The Final Chapters: Day 27-31

Good morning! Yes, it is only 5:40am here, but since I have been up since 3:15am, I might as well use this time to catch up on our devotional.

….Zzzzzz….

Just kidding. Pressing on!.. then nap time ;)

As you might have guessed, I dropped Andrew off at the airport this morning for his two month deployment. No, I don’t have any pictures. It’s hard enough to say goodbye without crying, and how much more if I got sentimental and took pictures of his departure! WAHHH!

We both prayed on the way to the airport and felt an awesome calm come on us about our separation. It was very reassuring—and certainly from the Lord. He gave us a wonderful weekend just to be together, to reaffirm our love for one another and just enjoy being relaxed. I can’t tell you just how much that helped in the process this morning of saying goodbye. Covering all of the basics of this time (the budget, my responsibilities, his responsibilities, our goals, documentation, authorization of our accounts and possessions, etc), we both felt more ready for this separation than past separations. Andrew has taken care of me well, and I hope to continue to honor him in the way I run things here at home.

Now, on to the devotional! We are wrapping things up today, since I am not sure how tomorrow will look.

Day 27-31

On day 27, Sarah encourages us to become friends with Goodwill. Yes, it is hard when you have a bunch of cherished things you just keep holding onto and saying “Maybe I will fit into those next year” or “I might wear this again” when it hasn’t really left the closet for over a couple of years! I can’t say I have the problem of holding on (mine is getting rid of TOO much while Andrew is opposite) but I can say even with my annual clutter cut down, I need to cut down on a bit more or learn how to organize it better. Especially after moves (how is it you accumulate more during a move? It makes no sense to me really, but it happens quite too often).

Then on day 28, there is a story told of a woman who feels guilt after not doing things the way her friend believes she should have. This is called people pleasing…and God calls us not to do it:

“5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord…”—Ephesians 6:5-8

We are to examine our hearts about our life before God, and only our hearts. Don’t fall into the people pleasing trap!

Day 29 encourages us to figure out what to hire help for and what not to. Our Proverbs 31 woman even hires help in the areas she cannot manage, so there is no condemnation in hiring. Also, realize you have LOTS of help already… owning a laundry machine, a dish washer, a vacuum cleaner or bread machine: all sources of help. Bet you haven’t looked those things like that before, huh? Be thankful for that help!

Sarah encourages us in day 30 to find contentment in the seasons of life:

“1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.--Colossians 3:1-2.

They will not all look alike (which is the biggest reason not to compare). We should instead keep our eyes focused on heavenly things and be THANKFUL (like stated before) for what God gives US. Our worth and value comes from the Life-giver Himself—you won’t find it looking elsewhere.

“8Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

9lest I be full and deny you

and say, "Who is the LORD?"

or lest I be poor and steal

and profane the name of my God.”--Proverbs 30:8-9

Lastly, we balance it all out with love. Day 31 encourages us to take commitments out of a box and let them run together, seeing these as puzzle pieces that must connect to see the whole picture of life’s meaning. We are to lean into faith and keep our mind on the hope at the end. Choose to forgo perfection!

“Instead of striving to be a perfect wife, I will choose to kiss my husband before he leaves for work.

Instead of striving to be a perfect mother, I will choose to giggle with my kiddos throughout the day.

Instead of striving to keep my ideals, I will choose to instead let them gentle guide me.

Instead of striving to change myself, I will choose to let the living Word of God change me from the inside out in His timing and will. I will keep my eyes on Him.” – Sarah Mae.

The end gives us a variety of tips of how to balance hospitality and housekeeping, but I will have to write about these later. I am about to pass out from exhaustion!

Anyways, I hope this devotional has helped you in your walk to keep both your physical and your spiritual houses clean. It has encourged me tremendously!

Until next time…..zzz… ;)

Blessings XOXO

Day 26-- Laundry

Such a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS DAY!! EH!

I am really enjoying this morning: Andrew is home reading at the table, the window is open (even if it is a bit chilly), I am sipping on a yummy espresso Andrew made me and have been reading the word/my devotional as I listen to the wind sweep through the trees. What a beautiful morning! Thank you Lord.


All is well… except for Eli (go figure). Eli has been acting funny all morning long. Andrew woke up to him twice right in his face as Eli rest his head on the edge of our bed with readied eyes for him to wake up. Ever since, he has not left our sides (even when we get up to use the restroom!). Maybe it’s the fact we have a really windy day and the trees or rustling or maybe he had a bad dream; maybe he knows Andrew is leaving soon or maybe he is all up-in-arms because our neighbors are moving today… or we are getting an earthquake…. WHO KNOWS! It’s kind of hilarious to watch (even though I feel bad for the little guy!). I guess he will settle down soon enough.

Onwards!

