Sunday {10/7/12}

Behold, I will do a new thing, 

Now it shall spring forth; 

Shall you not know it? 

I will even make a road in the wilderness 

And rivers in the desert.  Is. 43:19

Linked with Jumping Tandem and Sunday Community

 This is also Day 6 in my 31 Days of Practice Series. 

Happy Sunday All!!

♥Lori

Savor 7 Saturday {10/6/12}

It's that time again, Savor 7 Saturday over at Stop & Smell The Chocolates, where we take a moment, stop, and count our blessings.  

Here we go...

SCRIPTURE:  Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him."  While I was working to catch up on me Bible in 90 Days reading, I got stuck on this verse.  Love it!

STORYTELLER: One of my favorite blogs is by my new friend Michele-Lyn at A Life Surrendered. She is wonderful with words and oh so encouraging! She just spent some time in Guatemala with iRescue.  Take a moment and check out her blog and find yourself blessed!

SOCIAL:  This week I was blessed to spend some time with two of my favorite girls. These are the girls I am most privileged to mentor in this journey we call motherhood.  They bless me so!

SILLY:  Oh Lord! It was less silly than it was downright crazy! Today was my boy's last baseball game and it was terribly cold!  See the snapshot below!

SNAPSHOT:  It was a VERY cold and windy day at the baseball park!

SIPS: Apple Cider Vinegar. Diluted of course, with a bit of agave and LOTS of ice. I learned about some of the benefits from this post, and I decided to give it a shot. I've been drinking it daily, and hopefully I'll be seeing some results real soon.

SWEETS:  Well, homemade bread is not really sweet, but the fact that I baked GLUTEN FREE bread that everyone liked was well....SWEEEEEEEET!!!!!!

So that's it at this end.
How was your week? Have a GREAT Weekend!!

♥Lori

By the way, this is Day 5 of my 31 Days of Practice.  Check out the full list here...

Homecoming 2012

This is Day 4 of the 31 Days of Practice Series.
I had it all written in my head to post on Thursday, but the computer was in use all evening so it had to wait til today.

Oh well, done is better than perfect...


Here's the photos of my daughter's Homecoming last week...

She was actually asked by a young man to attend the dance with him, but she declined.  She really didn't want to go with one guy, but with a group of her friends.  And what a sweet group they are.

One of the moms thought ahead and asked the group to meet at their house so that they could take photos and enjoy a few snacks together before the dance.  What a great idea that was!  I've filed it for future use, for sure!

Here's my girl, age 15 in what we call her "princess cupcake dress".  The photo doesn't do it justice, but the skirt is covered in roses, like a cupcake would be.  She loved it!  And it was so her!!

There you have it.  Homecoming Recap 2012.  So hard to believe!  Today I am linking up with Lolli at Better in Bulk, for PhotoStory Friday.

♥Lori

Welcome {Day 3 - 31 Days & #FMF}

Today's 31 Day of Practice post is also my contribution to Five Minute Friday over at Gypsy Mama.  It's a wonderful gathering {she called it a flash mob} of writers who write for five minutes, no editing, no over thinking, and then link up.  If you haven't already tried it, it's a great exercise to practice you writing...

Today's Topic - Welcome
 
The first thing I thought of was the day we walked into our church.  We were visitors to a conference, and the welcome we received was tremendous.  I remember having two toddlers in tow, hubs dropping us off at the door and then parking the car.  With the kiddos, getting anywhere was a feat, but the greeters at the door, they scooped up kids and opened doors, offered me some calming hugs and made us feel so welcome.

Who would have known that would become our home church just five years later.

But I say all that to say this.  

Welcome.

I know what a real welcome feels like, and that is what I desire visitors to feel when they stop by my blog...welcome.

I offer you lots of hugs as you join me from time to time.  I offer to help carry burdens, and hopefully offer some comfort and encouragement as well.  We are all in our own process, and whatever I can do, or whatever I may have written, I pray it blesses you as you read.

Please feel free to leave any prayer requests or thoughts in the comments and PLEASE leave your email address so that I can connect further with you...I love that! ♥

Welcome....

