Chasing Sunlight

It has been so bitterly cold here. I have loved these days of cozying up inside, justifying that I can drink as much coffee and hot water with lemon as I want to because my hands will not stay warm. Folding the laundry fresh from the dryer isn't a drudgery right now because the clothes are hot on my hands.

But I'm missing the sunlight! The light has been there (off and on - we've haven't had too many truly grey days), but even when I'm in the light, it is still so cold outside! The last couple days I've been mindful as I've walked around the house with my camera and tried to pin down the sunlight and soak in that little bit of warmth that is coming through our windows.

Light across a face in the schoolroom.

Light across the well-used recipe book on the counter.

Light across the pile of potato peelings in a bowl.

Light across lunch spread out in the sunniest seat in the kitchen.

In my prayer book, there is a verse that is titled the refrain and it's repeated three times during the course of the morning reading. This morning's verse was so timely for me:

For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

While I'm searching for literal sunlight to get through these long winter days of homeschooling my three girls (and chasing down that one boy) I am wanting that temporal fix. If I get out of the house, if I change my circumstances, if I can get just one minute alone! While the sunlight is good and needed, it's not the light that is going to sustain me long-term. That will keep my from snapping at my kids and losing my temper. Jesus is the light (John 9:5) that I want shining through me, spurring me on to obedience. Steadfastness. Faithfulness in my daily tasks. Being intentional in the words that I speak to those I live with and cross today's path. When I am worried or tired or just plain overwhelmed with all that is on my plate, I need to remind myself to look to the light from Jesus for the grace I need for my day. That's the light I want to be steeping myself in and living off of throughout the day.

2013 Family Movie Night, Listed

For the past two years, I've tucked a sheet of notebook paper inside my planner and have kept a list of what we have watched for our Friday family movie night. This event (FMN for short) is a Big Deal. Each child (and adult) gets a turn picking the movie of choice and everyone else watches with (very little) complaint. (Though I admit to a quiet sigh at the second viewing of a certain American Girl movie). : ) 

We try to keep movies and video to a minimum during the school week and for the most part I stick to my guns on this. We won't discuss my laxness during our recent Christmas break. Ahem. This makes our Friday night fun something that we all look forward to. Anyway, our routine is to have pizza and some kind of sweet treat on Friday night and we rotate who gets to pick our movie. There is plotting, planning and much secrecy as your movie night approaches! The guessing of someone's pick is half the fun. And it's always fun to go back over the list and remember how we spent our Friday nights the last year. In our pjs, eating pizza, hanging out under afghans and blankets and relaxing together at the end of the week.

Here's what we watched in 2013. Please note: this is just the list. I'm not going to give any kind of rating (although if you want an opinion on something you are welcome to ask). There are always a few duds that we come across in our viewing. (And by duds, I mean they are generally - in our opinion - just not worth rewatching. We're pretty careful about what we put on to start with as far as it being appropriate for all the kids).

Where the Red Fern Grows
The Lorax
Finding Nemo
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur
McKenna, American Girl Movie
The Last Airbender
Megamind
The Odd Life of Timothy Green
The Princess Bride
Wreck-It Ralph
Despicable Me
Spy Kids 3: Game Over
Home Alone
Avengers
Pirates of the Carribean
Winnie the Pooh
Journey to the Center of the Earth 2: The Mysterious Island
Wild Stallions
The Fellowship of the Ring
Ratatoille
How to Train Your Dragon
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Sky High
Prince Caspian
Kung Fu Panda 2
Cars 2
Disney's Robin Hood (cartoon)
Evan Almighty
Hook
Legends of Ga'Hoole
The Croods
Turbo
Cars
Cats and Dogs
Despicable Me 2

I've already started our list for 2014. Any good movies that you would suggest for Family Movie Night? 



This post is part of a list-making project called Lists With Friends 2014, an effort to document the year in lists of all types. I love lists and am excited to be taking part of this fun project. : )

Project Life 2014, Week 1 :: December 29 - January 5, 2014

Week of 1 of Project Life, 2014!

It's always so fun to start a new year of Project Life. I'm inspired with an empty album and excited to get the pages filled in. It's probably just the mental game that I am not behind yet for the year, but whatever it is, I'll take it.

