TGIF

There's no better place to be on a Friday night than home with my family!  Ok, so Thursday night at Biggby wasn't too shabby either (it's justified...I was grading papers...lol), but after a busy week, it's comforting to have a cozy, warm place to hang out and enjoy one another.  God is good.

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With lots of ripe bananas hanging out in my kitchen, I decided to make a batch of Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and a batch of banana muffins.  The kids were anxious for the muffins - I was anticipating cookies.  Lucky for them, I started the muffins first and ran out of eggs.  :-)  It's been awhile since the combined aroma of cinnamon, vanilla, and banana has been in my kitchen...too long, in fact, and I'm enjoying it immensely.

This week I read a book titled Attack Your Day Before It Attacks You  by Mark Woods.  Because planning my day early is a weakness of mine, I was challenged by the solutions that Woods offered.  Particularly intriguing was the segment on distractions.  He mentioned that distraction recovery (the time it takes to re-focus following a distraction) can take three times as long as the distraction itself.  I don't think I had ever heard that, but it really makes sense that it would be a valid statement.  Sometimes I become so frustrated because I seem to get less done now than in the same amount of time nine years ago when three of my kids were practically babies and number four wasn't even on the horizon!    Granted, I was nine whole years younger, but really my energy levels should be higher now than then simply because I actually get sleep, I'm not nursing, and my kids are pretty self-sufficient (with guidance, of course!).  I should have more disposable time because I'm not changing diapers, fiddling with car seats, and rocking babies.

But the whole distraction thing has me thinking.  Thinking about myself, my students, highly productive people I know, and less productive people I know.  How much of my day is eaten by distraction recovery?  For instance, I'm grading papers and have to make a call to a parent about something.  As soon as I pick up my phone, I see that I have four texts and six new emails all within the last 30 minutes.  Instead of just making the call and resuming grading, I reply to each text, and read and respond to the emails that aren't junk.  Yes, this is just one little time-sucking example, but this process repeated throughout the day is a recipe for time-management disaster!

Although I'm still in the process of identifying distractions, I really want to develop a plan to be more focused and productive.  I believe I'll be doing little time studies on myself next week, seeing what I actually accomplish in small blocks of time.  I may even have to put a rubber band on my wrist every time I recognize a distraction, just to see how many rubber bands I accumulate by the end of the day.  :-)

But for now, I'll just enjoy having banana muffins with my kids - without wishing the muffins were Banana Oatmeal Choc Chip Cookies - and snuggle in with them on the couch to watch a powerful DVD that we feel it is finally time to share with the family (Sarah's Choice). 

I hope your weekend is full of love, warmth, and worship!

posted from Bloggeroid

EASY 1-2-3 Peanut Butter Cookies

If you're anything like me, you need some quick, on-the-go recipes that require few ingredients and little time. This one is worth sharing!

1 C. sugar
1 C. peanut butter (any kind will do)
1 egg

Mix ingredients well. Roll into balls and bake at 350 for 6-11 minutes (depending on type of cookie sheet...my stone takes 11 minutes).
Immediately place a Hershey kiss in the middle of each cookie and let sit for 2 minutes.
These are a hit. The tray is always empty!

**There are easy variations, such as adding in chocolate chips or adding baking powder to make them a little lighter, but I think this taste is plenty good enough!

01.01.13

The house is silent, except for the gentle roar of the dishwasher.  The kids are sleeping soundly in preparation for their first day back to school.  Their excitement is fueled by the fact that tomorrow is their Christmas party, which had to be canceled earlier due to a winter storm.  I have been reminded of how quickly they are growing, how short our time really is, and how much I must make the most of each moment we have together. 

My husband is sleeping in preparation for another workday.  I'm thankful he was able to spend the holiday at home with us.  He usually finds something important to do even on his days off, and today was no different; he spent this morning installing and trimming out an oak door for our basement.  How I love this man I married!  I can honestly say he loves me just like the Bible tells him to.  I don't take that for granted.  Not for one second.

