The Bible in a Year January Update~

I'm almost a month into my Bible in a Year journey.  I'm happy to say that I have kept up on my Bible reading, and I've actually had a peace come over me as I have poured over the word closer than I ever have before.

I started the month reading out of my childhood bible that my mom gave to me when I was a young girl.  It was hard to read, and there weren't any notes to help me interpret what I was actually reading.

Alex had a study bible, and at the encouragement of a church friend, he purchased me a Quest study bible.  I love it!  Not because it is pink, but because it includes lots of study notes to really help me understand the context as well as mannerisms the people in The Old Testament used.  Alex has been reading nightly too, so I can always fall back on him when I don't understand it;-) 

I would never have guessed I could find time to read the Bible daily, but I not only read it, I look forward to it.

Here are the daily assignments for January if you are interested in taking this journey with me!

Day 32~Exodus 5; Matthew 26; Psalms 41

Day 33~Exodus 6; Matthew 27

Day 34~Exodus 7-8; Matthew 28; Psalms 67

Day 35~Exodus 9-10; Psalms 105

Day 36~Exodus 11-12; Psalms 91

Day 37~Exodus 13-15; Psalms 114

Day 38~Exodus 16-18; 1 Peter 1

Day 39~Exodus 19-20; 1 Peter 2

Day 40~ Exodus 21-22; 1 Peter 3

Day 41~ Exodus 23-24; 1 Peter 4

Day 42~ Exodus 25-26; 1 Peter 5

Day 43~Exodus 27-28; Psalms 96

Day 44~Exodus 29-30; 2 Corinthians 1

Day 45~ Exodus 31-32; 2 Corinthians 2

Day 46~ Exodus 33-34; 2 Corinthians 3

Day 47~ Exodus 35-36; 2 Corinthians 4

Day 48~Exodus 37-38; 2 Corinthians 5

Day 49~Exodus 39-40; 2 Corinthians 6

Day 50~ Leviticus 1-3; 2 Corinthians 7

Day 51~ Leviticus 4-5; 2 Corinthians 8

Day 52~ Leviticus 6-7; 2 Corinthians 9

Day 53~ Leviticus 8-10; 2 Corinthians 10

Day 54~ Leviticus 11; 2 Corinthians 11; Psalms 56

Day 55~ Leviticus 12-13; 2 Corinthians 12

Day 56~ Leviticus 14-15; 2 Corinthians 13

Day 57~ Leviticus 16-18; 1 John 1

Day 58~ Leviticus 19-21; 1 John 2

Day 59~ Leviticus 22-23; 1 John 3

Day 60~ Leviticus 24-25; 1 John 4

Day 61~ Leviticus 26-27; 1 John 5

Day 62~ Numbers 1-2; Psalms 68

2014 Goals~

Goals

2013 is almost behind us, and 2014 is going to be here in a couple of days. I have found success in making financial and personal goals to help focus my time and energy in the coming year.  I have also learned to make fewer goals to help keep the momentum.  At this stage of my life and commitments, less is more;-)

So, here is a look at how 2013 shook out.

1. Save enough money to replace Jolie's car by August 1, 2013 in cash!
Well, we purchased a 2008 GMC Acadia in January.  Truth be told, my car was really going to need some work, so we made the decision to go ahead and buy the new vehicle.  I love my new car, but not the payment so much;-)

2. Go on one family vacation for at least 5 days out of the state of Kansas paid for in cash!
We went to Table Rock Lake near Branson, MO, last summer.  You can read about it here. It was perfect for our season of life.  Rowan was just asking when summer would be here.

3. Read 23 books from January 1 until December 31!  
I updated my Goodreads account last night with what I could remember I had read this year.  I completed a reading program for our UMW unit, read a smattering of YAL, a few self-help books, a couple of inspirational books, and then my typical romance/murder mystery.  I really go through phases of what I get sucked into, but I can definitely cross this one off the list. 

So onto 2014 we go!!

