My Goals for 2017

  Last year I was fairly ambitious with my goal setting. I was not successful in keeping them all perfectly, but the real aim is improvement and growth. Normally I would beat myself up for failure but I have been growing in my understanding and acceptance of grace.

  Last year I also learned more about trusting God and the importance of rest. I still struggle with choosing rest over productivity at times but I am seeing the benefits of resting and trying to rest in the knowledge that my worth and value and acceptance are not based on achievement. I have subtitled 2017: The Year of Less. With all of that said, this year's goal list is short.

1. Call one family member each week.

  For some people this is something that is a regular part of their life. That is not the case for me. My family is spread out, mostly on the western side of the country. I see some of them about once per year. My immediate family has never really been one for regular communication - we don't have a history of contacting one another unless there's something important to share. Since I've had kids, we have had a little more frequent contact, mainly Facetime/Skype so my parents can see the grandkids. But anyone with small children can tell you that not a lot of important information is able to be communicated while conversing with toddlers and preschoolers.

Facetime with my niece

  Last year I struggled a lot with loneliness and a desire for greater community. I realized that I could do something to feel more connected with my family members - more regular communication. I'm not a huge fan of talking on the phone (part introvert, part distraction from my kids), but it's the most effective option for me at this time. I would like to feel like I am more aware of what's going on with my family and hope that this will improve our intimacy and connectedness. 

  I have thus far called a different family member each week and have enjoyed catching up. I can tell it surprised them to have me call randomly. One person was concerned that something was wrong because I was calling them (proof I should call more often). I think I will enjoy this goal very much. Even if I don't manage to connect with someone weekly, I will benefit from more regular contact however frequent it ends up being.

2. One date night with my husband each month.

  Again, I realize that some may see this as a low bar, something they easily achieve. Once again, not for me. It's not that we struggle with wanting to spend time together away from the kids. We enjoy date nights. In the past our schedules have been too full to have time for a date. We also have to find a babysitter every time because we don't have family nearby. With finding a babysitter, our date night costs are greater than we'd like sometimes. But money should not be what keeps us from having some fun, maybe even an adventure, to keep us connected.

  It helps that our kids are older and easy to babysit. They're practically self-sufficient. Having it as a goal will hopefully helps us to keep date night a priority in our minds. We've already had to reschedule January's date three times (once for weather, once for a change in plans, once for babysitter conflict). Not a huge deal as we haven't settled on an official plan. I am finding it humorous (and not surprising) that the first one is taking so much time and effort. The enemy enjoys trying to thwart our efforts. Knowing there are eleven other dates to plan is helping me to think of things we could do or places we could go for a different experience. It is exciting!

  Additionally, we are working toward going on a couple's vacation this year. We haven't had a real vacation without the kids since before we had kids (so at least 7 years). We did have a day trip in Sedona and a couple of days in Yellowstone a few years back but I'm talking about taking a plane somewhere where we're completely out of contact for a bit. I'm definitely looking forward to this!

  So those are my official goals for the year. It appears the focus is on relationships. It seems like a natural segue after all of my loneliness talk last year. I felt that these goals were Spirit-led so I am excited to see what happens.

  I do still want to work on blogging more regularly and being present with my family at home. There are always a myriad of possible improvements in my life but I recognize that I don't have to do it all at once (or, actually, do it all period). I'm also still going to make sure reading is a regular part of my life as it's something that helps me relax and refresh but I don't have a set goal for books this year.

  I do also have a goal (desire) to finish my book revisions and have it available online before May. It has a deadline so it's a little different from my regular goals. We will see how that goes.

What are your goals for 2017? Have you made so many that you feel overwhelmed before you started? Perhaps cut the goals in half (or by half)? Remember the spirit of setting goals - motivation to work on something you want to improve in your life.

November Goal Review

October is over. It is the gear up toward the holiday season. It can be a lot of fun but also quite stressful. Let's see how my goals fared this month. If you want to read about previous months' successes and failures, click the appropriate month:  January,  February,  March,  April,  May,  June,  July,  August,  September,  October.


