Coffee for Your Heart (or should I say Hot Cocoa!?)

Today I'm linking up with Holley Gerth - it's a new year and she has a new linkup for this year called, "Coffee for Your Heart" - and she's simply asking we pour out a little love with our words each Wednesday. Will you join us? Will you offer encouraging words to someone today? Today's prompt: “What encouraging words do you want the people you care about to hear as they begin a new year?”

God cares. God sees. God heals. 

I read in Joshua 1  today: "Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take!" (msg)

Just take the next step in your journey. Just keep moving forward. Don't give up. God is with you and he has amazing plans for the life he breathed into you! 

And you can listen to Holley talk about this saying on her linkup post, but I wanted to put it here, because it's a great reminder...

Now to go make myself a cup of hot cocoa as we begin day 19 of the longest winter break ever. Crazy, crazy winter here in Missouri! 

OneWord365: Engage

I love the concept of this! No resolutions. Just one word for 365 days to focus on.  Last year my word was dream.  This year I've chosen Engage to be my word for 2014. If you want to join along, you can get lots of encouragement and inspiration over at One Word 365. 

You see, I want to fully engage in my one life. I want to live it well. 

• I want to engage in relationships -- in real life and online. 
• I want to engage in projects and opportunities that I'm passionate about. 
• I want to engage my abs more. ;) 

Because the honest truth is that in many ways, I've become lazy. And I've let social media distract me and waste my hours. And yes, I do have regrets from 2013 where I could have engaged more fully and did not.

I don't have a big to do list, and not sure what this fully looks like, but I am ready to engage in all that life offers in 2014!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CelebratingTheMoment

2013: A Look Back at My God Sized Dream

I began 2013 filled with excitement over being part of Holley Gerth's God Sized Dream Team (GSDT)! I had dreams (and still do!) that are deep in my heart!

But the reality is, this past year, this year of dreaming, has been met with a lot of rejection and a lot of dead ends.

• Not getting the job I really wanted which would have allowed me to inspire families and young moms. 
• My story not getting accepted to be part of a book. 
• My pursuit of three various avenues for making and publishing apps all ended with dead ends. 
• The volunteer opportunity I wanted to pursue not working out. 

And it would be easy for me to quit at this point and say, what's the point of dreaming? Nothing ever works out. (Sometimes I can be a bit pessimistic!)

But honestly, I'm still dreaming!

Because here's what I've discovered about dreams this past year -- they take me closer to the heart of God! Because in rejection, I am reminded that He has plans for me -- and this door is not working out because He has something better in store for me.

It's a quiet confidence that He loves me and wants the desires of my heart to become a reality. I'm not sure what that looks like, I can't see the big picture, but He can.

It's Faith -- it's knowing without seeing that the dreams in my heart will one day become reality. The dreams He placed in my heart, are for me, but they are also for others -- for others to also be drawn towards the heart of a father that loves them deeply.

So you see, anything that draws me (and others) closer to the heart of God is worth pursing...and is worth dreaming about!


Today I'm linking up with a new website: www.godsizeddreams.com -- if you are dreaming dreams, this is definitely the place you need to 'hang out' at during this coming year! You will be inspired and encouraged! I 'met' the women who are writing for this website from Holley's GSDT this past year and they are some of the most amazing encouragers I've ever met! They've given me the courage to once again believe and seek out real-life relationships.

Winter Wonderland

Big giant snowflakes, swirling, twirling, pouring down to earth right now. Transforming, quieting, changing the landscape out my bedroom window. You.are.a.GIFT.

I'm so thankful for the success of my etsy shop these past 6 weeks -- the income has been a blessing. And I LOVE making all these personalized, special Christmas gifts for others - it makes me smile thinking of them giving them to loved ones on Christmas morning.  But honestly, I'm no longer having fun. This hobby has become a full time job and it's taking away from my family, especially when I'm also still subbing so much.  I mean just yesterday I received orders for 24 more items I need to make!

But last night, this snow caused me to pause.  It gave me an excuse for some family time. I mean with school already cancelled last night for today, and with the special Live Sound of Music on TV, and a giant Christmas present from aunt and uncle sitting there ready to open -- well, how could I not?! The present was a new popcorn machine for the snack bar -- the girls were/are so excited! There is much talk of devouring several more batches of popcorn today! After sledding of course!

The truth is,  my house is not yet decorated for Christmas. I put the tree up this week, while my fall decorations were still filling our home. Nothing else is up. I still don't have the girl's annual stockings hung up yet.  They have been asking. It is a priority for today.  I love filling them with family activities and volunteer activities each day -- a reminder to pause during this busy season and focus on what it's all really about.

My heart has wanted to blog about so much -- about not getting the job I REALLY wanted and how I'm okay with that, of the joy in travelling this Thanksgiving and watching my nephew play at the state championship football game at Ford Field, of meeting up with family in Chicago, about Mel nominating me for leibster award, and so much more. But blogging (and writing for GSG), have not been happening lately with all these orders!

