What's On Your Nightstand {For February - April 2013}

Finished Since Last Update:

• No Greater Love by Levi Benkert {Powerful story of giving up a life for others. Worth reading.}
• Let. It. Go.: How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith by Karen Ehman {Read this for an online Bible Study.}
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth {Second book in the series. The third is coming out later this year!}
• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, #1) by Ally Carter {YA book that was enjoyable enough. I may or may not read others in the series.}
• Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat by Melissa Joulwan {You can see that I have several Paleo books and cookbooks that I have been reading. I am still eating this way and feeling great!}
• Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook: Real Food for Real Life by Sarah Fragos
• 
  
•  The Modern No-Nonsense Guide to Paleo by Alison Golden {Practical, helpful tips}
• A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans {I enjoyed reading this despite the things with which I would disagree. There are still some good inspiration and laughs. I would suggest do a little blog hopping for reviews on this book, from both conservatives and liberals, to read with some type of background knowledge.}
•  From Worry to Worship: Studies in Habakkuk by Warren W. Wiersbe {I read this for a Bible Study that I was teaching.}
• and a few others

Presently Reading:

• Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
• Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

So, what are you reading?

Worth Sharing (4/16)

Recently I have not been sure what I wanted to do about my blog, so I left it alone for a little bit. I do want to keep writing book reviews (free books anyone?) and join in the "What's On My Nightstand?" linky which keeps my reading goals (plus my tendency to read the first two chapters and nothing more) moving forward. I also want to write beautifully crafted posts that make you ponder and cause you to respond with quirky comments. Perhaps those types of posts are pending, we'll see.

Plus I had the idea of sharing things I have found online, things that have inspired me, what I'm currently into and that sort of thing, possibly on a weekly basis. I realize that this is a totally new idea that no other blogger has ever done! ever! Yes, I am just that cutting edge. 

So, for the three of you who are still following me and Mr. Anonymous, who loves me and has left 39 comments which have nothing to do with any of my content,

here is what I have been learning/thinking/doing lately:

1. Praying for Boston. (This could be its own post. I wrote everything here before the horrible tragedy occurred and I felt I could not post this today without mentioning how heart broken I am. At the same time, it seems wrong that it is just one of many on my list, so I want to be sure to let you know that this is the list today! The rest are just bonuses and if you are like me, you may need something to distract for a moment before returning to the news. I, like you, will be praying!)

The bonuses:

2.

"...sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." 

                                     - Genesis 4:7 ESV

Still working on this one. I seem to notice the sins crouching at the door of my neighbors so easily, why is that?


3. I had a blast shopping in the states recently. It was extra fun since Whole30/Paleo has reshaped my body. (My Whole 30 Results)

4. Did you see that Flylady (which I have not done in a long time) and Cozi (a digital agenda that would make me seem so 2013) have come together to create a perfect mesh of organizational heaven online? Watch out Proverbs 31 woman!

5. I am in spring cleaning/decluttering mode (at least for right this second). I even wrote a long list, breaking everything that I want to do into small chunks to seem more manageable (thanks to every organizational book and blog that I have ever read plus several magazine articles for that idea). Right now, I am decluttering all the surfaces in my bedroom. I am hoping this clean, uncluttered look will last well into tomorrow afternoon. 

6. The plan is to get back to my resolution to memorize one Spanish verb a week. I might even do it today!

What about you? Found anything worth sharing recently? What are you thinking about, reading, watching, doing now?

With All Your Heart

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

~ Colossians 3:23 NIV84

 

Isn't this what we want our kids to learn? Isn't this what we need to model, practice, and (ahem!) learn ourselves? How do we work this verse into our real lives?

 

Simply put, all that is in our day we do for the Lord. For me this often mean laundry, dishes, meals, organizing, directing my kids, having interruptions, teaching, studying, and many other things that are not that exciting.

Because we live in South America, it often means changing plans quickly too. For example, Monday afternoon we learned we had an important meeting for leaders at church that evening. I need to be ready for the unexpected with my heart willing to serve.

This reminds me of my word for 2013  which is PRESENT. If I try to keep my mind focused on being intentionally present in all activities, it will be a reminder to do each thing well, "as unto the Lord". Meanwhile, I may need to post Col 3:23 in a couple places because I know how quickly I forget!


What about you? How can you put into practice Col. 3:23 today?

 

This post is linked to the Let. It. Go. Blog Hop over at Melissa Taylor's blog. The Let. It. Go. study is about letting go of control. Be sure to check it out!

 

 

 



February Daybook 2013

FOR TODAY:

Outside my window...
It is summer. We are happily schooling inside with the extreme heat kept out by our overworked air conditioning unit.

