Puddle Jumping, PB & J's, & Purple Volcanoes

May your weekend be filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows and maybe a little coloring...

May imaginations run wild with toys from the past...

May your meals be simple, yet finger-licking good...

 

May the world come alive through purple volcanoes and heroes of the past...

May memories of the past week be revived and things as simple as puddle jumping become the highlights of childhood...
 

 

May we all learn something new, be open to change, and just keep trying...

January's Simple Five

Every year, I feel as though I fail miserably at meeting my goals, accomplishing my resolutions, reading my list of books desired...  Honestly, I'm not sure how to overcome that feeling of failure, except to try something different.  More simple, yet more detailed...  That seems contradictory.  We'll see...

I found this great printable for 2014 goals that I find to be attainable, yet different from the norm.  Marty and I discussed these in the car one day and I still need to write them down and slowly check them off throughout the year.  

Meanwhile, I'm going to try for some simple goals each month.  (Some months, it may not even happen.  Leaving some space for grace.) 

January's Simple Five:

1. Organize our school room.

2. Finish A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot (great book, but it's a doozy!)

3. Find and try 2 new, healthy recipes.

4. Run up to 3 miles again.

5. Devotions daily with my girls.

The Importance of Looking Back...

Every year when the new year rolls around, a blank calendar waits patiently to be filled.  Birthdays and anniversaries are added while flipping back over the twelve months prior.  I am always amazed at the capacity an entire year can hold.  I would never have imagined some of the events and circumstances of the past year to have occurred. 

In 2012, my unintentional focus was upon grace, the amazing grace of our Lord of which I deserve none of, the grace He calls me to extend to my family and others around me, and the grace shown to me in the lives of others in the past and present.

My verse that year can be found in Hebrews, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find mercy and grace in time of need."  Books such as Grace for the Good Girl, The Frazzled Female, and Grace Based Parenting, all pointed me towards His Word and the importance and freedom found His grace.

 
Last year, I knew that my focus needed to be on rest and finding my peace in Him.  How little I knew back in January the importance of these words.  This was my year of letting go...

- Letting go of my expectations for our family
- Letting go of some homeschooling hardships
- Letting go of material things I've been holding onto for far too long
- Letting go of my parents once again

My verse beside my kitchen sink reminded me time and time again, to "be still and know that He is God."  That is hard for a mom to do. It's hard for anyone to do, but it is so vital for every believer.  My favorite book last year (that I need to read again) was The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan.  Amazing book for that exact point in my life!

Now I look ahead, standing firmly beside the love of my life, knowing that God has placed us where we are for a reason.  We know it will not be easy, but we place our trust in the one who controls it all.  Without a doubt, we must "Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding."