seriously....this is my life

31 things--morning and read

The second prompt for 31 things was morning (which you will see on the left side of the page) The third prompt was read (which you will see on the right side of the page.)  I read the prompt and promptings from an email I receive each morning from Ali.  Then I take some time as I move through my day to consider the prompt on a deeper level.  Once I sit down to type out my journaling it goes quickly.  I don't over analyze what I'm writing and it seems to flow easily.  I think that having a blog for nearly 6 years has helped me to write freely and openly without getting too stressed about perfection and eloquence.  You know you don't get eloquence here! 

Morning--

The question is often asked…are you a morning person or a night person?  I am definitely a morning person.  Not a 5 am kind of girl, but once the sun begins to dawn my body begins to wake up.  (Same goes with the sun going down and my body winding down.)  These days I tend to get up between 6:30 and 6:45.  After a pit stop to the restroom I putter out to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee using my Keurig.  I pour some creamer and milk into the bottom of one of my dozens of Starbuck’s city/country travel mugs and then let the coffee pour over it, creating a delicious mocha colored drink.  Then I cradle the mug it in my hands and take my first sip of my morning fuel.   

I promptly walk to the loveseat and pull out my Bible and Bible study bag, which includes my pens, colored pencils, journals, devotionals and current Bible study.  I almost always start off with a silent prayer to God asking Him to open my heart and mind to His Truth and then begin reading from my Jesus Calling devotional.  Oftentimes I read it twice, allowing it to soak into my tired mind.  Then I spend the next 30-45 minutes journaling, reading, and studying God’s Word.  Karsten typically begins to stir around 7:15, but rarely do I go get him before 7:30.  I think he enjoys waking up slowly and playing with his animals and wubanubs.

After changing Karsten’s diaper he usually watches a Baby Einstein video while I putter around, check email, heat my coffee up (I have to do this at least once per cup), or I go get ready.  After his 30 minute video I feed us both breakfast; yogurt, cereal, and fruit.  I then take him to his playroom where he plays while the Sunnyside Up show is on and I do my morning chores; sweeping, spot mopping the kitchen, moving laundry, making my daily to do list, etc.  By 10,  he’s usually tired of playing by himself and I join him for play time where we sing songs, read stories, and play.  By 11 o’clock he’s ready for his nap.  So although it seems past morning at this point in my mind this is where my morning stops.

I realized that the Zoe was in the photo, so I added a journaling spot to include that she is very much a part of our mornings. 

Read-- I took a photo of the top part of our red book case (rojo cabinet) which happens to be my favorite piece of furniture we own.  Although I didn't write about it, it tells the story about how much reading and books are a part of both of our lives. 

journaling--

I’ve always been a reader, maybe not quite as much as some, but certainly more than others.  My favorite class in HS was “Novel” in which we read a variety of novels and discussed them. I love books with symbolism and I’m always up for a good love story. 

I also enjoy reading Christian “self-help” kinds of books.  Currently Grace for the Good Girl is on my nightstand. When I read these types of books I always have a pencil in hand so I can underline and take notes. 

I wish I were more diligent about getting books from the Library.  I tend to pick them up at Costco or Barnes and Noble and add them to my ever growing stack.  I also take time every morning to read my Bible and devotionals. 

I don’t read books more than once very often, but there are a few that I’ve read twice; Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, The Thirteenth Tale, and many Janette Oke books when I was younger.

Books however are not the only thing I read each day.  I read magazines and lots of blogs.  A few favorite blogs to read are Chatting at the Sky, Karen Russell,  Kelly’s, Becky Higgins, and Beth Moore’s blog.

I also have a love affair with cookbooks.  I will sit and read them word for word, recipe by recipe.  I love The Pioneer Woman’s cookbooks because she tells stories with her recipes.  I will not buy a cookbook that doesn’t include great photos.  I’m a snob like that.  I love food photography so much! 

As a former school teacher I am also passionate about children’s literacy.  I have hundreds of children’s books to read with Karsten someday.  For now though, Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Barnyard Dance are his favorites!