I am thinking...
How much I have to do before tomorrow and how I hope to find a few minutes to read even so.

I am thankful...
That my kids are so helpful now. I appreciate how much they contribute to help keep everything going. I try to make sure they know how much it means to me when we all work together! Teamwork!

In the kitchen...
Bacon and eggs with tomatoes for breakfast, noodles with meat sauce and watermelon for lunch, and dinner is not planned, but we will be going to the grocery store first.

I am wearing...
shorts and a tank top

I am creating...
Lesson plans

I am reading...
Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (YA fiction), and Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.

A favorite quote for today...

“Books don’t change people; paragraphs do, Sometimes even sentences.”
 

(by John Piper - A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life)

One of my favorite things...
Blogs that write about books, especially when I find ones that I want to also read!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Start something new tomorrow
Help a friend with learning English
Prepare for Carnival which is next week

A peek into my day...
homeschool, paperwork, deleted some blogs from my reader, cooked breakfast and lunch, planned for tomorrow. The rest of the day will be finishing my plans, grocery shopping, dinner, and whatever else comes up...maybe some reading.

We saw this one afternoon while the guys were playing soccer!

You can read other daybook

Clean Mama's Printables {A Review}

Becky over at Clean Mama agreed to allow me to take her printables for a spin in exchange for this review. There is not much I like better then reorganizing a binder!

Not only are these printables pretty and easy on the eyes, there are so many that it is easy to find the ones that will work for you and your family. (This photo does not show all that I printed.)

It could not be easier to get started. Once you have made your purchase, you can take a look at your needs and then at the Clean Mama Printables and print out what you need. If you want a complete overhaul of your cleaning/organizing system, take a look at Becky's How to Make a Homekeeping Binder for ideas and inspiration.

At this point, you can take your pages, personalize them and start adding your information. I have my calendar prepared for February and will soon be recording my cleaning schedule. I am also really looking forward to keeping a more accurate to-do schedule, starting our automobile maintenance log (since we just purchased a vehicle), and getting our information in one place again.

So, was one of your 2013 goals to get reorganized or take steps in that direction?  Consider Visiting Clean Mama's Etsy Store to see what might work or you. You can also find free printables and loads of helpful information on the blog!

The kit that I started with is The Busy Mama Kit and Becky is allowing me to give one away to one of my readers!  All you need to do is leave a comment before midnight January 31, 2013 EST. (You can also leave your email if you would like me to send you an email upon winning.)

Giveaway Details:
Open to ages 18+ to enter. Winner announced right here (on this post) on February 1, 2013. I will select the winner through random.org and will also notify by email if one is left in the message. Winner must respond within four days or the prize will be forfeited and a new winner will be selected.

I received no monetary compensation and the prize is provided by Clean Mama. The review is all my thoughts and ideas. I was not required to write a positive review.

What's On Your Nightstand? for Dec 2012/ Jan 2013

Wow, so we are already well into January and thus starting off 2013 with a bang! I am determined to get back into reading at a brisker pace then happened this past fall. There are so many books that I want to read and to get to them, I need to finish my current pile. 

One of my goals this year is to abandon books that I am not enjoying or wait if it is not the right time. There are too many greats to suffer through reads that are not helpful, practical, or enjoyable. That does not mean I will love every book. I do force myself through some books simply because I want to know the information. I am sure that I will do this still, but perhaps with a smarter tilt towards what is best for my time, schedule, and needs.

So here is where I stood the past two months. The first book is all the was finished in December.

Finished since the last update:

• One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda {Fresh inspiration to raise kids who dires to serve God and have a heart for the world. $3.99 on Kindle.}
• The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis {Review to come}

• The Cooking Caveman: How to Lose Weight, Eat Healthy, Create Mouthwatering Paleo Recipes, and Piss Off All Your Friends! by Jeff Nimoy {This was free on Kindle when I downloaded it and since it was about Paleo, I was interested. I did learn some new things and recipe inspiration, but be aware that you have to weed through some language.}

• Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss {Making punctuation funny while reminding us of the basics. Worth reading}

Presently Reading:

• Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

So, what are you reading?

One Word {Directed Toward Missionary Women, but Applicable to All}

The freshness of a new year promotes reflection as well as positive movement toward accomplishing goals both big and small. No matter where we live, it is exciting to begin anew with a clear calendar. Perhaps you have already considered implementing healthier eating, a workout schedule, writing that book, or adopting a different devotional plan. Whatever it is, we generally try to make our best effort to start over strong. Why is it then that just a few weeks or possibly days into the newly-devised agenda, we often find the enthusiasm dwindling and life reverting back to the same as before, instead of the grand personal changes we had envisioned?

 To read the rest of the article, visit Women of the Harvest