1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

  Kaitlyn had to disguise a turkey for school so we worked on that together. Jackson wanted to participate so I gave him some materials to work with while I cut leaves and Kaitlyn cut and glued. Afterward she decided to turn the remaining leaves into a fall crown which she graciously gave to me.

 

  We had some friends over for a play date and decided to make some playdough beforehand for the occasion. The kids chose the colors and mixed the food coloring into the dough. Kaitlyn wanted to make bracelets for her friends so we also got out the beads and went to work. I helped Jackson make his bracelet. The kids enjoyed these projects. Kaitlyn is really beginning to get into the spirit of making and giving things to others. She is excited about being able to give her friends gifts for Christmas.

   My daughter asks if we can do a craft about once per week (the reason I set one of my goals this year to be a monthly craft even though I'm not crafty). When she asked most recently, I had seen a craft on Facebook that I thought we had the supplies for and could do immediately. It was a video of a woman making a star out of paper. I hadn't actually listened to the instructions and when I did (right after telling my daughter we could do a star craft) I learned that the woman used paper bags instead of sheets of paper. I decided we would try to go forward with the project anyway. We decorated fourteen white sheets of paper and then taped them together in pairs on three sides. We glued them together per the instructions, cut off triangles, and tested it out. I'd say it was successful and my daughter thought it was pretty cool (she already wants to make another one).

 

2. Blog at least twice per month

  After October's mental block, the gates seem to have opened a bit for me to express things on my mind and in my life. I'm not doing another writing challenge, but trying to talk about what's going on with me. I wrote a post about a morning I spent in prayer, meditation and communion with God. I also wrote about finding tangible and meaningful ways to love others. I also shared a post about being reminded of where my worth comes from. I still desire for blogging to become a more regular part of my routine but balance is still elusive to me.

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

  Continuing to write regularly in my gratitude journal has helped me to stay reminded of all I have to be thankful for. November, obviously, had been a constant reminder of my blessings and freedoms.

  As the Advent season has begun, I do desire to be able to enjoy the remembrance of Christ's birth and the hope that it brings. I desire to remain content throughout this season - content with where I am in all facets of life (geographical location, spiritual, physical), content with what I have (possessions, mental faculties, physical health, relationships), and who I am (imperfect, valuable, loved, accepted human being). That's a lot to try to be content about but if my heart is at peace and rest then I will truly have joy.

  My biggest struggle with contentment has been in my relationships. Because I don't have family nearby, I have to rely on friends for my social life. I have periods where I feel frustrated that it feels like my family only hangs out with others when we do the inviting. I often wonder if others don't entertain or they just don't think to ask us to do things. More than likely they're in a busy season of life. I'm praying that God will help me find contentment in the relationships and social calendar I do have rather than the one I yearn for.

  Since reading Listen, Love, Repeat, I've been trying to be a better listener in order to better discern ways to love, help and serve others. As Christmas approaches, my desire to be more generous has increased. I really want this Advent season to be marked by love and kindness and charity. I want our family to focus on blessing others, on looking outward rather than inward. My six-year-old is excited about the idea of giving friends and family gifts for Christmas. She even asked for chore opportunities so she could earn money to buy gifts for friends. My four-year-old is still focused more on receiving gifts, but that's probably to be expected.


What did you work on achieving in November? Did the Thanksgiving holiday cause setbacks? Are you prepared for working on your goals in December with everything else going on? It will take focus and dedication, but we can finish this year strong!

October Goal Review

October is over. It is the gear up toward the holiday season. It can be a lot of fun but also quite stressful. Let's see how my goals fared this month. If you want to read about previous months' successes and failures, click the appropriate month:  January,  February,  March,  April,  May,  June,  July,  August,  September.

1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

  We went to the beach last month and gathered quite a few shells during our week on the beach. My mother-in-law mentioned she might like an ornament of shells as a memento of our beach trip together. I thought it would be a great idea for our monthly arts and crafts time. The kids and I each made a personal ornament after creating a very special one for Grammy. Kaitlyn decided that shells were needed on the outside of the ornament as well as inside so I followed her instructions. I think they turned out well. It'll be nice to put the ornaments on the tree and remember our trip to PCB each Christmas season. (Side note: I love having ornaments that commemorate trips and special events/occasions. It's a fun trip down memory lane.)