 

reflections on retreating and fasting

Last weekend I was blessed to participate in a Women's Retreat with my church.  Brian said he would be fine with Karsten for the weekend, so I jumped at the opportunity to spend a weekend with fellow sisters in Christ.  My sweet friend Jessica and I made plans to bring craft activities to share with our friends and we both looked forward to having time with the girls.  It was last Thursday, the day before I left for the retreat, that it dawned on me that maybe I should begin to pray about the spiritual aspect of the weekend ahead.  Afterall, it was supposed to be more than just time away with friends...it was supposed to be a time to pull away from the busyness of everyday life and spend one on one time with the Lord. 

The praise and worship at the retreat, led by Betsy Burke, was the perfect segway into opening our hearts and minds to the spiritual aspects of the retreat.  We had 4 different group sessions and "mandatory" quiet times with God.  I think the one thing I will always remember from the retreat happened during a quiet time.  I realize this may bore you to tears...I'm just putting it here to document life.

We were sent out from a time in praise and worship to have an hour of quiet.  The retreat center has beautiful grounds and I quickly found a comfortable bench off the beaten path.  I knew if I were on the beaten path I would be distracted by everyone else.  I opened my Bible and read and reflected on Psalm 100.

A psalm of thanksgiving.

 ¹ Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!
    ² Worship the LORD with gladness.
      Come before him, singing with joy.
 ³ Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
      He made us, and we are his.^[a]
      We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
      go into his courts with praise.
      Give thanks to him and praise his name.
 ⁵ For the LORD is good.
      His unfailing love continues forever,
      and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

I finished reading and reflecting on the Psalm wondering exactly what I was supposed to be getting out of this quiet time.  I then opened my book, Finding God's Will, and began reading because I felt like I needed to be doing something...getting something accomplished.  As I read, I pulled out a piece of Dove Promises dark chocolate and ate it.  As I'm reading, I'm silently conversing with God, about what the point of this quiet time is...shouldn't He be giving me some big revealation?  Shouldn't I be feeling the Holy Spirit bubbling up inside me?  Hello God....what are you trying to teach me????  I then sensed Him telliing me to put the book away, to stop trying to check something off my list, to just be still.  I reasoned...let me just finish this section...and I sensed Him saying....No, now!!  So I closed the book and waited...then I sensed Him saying pick up the chocolate wrapper.  Um...ok...so I did and I read these words. "YOUR PRESENCE IS OFTEN THE BEST PRESENT." 

and at that moment something clicked inside me.  I wrote these words in my journal.

"Maybe this weekend isn't about some big revealation or a change in my spiritual journey----maybe it's just about removing myself from distractions and being in God's presence---soaking up His goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and love.  I'm a goal setting, doing, acheiving, checking it off my list kind of girl and this weekend is really just about being still, fellowshipping with God and friends and being in His presence away from many of life's distractions."

So, that's what I took away from the retreat.  Sometimes before God can reveal things to us, guide us, give us wisdom we need to be content to just spend time with Him.  It's ok if I don't receive a powerful message or spiritual enlightenment each time I seek Him out.  He will reveal those things to me in His perfect time...until then, I just need to "be still and know that He is God." 

*********************************************************************************************************************************

reflections on fasting

Brian and I both fasted M-W of this week.  Eating only fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.  Let me just way...it was not easy!!!  Did I get a great revealation?  No, but I did realize how much craving something guides my decisions in life.  It could be craving food, acceptance, perfection, purpose, popularity.  I realized that true satisfaction comes from relying on God to be enough for us. In the long term nothing else will quench our soul...we will always be on the elusive chase of other things until we realize that God supplies all of our needs....and wants and needs aren't the same thing.  

I do sense that He is preparing me for something, but I'm ok with not knowing what it is.  I may have months of years of preparation ahead of me for a big picture I can't see yet.  But now, after the retreat and fasting,  I'm ok with that.  I know it will have something to do with my gifts and talents, so I will continue cultivating those things. 

This is from the Jesus Calling devotional that is truly the best daily devotional I've ever read.  It's written from the perspective of Jesus talking to the reader. I gain something from it every day!!!  I felt that this sums up everything I've learned this past week. This is from January 25th

"Through the intimacy of our relationship, you are being transformed from the inside out.  As you keep your focus on Me, I form you into the one I desire you to be.  Your part is to yield to My creative work in you, neither resisting it or trying to speed it up.  Enjoy the tempo of a God-breathed life by letting Me set the pace.  Hold My hand in a childlike trust, and the way before you will open up step by step." 