1. Pay off Jolie's undergraduate loan by October 1, 2014
Currently, this fund has 24% of the original loan left that we started paying on 9.5 years ago.  It is finally at a manageable level, so I am hopeful this one can be gone in 2014!  If we are successful, it will be a whole four years early!  Squeal!

2. Establish a will
This has been on our list before, and we still have not got it taken care of-our financial adviser will be so disappointed:-(  This is really a priority for 2014~

3. Read the Bible in 1 year
Our pastor organized this challenge for many in our church.  I outlined the plan here. We started on December 1, and Big Al is doing it too!

4. Read 30 books by December 31, 2014
I have learned this year that I must take time to fill my own cup.  I really could work 24 hours a day.  My sanity must not do that, and I must take time to do the things I enjoy.  Reading is one of those things, so I'm increasing my book total for 2014.

Isla Hope Turns 3~

Isla Hope turned three on December 6. We had a small party with Alex's parents and sister and our family.  It was fun, and I have no doubt Isla felt special.  She was her wild and happy little self as we ate cake and opened presents.  She is currently obsessed with Hello Kitty, so we followed the trend to celebrate the day.  

Love her~

Just call her Miss Personality~

Daddy made cupcakes.

So old with the 3 on the cupcake~

Yum!

Hello Kitty slippers!

Grandma helping Isla open her gift~

Looking intelligent with Aunt Reesa~

Working on her selfies~

Isla is still relatively easy.  She is a night owl now, and she will sing and chit chat well past her bedtime.  She loves the color pink, shoes, books, Pinkalicious, Hello Kitty, and putting on makeup.  There is not a doubt in my mind that I am going to have a girly girl, and I'm okay with it.  Isla approaches each day and moment with an exuberance I only wish I had.  She is quick to share her mind and fight for what she believes is rightfully hers;-)  She and Rowan are buddies, and they will play for great lengths of time together now.  We are moving on to the 3s!

Heifer International

I have been behind almost the entire Christmas season.  I'm usually finished shopping weeks before the season, and the Christmas cards are out right after Thanksgiving.  There are a multitude of reasons why this hasn't happened this year, and I have just come to peace with it.

Alex and I sat down at the beginning of the advent season and outlined one of the charities we really wanted to support this giving season.  We identified Heifer International.  Heifer International donates livestock to those who need them as well as education to the recipients with the hope of creating self-sustaining families in some of the most remote areas of this Earth.  A simple gift of a goat can provide a family with milk, or a hive of bees can provide a family an opportunity to generate revenue.  The goal of the organization is to empower women and families to utilize their resources as well as share the offspring of their gifts!

We set the amount of money we wanted to contribute.  Alex then made a chart with "shares" on it up to our dollar amount.  He also sized the animals according to their price and made manipulatives.  We then had the kids piece together the animals into our chart to determine which animals we would be donating.

It was fun to hear the kids say, "Should we give 2 bunnies or a beehive?"  They were meticulous and really thoughtful about which animals we would include in our menagerie.  Once they were satisfied with their choices, we made our purchase.  

My heart aches that there are moms who can't provide their children clothing, clean drinking water, or even food.  My hope is to instill compassion in my own children and share the resources God has given to us with those who so desperately need it~ 

Fall 2013 Kid Pictures~

My regular photographer couldn't take our pics this fall, so I shot a few of the kids myself one day.  They were cooperative, and they were real;-)

The Plan~

Thanksgiving was fantastic as we headed out to my roots for 3 days with the kids.  The kids loved the farm, and my mom, as always, fed us until we were stuffed to the gills!  I am thankful for the quiet and the down time the break has given me.