And then there is me.  Sitting up way too late, clicking away at the keyboard.  The festive, lively atmosphere created by the guests of our New Year's Eve party just 24 short hours ago has been replaced by a quiet, purposefully reflective serenity that begs me to evaluate where I am and where I want to be at the close of 2013, which we all know will be here much too quickly.

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions.  Maybe it's because I don't know that I will have the resolve to lose 50 pounds like my husband has, organize my house from top to bottom like some of the bloggers I envy, or even move my photos to a storage device like any smart person who knows that the inevitable always happens. 

But in the quiet of my mind, it seems that God is directing me to Ecclesiastes 9:10.  It's a verse that most of us learned as children:

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;

for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,

in the grave, whither thou goest." 

 

As I stand here at the brink of a new year, I don't find myself awash with new responsibilities or new opportunities.  My assignments could be seen by many as boring or repetitive.  However, they are mine.  And I want to do them better.  I want to do them with all of my might, knowing that exercising my will toward the will of my Master in turn strengthens me for greater responsibilities and greater opportunities. 

 

Three of my goals for this year:

• LOVE - my husband as perfectly as possible
• NURTURE - my children and the children that are entrusted to me in the classroom
• SERVE - those who need me most, in my family, my church, and my community

The words love, nurture, and serve sound short and sweet, and even easy.  But I know the depth of meaning they contain.  When we put our heart and our hands behind these words, there will likely be pain and sacrifice involved.  That is part of being better.  Being willing to lay aside our hurts, our comforts, our ambitions if necessary, to fulfill His Will.  

 

Happy New Year!



J.O.Y.

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JOY has been the defining word for me this Christmas.  I've always loved the simple hymn "Joy to the World" {written in 1719 by Isaac Watts}, but this year it meant so much more to me.   As you read these lyrics, allow the richness of them to wash over your soul -  

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Doesn't that make your heart want to shout?  The Lord has come!  Joy is here!  Every heart that prepares room for Him can be filled with the unspeakable joy that only comes through knowing the Christ of Christmas. 

I want this joy to shine through my life like never before.  I want my countenance to radiate its brightness, my words to translate its beauty, and my actions to initiate its blessings. 

JESUS has brought JOY to my life!



Remembering...

December 21st.

The first day of winter.

The shortest "day" of the year.

And the birthday of the best granny a girl could have.

I miss her so much!

 

About 1 year ago, Christmas 2011.

Granny loved life.  She loved her family.  Most of all, she loved God.

 

Christmas ~ one of her favorite times of the year.

My eyes have been wet with tears many nights since April 15th.  They've been tears of sadness, tears of thankfulness, tears of hope, and tears of expectancy.   I'm sad for the loss that our family has experienced, but my memories are filled with rejoicing for the woman who allowed God to use her in the most humble of ways. 

I reminisce in the stories of those who came to pay their respects upon her death.  They each had their own unique description of the way their lives had been impacted by the quiet, little lady.  From the pastor's wife who, in long tiring days of childrearing, had received calls from granny offering to come wash her dishes or help with laundry, to the little girl (now all grown up) who would've never known the difference Jesus could make in her life had it not been for granny relentlessly showing her His love by taking her to Bible Club every Thursday night, to her friends at the Senior Center whose lives were made rich through her encouraging them to attend the Bible studies and making hymns a regular part of the music times.  God only knows the thousands of contacts that were made through her handing a tract to nearly everyone she met.  She was a woman of passionate principle, however, she never allowed bitterness or criticism to ruin her principled living. 

Here is one of the most touching stories that I was told after her death.  A mom said to me,
"When my son found out his girlfriend was pregnant, he was distraught.  We couldn't find him for awhile, but discovered that he had gone to Maxine's house.  He said that he knew she wouldn't criticize him or talk to others about his failure, but would show him love, pray for him, and keep his confidence."  Seriously, how many teenagers would run to an old saint when faced with moral failure, guilt, and shame?  Did she condone sin?  Of course not, but just like Jesus, she had compassion upon the one who had committed sin. 

So I think I'll don a red sweater (her favorite 'Friday' attire), make some peanut clusters (something she always had waiting for us at Christmas), and spend time today doing something to brighten another's day - this is the way she lived her life, and is certainly what she would encourage for the rest of us. 

