include creative, like her maker.
Make sure you check out her blog – she is having a Summer School Art “party” all next week with a different tutorial each day to stretch your creativity! Oh, and there are PRIZES!
How does the Bible start? “In the beginning God created…”
God is the ultimate Creator-wildly, flashy, overtly creative.
Just look at nature.
We cannot even begin to count all the colors and shades and hues that He uses to paint the sky each day. And He created us…
…in His own image.
I believe that means we were created with an ability to create. While only God has the ability to create from absolute nothing, He has put within us the ability and desire to be creative with the resources around us. And when we learn to grow in the abilities and interests He’s personally given each of us, or stretch our creativity, we can more deeply understand His nature. Do you want that? I do!
Six Ideas For Engaging In Your Own Creativity
Know That You Are Creative By Nature
I believe every person is creative. Not necessarily with an artistic temperament, or Bohemian attitude. Creativity is as different as each individual, and it is inherent. Have you ever had to “get creative” to occupy a toddler at a restaurant or airport? Look for your creativity in your everyday life.
Get Inspired
For me, this is the easy part. Inspiration is everywhere. When you see something beautiful or meaningful to you, try to break it down. Ask yourself how was it done and how you could re-create it for your circumstances. An old idea applied to a new moment is still creative
Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things
My high school art teacher was famous for saying,
“No guts, no glory.”
It does not have to be perfect, and it likely won’t be. In a day, imperfections will be less noticeable. In a month, they will add character and charm.
Enjoy The Process
When we step out of our creative comfort zones we can easily become anxious. But creating should not be a chore, but rather a joy, and a thrill. I wonder if during the first 6 days, how much fun God had in creating the world from nothing. Maybe that is why He took 6 days, rather than a blink. Maybe He was savoring each layer or our world’s birth.
Take A Step Back
Admire the fruit of your creative endeavor, with little criticism. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Dare To Go Deeper
Ask yourself some more questions. How can your creative passions glorify or bless God? Has God given you a specific creative gift that He wants to delight in or use? Please don’t rush over these questions. The answers may not be obvious to you right now, but that does not mean that God has not given you a purposeful creative gift. In fact, I am certain that He has. Just pray that He will reveal it in His time. I will be praying for you, too!
You can follow Kristen on Twitter @KristenPajama
Living Unbounded By Feminist Fear
May 27, 2009
If I am to reclaim my life and find joy in the everyday, I want to live unbounded by feminist fear.
The feminists chief argument is this: If we don’t stake our claim to equality, demanding it even, we may be abused, taken advantage of and/or treated like property. The reasoning goes like this: we need feminism to protect women and to ensure they are treated with dignity, respect and equal rights.
The thing is, I don’t need to take claim to the name “feminist” to care about women, and people in general. We are commanded as Christians (not feminists) to love one another as ourselves (sin perverts this command, not “men”).
I realize there are different types of feminism, 1st wave, 2nd wave, radical, etc. I also understand why Christian women would naturally gravitate towards certain “whitewashed” notions of feminism, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. That is a whole other discussion that deserves to be unpacked more fully, but today’s post is not the place.
My heart’s desire is that we as women would be loosed of fear and instead live under the authority of a God who gave His life for us, the ultimate violators in disrespect, injustice, and abuse. If anyone understands women, it is Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6,7). He submitted to the Father…to the point of death. Why? That we would know Him. Life is worth so much more then the experience we have on earth. We get so stuck in the here and now that we give up on the eternal.
Do you trust God?
If we trust Him, then we can trust that what He commands is good and worthy…and for His glory (not ours). If you have a hard time accepting His commands with respect to submission, authority, gender roles and servant hood (which I think will need to be outlined in another post) then I would say your issue isn’t with equality, feminism, or patriarchy; your issue is probably with God.
Truly, there is so much more to say, but I think if I try and squeeze it all in today’s post, I will not do justice to the validity of certain complaints, questions, and comments. Again, this topic cannot be brushed aside with only platitudes and generalities. Suffice to say, I want to reclaim my life without reclaiming my life. I am reclaiming my life (and challenging you in hope) to reclaim yours for the glory of God and the sincere joy that can only be imparted in obedience.
I don’t want the protection of feminism…I want the protection of God. Now that’s living in freedom.
More tomorrow…join me over coffee and more of this series by clicking here!
“The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle.” Psalm 78:9
Are you facing a battle?
I battle daily with keeping my time with the Lord sacred, my affection for my husband alive, my teaching to my children consistent, my home in order, myself showered, and my own sin nature in check (by God’s grace).
Life is tough. Persevering through it and not giving up is even tougher.
It is so easy to give up, to try and escape. We escape in many ways-the Internet, books, TV, friends, etc. We don’t know how to push through our emotions, our tiredness, or our failures. We get stuck. We feel lost…abandoned. Our marriages lack real intimacy. We are scared to death that if we try again, we’ll just fail again, so why bother. We give in.
The thing is, I think we often forget that we are archers equipped with bows. We (believers) have the power of the Holy Spirit, the strength of the Lord, and the grace of the cross to keep us going. The enemy wants to destroy us, and sometimes we are wide open for destruction.
We are equipped with everything we need to fulfill all that God has given to our care!
Do this:
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12
Get this:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…” 2 Timothy 4:7,8
Now get those priorities in order, make a schedule, and keep persevering! Reclaim your life! I can’t wait to see your lists on Monday!
“When a personal dream or goal in life is met with hurdles and hardship-both goal and dream are soon forgotten. Before long we begin to resemble Rome in its last days-a magnificent mask of outward, impressive stature…devoid of inner strength…soft and mushy at the core, desperately lacking in discipline and determination. There is not an achievement worth remembering that isn’t stained with the blood of diligence and etched with the scars of disappointment. To run, to quit, to escape, even to hide solves nothing…it only postpones a reckoning with reality…Are you facing some difficult battle today? Don’t run! Stand still…and refuse to retreat. Look at it as God looks at it and draw upon His power to hold up under the blast. Sure, it’s tough. Nobody ever said the Christian life was easy. God never promised you a Disneyland. He offers something better-His own sustaining presence through any trouble we may encounter.” Chuck Swindoll, Come Before Winter
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Not A Perfect Life, A Blessed One
May 7, 2009
Reading By the Window, HastingsHave you taken the time to work on your priorities and a schedule?
Everything in me wants to encourage the heck out of you to go for it with gusto, but I know that unless you are sold on your priorities and creating a schedule to see that those priorities are met, my words won’t do a thing. I am convinced that I need a schedule, that I need to plan my days wisely so that I can reclaim my life. If you’re convinced as well, then let’s take some time today to really work on a schedule. Talk with your husband about it and get his input. Please don’t put this off…and don’t put it off just because it can’t be perfect. As life changes, so will your schedule.
As you pursue working out your priorities and a schedule, please be encouraged by this wise advice I received in a comment:
“If you follow these precepts all of your life, you will find at the end of it not a perfect trouble free life, but a blessed one. When you fail, get right back up, repent and start all over again with God’s grace to do the very things that He wants you to do. You will not ever be sorry.” -Anonymous
I am so welled up with passion right now for what God is asking of us that I know it will flow out into words as soon as I have more time. So much more to come…
As a side note, I want you all to know that I am so grateful for your comments and I read every single one. I want to respond to all of them all of the time, but I just can’t. Please know that I do not take you for granted.
Making Our Priorities A Reality
May 6, 2009
Do you feel like a failure when it comes to keeping your priorities straight…everyday…
consistently. You are not alone!
I have been the queen of making up schedules only to falter within the first week of implementing them. I stink at schedules. I rationalize that I just cannot and should not be scheduled. Hmmm…what does the bible say about this?
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time for the days are evil…” Ephesians 5:15,16 (I think I have a little club by this name…)
“She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” Proverbs 31:27
So, our time, and what we do with it, is pretty important, and 24 hours is all we get! Speaking of 24 hours, you absolutely must order this CD right now:
It’s $10 and it comes with worksheets (including priority planning sheets with thorough suggestions). Stop reading…purchase! (No, I’m not getting any money from it.) A wise Titus 2 woman sent it to me recently and it is good.Okay, where were we. Oh yes, actually taking our priorities from “in theory” to reality. That’s tough, but it is not impossible.
“I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me” Philippians 4:13
If we truly believe that God commands us to use our time wisely, we must persevere in our time management. Scheduling our time and keeping our priorities straight will keep us focused, sane, disciplined, and obedient. But where do we begin? Let’s start with scripture!
(I personally felt led to Titus 2:4,5)
My Titus 2:4,5 Priority List (this is first)
The two things I noticed right off the bat were A.) my husband must come before my children or my housework, and B.) It all comes back around to how I relate with/treat my husband! Before I can even move on to anything else, I need to make him a priority. And let’s be honest, our men really don’t require that much, yet many of us still put the poor fellows on the back burner. A little physical attention and a good dinner and their pretty much good to go!
Okay, before you say anything, yes, God ultimately comes first (”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:36-38). The fact is, without putting God first, we really can’t do anything else…well, that is. However, part of putting God first is obeying His order of things; following His ways, not ours.
Ooh, that’s hard too (darn losing self!).
Before I continue on and on (which I could easily do – hello, that’s why I do series!) let’s take some time to work on our priorities. Since you ordered the above CD (what? You haven’t done that yet? What are you waiting for?!) don’t worry if you have any trouble with this task, you can come back to it or revise it later. I will give you a little hint though on what Susan (the speaker on the CD) recommends working on when it come to prioritizing (you can get the whole list on the CD):
Essential Must Do’s (Essential to Godly, healthy (spiritually and physically) human existence)
Example: Frequent time in personal, intimate fellowship with God through prayer and quality time in His Word, sharing intimate thoughts with spouse and children regarding God and the work He is doing in your lives, world, in general, training children in cheerful, Godly obedience, Adequate night sleep, etc.
Very Important Should Do’s (Very important for God-pleasing human existence, dependent upon regular performance of essentials)
Example: Teaching your children practical skills necessary for God-honoring, regular assembling together with other believers for corporate worship and spiritual encouragement, responsible living, maintaining a consistently clean and orderly atmosphere in your home, hospitality, etc.