A look at our week ... the overview.



On the left:



I was a little sparse on pictures as I was finishing up 2013 ... most good photos that I took, I wanted to include with the last layout of my 2013 album. This side of the page is therefore a bit random.

• My 2014 calendar and what I was currently reading.
• Some chicken enchiladas that were so good, they had to go in the album. Seriously. 
• A photo from our New Year's Eve. Good friends hosted a karaoke party at our church and I didn't take one single picture. My sister sent me this one and it went in the album. Some guys (Travis is on the left and my brother-in-law is the one with his hand raised) were seriously rocking out to Born to be Wild.
• The photo on the journaling card is Travis trying out his turkey deep-fryer for Sunday lunch with my extended family. Two thumbs up. 

On the right:

• A sunset photo of the kids finally getting a chance to take a quick ride on their Christmas bikes. (After this, it has been so cold they have hardly gotten to ride them at all).
• I'm in a picture! Travis snapped this at a fun celebratory lunch for my mom who retired on December 31. The grandkids, my sister, Travis and I all met up for lunch to celebrate and we got a surprisingly good photo of the whole crew.
• I'm hoping for a Russian themed dinner on the night of the Olympic opening ceremonies in a few weeks. To that end, I made a test batch of cabbage rolls. The bright color of the cabbage as it cooked was just brilliant. I had to include it.
• A 4x6 journaling card with a few thoughts on my birthday this year.
• The journaling slot photo is a photo of an apron that was given to me over Christmas - it was Travis' grandma's and one of his aunts saved it to hand it down to me. 

A couple inserts for the week ... I printed out my two January blog posts on being intention{al} and slipped those in the album.



I'm pretty sure that all the cards were from the Blush kit in this layout. I think. : ) The photos on journaling cards were laid out in Tracy Larsen's simply white collection.

Project Life is a product and a system created by Becky Higgins and available on Amazon.com, DigitalProjectLife.com, and many major craft retailers. It can be anything you want it to be. You can view all my posts about Project Life here. I'm always happy to answer questions about how Project Life works for me, if you have any. Affiliate links used where available.

Sunday Quotes

Christ's life given up for others is the centerpiece of our faith. Our lives given up for others is the centerpiece of our faithfulness.

-- Fit to Burst by Rachel Jancovic

Photo: school + dentist office = busy Wednesday morning

Sunday Quotes: a quote from something I read this week that I marked in a book, worthy of remembering and sharing.

Morning Prayer

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

-- from The Divine Hours, Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime

Sunday Quotes*

Every room in it meant something ... had some vital message for her. It had the look that houses wear when they have been loved for years. It was a house where nobody ever seemed to be in a hurry ... a house from which nobody ever went away without feeling better in some way ... a house in which there was always laughter. There had been so much laughter at Silver Bush that the very walls seemed soaked in it. It was a house where you felt welcome the moment you stepped into it. It took you in ... rested you. The very chairs clamoured to be sat upon, so hospitable was it!

-- Mistress Pat, L.M. Montgomery

*Sunday Quotes: a quote from something I read this week that I marked in a book, worthy of remembering and sharing.

It's Not the Holidays Anymore

January brings with it the return to a regular schedule of sorts. It also brought extremely cold temperatures this week. Like many, we have had uncharacteristically cold days (single digit temperatures) that have made it hard to return to the books. Not like the normal snow days where there is the cry to play outside with the neighbors and build snowmen - no, it's been far too cold for that. Even when bundled as tightly as possible the girls were only able to manage a few minutes outside before coming back in for hot chocolate. Myself, I have spent the last few days trying to stay warm and drinking unheard of amounts of hot coffee and hot tea.

We are slowly returning to our school day schedule. Yesterday there was quite a bit of reading aloud to get us in the right frame of mind. We finally finished book 1 in Little Women - our pre-Christmas read-aloud - and will be taking a breather before starting book 2. Today saw the return of math for everyone (always a sign that school is in session) and a library trip to pick up holds and replenish our reading shelf.

