Five for February...

January's Simple Five:

1.  Organize our school room.  (almost done...)

2.  Finish A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot

3.  Find and try 2 new, healthy recipes. 

     - Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls (for our snow day)

     - Wholegrain Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread (w/o the nuts)

4.  Run up to 3 miles again.  (ok... it only happened once, but with the cold & rainy weather we've had, it wasn't as easy as I thought.)

5.  Devotions daily with my girls. (Nothing fancy.  Two to three days a week we'd review our Family Journal that follows what they are learning on Sundays.  The other days we'd either read through Chloe's devotional or You Can Change the World.

Obviously, my simple five were not completely accomplished. But I'm ok with that.  Instead, I want to strive for progress, not perfection.  More boxes were sorted through in the school room, another trash bag filled... I'm further along in my book, convicted and challenged.  Running is definitely a matter of progress, one step at a time.

Five for February:

1.  Finish organizing the school room and hang pictures.  No more clutter!

2.  Finish A Chance to Die by Elisabeth Elliot & read half of Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma (A Mom's 12-month experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement).

3.  Write 5 letters (real ones with stamps) to other women who may need encouragement.

4.  Take portraits of each of my girls (plus valentine pics).

5.  Focus on words of grace for my family.  

"Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong.  Grace words.  Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words words I breathe are death words." - Ann Voskamp  

Click for the link to this free chalkboard printable

A North Carolina Snow...

Having grown up in a part of the world where snow could begin as early as October and last through April, the excitement of white flakes never ceases to bring a smile to my face.  The rumors of 5-7 inches caused the usual hustle and bustle of bread & milk buying, searching for snow gear, and constant peeking through windows for the tiny flakes to appear.  We were not disappointed!  A few flakes appeared around sunset with more accumulating by the hour.  It was the powdery kind, not snowman or snowball worthy, but great for sledding and pure fun! 

The morning greeted us with a blanket of white goodness, perfect for snow cream (compliments of Daddy!) and warm cinnamon rolls (one of my new recipes of the month - check!)  

The morning encompassed sledding, tubing, and more sledding.  We love our neighborhood more and more, watching the kids share sleds and dads helping push whoever's next in line.

  

Someone wanted to imitate big sister, but found the experience quite unpleasant.  

Even little missy got in on the sledding fun!

The backyard was tackled after a quick lunch.  We all worked together to make a fort since a snowman seemed a little too difficult.  I even put down the camera for a bit to work up a little sweat in delivering arm loads of snow.  Snow fluff fights, sliding on our playset, and just enjoying every minute possible was our main goal for the day.  Snow days in North Carolina are days like no other.  Schedule and routine go out the window while family, fun, & food monopolize the hours instead.

Snow days with these three are always worth it (even with the laundry that comes later...)

The evening ended well with chili and corn chips followed by singing worship songs with daddy on the guitar.  I could truly sing "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, oh my soul.  Worship His holy name.  Sing like never before, oh my soul.  I'll worship Your holy name."

It's all God...

It's been a God week.  Honestly, this month has been a roller coaster of emotions and stress, yet each morning, as I open my devotional and Bible, it is exactly what I need to hear.  Some mornings, it may be a specific scripture that, as I rewrite it in my journal, comes alive to where I am in that moment.  The word "trust" has appeared day after day reminding me of His promise to me this year.  Even the prayer calendar for my husband has been so specific to his needs this week, that sometimes I'm left dumbfounded.  

On Tuesday, when my emotions left me nothing left to give, I made a last minute decision to go through the drive-thru at Starbucks. But as I drove up to the window to scan my card, the lady in black and green informed me that my coffee had been paid for by someone else. My quivering voice said thank you, I grasped my precious coffee, and let the tears flows under my sunglasses.  It was a God moment. 

If you have a few minutes, listen to this song by Jen Stanbro - God Day - Amazing way to start the day!

Click here for the two prayer calendars I use as well, thanks to Kat Lee at Inspired to Action.