  At a later date, the kids requested more art time so I pulled out a bunch of supplies and let them have fun. In addition to some marker drawings, Kaitlyn used felt and buttons to make a couple of pieces.

2. Blog at least twice per month

  I bit off more than I could chew last month with all of the blog posts. This month I managed to get myself into a busier-than-desirable schedule which has sent writing to the back-burner. I had a post that I had written awhile ago about my grandparents that I published later in the month. However, I just couldn't get motivated to write something new in October until the last day. I wanted to get some thoughts jotted down and figured I'd share it as well. I barely achieved this goal but barely is better than not, right?

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

  This month I continued my gratitude journaling. I did not do it as often as I previously have, probably averaging once or twice each week. Every time I do it I wonder why I don't do it every day. It is so encouraging and a great way to feel more connected to God. It helps my perspective of life to remember everything I have to be grateful for in my life.

  My family is in a bit of a transition right now so at times it's hard to feel content when I don't really feel settled in some parts of life. When I make time for expressing gratitude, I do feel more content with where I am. I am appreciative of all that I do have.

  The kids and I put together two Operation Christmas Child boxes for children in other countries who might not otherwise receive gifts. It has become a tradition to put together one box for a girl about Kaitlyn's age and one for a boy about Jackson's age. It makes it easy to have the kids pick out gifts they would love to receive at Christmas themselves. This year Kaitlyn was given a page to fill out about herself and where she lives to include in the box. I helped Jackson fill out his and we included a family photo in each box as well. I like being able to include the kids in service and generosity toward others.


So that's been my month. How has yours been? Are you already stressing out about the holiday season and how it might wreak havoc on your goals? Or is that just me? 

September Goal Review

We are officially into fall and it's once again time to check in on my goals for the year. You can read about previous months by clicking the links: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August.

1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

  I wanted to do something fall related as I love the season but I didn't have a lot of time to come up with something. I decided it might be fun for the kids to make leaf rubbings so I gathered some leaves from around the yard. While they waited for me to get set up they worked on creating additional pictures. They seemed to enjoy leaf rubbing but it did not keep their attention long. .

I think J's favorite part was removing the paper from the crayons.

Self-portrait!

2. Blog at least twice per month

  For the month of September I decided to participate in all of the Friday Five writing prompts given over at MrsDisciple. I had fun writing about quitting as well as women and men I admire. The bookmarks post was fairly easy and did not require as much emotional involvement. The crying prompt, however, was challenging. It took me a bit to figure out what to write about. I am glad that I gave myself this challenge. I don't know whether publishing a post once per week is too much with all of my other responsibilities. I'm still working out all of my responsibilities and time management. I do enjoy writing and sharing I just don't want it to take away from my family. I also wrote a post about a great book I read recently.

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

  I do feel like I have a more thankful heart toward God this month. I do still have negative mental rants here and there but it seems that a lot of my prayers include thanksgiving toward God for who he is, his faithfulness and his provision. I have written in my gratitude journal at least once per week. I am trying to appreciate the people in my life and the ways they bless and help me.

I love that my fall decor helps me to remember gratitude.

  I do feel fairly content with where I am. I am in a bit of transition at the moment but I am confident that God will bring me through and the result will be positive. I have what I need and appreciate what I have.

  I have been trying to continue to be generous to those around me with time, thoughtfulness, gifts, and encouragement. I could grow in the generousness of my grace and in thinking the best of those I come in contact with. I need to continue to believe that everyone is doing the best they can and that, if I am witnessing unkindness, then they must be having a bad day and the behavior is an anomaly. That's the kind of grace I would like to receive. I am not usually purposefully unkind or ungracious to others but I have bad days and bad moments.