I am also trying to get back into a "it is not the holidays anymore" frame of mind in many different areas. The carbs have disappeared off my plate for the most part and lots of winter veggies are being roasted in the oven. Today's lunch looked so pretty in the sunlight on the table that I had to take a picture. (I admit it. I like to photograph my food. I can't help myself). : ) Early morning outings to get my running in before little people awake are back on the schedule. Social media check-ins are dwindling down each day as the time wasted spent is now being redeemed in other areas. (I'm planning an extended break from Facebook for the next several months - I find it's hard to be intentional about relationships there and it generally leaves me feeling ruffled and not at all like I've caught up with anyone. I'm learning that my introverted self, the one that avoids conflict like the plague, doesn't handle it well. Instagram is by and large my favorite place for capturing moments and memories and if you are inclined, you can find me there.)

I'm looking forward to a January filled with some returning activities as well as some intentional pauses to hibernate and rest during this winter season. Winter may be my favorite time of all for just that very reason.

Project Life 2014

My 2014 title page - simple and done. The photos of the kids are from their Christmas program at Bible study. I cropped down some of the individual pictures that I took and put them in one of Tracy Larsen's white frames. (I'm just now noticing with the three girls lined up like that how similar their eyes crinkle when they smile. I love that). I also absolutely adore this picture of the four of them. On my list of projects is to get that blown up and hung in our family room. One of these days. I would have liked a more recent picture of me and Travis, but this one was my favorite from last year so in it goes.

I am excited to start my 2014 album! I have picked up (with Hobby Lobby or Michael's coupons) the Blush kit, Fifth and Frolic (which is a Michael's exclusive), and Midnight. I'm hoping to work primarily from these kits this year - less purchasing of digi kits and using the ones that I have already in hand (or on file). I'm also continuing my subscription to Studio Calico for this year. I have loved, loved, loved getting this monthly kit and the last two kits have just been fabulous. It has been a good investment for me and (mostly) kept me out of the craft stores and scrapbooking aisles. : )

Are you doing Project Life this year?

Friday Glimpses

Miscellany from this week:

• starting a new Project Life album for 2014.
• and finishing up the one for 2013.
• making amazing chicken enchiladas and contemplating making up The Enchilada Project so that I can justify making more enchiladas this year and searching out the perfect recipe. (Or just eating these over and over again because they were that good).
• Picking this up to start next.
• And finishing this one. Excellent.
• Wearing a new apron handed down to me from Travis' grandma who passed away last year.
• Watching munchkins ride Christmas bikes ... and then parking them in the garage for a few days because it. is. so. cold.
• Reading (and already finishing) the January selection from the Reading to Know bookclub for this year. (FYI, it's The Blue Castle by L.M. Mongomery if you want to play along). Contemplating reading another L.M.M. book to round out the month ... maybe Pat of Silver Bush? 

Our Christmas break has FLOWN by and I am certainly not ready to start school next week. And I've enjoyed pecking out words here with much more frequency that I have in the last six months combined ... that has been good. But today includes an orthodontic check up for one and a celebratory retirement lunch for my mom and a few miscellaneous errands that we need to tackle. Off to make this Friday a good one with my little crew.

Happy Friday. : )

January Intentions

Yesterday I shared my One LIttle Word for 2014 - intention{al}. One way that I will keep this to the forefront is to make monthly goals for myself so that my word (and the action I want to take) is kept front and center. Hopefully this will help me be mindful of what I'm aiming for as well as breaking down those big projects into smaller, more manageable bites. I'm also going to have several different categories that I'll be focusing on each month. I recently listened to a video on goal setting by Elise Cripe and she made the good point that if you spend all your energy focusing on just one area, you will be burnt out pretty quickly. As an aside, I think that was part of my lack of ... much of anything ... in 2013. I was very focused on physical health which was a very good thing, but being SO focused on that made everything else fade way far into the background. (I have hopes of a post (or two or three) on that one of these days).

Here's what I'm being intention{al} about for January:

Spiritually: diligence in my Bible study in John and continue to count gifts and journal (hopefully with more frequency). I also started using the book The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime and lost steam on it over the holidays. I loved this addition of some liturgy to my mornings and want to add that back in post haste.

Physically: run a 5K this month. (Yikes). It's on the calendar so now I need to be diligent in preparation.