♥Lori

Linked with Lisa Jo and Five Minute Friday

Battle For Time... {Day 2 - 31 Days}

Recently I asked my husband to give me a word, any word that I might be able to write a post on. To you know, practice. Since this is the 31 Days of Practice and all.  
And do you know what word he chose? 

Of the bajillion words he could have come up with, he chose...TIME.

I have a love/hate relationship with time. I know it comes and goes, and we are each allotted the same 24 hours each day, but somehow, some way, there never seems to be enough...TIME.

I scramble here and there doing this and that, trying to accomplish the never ending to-do list. And for what? To stand proudly and declare that IT IS FINISHED? Nah...

The truth is...the list is never finished. It probably never will be.
I actually lost mine from this morning. The day went on, and I continued to move forward.

The other truth is...TIME is finite. There is only so much of it. And I for one am being strongly convicted recently about how I spend my allottment.

How am I investing in the 24 hours I have each day?
7-8 hours are spent sleeping, so the rest is fair game for the endless number of activities vying for my attention. My desire is that I'd spend those 12 hours making a difference...with my husband, my children, my church, the girls I mentor, neighbors, here at Enjoying The Process, the list goes on. But how can I do that?

I think it goes back to that Tyranny of the Urgent theory by Charles Hummel.

God's Will and Word take precedence in determining what's important. It's Time management using the following four steps:

Decide what's important
Discover how one's time is now being spent
Budget the hours
Follow through

I think I need to go back to this way of planning my day. Maybe then I won't stay caught in this battle for my time...

What do you think? Do you make time / to-do list decisions this way? How do you manage your time?

By the way, you can check out the other days in this month's series over here.

♥Lori

Linked with Mary Beth and WIP Wed.

ABC's of Me {Day 1 - 31 Days of Practice}

Hi all! It's day 1 of the {31 Days to practice} and I decided since I am essentially rebuilding my blog during this month of writing, that I'd start with a fun little ABC list that I saved a few weeks ago, and just never used it.  I tracked it back via Aurie and Crystal.
 
A. Age: 42 {though I don't feel it}

B. Bed size: Queen. We invested in a Sleep number bed a few years ago. I have a love/hate relationship with it.

C. Chore that you hate: Ironing. Just can't stand it, but it has to be done...

D. Dogs: One. A six year old Shizu-Bichon mix. Zoe. She's a trip.

E. Essential start to your day:#hellomornings - Bible Study, prayer, Twitter accountability, planning and exercise.

F. Favorite color: Purple...not light like lavender either...Purple.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver/White Gold all the way...love love love the look.

H. Height: 5' 2" - I'm quickly becoming the shortest in my house....

I. Instruments you play:  Right now, nothing. Growing up? Flute, Piccolo and Piano

J. Job title:  Home Manager, Part-time Church Secretary / Pastoral Assistant

K. Kids: Two.  Dancer - 15  and Drummer - 12

L. Live: Western New York

M. Mother’s name: Bev

N. Nickname: "Lor"

O. Overnight hospital stays:  Twice for delivering my kiddos.

P. Pet peeves:  Drivers who don't use the left turning lane.

Q. Quote from a movie: "I'm burdened with glorious purpose..."  {Granted it's spoken by the villain in The Avengers...}

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: Two. Sister - 4 yr younger / Brother - 8 yr younger

T. Time it takes you to get ready: On a good day - 30 minutes

V. Vegetable you hate:  Peas. Never liked them. Ever.

W. What makes you run late: Two adults, Two teenagers, One Bathroom... You do the math... :)

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Ankle. Lungs. Sinus.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Ice Cream Cake. Well, I did til we went gluten free, and I haven't figured it out yet.

Z. Zoo animal: Love me some Giraffes!

Want to play along? Tell me something about you in the comments - just for fun!

By the way, you can check out the other days in this month's series over here.

♥Lori

31 Days of Practice {October 2012}

During the month of October, I'll be joining a host of other bloggers who will be joining The Nester for her annual 31 Days...event.  The minute I read about it, I was compelled to join in, but for the life of me I couldn't come up with a topic.  I asked biggest fan club and they each had their own ideas...but none of them clicked.

Then I remembered something Jon Acuff said last weekend.  He said we need a "Practice Space."  Ahhh suddenly a light bulb went off, and I had my topic.