Be Blessed---Angela

Current Book List

At one time I can be reading up to 4 books, and now that there is nothing interesting on TV at night I'm reading more than usual.  Currently I'm reading my Bible (that's a good thing right!?) and to be specific I'm reading Genesis as a part of my Bible in a Year study.  So far success and I'm finding it interesting.  Lord, help me when I get to Leviticus...not that I've read it, but I've heard it's tough to get through.  Thankfully I'm married to a Theology guru who has read Leviticus along with a commentary on Leviticus and he found it all very interesting, so I'm sure as my eyes glaze over he will help me along and give me great insight to this book which can be be a yawn and a bore.

Along with reading my Bible I am usually working through a Bible Study or Christian non-fiction book.  Currently I'm reading So Long Insecurity..you've been a bad friend to us by Beth Moore.  I don't consider myself to be an insecure person by nature, but the fact that I'm a woman means that there are times when the insecurity bug bites at me or buzzes in my ear.  This book is so good that I believe that EVERY woman should read it.  I remember when it was released I thought to myself, "I don't need that book," but I've discovered that I do.  Not because insecurity marks my days or my attitudes about myself but because I tend to think that other woman have things/attitudes/relationships/beauty that make their lives perfect...what I've discovered in the first 4 chapters of this book is that even that woman who seems to have it ALL together can be crumbling on the interior of her soul.  In other words, don't judge a person by their external features.  Sometimes the most beautiful woman are the most insecure.  This book goes much deeper than that and I will be sharing some more insights later today related to this book...but I highly enourage you to go purchase two copies, one for yourself and one for a friend or teenage/young adult daughter.

My current fiction book is The 19th Wife.  It's not the most exciting book I've ever read (that would be the Twilight series, in case you were wondering), but I am enjoying it.  Since watching the first three seasons of Big Love I've been very intrigued with Mormon religion.  I've been grappling with why they believe what they believe.  Their beliefs seem so crazy and foreign to me and are not Christian in any way, event though they do consider themselves Christians.  This book is basically two stories intertwined...the first story is of a murder that occurs in a modern day fundamentalist Mormon pologamy compound and the second story is that of Brigham Young's 19th wife.  It has helped me see the stark differences between Mormonism and Christianity...and how twisted their faith really is.

Then I have a stack of parenting books to read...several are about adoption, but the one I've just picked up is The Happiest Baby on the Block.  It's a book about how to calm your crying baby.  It was recommended to me by one of my blog readers and I went out and bought it because I am going to need all the help I can get!

Crazy Love

I've been on the search for a good, God book.  Not so much a devotional or a workbook, but something that I could read, reflect on, and apply to my life.  My small group leader, Becki, recommended the book Crazy Love.  She works at our church and said that many people are reading it.  I figured I might as well give it a try.  I've read a few chapters and I'm loving it.  I'm certainly not going to promise anything (because as soon as I promise I will post things here I seem to fall short) but I hope to post some excerpts from the book and some of my thoughts here.  One of my goals for 2010 is to focus on blogging more God stuff.  One of the reasons I started blogging 3+ year ago was to share my faith, the ups and downs of my walk with Christ, and spiritual things I was learning and wrestling with.  I've grown very self centered here on the blog and I want to find more balance again.  It helps me to be consistent with my time with God if I challenge myself to share some thoughts a few times a week.  I would love if you would comment and share your thoughts with me. 

Crazy Love    {Thoughts and Reflections…Preface}

Many people see Christianity as this…fight your desires in order to please God.  Of course when we fail, which is daily, we feel guilty and distant from God.  I hate to admit this, but there have been many times in my life when this is exactly how my attitude towards God has been.  I’ve been guilty of having the attitude of “be good, do the “Christian” thing and He will bless you.”  The fact of the matter is that He has blessed me abundantly in spite of myself.  He is a merciful God who showers His children with grace and blessings every second of the day. 

Here’s one of many excerpts of Crazy Love that really hit me.

Our core problem isn’t the fact that we are lukewarm, half-hearted, or stagnant Christians.  The crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God.  We see him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way.  We forget that God never had an identity crisis.  He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives.  Jesus came humbly as a servant, but He never begs us to give Him some small part of ourselves.  He commands everything from His followers. 

