Etsy Super Bowl Treasury

I am so excited!!! One of "my" items has been featured in someone's treasury on Etsy. Super Excited! You must check it out and give props.

Creative Eating

Maybe this doesn't seem like a project to most, but I am finding that eating healthy is definitely an area that births opportunity for creativity. I am having a lot of fun with it. I really hoping this isn't a passing phase like everything else. I really need to get healthy! I'm trying not to become consumed with the thought of food and planning meals and groceries.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"

I'm not opposed to planning whatsoever...in fact we rarely go to the grocery store WITHOUT a menu and ingredient list. I just know in the past when I have attempted to "get healthy," it consumes me. Writing stuff down, counting calories, workout log, blah blah blah. This time WILL be different (here I am spending time blogging about it). I am only following a few simple rules (thank you Cara and Suz) and trying to make lasting changes versus "dieting" for quick weight loss. One time when I was fasting for God, I realized how much better I do when it is for Him...so I've decided to invite the Holy Spirit to guide me in this journey of healthy eating and excercise. He has met me every step of the way. My hunger has been curbed, I am actually craving foods that are good for me, and I'm not really spending whole lot of thought time on this.

If you've ever switched to organic foods, you know how expensive they can be. Getting started is especially costly because there are several staples you need to obtain ALL AT ONCE. Well, needless to say I overdid it a little the first time and went "a little" over budget (sorry Aaron...if you read this...that is probably why we have no money for two weeks). BUT, having no money really helps you to get creative in the kitchen, it causes my hot dog craving kids to try new things and it requires my husband to buck up and eat gravy (if you must have gravy) made with whole wheat. AND it allows is the opporutunity to test God:

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

We brought our whole tithe to the church as God instructed us this week. It happened to be all we would have left after the bills went out. But praise God for my God-fearing husband. He insisted we put the Lord to the test in the one area he challenges us to. Within the day, our tithe was returned to us with interest. He is giving us our daily manna. We are not without anything we need. God has been nudging me to go visit my Grandma about vitamins and supplements (she is 92, never with health issues). I visited her yesterday to seek her recommendations knowing it would be a month or so before I could buy them...but I love to research. Within 5 minutes, she went to her kitchen and returned with all of the vitamins and supplements I had wanted to get started on (I hadn't even told her what I was thinking of trying). The value of these is well over $100. The biggest blessing was how it blessed her that I would take in interest in something she believes in so dearly and that I would seek her wisdom. It was a blessed day. God is guiding me on this healthy journey of mine and providing for it every step of the way.

As for the project part of it, I made a great eggplant dish last night and I make a ton of smoothies in my magic bullet.

*buy the super cool market totes pictured her at Teela's Terf*

More on Upside Down

Published in an article yesterday on FoxNews.com:

"If this is what "Change" is going to look like for the next four years, former President Bush's legacy is about to be turned upside down."

And...I LOVE these lyrics in Misty Edwards song, "Servant of All:"

You gotta go down, if you wanna go up

You gotta go lower, if you wanna go higher and higher

You gotta hide and do it in secret, if you wanna be seen by God

Cause it's the inside, outside, upside down kingdom

where you die to live

and you lose to gain

But I wanna be with You where You are

You're the Servant of all

Blendy Pens & Homeschool Games

I always manage to bring some kind of artwork into homeschool. I just can't help myself! This semester I am trying to get back to basics for both kids as I feel like we crammed a little too much in at once last semester. I love the books Games for Reading by Peggy Kaye and Family Math by various authors. They are jam-packed with games to use to teach your children reading and math skills. Prep time is very minimal.

Last week I played "The Ladder" game with both kids. I modified it so they each had their own stack of words. Kabs is in 1st grade so I made a stack of beginning words (those she knows well and words she is struggling with) and for Kaden I made a stack of words that would challenge his vocabulary. As they were able to read the word on the card they got to move up a rung on the ladder. If they missed it the first time, I gave them a second chance. If they got it right, they were allowed to stay on their rung otherwise they had to move back. By the end of the game, Katibree's confidence grew as she sounded out new words and WOW was I impressed with Kaden's vocabulary. I had to go to the dictionary and make a new stack because I underestimated his knowledge in this area. We've also modified this to play as a spelling game where I read the word and they have to spell the word. A little more challenging. They ask to play this game everday so I think that qualifies it as a "hit."

Today, we played "Rabbit Sounds." I made a large playing board on the floor using electrical tape (see pic). In each square (or triangle) I put a card with a blend or letter sound. I gave Kabs instructions such as, "Hop to the letters that you hear at the beginnig of the word SMALL." Then I had HER tell ME words and hop from space to space. Kaden got in on it by giving her words and I gave him more challenging assignments such as if the space had "e" he wou ld have to say a word that has the short e sound in it and is 2 syllables. I can already see all kinds of possibilities with this one including math games so I think this game board will be hanging around for awhile.

Oh...back to where art comes in. Kaden was reading and decided he needed a bookmark. Because my addiction to creation has seem to have rubbed off on him, he needed to make a bookmark. I pointed him to the construction paper but he politely informed me he had something else in mind. He took plain white drawing paper and Blendy Pens (thank you AJ), a hole punch and some yarn and created his own bookmark. Maybe this is the year that my children will join me in projects!!! If you know me at all you know the enthusiasm that is welling up inside me this very moment! Since the blendies were out, I thought I'd have a litte fun with them as well and used them to make the letters for the Rabbit game.

Office Supplies

Is it just me or do most people LOVE office supplies? I must have had the ideal job when I was in charge of ordering them. I remember that year. I invented a whole new system of filing my budget reports probably just so I could order the newest trendiest colored file folders. Well, I'm back at it. I'm getting ready to co-facilitate LeadershipPlenty modules for our church and community. Our Horizons coach dropped off the box of supplies yesterday and I think she may have been surprised by my enthusiasm as I greeted the box of goodies.
So, what does this have to do with projects? Well...it's my latest project of course. Getting all of the materials ingrained in my head, preparing all of the supplies and resources, setting up the room, and brushing up on facilitator do's and dont's. It's the item of business that receives all of my attention from now until Session 1 is complete.
Here's the balance: I attended son's basketball games had good conversation with hubby all the way there and back. Made homemade chicken noodles soup (whole wheat homemade rolled out noodles) AND learned this amazing misnomer in my Bible reading today: YES, Jacob had to work for 14 years to receive Rachel as his wife BUT he was able to marry her after 7 years and 1 week THEN work the remaining seven years while being married to her. Also---noting God's consistent use of dreams to speak to people during this time period.
And for fun...my influence of office supplies and Jesus I've had on my daughter pictured below:

Fulfilling One Resolution

Every year I run from making resolutions, deeming them ignorant and pointless. And EVERY year about this time I come to the realization that I have indeed made resolutions, if only in my mind--which technically isn't a real goal, but reality never follows rules. So in reality, I have indeed made resolutions once again.

My [unofficial] Resolutions for 2009:

1. Resurrect my blogging habit

2. Eat mostly organic & "whole" foods

3. Master the art of baking bread

4. Understand internet marketing tools better

5. Live at peace in all circumstances

6. Read through the Bible again

7. Serve others more

8. Believe God the first time

9. Accept my husband for who he is

10. Worship God in new ways

So there you have it. This entry is the path to fulfilling Resolution #1. Which also is my PROJECT Candy for this week...I really hope it lasts! I think comments help a blogger to continue....so PLEASE help me by posting comments often.