We are on Day 26, entitled “Laundry”

Hmm… Ironic, considering it was just yesterday I cried out triumphantly ‘I am finished with laundry for the week!’, only to look into the basket and see more piled up, ready for a washing. Sigh. Thus, the battle rages on….

Sarah too feels this way, but she gives us a different perspective on our approach to laundry: like being thankful we have clothes!


It’s true. We are blessed to have clothing and blessed to have more than one set to wear per day (since in Ethiopia, some people only HAVE one set of clothing. Really humbling. We should start seeing laundry as a gift rather than an enemy.


Secondly, if you are overwhelmed, try new methods. Here are some Sarah Mae suggested:


Trying getting boys black socks only and girls white socks. Makes the confusion much less.


If your family has a lot of clothing, try using a room to store all the clothing instead of having it all in separate places (especially good for younger children).


Make an attempt to do one load a day. It takes down on the daily load.


Have a rule that by 10:00am all the laundry has to be in the laundry room or the children have to do it themselves.


Give young children a basket of clean laundry instead of drawers. Kids want to try to dress themselves so encourage the independence without the drawers to deal with (they just end up all jumbled up anyways!). When they get to a certain age, then you can encourage the drawer system 


Try to be thankful for your laundry today instead of complaining. We all don’t like the task of doing it, but if we ask God to give us a new perspective and grateful hearts, the task won’t seem so daunting.


Well, I am off to get ready for this wonderful Friday! Andrew and I are going to try to do a hike of some sort this morning (or a walk) then I am helping carry out a secret birthday plan for my friend Lindsey that her husband devised! Very fun indeed. Since she might get cleaver and come to my blog for a revealing of the secrets, I will have to post more on this later ;)


Until tomorrow, be grateful and blessed.



Day 24 and 25: Organization and the High-low Cycle

My mom is a couple of steps ahead of me as she has gone to tackle organizing the attic! Phew! Lots of hard work there… and hot! (You go mama!!)


I, on the other hand, have been trying to organize my WHOLE HOUSE (I wish we had an attic sometimes—or some kind of storage in this house just to toss things.... but then again, I guess that defeats the purpose of today's devotion). Since we have moved in, I have realized just how much work it was going to take to make this place feel like home. And though we are not there yet, I am starting to see the fruit of my work—very encouraging!


Sarah Mae quoted Isaiah 40:12 for us this morning, which states:

“12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand

and marked off the heavens with a span,

enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure

and weighed the mountains in scales

and the hills in a balance?”

Yes. These verses do call us to order—and organization. Because we have been commanded to be like the Lord, we are to strive after the characteristics that make Him God. One of them is making order within our spheres of influence. So how do we find order?? Well, we start by looking at the areas that need order, getting rid of the stuff (yes, this means to declutter and be selective so that you have less to organize in the long run) and making organization work for you. No, you don’t have to run out to pottery barn or target and get the cute little organization boxes (they have a cute price as well!). It doesn’t have to be picture-pretty, but it does have to work… for you. Be reasonable and try looking at some of the sites she suggests we check out for organizing tips:


• Organizing your way: http://organizing.yourway.net/


• I’m an Organized Junkie: http://orgjunkie.com/


• Like Mother, Like daughter: http://ourmotherdaughters.blogspot.com/


• Unclutter: http://unclutter.com/


So what does an organized home look like? Try ‘a home…you can find what you need when you need it’ (Mae).


Lately, I constructed this little bench that goes in my corner, keeping my computer, our keys, my purse, Andrew’s wallet and all our bills neatly organized within its structure. I can’t tell you enough how much this has cut down on the clutter of things on my dining room table or on the corner of my kitchen counter! Leaves space to feel free from cleaning every time I walk through the door.


And once you figure out how to de-clutter and organize, you will find your house moving through a messy cycle again…. O life.


The Thornbury house is experiencing this never-ending low cycle almost daily now as Andrew fills up his ‘mobility room’ (aka: the baby room), going through his checklist of everything he needs for a deployment of two months. Sooo…Let’s just say the house is not looking its best at the moment ;)

But that’s the fact we face we face in the matter: We will probably experience this cycle all throughout our lives. The High-Low Cycle.


Yet don’t let this make you cry like I am tempted to do! Although this may seem discouraging and despondent, I want to encourage you to have courage and face this nasty cycle… with perseverance and HOPE!

"3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."--Romans 5:3-5

“Hope keeps me going, the hope of something better one day. Everything we are doing to care for our families by the way of our homes we are doing for eternal purpose! It all matters! God is molding us with each pulled weed of housework, with every spill lovingly cleaned up, every mouth wiped and diaper changed and kiss given… It matters and is not insignificant. Your work in the mundane is the refining of gold.”—Sarah Mae.