Relationship: quality over quantity is what I'm going for here. My girls and have a date on the calendar to see a young friend's debut theater performance in High School Musical and we are very excited about that. Looking beyond just mama/child relationship, we also have a date on the calendar to take Grandma (my mom) out to lunch to celebrate her retirement this week!

Routine: re-establish my routine of early morning runs and earlier bedtimes. November and December were full of LATE nights which I do not function well with. Time to regroup for sure in this area.

Creatively: Learn to use my big camera just a little bit better. I won a spot in Ashley Ann's SNAPSHOP DSLR course and can't wait to start it. I still love my iPhone for convenience, but I would love to know a little bit more what I'm doing with my "good" camera!

Job: 100% of me when we are doing schoolwork. Better planning and preparation on my part as well, whether that means getting my act together on Sunday night before our week starts, reading a homeschooling book to inspire, or working through N1's Classical Conversations work ahead of her so that I understand how to diagram a sentence as well as she does!

Baby steps. And lots of them. : )

2014: The Year of Intention{al}

This year's word found me a few weeks ago. It's one that I'm excited to dive into over the next year, but also a little scared about. I have a feeling it's going to ask much of me. My word is intention{al}. (Why the funny little {al} at the end? Because when I read the definitions of both intention and intentional, aspects of both words jumped out at me, so this is my way of including both.) : )

This past year I felt like I floundered in several areas. I floundered in several parenting areas due to being unprepared and backing down in areas when I should have been gearing up toward the more intense seasons of parenting that are here. Our homeschool floundered because I didn't do as diligent of a job in planning and preparing. My natural abilities in organization helped us get by, but that's where it stopped. Just at getting by. These are just a couple examples of areas that I'm going to mention, but overall, it was just my lack of not trying and working as hard as I could. Hard to say, but there it is.

When I looked up these two words in the dictionary (because that's where I always try to start) I found some eye-opening definitions:

intention:

- a thing intended, an aim or a plan. A determination to act a certain way.
- the healing process of a wound.
- the object for which a prayer, mass or pious act is offered.

intentional

- done in a way that was planned or intended.
- synonyms that caught my eye: purposeful, conscious, voluntary, deliberate

This year, I'm tightening the reins on myself and putting my nose to the grindstone (to throw in a few very well known and possibly overused cliches). : ) I want to be very intentional in how I spend my time over the next 12 months and I have some very intentional plans that I want to pursue. What does this look like?

:: This means I am going to be making plans and then actually break them down into how I am going to accomplish them. As opposed to making pretty plans and lists and then conveniently forgetting about them.
:: It means that I'm going to be very specific about what I do plan to do. Pam at Everyday Snapshots had a great post on this in regards to making goals (specifically homeschool ones) that you can accomplish. For example: less "read great books" and more "spend a year reading at least six books by C.S. Lewis."
:: This means there will be a lot less time wasted. How much time was spent this year endlessly following clicks on different pages or aimlessly checking social media because I didn't do what needed to be done. An embarrassing amount. I'm done with that nonsense.
:: Quality time with Travis, the kids, in what I choose to read as opposed to quantity. I spend lots of time with my kids (and Travis), but I'm encouraged and reminded that I still need to be very deliberate about quality time with them, as a group and individually.
:: Being intentionally and 100% present in our schooling. And encouraging myself to learn along with the kids.
:: There is going to be some healing involved over this year. What does this mean? With some of the choices that I made over the last 12 months to skim in some areas, there will need to be some retraining, correction, and new habits set. Things like this are rarely easy and I'm anticipating it will mean "cleaning out" of the old (wound) so that there is healing and new habits set in. I absolutely loved this word picture.
:: Prayer!! Without this, and laying my ideas and thoughts before God, I don't figure that all the planning in the world will produce much fruit.

This is just skimming the surface - I have so many thoughts bubbling in my head and am very, very excited (nervous!) about this year. I want to be 365 days from now and look back and say that I faced each day wisely and focused on what the Lord wanted me to accomplish in that place.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

2014. Bring it on.

You can read more about the One Little Word idea here. This is where I heard of it several years ago.

Previous year's words:
2013: Abide
2012: Here
2011: Serve
2009: Joy