Could Do’s (Non-essential in most cases, but can be edifying and God-honoring if time remains)
Example: Lessons for children (music, art, etc.), Group bible studies, family excursions several times a year, etc.
Would Like To Do’s (Activities are fun, relaxing, enjoyable, exciting, etc. but really are unnecessary for God-honoring living)
Example: Participating in your favorite hobby, belonging to clubs or organizations, etc.
I think that’s enough for today.
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Top 10 Ways To Give Life To Our Home
April 6, 2009
Today’s motivating post comes from my dear sister-in-law Renee. She is the mommy of three absolutely adorable kiddos, and she also happens to be an inspiration to me in the wife department. I know you will blessed by her words!
Top 10 Ways To Give Life To Our Home
1.) Retrain our tongues to give words that encourage, comfort and edify others.
2) Offer life-giving and grace-filled words to husband and children.
3) Make our homes a place of grace where mistakes and sins are not met with anger but with love and hope.
4) Decorate our homes to make home a place of beauty. Beauty raises life above mere existence.
5) Develop necessary cleaning skills and habits; clutter causes stress.
6) Face our anger, anxiety, fear and depression. Our homes reflect our mental/spiritual/emotional health. Ask the Lord to replace these emotions with faith and hope. (Check out core lies series for more info.)
7) Plan regular times away from home to rejuvenate and gain perspective. (A quiet time at Starbucks or Wegmans for 1 1/2 hours has been my most recent favorite.)
8) Persevere in planning fun activities for family on weekends or ordinary weekdays.
9) Play praise or worship music in home to lift everyone’s spirits. Our new family favorite is Michael W. Smith’s “A New Hallelujah”. (Even King Saul in the Bible, when the Holy Spirit had left him, was refreshed and calmed by David’s worship.)
10) Ask the Lord: What areas of my home are causing stress or bringing spiritual/emotional/mental ‘deadness’? What can I do to bring life to those places instead to make them a place of refuge?
I loved the opportunity to present these ideas to you; however, it was also a difficult assignment. All of these suggestions have risen out of a heart that longs to be this kind of woman, yet has consistently failed in all of these areas. Some suggestions are on my ‘impossible prayer list’ of what I’m asking God to do this year in my life! I have seen the ill effects of doing the opposite of what I’ve written. I know that I don’t want to live that way anymore! Instead, I’m striving to develop diligence in these areas to bring life to my home flowing over from the One Who gives life freely to all who ask. May He encourage us in our life-giving.
Awesome List Ideas
March 17, 2009
Today’s guest post is by Jennifer Tankersley, the creator of ListPlanIt where you can find over 350 printable lists and planning pages to organize your life and put your world in order, including the pages mentioned in this post. She also writes List Mama Blog: Lists for List-Lovin’ Mamas.
I have used lists all of my life, but in the past few years, my passion for lists has become even more pronounced. As a mother of 3 children and a business owner, I have discovered a multitude of ways that lists can make my life easier and more productive. Some lists need to be recreated each and every day, but some can simply be started and added to over a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime. Lists can be hung on the refrigerator, punched and placed into your own home binder, and/or distributed to the members of your family. Here are my favorite lists used for the different aspects of my life.
Mom’s Favorite Lists
- To Dos – I like a page that shows an entire week that I can write my tasks and goals for each day.
- Meals – I use a Menu Planner to plan meals for my family for a pay period (2 weeks). From that, I create a shopping list based on those meals that I chose.
- Blogging – I know not everyone is a blogger, but in my case, I cannot live without my list of Blog Post Ideas.
- Gifts – I keep a running list of the gifts that I pick up for my children, husband, and others along the way. This prevents me from overspending for birthdays and Christmas and helps me remember what I already have.
- Saturday Morning Chores – I keep a list of the chores that each member of my family is responsible for on the weekend. Then I just distribute their portion of the list and check in with them to make sure they are getting their tasks done.
- Clothing Inventories – Every summer and winter, I break out the tubs of clothing that I am using to corral the clothes that I have purchased at the end of the last season. I have found that an inventory helps keep me in check. One year, I pulled out 18 pairs of shorts for my son for that season. They all had tags, and each tag said $2 or less, but it doesn’t really save me money if I go overboard like that. It was a good lesson to me.
- Travel – I am a careful travel planner, particularly with young children. I like to know how we are getting somewhere, how long it will take, where we are staying, what we may be eating, and anything else that I can plan ahead of time. A Travel Itinerary with Travel
- Details is a must. Then, of course, there is the Packing List, which is an absolute necessity if you want to remember the formula, video camera, or the blankies.
- Contacts – I keep a list of banks, teachers, restaurants, and my favorite service providers with a telephone number, address, and website information.
Birthday/Holidays – There is so much involved with special occasions. I keep track of it all by listing everything I can: cards, guests, food, crafts, etc. - Fun – I keep a list of the things there are to do in the area. I note the season for which the activity is most appropriate, hours of operation, and the cost. Then on the weekends when my family wants to do something, we refer to the list
For more great list ideas, head on over to List Plan It or List Mama Blog!
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