  My verse memorization has fallen to the back burner. I love God's word and am encouraged by it but keeping this on my plate would be more stressful than helpful right now. Verse memorization tends to come in spurts in various seasons. I know I'll get back to it again for awhile and then take another break. I still know a lot of verses by heart that encourage me.


September's a wrap. How did the month go for you? Did you start a new goal? Let go of an old goal that is just too much write now? What did you accomplish or start in September that you're excited about? Tell me!

August Goal Review

We have officially completed the first month of school! It's once again time to check in on my goals for the year. You can read about previous months by clicking the links: January, February, March, April, May, June, July. Without further ado, let's get to it!

1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

  I realized we hadn't used paint in awhile so I suggested it for this month's activity. The kids really seemed to enjoy having a blank piece of paper, a plate of paint and free reign. They both painted two papers. K asked me to participate on the second one as she was working on creating "a gallery of artwork".

This was God watching over a sunset and some sheep.

The rainbow and hearts were my contribution. Paint is not really my creative sweet spot.

The finished (or nearly finished) paintings.

    When they were finished with the paint, my daughter asked if she could have supplies to decorate a cardboard box she had. I found some dinosaur stencils I thought J would enjoy. I helped him draw them on the paper and then he chose to decorate it with the same supplies K had for her box. They had a good time.

  Sometimes I feel like there isn't much of a point to these random arts and crafts time. However, I am understanding more and more that we all feel good when we are able to create something and express our creativity in some form. While a number of creations will eventually end up in the trash/recycling (shhh, don't tell the kids), I know the kids are proud of what they create and enjoy the opportunity to control what they make and what materials they use. My daughter always talks about how much fun it was. She would probably do it every day if given the opportunity (and I have to fight my guilt that we don't).

2. Blog at least twice per month

  Last month I posted something new three Fridays in a row. It felt good to have a regular schedule so I thought I would try to continue the Friday posts this month as well. I started with a post about five things I want to learn, the topic coming from a blog link-up I thought I'd try out. The second week I talked about my least favorite household chore because it was on my mind. The third week I started the week off with a post about a book I recently read (along with a book giveaway) and ended with a post about the challenge that is parenting children for their first three years of life. My final August post was a celebration of my 100th blog post! I successfully blogged each Friday in August which is a big deal for me. I'm already feeling overwhelmed at the thought of there being five Fridays in September and one week being on vacation so I'll go ahead and give myself grace not to post every week.

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

  This month I got back into the habit of gratitude journaling most days of the week. It's very encouraging to think about blessings and joys and express my appreciation to God. It helped that we started a new schedule with school and I get a few hours without the kids three days per week.

  I struggled a bit with contentment this month. I am content in some areas of life but not all. But I believe my main area of discontentment has been a prodding from God to spur me to action to change the circumstances. I have been wrestling for months, waffling between decisions, unsure what the proper path is. I have made a choice but am nervous about embarking on this new path. I will trust God and ask him to lead me to a place of contentment in this area.

  My heart has been growing in a desire to be generous. I am more open to opportunities to practice generosity with various resources - time, things, money, prayers. I do still have stingy and self-serving thoughts but I know I'm a work in progress and will never be perfectly altruistic and others-focused. Any step forward ought to be celebrated.

  I did not memorize any new verses this month. I have been reading the Bible and receiving encouragement from specific scriptures but memorization did not make it on this month's to do list.


So, that was my month. How was yours? Did school start for someone in your household this month? Did it change your ability to work on your goals? Are you good at giving yourself grace when you fall short?

Why Do We Hesitate to Share and Celebrate Our Successes?

  This is my 100th post on the blog! I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion and celebrate. Initially I felt a little silly wanting to celebrate something as small as a blog post milestone, but then I thought, why shouldn't I celebrate? It's something I'm proud of accomplishing.

  It also got me thinking about how women often seem reluctant to celebrate things they consider to be an accomplishment because others might not see them as such. They are excited about achieving a goal but downplay it because they are afraid someone might try to squash their joy or belittle their accomplishment.