And what I grieve the most - is this, my heart has not yet quieted enough to remember that He is the reason for the season.  But the snow this morning, has begun a shift in my focus. And for this alone, I'm thankful. 

I may or may not get out Christmas cards this year, and I probably won't get up all my decorations this year, but I will celebrate the One who came to earth so long ago and continues to give us the gift of his unconditional love year after year. Jesus. I'm thankful He sent a snowfall my way this morning to remind me of His love for me.

Sarah's (A to Z) Christmas List

I have no idea where Sarah got the idea to do an A to Z Christmas list (he,he!), but I thought it was kinda a cute idea she had!  I just had to laugh at some of her ideas though...she really stretched her imagination to come up with some of these, and I just had to share them! (misspellings left as is)

H - Homemade Purse (I don't think she'd use it if I actually tried sewing her a purse!)
J - Jumpy Pogo Stick (as opposed to the kind that don't jump?)
M - Magenta colored gloves
Q - Quick Electric Scotter (I thought about getting her the slow scooter, I'm glad she clarified!)
T - Tight Skirt (okay, this one made me laugh out loud!) 
U - Unmanated picture of all the family (how in the world does she know what an un-matted picture is?)

How about these 'animals'?
D - Dog (at the top of her list, a real one!)
D - Dolphin Blanket
F - Fish with fish bowl
K - Kangaroo stuffed animal
O - Octipuss stuffed animal
R - Rabbit stuffed animal

Here's the food ones:
A - Andy's Gift Card (big surprise there!)
B - Bubble Gum
L - Lollypop

Then there's her sister who wants:

• A Real Camera you can add lenses too
• A Coach Purse
• Tom's Shoes

(obviously, my frugal shopping skills have not rubbed off on her yet!) 

Five Minute Friday: Truth (My lil' etsy shop)

It's been awhile since I've linked up with Lisa Jo Baker for Five Minute Fridays. Basic rule - Write for 5 minutes on one topic, then stop (today's topic: TRUTH).

Well today marks the First Birthday of my little etsy shop, CelebratingTheMoment so I'm kinda celebrating that today, and I thought I'd share a little bit of truth about this past year's adventure on etsy. So, here we go...

 START. The TRUTH is when I opened my etsy shop 1 year ago today, I really doubted if I'd get any sales. But guess what? I got a sale in the first week! So I kept making stuff and selling it.

TRUTH again, I thought my sales would stop after the Christmas season, but they did not. So I kept making stuff.

The TRUTH is that I LOVE selling my stuff on etsy. I got 2 messages from customers yesterday, that reminded me the TRUTH of why I like selling stuff (besides just a little bit of extra income, cause that's the TRUTH too!).

 One said, "I never know what to get for my dad -- this year I will have something special thanks to you!"

The other said, "it arrived safe and undamaged (to Scotland, I might add!) It is a gift for my sister, she is going to be delighted!

You see, giving others the opportunity to purchase little gifts that have meaning to them makes me smile! And with most items under $10, it's certainly easy for others to afford meaningful gifts.

Here are a few stats, for my shop:

• In the past year I've had 114 orders. 
• 473 people have 'Favorited' items.
•  My most popular item is the Name Plate (I've sold 44 since listing this in August!). 

The TRUTH is that this is just a hobby, and I don't know how long it will last, but I've found joy in selling in my lil etsy shop this past year! END.

Oh, and for this weekend only, I'm celebrating my shop's first birthday with 20% off orders with code HAPPY1BIRTHDAY! (11/8-11/10)

Oh and my girls thought they should celebrate my shop's 1 year birthday by eating poptarts for breakfast! Hey, why not?! ;) #CelebratingTheMoments

Random Thoughts

Writing down some of my random thoughts so that I don't lay awake thinking about them tonight! :)

Well, that 31 days of writing didn't go so well, huh? Oh well.  Life got busy, and I just missed a few days and well then, didn't feel like picking it back up.

Well, we got rid of our pool table... and look at all this beautiful space!!!  And do I have plans for this space!! :)

But first we asked the girls what they thought we should do with this space.  Their ideas included... cutting out the foundation and putting in an indoor pool.  Cutting out foundation and putting in a ground level trampoline.  They wanted to turn it into a gymnast area. Something about putting tunnels in and the TV on the ceiling...oh and my favorite... a fireman's pole from our living room down to the basement here!

Well obviously, none of that is happening! But in that corner there, I'm planning to upcycle some old pallets and build a 'snack bar' area with some bar stools, refrig... an area for entertaining, to grow with the girls as they enter into their teen years.  Also, there's talk of getting some hanging chairs to hang from the ceiling! I'm excited to see how this project comes together in the next few months. :)

And, my big interview today?! I was surprised at how peaceful, confident and excited I was about it.  That is not normal for me, I'm usually so nervous and worried.  I definitely felt all the prayers of all my dear friends and family praying for me!!

I felt the interview went well, and I had good answers for her questions.  I have to wait til the end of next week to see if I get called back for a second interview.  I dislike waiting. Sigh. I will have to keep busy!! Thankfully I have 3 full sub days ahead!

