Don't forget to head over to The Mom Creative to see the rest of the Project Life Tuesdays!
Week 4- Snowed In!
This past weekend Nashville got several inches of snow. The school I teach at was closed Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. I had a great time enjoying my days off hanging out and lounging around with Matt. On Friday Matt made some snow cream. I had never heard of it or tasted it before. I harvested the snow and Matt mixed it all up. I really enjoyed it! For my second cup I added a little coconut. Yummy! My picture this week is of the fresh snow we used!
Disconnect
Lisa @ The Preacher’s Wife had a very intriguing post a few days ago that really has me thinking. I encourage you all to read it here and think about the questions she asks.
As you all know if you saw my Week 2- Project 52 post Matt resigned from his job earlier this month. So now we are looking for him a ‘tent-making’ job and starting the church planting journey. I’m excited about this but I’m also scared out of my mind.
For me this is taking a lot of faith. Most of the time more faith than I feel like I have. I don’t know anything about church planting and I really struggle with feeling inadequate. Is God really sure that he wants me to be a part of this? Doesn’t he know me and all my imperfections?
I really have to cling to the fact that He is who He says He is. And that doesn’t come easy for me. But His plan is not about me, it’s about Him. And luckily I don’t have to find my worth in people. I can only find my worth in the Lord.
My prayer is that these attitudes of my heart will become the attitudes of my life because currently there is a disconnect. I’m living in fear and allowing other’s perceptions of me (my looks, my hobbies, my ‘christian-ness’, my talents) to guide my actions. I claim my favorite verse is Psalm 27. I think it’s time I start believing it.
As you all know if you saw my Week 2- Project 52 post Matt resigned from his job earlier this month. So now we are looking for him a ‘tent-making’ job and starting the church planting journey. I’m excited about this but I’m also scared out of my mind.
For me this is taking a lot of faith. Most of the time more faith than I feel like I have. I don’t know anything about church planting and I really struggle with feeling inadequate. Is God really sure that he wants me to be a part of this? Doesn’t he know me and all my imperfections?
I really have to cling to the fact that He is who He says He is. And that doesn’t come easy for me. But His plan is not about me, it’s about Him. And luckily I don’t have to find my worth in people. I can only find my worth in the Lord.
My prayer is that these attitudes of my heart will become the attitudes of my life because currently there is a disconnect. I’m living in fear and allowing other’s perceptions of me (my looks, my hobbies, my ‘christian-ness’, my talents) to guide my actions. I claim my favorite verse is Psalm 27. I think it’s time I start believing it.
Psalm 27
A David Psalm1 Light, space, zest— that's God!
So, with him on my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.2 When
vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me
alive, Those bullies and toughs
fall flat on their faces.3 When
besieged, I'm calm as a baby.
When all hell breaks loose,
I'm collected and cool.4 I'm asking
God for one thing, only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long. I'll
contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his
feet.5 That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world, The
perfect getaway, far from the buzz of
traffic.6 God holds me head and shoulders
above all who try to pull me down.
I'm headed for his place to offer anthems
that will raise the roof!
Already I'm singing God-songs;
I'm making music to God.7-9 Listen,
God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs: "Be
good to me! Answer me!" When my heart whispered, "Seek God,"
my whole being replied,
"I'm seeking him!" Don't
hide from me now!9-10 You've always been right there for me;
don't turn your back on me now.
Don't throw me out, don't abandon me;
you've always kept the door open.
My father and mother walked out and left me,
but God took me in.11-12 Point me
down your highway, God; direct me along a
well-lighted street; show my enemies whose
side you're on. Don't throw me to the dogs,
those liars who are out to get me,
filling the air with their threats.13-14 I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness
in the exuberant earth.
Stay with God! Take heart.
Don't quit. I'll say it again:
Stay with God.
Week 3
As you can tell I have been blogging my Project 52 pictures exclusively for the past 3 weeks. I've love that this project helps me share at least one tidbit of my life each week. I am going to try to actually blog inbetween Tuesdays (shocking, I know! :)) I have an update on my running program/progress and a couple of other things to share.
Don't forget to check out all of the Project Life Tuesday blogs here!
This week my picture is of the cutest little cowboy I've ever seen. On Saturday I got to hang out with my friend Jessica and just chat, eat lunch, and get crafty. I can't wait to show you the super cute journaling cards I made! I'll save those for another post...
After our craftiness, Jessica had a party to attend so Matthew and I babysat Elias for a couple of hours. He wore this cowboy hat almost the entire time we were there. So stinking cute.
Don't forget to check out all of the Project Life Tuesday blogs here!
Wacky Week 2
Week 2 was definitely different for us. Matt resigned from his senior pastor position. It was an incredibly hard decision that wasn’t made lightly. We prayed for guidance and felt God leading us in a new direction. So we know we have no other choice but to be obedient and trust that His plan for our lives is perfect. We don’t really know what the future holds or what’s next for us. But we are excited. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek God’s will for our lives.
My picture this week is a small glimpse of all of the boxes of books that used to be in Matt’s church office. Now they are stacked neatly in our guest bedroom. I already have plans to organize our storage area and soon they will all be tucked away in there. :)
Don't forget to check out the other Project posts here!
My picture this week is a small glimpse of all of the boxes of books that used to be in Matt’s church office. Now they are stacked neatly in our guest bedroom. I already have plans to organize our storage area and soon they will all be tucked away in there. :)
Don't forget to check out the other Project posts here!
Project 52
I don’t ever take pictures. I want to be that person who has pictures of everything and has all of life chronicled, but I’m not…yet. This year one of my goals is to become better at taking pictures. I’m not going to focus on how I take pictures or how my pictures turn out. I will celebrate the simple act of taking my camera with me somewhere and documenting that act by snapping a few pics.
