But God…

Had the privilege of guest blogging over at Revealing the Story .  Such a great blog site where some amazing friends have been sharing what God is doing in their lives.  It is a wonderful blog to follow…so encouraging and up-lifting.  head on over and check them out…be sure to view the archives.  Its a worthy blog to get lost in for a couple hours.

http://www.revealingthestory.com/but-god/

Camping….and oh yeah….June happened.

 

This is such a happy picture for me.  Let me introduce you to the Truitt Family….our best friends.  We’ve known them for almost 10 years now…and God truly made our friendship unique from the beginning, that will be another story.  

June hit with me being sick….then we camped for a week…then I was sick again…then I threw out my back….and had an increased number of migraines.  So I’m pretty happy that June has passed, and alas, this is the reason for my lack of posting.  While other awesome bloggers utilize downtime being sick to blog, and post, and be awesome, I use my downtime to lay like a sloth on the couch and hope that the community of amazing people around me keep my children and husband fed.  My community is awesome…and they did just that.  

So back to camping!  It was such an enjoyable week, and I’m so blessed that God gave me a week of feeling great in the middle of June to get dirty with my boys, hike with the family, and swim in the lake.  It was the getting dirty part that really hit me this time.  I am OCD.  I like things clean and tidy, and I admit shamefully that my first couple hours camping were trying to keep my boys from going into the tent with their shoes on.  I was in some deranged trance where I thought it possible to not get dirt in the tent.  Not get dirt in the tent.  Did you all just laugh out loud at me?  I’m ridiculous, I know.   

Well, needless to say…dirt happened, and it happened well.  Lots of it, everywhere, with no showers available.  It was freeing to just let it go. (now you have the song stuck in your head…thank you disney for that) My boys were in heaven…dirty dirty heaven.  

So the take home….literally….was dirt.  And also…I’m getting dirty with my boys more often.  Time outside digging holes, and running around barefoot.  I have to remember regularly that I’ve got boys…and they don’t have OCD…thank you Jesus.  

Don’t Hoard the Nard

Last nights sermon at church (our fabulous little church plant meets on Saturday nights) was around the story of Mary anointing Jesus with a very precious Alabaster Jar of pure Nard.  An oil that was worth an immense amount of money; over a years wages for some.  I was taking notes, as I usually do, partially because it helps me to pay attention, and partially because I was struck by the many applicable lessons to be learned from this one story.  The overarching lesson of course, is that the precious oil poured out on Jesus was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ precious blood poured out for us.  That Mary gave something so priceless, willingly for her Savior, and God gave willingly his Son for us.  

But then I started to think more about the nard.  What was my Nard?  What was worth so much to me?  If asked, would I pour it out completely for someone else?  I started cataloging every material possession I own.  What was I attached the most to? What would be really hard for me to give away?  Was I hoarding my nard?  I came to the happy realization that my family was my Nard.  Happy, because they surpass any material possession I own.  My husband and two boys are priceless to me.  Worth so much more than I could ever fathom.  But while that what a happy realization, it came with a very real question.  A painful question.  Would I give up my family for Jesus, or would I hoard my nard?  I’m not going to post some fluff about how I easily answered the question and would give my everything for Jesus.  I am wrestling with my frank trust and love for Jesus that says “yes…I would give you my all”, and the selfish human in me that says “but please don’t ask for my family.  Please don’t take MY nard.  Lets find something else to give to you”.  

Thats my real answer.  And do you know the best part?  The next wave of understanding with this passage, with where my head was swimming around…led me to this:  its not my Nard.  It never has been.  Everything I own, every possession I treasure, has always belonged to Him first.  Jesus has loaned me an awesome husband for my own personal use.  He has loaned me two beautiful children who I get the privilege to raise.  And if he decided that he wanted to call the note on that loan and take back that collateral…then who am I to argue?  Who am I to complain? 

Now having said all that, you can bet your last dollar I will continue to pray daily for the health and safety of my family.  I will still enjoy the finer material things that I own.  I would prefer to carry this loan for many more years.  I’m not rushing to return these amazing gifts.  But what I hope lingers still always under the surface…..am I hoarding my Nard?  Can I do more to pour out on others freely and with no strings attached.  I know someone who died for me.  No strings attached.  DIED. FOR. ME.   The least I can do is share my Nard. 

Swing High!

Our internet was down yesterday…so here is a quick two day catch up!  A couple photos for you.  You will be completely tired of seeing my two children eventually, but nothing is better than capturing them on camera.  They have certain looks that just scream their personality.  These were taken over the past couple days.  

When Dan was little his dad made a swing out of an old tire.  Last year we got new tires on a vehicle and Dan saved one just so he could make the same swing.  Capturing photos of the boys playing in it….and comparing to the photos of when Dan was young, has been super fun.  They love this swing.  The fight over this swing.  They want to be pushed as high as possible.

 

It doesn’t matter that it has no safety straps or a lap belt.  They love the thrill of going as high as possible.  Boys are daring like that, and I love it.  