  It's not unreasonable to think that someone may try to undermine our excitement. Most likely it's happened to all of us at some point in the past and is why we are now hesitant to express our elation when we do something that fills us with pride.

  Why do we allow others to dictate how we ought to feel about an accomplishment? Additionally, why do others (or sometimes even ourselves) try to rain on others' parades of celebration?

  As parents we often encourage our kids to be proud of their accomplishments. They put their dishes in the dishwasher by themselves? High five! They learned to ride a bicycle without training wheels? Great job, let's send a video to Grammy and Grandaddy! They aced a test? Let's go for ice cream! We are so great at supporting and cheering on our kids.

First day of preschool!

  And kids are naturally excited about even the little things. They think everything is amazing and don't worry about tamping down their joy. I'm sure somewhere along the way they learn to tone down their excitement, possibly from their friends and/or the adults in their lives. I don't want to think that I might be responsible for my children's loss of enthusiasm about celebrating the big and little things in life. If they don't see me celebrating my successes, what picture am I painting for them about adulthood?

   So why do we tend to downplay our successes and accomplishments? Are we afraid of having joy over something because we feel that if we do, it is opening the door for something bad to happen to even us out? Bad stuff is probably eventually going to happen to us. That's life. Why not celebrate the good when we have it to help carry us through the challenges and set backs?

  Are we worried that celebrating our accomplishments might make others feel bad about not achieving the same thing? Some people do believe that when others succeed or achieve, that it is taking away from their ability to do the same. This is a fear of scarcity, that there won't be enough for everyone, but that's not true. There is room for everyone. We ought to see others' success as validation that achievement in this area is possible and an invitation for us to also attempt it. When one person strives and achieves, it should to give us all permission to do the same.

  Belittling others' accomplishments most likely stems from jealousy. We are working on our dreams and goals which is quite admirable. Other people may feel that they are unable to do the same so they try to keep us from succeeding or feeling good about our success so that they won't feel so bad about not making efforts toward their own goals.

  So, yes, some people will not consider publishing one hundred blog posts to be anything noteworthy, especially on a small, unknown blog like mine. But, to me, it's one hundred times I've sat down and worked on my writing. It's one hundred times I've attempted vulnerability and connection. It's one hundred times I've sought to encourage someone else on the journey of life. That's a big deal to me and one I find worthy of celebration.

Where the magic happens. :-)

  In fact, I want to encourage us all to be proud of our accomplishments and celebrate them whenever they happen. It's okay to be excited about reaching a goal or milestone. Our success does not mean failure for someone else. Celebrating our achievement does not mean we are gloating. It is inviting others to share our joy.

  We should celebrate and be excited with those who are celebrating. We should be inspired and encouraged by others' achievements. We should be cheering others on as they head toward their goals.

  Today I'm celebrating one hundred posts! What are you celebrating? Have you successfully lost 20, 30, 50, 100 pounds? Did you win a local sports competition? Have you had an article published somewhere? Do you get complemented on your children's good manners? Can your son tie his own shoelaces? Do you have a baby or toddler and were able to take a shower today? Did you land a big client or order for your company? Did you streamline a process at work or home? Please share one (or more) of your accomplishments with me so we can celebrate together!

  To make this more of a celebration, I am going to give away a few things to people who comment on this post with an accomplishment or success they've had. I will draw five winners at random on Friday, September 2nd to win one of the following items:

• A paperback copy of my book, Between Us Girls: Navigating College Life as a Christian Woman. (Yes, I published a book - something else I'm excited about having achieved!) 
  

• A hardcover copy of Choose Joy by Sara Frankl
  

• A For the Love leather bracelet from Noonday

• An orange beaded necklace
  

• Love Where You're Going journal/notebook
  

  I look forward to hearing about others' successes and accomplishments. Let's celebrate together!

Sometimes Chasing Your Dreams Requires Learning New Skills

  I am on the precipice of diving deeper into the world of writing and blogging. I have been reading Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck by Jon Acuff because I feel like this adventure will be similar to a job transition. I've been a SAHM for the past six years and, while I will continue in that role, I will also be trying to focus my free time on learning and growing in the writing world. One section of the book talks about our skills and the importance of keeping our current skills sharp and honing new ones. I assessed my current set, considered what skills I would need for the new endeavor, and thought about general life dreams. I compiled a list of skills I'd like to learn or improve.