My main source of inspiration for this new goal is my friend Jessica. She is so good at taking pictures and documenting her family’s story. She is doing a picture taking project titled, “Project Life”. It’s this awesome kit that comes with everything you need for a complete album. Literally everything but your pictures and handwriting. Check it out here.
The goal of the project is to document life as it happens. Basically you take a picture everyday and write a little blurb about each picture. At the end of the year you have an album full of 365 pictures from your life with little reminders about why that picture was important to you that day.
So, without further ado, here are my two pictures (I’m already going above and beyond!) from the first week in January. Also, on Jessica’s blog she is hosting Project Life Tuesdays where others who are doing the project or something similar can link up together. I will join her each Tuesday and post my picture of the week! It’s not too late to start your own!
My main source of inspiration for this new goal is my friend Jessica. She is so good at taking pictures and documenting her family’s story. She is doing a picture taking project titled, “Project Life”. It’s this awesome kit that comes with everything you need for a complete album. Literally everything but your pictures and handwriting. Check it out here.
The goal of the project is to document life as it happens. Basically you take a picture everyday and write a little blurb about each picture. At the end of the year you have an album full of 365 pictures from your life with little reminders about why that picture was important to you that day.
I love this idea, but it’s a little overwhelming for me. So, I decided I would take a baby step first. I have committed to do “Project 52” this year. Basically it’s the same concept as the other only I am focusing on one to two pictures a week instead of one every day. This feels WAY more manageable to me right now. There is no kit, that I know of, for this so I am using an album that holds 160 pictures. I am going to cut cardstock to 4x6 and do my dates and journaling on these. I gave myself extra room so that I could use more then one picture a week if I just can’t choose one. :) My hope is that I will love it so much I will branch out and do “Project Life”, also known as Project 365, next year.
So, without further ado, here are my two pictures (I’m already going above and beyond!) from the first week in January. Also, on Jessica’s blog she is hosting Project Life Tuesdays where others who are doing the project or something similar can link up together. I will join her each Tuesday and post my picture of the week! It’s not too late to start your own!
Matt and I went on a little weekend getaway to Atlanta. One of Matt's favorite restaurants, Pappadeaux, is there. It was so fun to be able to just get away and to eat some really good food!
Running Update
I wanted to give an update on my running. I am currently in week 3 of my training program. If you are decent at addition you may wonder why I’m a little behind. The truth is, this Christmas season has been a challenge for me. It was hard to figure out when to ‘fit in’ my runs. So instead of trying to fit those in I just didn’t do them. Anyway, I am back on track!
I had been dreading Week 3 since I started. See, Week 3 Day 3 requires a 2 mile run with no walking. This was a hard for me to believe I could do from a mental stand point. And this morning, when I got on the treadmill, after walking my warm-up lap, I was flooded with excuses for not being able to finish.
First I thought: I ran last night, I shouldn’t be running again already. My legs are already hurting, there’s no way I can run 8 more laps. Then I told myself: if I make it to one mile, I can just take a quick walking break. I deserve it. I can’t finish this without a break.
I felt like the whole time I was running today I had to convince myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t quit. My legs really weren’t that tired. I wasn’t too short of breath. I didn’t need to slow my pace. I realized I just had to want to finish.
And you know what? I did it.
I ran all two of those miles at the pace I wanted to run. I know that’s not an amazing distance, but it was a challenge for me. And I did it. I’m proud of my accomplishment and I’m ready to do it again tomorrow on Day 4. This is the way I needed to end 2009. I’m not going out feeling defeated, beat up, put down, frustrated with my self, or on the heels of personal let down. I’m starting 2010 with a sense of self pride and a belief that if I want it, I can get it. I can’t think of a better way to start a new year and a new decade.
How are you going out?
I had been dreading Week 3 since I started. See, Week 3 Day 3 requires a 2 mile run with no walking. This was a hard for me to believe I could do from a mental stand point. And this morning, when I got on the treadmill, after walking my warm-up lap, I was flooded with excuses for not being able to finish.
First I thought: I ran last night, I shouldn’t be running again already. My legs are already hurting, there’s no way I can run 8 more laps. Then I told myself: if I make it to one mile, I can just take a quick walking break. I deserve it. I can’t finish this without a break.
I felt like the whole time I was running today I had to convince myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t quit. My legs really weren’t that tired. I wasn’t too short of breath. I didn’t need to slow my pace. I realized I just had to want to finish.
And you know what? I did it.
I ran all two of those miles at the pace I wanted to run. I know that’s not an amazing distance, but it was a challenge for me. And I did it. I’m proud of my accomplishment and I’m ready to do it again tomorrow on Day 4. This is the way I needed to end 2009. I’m not going out feeling defeated, beat up, put down, frustrated with my self, or on the heels of personal let down. I’m starting 2010 with a sense of self pride and a belief that if I want it, I can get it. I can’t think of a better way to start a new year and a new decade.
How are you going out?
A little bit of Christmas
I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas decorations. I was inspired, yet again, by The Preacher's Wife. Enjoy!
I made these letters using plain, cardboard letters from hobby lobby, gold spray paint, scrap book paper, and the amazing Xyron machine. Here they are in the kitchen.
I made these letters using plain, cardboard letters from hobby lobby, gold spray paint, scrap book paper, and the amazing Xyron machine. Here they are in the kitchen.
My husband and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on November 25th. He got me this beautiful nativity scene. I've loved it from afar for years and I'm so excited to have one in my own home. I'm looking forward to adding to it each year.
And here is our tree! I only have a mixture of the ornaments I've received since my very first Christmas and a few I've collected since. I have to fight the urge buy ornaments to fill it up. My mom always had a full tree and so that's what I think a tree should look like. One of these days...
Can you tell I've just started my collection of Christmas decorations? :)