I started this blog back in 2008 and it was primarily a way to keep long distance family up to date with the happenings in our family. Epic Fail.

Then I began down the household track...meal planning, recipes, coupons, you name it. Epic Fail #2.  

And the story goes on. and on. and on.  Until last winter.

Last winter I distinctly heard the LORD say to me that I needed to start writing. And I did. For awhile. Then the pressure of comments (or lack there of) and stats, etc overwhelmed me and I slacked off.

That cycle repeated itself in the spring and again this summer.

Until I went to the Quitter Conference recently, and the speakers talked about dreams and how our dreams could and should have an effect outside of us. They talked about dreams offering hope.  

They talked about having a practice space, where we could be free to fail, and eventually find our awesome-ness.

That conference was only a week ago.  And here is this 31 days event, where I am challenged to write - for 31 days. Straight.

I'm excited. I'm apprehensive. I don't have a long list of topics. I'm praying the LORD reveals them as we go along. Because really, that's my biggest source of inspiration - daily life, family, The crazy we call life.

So I hope you will join me this month, and if you are also participating, please leave me a link in the comments, so that I can see what you will be writing about. for. 31. days. straight.

♥Lori
Day 1 - ABC's of Me
Day 2 - Battle for TIME
Day 3 -Welcome
Day 4 - Homecoming 2012
Day 5 - Savor 7 Saturday
Day 6 - The Road
Day 7 - The D Word {Discipline}
Day 8 - 
Day 9 - 
Day 10 -
Day 11 - 
Day 12 - 
Day 13 - 
Day 14 - 
Day 15 - 
Day 16 - 
Day 17 - 
Day 18 - 
Day 19 - 
Day 20 - 
Day 21 - 
Day 22 - 
Day 23 - 
Day 24 - 
Day 25 - 
Day 26 - 
Day 27 - 
Day 28 - 
Day 29 - 
Day 30 -  
Day 31 -
 

Savor~7~ Saturday {9/29/12}

Today I am joining with Lisa for Savor~7~Saturday - a chance to stop and count our blessings, for they are many...many more than seven, for sure!

I'm thinking about my Dad this week as we would have celebrated his 66th birthday.  I wonder what kind of celebration we might have had, and what he would have thought about Drummer playing baseball and Dollie going to the homecoming dance.  I'm sure he would have been here with us for both! It's hard to believe he's been with Jesus these past 20 years, but he has and the "missing him" never stops, especially when "milestone stuff" happens. Happy Birthday Dad!

Now for the Savor~7
Scripture~ Right now I am in the midst of two big huge challenges.  First is the #hellomornings ~ Get up early, Bible Study, Planning your day, Exercise challenge.  We finished up week six this past week, and I cannot believe the difference it has made!  I am loving the 1 Peter #KeptStudy we are doing too!

I am also in the middle of reading the Bible in 90 days.  Today is actually day 41, but I am a few days behind. I'm hoping to catch up this weekend and start with a clean slate on Monday, Oct. 1.

Story Tellers~ Let's see, having heard Jon Acuff, Jeff Goins, Matt Chambers and Ali Worthington all in a 24 hour period, I'd have to go with suggesting any of them...

Social~ I think I've mentioned it once or twice, but I attended the Quitter Conference last weekend with Jon Acuff. It was truly a "light switch" moment for me.  The social part is the 400 other people who also attended.  This was challenging for me, as I am a total introvert, but I managed to step out of my little box and meet some wonderful people.

Silly~ Oh, I would have to say the fitting room at the consignment store when Dollie was trying on dresses last minute for homecoming.  She picked up one the minute we walked in and put it back a couple of times before adding it to the pile. I picked up the traditional ones, of course. Then when she put that first one on, she glowed. She twirled. She giggled and said "I feel like a princess...a cupcake princess."  The photo below doesn't do it justice, but the skirt is full of rosettes...like a cupcake would have. It was in that moment that I knew we weren't walking out without that dress.

Snapshot~ Last night Dollie attended her high school homecoming in her sweet little "Cupcake Dress" with a group of her friends.  How can it be? Only yesterday she was dancing around in her tutu watching Sesame Street...  The days go by so fast!  Sure wish I'd gotten better photos though...