1. How to use Create Space (and the e-book equivalent) to make my book available on Amazon.

   Four years ago I published a book, Between Us Girls: Navigating College Life as a Christian Woman, using a self-publishing company. About two years ago it went out of business, leaving me with my manuscript and about fifty paperback copies of my book. My goal is to update and/or revise the contents and then republish it by early next year so that people who could benefit from the information have easy access to it. Create Space seems like an excellent avenue for my plan but I haven't ever used it before.

2. How to speak conversational Spanish comfortably.

   I was a double major in college and Spanish language was one of them. I studied abroad twice to increase my fluency. I think I did fairly well if I was able to write a ten page paper and perform a group skit in my classes by the end. However, with language it is very true that if you don't use it you lose it. I have a number of neighbors that are from Spanish-speaking countries and could easily have conversations with them but I am too concerned about sounding terrible. But I will until I get into the habit of speaking regularly. I have downloaded the Duolingo app but have not even opened it. That needs to change.

3. How to navigate Twitter.

   I have an account. I think I created one so that I could enter some contest Ellen DeGeneres was doing on her show several years ago. I don't understand re-tweeting and tagging people. I think I understand hashtags from their presence on Facebook. I am sure it could be a useful platform for my writing and blogging but I need more knowledge. I'm sure there are plenty of people I know who are fluent in tweeting and could give me a beginner's course.

4. How to play the piano.

  This is another skill that I have some knowledge and understanding of. I took two or three years of piano in elementary school. It is a skill I regret not continuing. I thoroughly enjoy music and like being able to recreate a song I've heard before but don't know the actual music. Thankfully, my daughter expressed interest in learning the piano and received a full-size keyboard for Christmas. She is going to start lessons this fall and I am hoping having the keyboard in the main living area will encourage me to sit down and play at it. Maybe I'll seek out some advanced beginner music to help me practice.

5. To be more generous.

   If you've been reading my monthly goal review posts, you are familiar with this already. One of my goals this year has been to grow in generosity. I tend to focus on myself and my family and it's really challenging for me to use resources (time, money, etc) on others. I have seen more growth in this area and can see that I am more generous than I thought (or maybe the goal has helped). In Do Over, Jon stressed the importance of being generous when working on a goal/dream/hustle. Being generous affects all areas of your life positively and I am all about more joy and goodness.


There's my list. It's quite ambitious. I'm not planning to start on all of these right away, but it's nice to have it somewhere visible. It will remind me of these learning desires and, possibly, cause people I know to ask me about them which would help create accountability to actually move forward on them.

Is there anything you want to learn or relearn that you could benefit from sharing with someone? Please share in the comments and I will do my best to encourage you to work on them.

Sixth Month Goal Review

We are officially half way through the year! I have worked on the same goals for six months straight. How have I done? I've recorded each month's summary. Below is June's record. You can read about January, February, March, April and May on the linked pages.

1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

This goal is one that makes me sweat a lot. I am not a crafty person so it's a chore to peruse kid-friendly ideas that we *hopefully* have most or all of the materials for. I didn't think this month would be bad because it contains Father's Day and I usually help the kids make cards for their dad.

Father's Day 2013

However, a friend of mine emailed a link to a DIY cat tent. It looked relatively easy and we had all of the materials so I thought we'd check that out. My husband donated an old t-shirt to the cause so this was a free craft (hurray!).

I had the kids decorate the shirt because it seemed like the most kid-friendly part for them. My daughter also tried to help curve the clothes hangers for the tent poles but it was too challenging for her.

Their final contribution was enticing the cat into the tent. They eventually found success.

Of course, we also made Father's Day cards.