Tomorrow starts Advent, and thus, our Bible in 365 Days Challenge.  Alex and I have both taken the challenge.  I'm not going to lie, I'm dreading this.  I think it will be sad, and I hate that it is "assigned."  I don't do well with assigned readings, but I'm hoping this will be so life changing that I will have no problem reading it nightly;-)

I'm posting our plan so that you can join me if you'd like.  It will be fun;-)

Day 1: Psalms 148, Genesis 1-2, Ephesians 1
Day 2: Genesis 3-4, Ephesians 2
Day 3: Genesis 5-6, Psalms 12, Ephesians 3
Day 4: Genesis 7-8, Ephesians 4
Day 5: Psalms 8, Genesis 9-10, Ephesians 5
Day 6: Genesis 11-13,  Ephesians 6
Day 7: Psalms 47, Genesis 14-15, Matthew 1
Day 8: Genesis 16-18, Matthew 2
Day 9: Psalms 11, Genesis 19-20, Matthew 3
Day 10: Genesis 21-23, Matthew 4
Day 11: Genesis 24, Matthew 5
Day 12: Genesis 25, Matthew 6, Psalms 127
Day 13: Genesis 26-27, Matthew 7
Day 14: Genesis 28-29, Matthew 8
Day 15: Genesis 30, Matthew 9
Day 16: Genesis 31, Matthew 10
Day 17: Genesis 32-33, Matthew 11, Psalms 131
Day 18: Genesis 34, Matthew 12, Psalms 64
Day 19: Genesis 35, Matthew 13
Day 20: Genesis 36, Matthew 14
Day 21: Genesis 37-38, Matthew 15
Day 22: Genesis 39-40, Matthew 16
Day 23: Genesis 41, Psalms 40, Matthew 17
Day 24: Genesis 42, Matthew 18
Day 25: Genesis 43-44, Matthew 19
Day 26: Genesis 45-46, Matthew 20
Day 27: Genesis 47, Matthew 21
Day 28: Genesis 48-49, Matthew 22
Day 29: Genesis 50, Exodus 1, Matthew 23
Day 30: Exodus 2-3; Matthew 24
Day 31: Exodus 4, Matthew 25

I'll check back with a followup on how it is going as well as the next month of reading.  That's the plan at least;-)

The Bible in 365 Days~

Our church, SWUMC, has placed a new challenge.  The task is to read the Bible in 365 days-seems lofty, huh?

I grew up a devout Catholic who attended Church every Sunday and prayed the rosary on many occasions, but a Bible reader, I was not.  It was simply never a major component of our religion or our daily life through my beginnings.

Now, at the age of 31 and a Methodist, I am still not a regular Bible reader.  I will pick it up off and on and skim through the parts I know about, but I know there is a great deal of this story that I have no clue about!  I blame time for part of the problem for why I don't read the Bible, but I also blame the story itself.  You see, I really prefer to surround myself with stories of inspiration and happy endings.  I have a feeling over the next 365 days, I am going to read more than one story that does not leave me feeling good about it.   But I may be wrong.  I hope I am surprised;-)

Pastor Maria has created a guide, and it seems manageable, so I'm excited to see what I have been missing out on. Alex signed up too, so I'm hoping the accountability between the two of us will really help us both, and I will be able to say, "I've read the Bible!"

The Getaway~

Life has been hectic, hurried, busy, crazy, exhausting. The list could go on.  We survived the first quarter of school, volleyball, and parent-teacher conferences.  Can I get an "Amen" to this one.

There has been little done to rest the mind and enjoy the family, so we decided to get the heck out of Topeka, and head to the world of somewhere else with no house to clean;-)  Little did we know when we planned this trip, I would have no voice and feel like crud, but we had already planned it, so we went.

We drove up on Friday morning.  Alex was on the phone off and on taking care of some earth shattering matter at work, and I was leaned over in the seat thinking I was drunk for a great deal of the trip. It wasn't until we were almost there that I realized I had clearly over medicated myself or mixed things that didn't play nice with each other which had left me really not remembering the trip up there.  I was at least coherent at this point, so let the vacation begin.

We took the kids to Coco Key which is a large waterpark.  I had literally lost most of my voice, so I wasn't much of a conversationalist with anyone, but the kids adored it.  I thought it was chilly outside of the water, but as long as you stayed in the water, it was good.  I even braved a waterslide, but there will be no pictures on here to document that.  I really hate adventure....