This has encouraged me to just let my priorities (which are obviously not to clean and organize right now) come first and THEN attack the low end of the cycle. For those of you who are tackling this issue right now, I AM PROUD OF YOU! You will be rewarded for your hard work eith the fruit of your labor and by God Himself :)


Have a most blessed day!

Day 22 and 23—Developing a Workable Schedule and Dealing with Distractions

Well as a result of yesterday, I have found my schedule that I THOUGHT worked is, in fact, not realistic or workable at all! Haha—especially in this time of preparing for my husband’s upcoming deployment (6 days!!)…

I really let my building and home project frustrations stream out as I attempted get my ‘little idol’ (aka: schedule) completed yesterday. Andrew (who was trying to help me—I am not the best team player when it comes to projects) caught it as I was blubbering about my so-called priorities (relating to this study) and looking at my pitiful project I just royally screwed up on. He asked, “What are your priorities?” That question really hit harder than I thought as it haunted me throughout the evening. My convictions set in and I realized I was not giving my priorities proper ranking.

Thus, it is time to step back, reevaluate and develop a WORKABLE schedule that deals with distractions. Here are some suggestions that might help you that have helped me:


1. Sarah suggests we go back to that list of priorities we made at the very beginning of our study. Review it. Is there something from your time log you can see is distracting you from getting proper things done or paying attention to your husband or children? Is it the computer? Is it a project you just HAVE to get done in a certain time frame you have set for yourself (like me)? Set a time limit on it or schedule a special time for it.


2. Make sure you schedule a time for your hobbies. Yes, like we talked about above, it needs a time schedule too since we are running on a time budget of sorts. If you don’t, you might end up wasting that time or losing it all together.


3. Do what comes naturally. You have been given a different personality style and you need to do what works for you to accomplish these things. Look at your schedule too and log in consistent things (like lunches, activities and dinners). That will help you plan your day accordingly.


4. Write it down then stick it somewhere you will see it throughout the day. It’s like a little time accountability partner!! But it can and will change—so be flexible and DON’T make it an idol!!

5. Lastly, look at what is distracting you. What’s distracting you from God or your housework or doing good to your husband/family? Sarah uses the example of Dave Ramsey’s “gazelle and CHEETAH” exercise. He uses that to exemplify the fleeing we should do with financial distractions (like credit cards) so we don’t leave our goals ‘to collect dust on the bookshelf of good intentions’ (Sarah). If the distraction is something other than husband or children or other higher priority, you must yell ‘CHEETAH!’ and flee!

“Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and like a bird from the hand of the fowler.”—Proverbs 6:4-5

I hope this helps you just as much as I hope and pray it helps me. Thanks for your persistence in following this devotional. Remember, don't give up but try and try again!

Alaskan fun and Day 16-19

Happy Monday!

I am hoping you had a wonderful weekend like us—though I pray yours was not as chaotic!!



I shouldn’t use words that relate to negativity when we really did have a wonderful weekend. We really did have a great time—it was just slightly too packed together for my liking. If any of you know me, I like busyness. But too much craziness without a small break to myself to process life, no alone time and spending little time communing with the Lord really wore me down.


We had good reason for going about our weekend the way we did: we both will be gone for the summer, missing out on all Alaska has to offer. Thus, we are squeezing it in now!


Alas, it is now Monday. And though I really haven’t slowed down much, I just feel a little more refreshed by taking my time to get out of bed, do some small things for my husband and get some time to catch up blogging :)


Thus, let me begin with my objectives for this blog:


1. Catching up on Days 16-19 (next blog, I will catch up us up to the day we should be on!)2. Recapping our first all-outdoor weekend in Alaska
 So let’s begin!


Day 16—Willing Hands


We are being brought back to Proverbs 31 again:


“She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.” (13)


If you were to evaluate your heart today, would you see a ‘willingness’ attribute hidden within? The proverbs remind us that we need willingness to see things be accomplished in our lives. Not perfect accomplishments, but merely accomplishments done to the best of our abilities. This encourages me to spur you to practice self-discipline.


”27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”---1 Corinthians 9:27


We should discipline our bodies so our messages about Christ are effectively relayed and our lives line up with our words (our preaching). If we practice this kind of willing discipline, then we can endure the race that we run! (Hebrews 12:1)


Speaking of self-discipline, that brings us to Day 17 and 18 where we practice our cleaning styles in the manner that works for our personalities.


According to Psalm 139 (one of my favorite psalms), we are reminded by the Lord that we were all formed uniquely and with much love:


“ 1O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 3You search out my path and my lying down


and are acquainted with all my ways. 13For you formed my inward parts;


you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”


Isn’t it encouraging knowing that you have a personality unlike everyone else’s?? In that perspective, look at that with much awe and reverence, not comparing or envying. This can distract us from our goals to glorify Him in the way we function.