God’s never had an identity crisis.  He is the great I AM…always has been, always will be.  That’s so comforting to me.  God is constant.  He doesn’t love me more some days than other days.  He doesn’t take it personally when I fall short.  His grace is always available.  He doesn’t move away from His children, but He does allow them to move away from Him. 

 

I spent most of my day at home...feeling like I'm spinning my wheels...so many projects I want to tackle, but not sure where to begin.  Yesterday I got this book...which is incredible. 

The photos of different scrap rooms, scrap storage, etc. are so inspiring and motivating.  I literally want to overhaul my sbr to look like Aby Garvey's (which is pictured on the front cover)...oh, if I only won the lottery...wait I have to play the lottery first!  I'm going to begin rearranging and reorganizing my sbr in the next few weeks.  I've been in this room for a few months now, and there are things that are working and things that need to be re-thought out. 

Well I'm off to take out my contacts, straighten up the house, and head to bed to read....sweet dreams

2 major addictions

Here's a glimpse into 2 of my addictions: cookbooks and magazines.  I love the food photography in my cookbooks, not to mention all of the fabulous recipes that I want to try out.  And this is only about half my collection.  I have some Southern Living , Cooking Light, and other cookbooks on various other shelves in my kitchen and living room, but I just loved how these books looked on the top of my fridge. 

Can you tell what interests me?  These are just my issues from the past month....seriously!

TODAY

Just finished this yumminess: fresh berries and whipped cream! 

I was up and running early this morning (well early for me...9 am).  Went to Sam's this morning to get some fresh berries and veggies.  The prices are so much cheaper than the grocery store and believe it or not Brian and I can eat almost all of the produce I get there...very little wasted.  Then I headed to Michael's to check out the new Martha Stewart paper crafting line....sadly my store didn't have very much displayed yet, but it will be there in all it's beautiful glory on Tuesday!  I also ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and then went to Panera to get some fresh bread.  I also got a bowl of the new trio mushroom and roasted tomato soup to go.....YUMMO!  I just updated my catagories on my blog to the following:  scrapbooking is now "creating", recipes are now under "delicious", and I added a few categories called happy finds, inspire, and favorite people.  I will typically post my spiritual thoughts and learnings under "inspire" now...religion just seemed so generic.  So now....I must stop piddling on the computer and begin my list of chores:  dust, laundry, make black bean salad and pasta salad for dinner at the fam's tonight, etc.....have a happy Saturday...... 

a new book

While running errands yesterday I stopped in a new Christian book store called Mardel.  I think it's owned by Hobby Lobby.  What a fabulous store!  The prices were awesome, lots of bargain books and a great selection.  Being that my newest mission is simplifying my life I had to pick up this book.  EAch entry is very short and sweet, but I love that this book uses God as the basis for simplifying your life. 

Here is an excerpt...some points to ponder....

Begin by making one small change in your daily life: clear some clutter, make more space in your calendar, and spend more time in prayer.  Give thanks, share your wealth, lend a helping hand, do what's right, folow God's ways, get enough rest, savor what you have. Take time to enjoy a conversation with someone you admire.  Ask what simple truths have guided them in their life. 

"There are many activities I must cut out simply because I desire to excel in my pursuit after God and holiness"   Wendell W. Price

Ok...enough blogging for now....I have a big to do list and it's almost 3:00! 

not too bad

My stress test wasn't too bad.  I had to do a few breathing tests first and then get on the treadmill.  I wore this very attractive mask on my face that was really tight, but once I started walking I forgot all about the mask.  I was able to breath through my nose and mouth (within the mask).  I started off walking very slowly and then the speed was increased  after 2 minutes.  The speed stayed the same, but every 2 minutes the incline changed.  I made it through 4 incline changes before I had to stop.  I was breathing really hard and my legs were about to give out.  The technician knew I was struggling and told me I could stop, but I kept on for about another minute and then called it quits.  I knew the next incline was coming and I didn't think I had that in me. 

Needless to say I was really stressed about nothing.  It was over really fast, about 30 minutes total and then I had some lunch at Jason's Deli and treated myself to a Starbucks.  I took a good nap this afternoon, not even the latte could wake me up, and made some homemade vegetable beef soup for dinner.  Going to go read Kite Runner, a incredible, must read book about modern Afghanistan.