2. Blog at least twice per month

This goal is also never easy to achieve. Now that it's summer it will be a bit more challenging to find time to sit down and write, as well as additional time to ponder topics I may want to write about. The first post was about sharing the themes of my current season of life. I did manage to get a second post in with a couple of days to spare. I have been listening to a couple of great podcasts and blogging about them seems to be my way to process them and share their personal impact.

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

As you may recall, the first month of the year I tried not to spend any money on non-essentials. I had kind of kept up with that for a few months but the last two months I have kind of fallen off the no new purchases. I think it being summer and wanting to have some fun new things for the kids has contributed to that. They took swim lessons in May and I have purchased goggles and dive rings toward the cause of water confidence. I also am visiting my family for a few weeks and I tend to do some thrift store shopping while I'm here because 1) free babysitting so I can go without the kids, and 2) the prices and quality of items are excellent. (Actually, the only non-experience, non-food items I bought out west in June was a pair of dress shoes for J at a thrift store and three outfits for K on clearance - two for future holidays. Not too bad considering my normal habit.) I would also mention yard sales but we're not doing that until the July portion of my trip so I'm sure I'll cover anything I pick up at those next month. I will work on being more conscious about whether it is something to be used or simply an impulse buy.

I slacked off a bit on my gratitude journaling. I will blame it on end-of-the-school-year business but it's just an excuse. I still enjoy it a lot and feel like it helps me to be reminded of all that I do have to be grateful for as well as help address things that are on my heart and mind.

This month I read The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed To Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown and part of Wholehearted living, according to her research, is gratitude which is the source of joy. The book also encourages us to stop striving for acceptance and be ourselves, which I feel is intertwined with contentment.

We were hoping that an opportunity to move closer to family would open up for us, but it did not materialize. I was a little disappointed but it has encouraged me to seek to be content where I am and embrace what I have as fully as I can. It's an opportunity to choose contentment daily instead of thinking about something that may never happen.

I also read Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up which was even more motivation and encouragement to get rid of unnecessary stuff around the house and, hopefully, be content with and enjoy the stuff I currently have. The only problem is that I read it while I am on vacation away from the house so I have to hope the desire to declutter does not ebb before I get back home.

This month I worked on being more generous with my time - working on saying yes to things that are good and fun for my family and for others. I tried to be more willing to lay down my agenda and schedule and allow opportunities and others to receive more of my time. It's hard to say how successful I was but I can think of instances when I chose time with others over my own thing and offered to help with things that others needed done.


Here were my intended verses for the month:

Isaiah 26:3  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Psalm 62:5-8  Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

You may have read my post this month about trust and rest. As you can tell, these verses address those themes. However, I got busy and distracted with summer break and getting ready for vacation that I did not make time to memorize both of them. The first one was short and easy and encouraging so I know that one. The second one did not get memorized. Fail. Plus I've probably forgotten at least half of the previous months' verses for lack of practice.

So, it took six months to slack on something. Not terrible. And it doesn't mean I won't hit all of my goals next month. Each day, week, month is different and I have to give myself grace when I can't do it all.


So, what goals were you working on in June? How did you do? How much more progress are you still hoping to have? What helps keep you motivated? Do you know what temptations are in your life that hinder your ability to achieve or improve on your goal?

Dreaming With an Open Heart

I have been thinking recently about dreams I have for my life, things I would love to do or to happen. I know we sometimes equate dreams with goals or bucket list items, but I believe those are all slightly different.

Goals are things I want to achieve and will take deliberate steps to accomplish. Some dreams could be labeled as goals but, often, dreams require more than just our own efforts to accomplish. Goals are measurable and you can usually determine ahead of time if you have the necessary resources to accomplish them. Yes, work is also required on our part for dreams, but even if we do all that we can, it doesn't mean the dream will be realized.

Bucket lists, to me, are kind of like fun to-do lists. Perhaps some people's bucket lists are lists of dreams but I think mine would most resemble a world map or adventure itinerary.