"Happy Birthday, Granny.  I know this has to be the best one ever!"

 



The Christmas season can be difficult for those who are grieving.  The holiday atmosphere screams at us to be happy and carefree, to forget our troubles and have a light heart.  I have found that the best way to channel grief is to express it, but not be consumed by it.  Remember the moments, cry the tears, mourn the losses.  Do this as often as necessary to heal the heart.  While grieving, look outside of your grief to the looming needs of others.  With a sensitive, compassionate heart (tenderized by grief), pour yourself into making life better for someone else.  

If you have a moment, I encourage you to listen to this song from one of my favorite artists, Mandisa. 

"Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry"

Couple Time

If you've read my sporadic blogging for any length of time, you probably already know that I'm a big fan of married couples spending time together...sans kids...on a regular basis. Obviously, there are times where it's just not practical, like when the kids are sick or struggling, or when the family is in transition, and dates have to be put on hold for awhile.

Our family transitioned this fall, and it seems that since our anniversary get-away in August, couple time has been rare, if not completely non-existent.   I know that every marriage has different dynamics, but for our Greg and I, this "couple" time is important stuff.

Now that the kids are older and more self-sufficient, we do find it less complicated to take a date, but actually making sure it happens hasn't become much easier!  A week ago Thursday, we decided that we would take a shopping date to try to wrap up some of the loose ends for Christmas.  I can't even remember where or if we ate, but it was so refreshing to just have uninterrupted conversation!

This week's date was a bit less forgettable.  Awhile back, the president of the company Greg works for asked if we would like to attend a Christmas party in his place.  It was to be held at the most prestigious club in our area, the Shawnee Country Club.  He had a family obligation, and wanted someone to represent the company.  The invitation was from our local community college, and I took the pertinent information off of it, and didn't pay much attention to the fine print.  I thought it was the employee Christmas party for the college, and since Greg's company services many of the college facilities I figured they were reaching out to us, as well. The kids kept saying, "You're lucky...you'll be hanging out with rich people and eating awesome food."  I confidently told them that these employees were middle class just like us, and we would fit right in.

About .3 seconds after receiving our guest badges and turning down tickets for "holiday" drinks, I realized this wasn't an employee Christmas dinner.  The remaining guest badges had notable names printed on them.  The first person I saw was Mr. Ayers, the most prominent photographer in the area.  He has been all over the world and won all kinds of awards in photography.  He happened to be photographing all of the couples at the event.  :-)

Greg hung my coat in the cloak room, and slipped into the restroom for a minute.  When he came out, we slowly made our way through this array of faces, many of which we recognized but definitely had no social connection with.  Once we had a second to ourselves, he looked at me and half jokingly said, "Let's go to McDonald's and get a coke." 

Greg knew it wasn't an employee dinner, but we hadn't had much communication about the whole thing.  Within a few minutes, we recognized that the mayor, city council, influential executives and business leaders, and top donors to the college were the recipients of this finery, and once we filled our plates with hors d'oeuvres and had a seat amidst the festive array of Christmas splendor, I began to feel a bit more comfortable.  Not knowing anyone at the event on a personal level, we found an empty table.   It wasn't too long before we were joined by six other friendly guests and were able to interact and mingle.  I have to say that the endless prime rib was better than any other dinner date we've had in awhile, and it was nice to have refills before having to ask.  :-)

I wanted to take pictures, but there was a marked absence of cell phones, so I snuck mine out for one shot of the room, and this is all I have.  In this ballroom, there were two beautiful fireplaces, a white baby grand piano, tons of Christmas trees (the white ones were revolving), and there was live music.  It was beautiful, to say the least. 
 

The exterior of the club was decorated really great as well, but I wasn't brave enough to take a pic on the way in while it was still light.  :-)

So, that's the story of our "couple time" for this week.  We finished out the evening with coffee and some Christmas shopping.  Let's just say I feel a lot more comfortable in TJ Maxx than I do at the Shawnee Country Club!  No, honestly, it was a fun evening, and we were able to meet some neat people. 

Now I'm off to find a fancy clutch in case there is a next time.  Haha!