Sips~ I've returned to my daily cup of green tea.  I got away from it over the summer, enjoying my iced coffee, but the green tea is warm on these chilly mornings, and it has so many other benefits too.

Sweets~ Gluten Free Ooey Gooey Cheesecake.  Last weekend while we were away, My Man and I walked the historic district of Franklin, TN and stumbled upon a little restaurant that had a gluten free menu.  The salads we ate were awesome, but they didn't even compare to the dessert.  It was a gf ooey-gooey cheesecake.  Oh. My. The. Goodness.  I only had a few bites because of the sweetness, but it reminded me that gluten free does NOT mean awful tasting.

That's it for this week.  Have a great weekend!

♥Lori

Grasp {Five Minute Friday}

Grasp {to take or seize eagerly, to lay hold of with the mind : comprehend}

What a wonder that God would give Lisa-Jo that word for this week's Five Minute Friday.

Not really.
My reader feed has been loaded with various posts on writing and dreaming all week.  Things I grasp to understand these days.

After the blessing of last weekend's Quitter Conference, I grasp to understand what I'm supposed to do, and how.  Being a type-A, over-achiever, if I don't understand it and can't make it work, I want to bail.  Give up. Walk away.
But not this time.
I have to figure this one out.
I have to understand what God is trying to do...in me.

I still get stuck on little things like comments, re-tweets, and responses.  But does all that really matter, or is this just my "practice space"? 

That place where I'm able to find myself and get comfortable with who I am...in my writing, in the blogosphere, in my own skin really.

I've been here a long time.
I've re-invented this little blog of mine several times, never really able to find its true self, its true space.

But maybe it's me.
Maybe its me who needs to move and change...

...to grasp...what God is doing...
♥Lori

Linked with Lisa Jo and Five Minute Friday

What if...

We traveled to the Nashville, TN area this past weekend to attend the Quitter Conference with Jon Acuff and a host of other fabulous speakers.  It was a conference for dreamers, by dreamers.
 
Now, I'm not a dreamer, at least I wasn't a dreamer.  As a child or teen, I never dreamed of what I would do one day, or who I would marry.  Life just kind of happened.  
 
Needless to say, I wasn't sure why we were there at the Quitter conference, until I heard this one word...IF.  

Matt Chambers was talking about finding balance and eliminating excuses.  And when he talked for just a moment about the word IF drowning out our dreams, I literally caught my breath.  

I never thought about it before, 

but the word IF leads to either 

HOPE or EXCUSE.

Think about it...

"I'd love to work on that missions project, IF ONLY I had more money."
"I'd love to help tutor children IF ONLY I had more time."

That IF leads to excuses.

Now think about this...

"It's only an hour of my time, but WHAT IF God could use it to ___________?
"It's only a few dollars, but WHAT IF I used it to ___________?

"WHAT IF..." brings HOPE!

It's my new favorite phrase. It holds so much promise!!

I am only a beginner dreamer, but the fire has been lit, and I see so much promise.  Thank you Jon Acuff & Friends!

This is just one of the many "take-aways" from a loaded weekend~

Happy Wednesday!!
♥Lori

Linked with WIP Wed @ New Life Steward  
                   iFellowship Blog Hop

Still {Sunday Community}

Psalm 107:27-29

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
And are at their wits’ end.

Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brings them out of their distresses.

He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still.

Happy Sunday!

♥Lori

Linked with Sunday Community 

Five Minute Friday ~ Focus {#FMF}

The to do list looms long...it's hard to focus on just one thing.

The calendar is teeming with appointments, games, obligations...it's hard to focus, to know where to be.

Focus doesn't come easy for me.  It's a battle.  In my mind. 

To keep the main thing, the main thing so to speak.

The tyranny of the urgent always reminds me that what is urgent is not always what is most important.

This week I had a daughter who just needed time.  
Time.  Time to shed a few tears.  
Time spent with her. 
Just time. 

Life is a series of choices on where to focus my energy.  

Focusing on what is important and not necessarily what is most urgent.

LORD, please help me to keep perspective and maintain my focus.  I always want to be alert and aware of the situations around me that need my attention most...those times when YOU can speak the clearest.  Help me with focus. Amen.

♥Lori

Linked with Five Minute Friday