To me, dreams are heart-driven desires. I am more nervous about sharing my dreams than my bucket list because they are revealing and vulnerable. They tell others a lot about my heart. I have been thinking and praying a lot about it and have decided to share my dreams with you. I believe that bringing them out in the open where others can see them will allow God more room to move in these areas. He reminded me recently that the dreams he has placed in my heart (and, honestly, I don't know for certain which dreams are God-led and which are my own selfish ones), he will water and grow so that they will come to fruition at the proper time.

So, in no particular order, my current dreams:

• To be a writer (technically I am a writer now, but I am referring to receiving payment/compensation for my work)
• To write and publish another book (it'd be awesome to have an actual publishing house do it - see above dream)
• To go on a solo weekend retreat somewhere I can pray, see nature, read, write, be quiet and think (I've heard about monastic retreats which appeal to me)
• To attend She Speaks Conference, the writer/speaker conference held every July in Concord, NC
• A vacation with just my husband to a beach/island with great scuba diving
• A couple/family or several couples/families for true community (we like each other, enjoy each other's company, can share real/hard things and all make efforts to spend time together regularly)
• My kids to choose Jesus and desire to live for him (they are currently 6 and 3 but this is my number one desire for them)

There you have it. I don't know of any one thing listed that will happen this year. Next year, several have promise. I suppose that's part of why they are dreams. I know they are all possible but some of them I am powerless for them to happen (yes, I may have influence but I can't accomplish them in my own power) and so there is plenty of room for God to work. I am hoping and believing that all of these things will happen.

Are you willing to share some of your heart dreams with me? Are any of the dreams listed also on your heart as well? I'd love to know there is a kindred spirit out there. Together we can pray for God's work and provision for our dreams.

Fourth Month Goal Review

April has come and gone and it's once again time to check in on my goals for the year. You can read about January, February and March if you'd like. Without further ado, let's get to it.

1. One arts and crafts time with the kids each month

I wasn't sure what the kids and I would do in April. They both had their own ideas so I went with them. My daughter had received a Sofia the First sun catcher to paint in her Easter basket and wanted to work on that.

My son also wanted to paint and used the dot paint set we had to create a picture.

When those projects lost their interest my daughter decided she wanted to get out the art set she had received at her birthday and create a picture. My son had received a Paw Patrol coloring book at Easter and chose to color in that for a bit.

Finished creations

In between assisting them I decided to work a little on my photography, attempting to create images I could use on the blog.

2. Blog at least twice per month

I managed to achieve this goal again this month. I blogged four times. One was a book review for a launch team I was on. The others were just feelings and struggles and thought processes.

3. Grow in gratitude, contentment and generosity

A new friend introduced me to interactive prayer journaling this month. It is an opportunity to more clearly hear God speaking to you. It starts out by sharing your gratitude with God. My journaled gratitude has ranged from family and friends to medicine to the beauty of nature. It has helped me to remember that I have so much to be grateful for and, I think, has given me a more grateful attitude and heart.

I participated in a spring cleaning challenge in April which I thoroughly enjoyed. It helped me to clean out parts of the house I have been meaning to but kept putting off. I was also motivated by our neighborhood's yard sale at the end of the month. I cleaned out a bunch of clothes from my wardrobe, unused toys and too-small clothes from the kids (We decided the kids could keep the money earned from selling old toys and would use it as an opportunity to introduce the "give/save/spend" idea with money. Neither really understands the value of money yet, but perhaps it's at least a helpful start for the six-year-old.), baby things we no longer need and other miscellaneous things from around the house. Anything I couldn't sell in the fall children's consignment sale was dropped off at Goodwill after the yard sale. It felt really good to purge so many things from the house.

I didn't receive any feedback about whether sharing specific instances of giving went against the verse posted so I will once again be vague. We did give in addition to normal giving this month. I probably could benefit from increasing generosity with my time, specifically giving more undistracted time to my children.

Here are my verses for the month:

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ~Galatians 3:26-28

I only ended up memorizing the above verse but it was technically three verses so I guess it counts. ;-) It was hard for me to get this one firmly in my memory.


So, tell me about your goals this month. What were you trying to do? Did you achieve it? Are you going to try again next month? Try something new? Fill me in!