We also took the netting down on our trampoline.  It was ripped and shredded.  I’m thinking I might get some pretty awesome pictures of the boys jumping.  Lets hope like all of us who survived our childhoods net free, that my boys do ok with a free fall trampoline.  I’ll be sharing photos soon of their jumping feats.  

Treasure in the weeds.

Day 2 blogging.  Two days in a row people.  I just beat my personal record.  Here is my photo of the day.  

This was taken shortly after the haircut.  My two boys are constantly “treasure hunting” in the backyard.  Looking through the weeds, and dirt, and mud, and sticky bushes, and bark…to find anything deemed a treasure.  Sometimes its truly a treasure…some lost change buried long ago.  But more often its a stick that has the perfect look.  A rock that , in their minds, looks just like some gold from long ago.  Jadon is obsessed with finding skipping rocks ever since our trip to French Meadows, where Daddy taught him that fine art.  

So treasures found in the everyday, and the dirt, and the weeds.  Should I actually spell out the analogy here?  

 

Enjoy this beautiful friday and go find a treasure in your weeds.  

 

 

Hello Again…

I’m feeling the bug to blog again…not that I’m a blogger…far from it.  As you can see my posts were few and far between before…and years ago.  But at the encouragement of a friend, I’m going to throw some more stuff out here in this wide world and see where it lands.  Here’s hoping you enjoy my random thoughts on life, love, our great Savior Jesus, and everything organized!

For starters, I’m getting into photography.  I love it.  I love being behind the lens.  I don’t know much at all, and really should take a class, but for now, i’m posting a photo a day.  Just something I’ve captured that caught my attention.  Held my breath for a bit.  Made me laugh…or cry.  (I know there is Instagram for that…but I haven’t jumped on that bandwagon yet…maybe one day).

So here is today’s shot.  It is of my 4 year old son, just before I buzzed the beautiful hair off his head for summer.  He was not sure about the cut.  He sat holding the clippers for a good 5 minutes.  The haircut happened.  There were no tears.  Success.  I’m happy I captured his little pout.  One day I’ll find it cute I’m sure.  Thanks for stopping by!

Yep….its the Pantry….Again.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that once again I had my pantry on the “to do” list.  I guess it has been almost two years since the completion of the kitchen remodel, so I have some excuse?! Well, if you missed my first pantry post, over two years ago…here we go again.  Yes that is right….its the Massive Pantry Clean Out. 

I sheepishly forgot to take a before picture, and really, let your imagination go wild, and that is what the pantry looked like.  I have taken every stitch of food out, and inventoried it.  I’m now placing back in an orderly fashion, while also purging the old, and the candy/junk food. 

Once again I am struck by the sheer amount of food that lies on these shelves.  I actually have a shopping list, and planned to shop this afternoon. Now I’m rethinking that a bit, and feel challenged to cook out of my pantry. 

Here are some suggestions for your own pantry clean out.

-Really do take everything out….by just rearranging without removing it all, you tend to still miss stuff.

-Make an inventory of all the food.  I’m sure this sounds tedious, but if you don’t want to list it all, (I then cross off the list as I use it, therefore knowing what is left), then I would at least do the meal planning mentioned below.

-Plan meals!  Make a list of every meal you could make right now with all the food you have.  Then make a list of all the meals you could make if you picked up one or two things from the store.  Now you have meals planned for the next week, (or maybe weeks if your pantry looks like mine), and you have the start of a shopping list for future meals.

This is a great process to apply to cleaning out the refrigerator and the freezer.  By doing this process two years ago, I remember feeling so grateful on those long days when five o’clock crept up on me, I could just glance at my list (posted to the fridge) and know immediately some meals I could make, with little effort, and no need to run to the store. 

Don’t Agonize…Organize.  Happy Pantries to all!

Woops…2011 Already?!!!…..

Well, here it is, almost a year since my last post.  Sorry for the total drop off!  I’d like to start blogging again regularly, and am hoping a new schedule will open up the time for me.  I’ve been inspired recently by the blogger world, and the many super moms out there who write amazing blogs, and manage to update almost daily! They are the new woman warriors in my world. 

So a quick recap of 2010, and the reason for my lazy blogging.  We got a baby!  Yes, our adoption finally went through, and in April of 2010, we welcomed Jadon to our home.  We are super blessed and he is the highlight of my life right now.  He just turned one, and now that infanthood has passed, I feel ready to re-enter the OCDiva world.

I’d like to share a tip that is currently working for me in regards to quiet time with God.  I, like many others, struggle with finding the time in my day for some prayer, bible reading, and reflection.  Yet a lack of this quiet time with God, certainly spills over into the stress of the day.  A great friend told me he opens his Bible before opening his laptop every morning.  Ouch!!!  There’s some conviction for me…the one who checks a dozen blogs, my e-mail, facebook, and the news online every morning before the coffee is done brewing.  Yes, I manage to check into the world of facebook every day, before I check into God.  Eeekkk….I’m feeling convicted just typing this!