I know I would LOVE this job, and be really good at it -- it's a great match for my passions, my skills, and I would love to invest in this position.  But I also have this peace, that if this is meant to be, then God will work it all out. And if it's not the right thing for me, or this amazing organization, then I trust He will guide the right person to the job and me to the plans He has for me. I trust Him, and His heart for me.  Even if I don't get this job, I hope to keep volunteering weekly at this place...because it's an organization that has 'caught my heart!'

Lastly, my little etsy store has been doing awesome!! I've made as much in the last 6 weeks as I made the first 8 months of this year!! How crazy, fun, is that? I may never find our dining room table again, as it has been over taken with scrabble tiles.  If this pace keeps up, I will have to come up with a different place to make my scrabble items. :) At least it's a big table and we can still all crowd around it at one end for dinner!

Family Dinner

It's Day number 3 of #31days over at www.thenester.com.

I decided to focus on the little things I'm doing every day that make a difference in the lives of my girls. Even if the things themselves don't feel like much, over time, they add up to relationship, and create family togetherness, and shape character. 

Day 3: We eat family dinners around the table together.  In this society of go, go, go and do more, more, more -- I fight to keep dinner time sacred.

Oh we don't eat around the table every night together (just last night we ate in the car on the way to decorate the cubicle.) and often Friday nights you can find us eating pizza while watching a video (we just finished Back to the Future series!).

But not eating around the table is the exception rather than the norm.  

And our meals aren't gourmet by any means. This week it was sloppy joes, chinese takeout, and hot dogs. Don't judge. Cooking is not really my thing, and while we aren't super healthy eaters, we try to eat a balanced meal most nights with veggies/fruit thrown in.  Some weeks we eat better than others.  This week, not so much.

But that time around the table, it's sacred. It's connecting, laughing, sharing our days, discussing family matters, making plans together.  Most days it doesn't feel like much, but I know in my heart that this time shared is worth keeping a priority.

I wonder, do you think our society would have stronger families, stronger marriages, if the family dinner time was kept a priority in every family? Something to think about.  

Mike's Cubicle Meets 3 Girls

Day 2 of #31 Days over at www.thenester.com.  Writing for 31 Days on one topic: Interacting with My Girls (it's the little every day things!)

Day 2: We accomplish projects together. After all, we are a family, and we share things as a family.  Mike's work is doing a cubicle decorating contest this month, so tonight the girls and I went up with him and decorated his cubicle.  The girls pinned each and everyone of those leaves to the leaf pile at the bottom (150 of them!)!

All the pictures are each and every Halloween we've been able to share with them!! 12 fun, fun years!

Aren't they so cute! :) 

The above pictures is of the girls attempting to recreate old Halloween pictures they thought were funny...this was all their idea and I love their silliness! How'd they do? 

 I love that they love completing projects with us and are laughing and smiling at the end!  Family togetherness, there's nothing as sweet! 

31 Day Challenge

There's this "31 Day Challenge" going on this month over at The Nester's place (It's BIG and looks FUN, check it out!). I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should just go for it! So, I'm writing this first post and plan to just go for it!  

I've decided that I want to do it because...

1. I haven't been blogging very much. Hardly been writing at all.  Perhaps a focused topic for 31 days with give me the accountability I need to get motivated again. 
2. I think it will provide me with a good opportunity to refocus some of my energy and attention in this area I feel like I've been becoming a bit 'lazy' and 'comfortable' in.  

So the topic I want to focus on this month is: Investing in my Girls. (They are currently 10 and 12 years old.)

You see, I know my days with them are numbered. I even have their 18th birthday in my countdown app. A reminder to me that yes, my days with them will not last forever.  And yet sometimes in the day to day of living, I forget that the little things I choose to do (or not do) make a difference.  Parenting is about all those little choices in the everyday-ness of living. 

This isn't about me doing things right. Ask my girls, I do a gazillion things wrong.  I'm trying to figure out this mothering thing. Many people tell me I'm a good mom. Some days I believe that. Some days I don't. But it's not about what everyone else thinks.  Several months ago I won a copy of Jill Savage's book, No More Perfect Moms. I still haven't read it, but I plan to finally read that book this month too. 

So tonight, as I reflect, what actions did I actually do today that invested into my girls? 

Today, it is this: I took time and played a game with them.  Here's the deal...

This evening, after working all day, then going the grocery store, I wanted to just lay on the couch and catch up on facebook, but I could tell the girls were bored.  So, I offered to play a game with them.  They chose Scrabble Slam.  We played 4-5 rounds of it.  (sidenote: we got this game 2 years ago and we had to 'take it easy' on them then.  Now, they are hard to beat when I'm trying my hardest!)

Playing games with my girls is fun, besides it builds relationships...interacting together, competing, laughing (at dad's word 'fart'). 

We don't play games every day, but we do try to keep these favorites nearby, so we can play often... Scrabble, Scrabble Slam, Yahtzee, Apples to Apples Jr., Who-what-Where, and Banagrams

What games do you play together as a family?