Then we headed to the fantastic zoo in Omaha.  It is amazing, and the kids enjoyed all 6 hours of it.  We walked, rode the Sky Safari, and just enjoyed the fall weather.

The weekend was restful and just what the heart needed after a busy quarter.  Here's to a refreshed spirit!

A Humbling Week~

It seems like mere survival of a week is success at this point in the school year.  I love what I do, but it is just exhausting to keep up this schedule.  

With that said, we sang this song today in church, 10,000 Reasons. I've heard it before, I know I have, but there was just no stopping the tears from flowing during service.  This week we learned a friend had discovered a serious medical issue.  It is so hard to understand why we must go through such trials in this world.  I feel helpless and like I have no idea what to do to make her world easier.

The truth is, there are no answers.  There is no reason, nothing she did to deserve this, and really just no answers to arrive at.  That is really hard for a fixer like myself, and I don't like it.  This is not in my control, though, and I feel like all I really have is prayer right now.  So that's what I'm going to do.

So in the hustle and bustle of your week this week, take a minute to be thankful for all you have been given.  At the top of my list this week is my health and my family's health.  Seems so simple, but it could be so different. 

The First of the Next 13 Years!

It happened.  Rowan started Kindergarten.  People always say how quickly time passes, but I never have been one to see it.  Oh, how true it is!

I can't believe it has been 5 and a half years since we brought that little guy home from the hospital.  He was so needy, wouldn't eat, and caused me a few tears in those first few weeks.  We survived, though, and I wouldn't ever guess time would pass so quickly.

Rowan Blane Just Days Old

We celebrated a few birthday parties along the way.  We've done frogs, pirates, trains, and superhero parties as his interests have evolved and Dad's baking skills for that matter;-)

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

4th Birthday-(I'm not sure why we didn't frost the whole cake-weird)

5th Birthday

We've done  t-ball and soccer to develop those social skills and maybe foster a wee bit of athleticism;-)

We've been to preschool to build those foundational skills and learn how to be a friend!

And somewhere along the way, 5 and a half years passed, and I sent my little boy off to the big world of school!  He has the sweetest teacher, and he is rocking this school thing.  Alex drops him off at the community center in the a.m. since I have to be to work so early, and they walk him over to school at 8:15.  He is going back to the community center in the evening until I'm done coaching volleyball, and I get him picked up about 5:00.  He is exhausted by then, and I can tell he has worked hard all day!

The Duo

Rowan's First Day of School and My 10th Year of 7th Grade

We are finding our groove, and Rowan is proud to get to go to "big" school now! Now if he could just ride a school bus, his world would be complete!    

Summer Update Finale

It's over...officially.  I feel great about our summer to-do list, and I feel like we bopped along pretty well.  I'm hopeful this will be a summer tradition as our children get older.  They loved talking about the list and what we could accomplish each day, and it made me mix up our schedule!  I highly recommend an activities list for any long break.  It definitely held me accountable, and it was fun! 

1.  Go to the North Pool
2. Summer Reading Program for All-Done and prizes collected from library!
3. Swimming Lessons-
4. T-Ball for Rowan-
5. Firepit-
6. Snow Cones
7. Happy Hour at Dairy Queen
8. Cupcake Trip 
9. Go Fishing-
10. Chuck-E-Cheese 
11. Vacation Bible School-
12. Discovery Center Camp for Rowan-LOVED this!  If you don't know about our Discovery Center here in Topeka, you need to check it out.  It is amazing and a great community resource for children! 
13. Bike Ride at Lake Shawnee
14. Feed the Geese:-o (Insert horrified look here-I hate geese)
15. SpRiNkLeR!
16. Bake Cookies-
17. Discovery Center-
18. Bowling
19. Paint Therapy Uncorked
20. Movie Theater-
21. Make Homeade Ice Cream- My friend Lindsey loaned me her Cuisinart ice cream maker last week.  I made butterfinger vanilla ice cream.  It was amazing!!  If you are looking for Christmas ideas, I'm putting that baby on my list!  It was awesome!  Now I must have one;-)
22. Picnic at Park
23. Paint own rock
24. Donut Shop
25. Go to Branson
26. Video Games with Dad