So I’ve taken the tip to heart, and have found, amazingly enough, that some quiet time spend with my Maker every morning, not only works our great, and puts my feet in the right starting place for the day. But also, somehow, I manage to find the time to check e-mail, facebook, blogs, and the news still.   Amazing how that works out.  Must be a miracle!

So here is my challenge to you, as I start up the blogging world again.  Does your Bible get opened before your laptop every day? 

Don’t Agonize…Organize…..and open the right thing first.

New Job

I’ve been MIA from the OCDiva world because I’ve been sucked back into the world of the gainfully employed.  OCDiva was a brainchild that launched because I was laid off in September of 2009, and now, 5 months later, I have another job, and OCDiva has been neglected.  And get this; I was hired as a consultant!  How great is that?!  I love the new company.  It is happily, just 2 miles up the road from my house, and will be the first time in 14 years that I haven’t had to commute to work.  I can ride a bike to work, jog home, come home on my lunch, and more!  The possibilities are endless.  The new job has made me make some major changes in my life.  It’s because of those changes that I realized that we must be willing to bend and stretch with life.  Being OCD, structured, and organized can sometimes lead to inflexibility.  When I went to Uganda on a mission trip in 2008, our trip leader created the mantra “BE GUMBY”.  That advice not only served me well on our trip, but has been a great reminder of the flexibility we need to embrace life.  Too much control and not enough bend, and eventually you will break. 

Once again the “Be Gumby” mantra is ringing loud and clear.  In all my spare time of unemployment, I happily took on extra projects, launched OCDiva, started blogging, and picked up more duties with church.  Then all of a sudden I get another job and “wham”, now I have way too much on my plate.  The overachiever in me says “you can do it all”, but the gumby in me knows she can only stretch too far. (and yes, my gumby is a girl).

So I had to reluctantly hand back projects I had taken on, and give myself permission to only do those things that I could handle.  It was a great reminder to me that there are times in life when its not about simplifying your home, or chores, or finding a better way to organize something. sometimes the best thing you can do to get organized, is simplify your life. Let go of things that you should not be doing.  Give yourself permission to say “NO”.  The overachiever and people pleaser in all of us somehow forgot to how to say “no”, and we all suffer for it. 

Today’s tip: Evaluate all the things you have on your plate to “do”, or “organize”, or “handle”, and figure out which ones you are going to say “no” to.  Simplify your tasks, and make room for a more peaceful you.

I know my life has changed dramatically in the past 3 weeks. I have less on my plate, a new job, and a clean home.  All because I said no, to those things that I wasn’t meant to do….and just now figured it out.

Don’t Agonize, Organize….and say NO!

Random Re-use

I thought it would be fun to share some things that are random re-use items in our home.  There is so much that can be re-used and re-purposed in life, that most of the time the only drawback is allowing  junk to pile up with the intention of re-using it.  So with re-use comes some rules (of course!).

First lets look at some fun stuff we’ve stumbled across in the past couple years.

1. During our Friendship Thanksgiving last year, I discovered that I hate the size of my gravy boat.  They are nice looking, no doubt, but they hold 2 cups of gravy max.  This is enormously frustrating for the hostess who then proceeds to get up every five minutes to fill the gravy boat.  With a table of 30 people eating, that pretty much translates to me walking behind people with the pan of gravy to fill the boat every third person. Can you say annoying?! So this year I decided to abandon the boat.  Looking through my cabinets on a hunt for something that would work better, my eyes settled on a beautiful glass pitcher. Normally reserved for water and two slices of lemon, this was going to be a perfect gravy boat.  I dumped almost the entire contents of the gravy pan into the pitcher, and am happy to say, there wasn’t a single re-filling session needed during the entire meal.  Way to go water pitcher!  I will probably never use my gravy boat again…thus as OCDiva I will be donating to goodwill or otherwise getting rid of it, to avoid the clutter problem. 

2. Long ago I realized that old kitchen canisters had many lives and could be used for so many things.  Currently this set, holds trinkets and odds and ends.  I also have one on the floor behind the door, filled with decorative rocks, to prevent the door from hitting the wall.  Great use for old canisters.

3. More recently I am keeping every glass jar I have.  Jelly jars, pickle jars, any glass jar that has a lid.  I peel off the labels and run them through the dishwasher.  At first I was saving them for the hubby to use in the garage for odds/ends/nuts/bolts.  But now I am thinking of using them in my office.  Up on shelves.  If I spray paint all the lids black, then despite the varying sizes, they will appear uniform. Now I can have staples in one, stamps in another, binder clips, paper clips, post it notes.  What a great way to be organized without looking too cluttered!  You could implement the use of your jars in the bathroom (cotton balls, floss, q-tips, etc…) or in the pantry (nuts, crackers, etc) or maybe you just want to display some flowers and can use the jars of varying sizes as vases.  So many options.

The thing to remember is that its’ not worth the clutter if you don’t have a use for it.  If you do, then go with it.  If you can’t think of a single thing you’d store in a bunch of glass jars, then don’t do it!  Keep yourself clutter free.

Have fun!  Check out this website of great ideas for re-use: http://www.altuse.com

Don’t Agonize, Organize.