The Beginning~

Well, summer has come and gone, and tomorrow marks the beginning of Rowan's formal educational experience. My heart is a bit sad that this formally marks the end of his preschool world, but I feel blessed that he has the ability to learn and is oh so ready to go to school;-)  We unpacked his backpack tonight, and his teacher was darling.  I could tell she is a lover, and there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing that. 

 We've been back in the swing on things for a week, and I am excited to get back to a schedule.  Summer was easy and laid back, but the kids were starting to get antsy as was I.  Isla will continue at the same center she has been at, and Rowan will bookend his school day at a local community center while I coach volleyball.  The plans are all made, and tomorrow we will start to live out this new pace of life one day at a time.

I have been busy in my own classroom getting it ready for our new bunch.  Tonight is kind of a rainbows and roses night as I know very little about our caseload.  There is a bit of peace in naivity tonight, and I kind of like it;-)

My room~

Home Away From Home~

Our Flock Rocks~

The alarm is set for 5:30, and I'm ready to start back at the beginning~

Summer Update~

Essentially, we have one week left of summer before I report back to duty.  I'm sad, but it has been a great summer!  Probably one of my favorites as both kids are old enough to really go, and I've loved being home with them.  I'm not certain we will finish out the list, as there are still some big ones left, but we have made some progress if nothing else!  It has been a blast!

1.  Go to the North Pool
2. Summer Reading Program for All-Done and prizes collected from library!
3. Swimming Lessons-Done and success!
4. T-Ball for Rowan-Done!
5. Firepit-
6. Snow Cones
7. Happy Hour at Dairy Queen
8. Cupcake Trip We stopped at Billy Vanilly one day last week.  It was yummy!
9. Go Fishing-
10. Chuck-E-Cheese  Alex took Row on an outing last Sunday for this one.
11. Vacation Bible School-This was a big one.  I was glad to see this one done!
12. Discovery Center Camp for Rowan-Starts tomorrow a.m.
13. Bike Ride at Lake Shawnee We've been on several bike rides since we got a seat to put behind our bikes for Isla!  She adores bike rides.
14. Feed the Geese:-o (Insert horrified look here-I hate geese)
15. SpRiNkLeR!
16. Bake Cookies-
17. Discovery Center-
18. Bowling
19. Paint Therapy Uncorked
20. Movie Theater-
21. Make Homeade Ice Cream
22. Picnic at Park
23. Paint own rock
24. Donut Shop
25. Go to Branson
26. Video Games with Dad

Day 29: Five songs that describe you.

I can't even do this post.  I'm so not a music person.  I grew up in the country where we seldom got more than one radio station, and I honestly don't think I owned a cd until I was at least 24.  Music is just not my thing.  I like the quiet of my own thoughts, so even still today, I seldom drive with the radio on.  Weird, I know;-)

Day 28: Only Pictures

Oops!  So I missed a few days.  The prompts were rough, and this blog everyday deal is a big commitment;-)

 We went to Tulsa this weekend to see Julie, a roommate of mine from college.  It was a quick trip, but it was a fantastic family-friendly trip, and it was so good to see her.  Maybe I'll see her in less than 2 years this time;-)

 We went to Tulsa's Discovery Lab.  They have an entire tunnel made out of packing tape.  Seriously.   It is impressive, and it can even handle big people.  The kids ran through this tunnel more times than I could count. 

Isla is in the middle of the tunnel, and Row is just about to the end of it.

Eight layers of packing tape is all that holds it together.

Bed of Nails.  So brave.

Row could have slept on it, I think.

Big Al!

Rowan, Lexi, Isla, and Thomas

Isla fell asleep on the way home.  She was a tired girl.