Sarah Mae then helps us evaluate which personality type we are from the following and how to find appropriate motivation to meet our goals:


• ‘D’ Style: You are result oriented and like the bottom line, the fastest way to get things done and thrive on challenges. You are a great motivator. Your motivation? To be challenged. Make a goal for yourself and form a challenge to accomplish it.


• ‘I’ Style: Do anything but clean! You are super fun and people oriented. Your motivation? Positive feedback and fun. Try rewarding yourself after meeting tangible goals. Have some fun with cleaning (play music and dance) and set a time to have guests over so you have motivation to clean your house for their arrival!


• ‘S’ Style: You are friendly and soft; extremely loyal and supportive; you need security and stability; someone’s guidance comforts you. Your motivation: affirmation. Ask your friends/husband for affirmation in your job so you can continue to be effective in your work. Affirm yourself too! It’s good to do this by remembering the promises of God and seeing how they are being carried out in your life. If you need further motivation, tyr a program to guide you (like Flylady!)


• ‘C’ Style: super detail oriented, loving structure and quality. You are a natural organizer, though this can lead to criticism and perfectionism. You seek facts and want the most systematic way to get things done. Your motivation? Structure. Set some realistic expectations, shoot for excellence in all you do (but not absolute perfectionism) and be satisfied in the end product.


Try out some styles and motivators if you are not exactly sure with which catefory you fall into! It’s worth the effort.


Day 19 is about finding our joy in a self-disciplined life. How do you do that? By seeing the accomplishments of living a self-disciplined/self-controlled life. It results in peace instead of chaos.


Here are six tips you can take with you for leading a self-disciplined life:


1. Commitment—submission to the Spirit is one way of opening yourself up this practice. It is a fruit of the Spirit that God is willing to give us if we loosen up our control and commit ourselves to God’s molding and changing us.


2. Set up and complete goals-- start small and realistic so you can see your goals be accomplished, thus spurring you on to endure in this practice. Take one step at a time and tons of grace!


3. Do what you say you will do—integrity and trustworthiness forms the foundations to your walk in self-discipline.


4. Learn to say no—if it interferes with your main priorities, it will end up just stressing you out unnecessarily. Pray about the opportunities that come your way. Sometimes they can be said yes to, but if you know you can’t manage, you should practice saying no gracefully. You will find you have more free time to manage your priorities more effectively!


5.  Learn to say no—if it interferes with your main priorities, it will end up just stressing you out unnecessarily. Pray about the opportunities that come your way. Sometimes they can be said yes to, but if you know you can’t manage, you should practice saying no gracefully. You will find you have more free time to manage your priorities more effectively!
 


5. Practice—Yes, you have heard it many times: practice makes perfect! And it takes hard work. So learn to endure with your goals by starting small and pressing on, one day at a time.


6. And DON’T GIVE UP!


“ 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."—Joshua 1:9


For this is our goal:


“22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”—Galations 5:22-23


I hope these encourage you to keep pressing on to form these practices in your life! There is fruit in the end if you trust and endure.


Now on to the weekend!

On Friday night, we went on a picnic with friends to Eklutna Lake. We took two other couples (the Hasslers and the Adams) and our two crazy dogs: Eli and Hank! Here are some amazing pictures Andrew took of them playing in the freezing cold water!

Bye Eklutna Lake!!

On Saturday, we went fishing at Montana Lake with the Hasselers and the Whites. I tried to take some pictures of the guys fishing, but they were too far away-- I did get a cute picture of Lacy and Annelyse playing!

Me, Cynthia and Lacy!

(That white hate really makes me look like I have a GIANT head! haha!)

We can say that Lacy caught the only fish that day-- and it happened to be a big black furry one! Poor Hank!

On Sunday, we drove with a group to Whittier and went sea kayaking. TONS of fun!

Here is on our drive to Whittier:

Glacier: 

The tunnel we went through is 2.5 miles-- its really crazy! 

Here is the island we had lunch at:

Matt and Lindsey:

Oh! And Lindsey and I saw a moose in the neighborhood after we left Bible Study! Super cool!!

And yes, little Taylor Rose turned two and had a great time at her bouncy birthday party!

Well, that is all I have today. Time to attack the day and stay disciplined by God's grace!

More furniture building to come ;)

Blessings!

Mother's Day weekend and Day 13-15: Tiredness, energy tips and cleaning

Our Mother's Day weekend hike!

 Ok, so the main reason for this hike was to help a friend (Brent, featured on the right in the picture) find his phone that went M.I.A. Friday, following his very long hike with his cousin. Being very sure it was still up there, on the peak of this very tall mountain, he made plans to climb it for the second time in a row... (we did not end up making the whole journey with him, but we did however rejoice with him as he called us from his cellphone once he got to the top! A happy ending to a long and tiring hike!)

 Yes, Eli is already exhausted in this picture.. in fact, he hasn't moved this morning (he is still in bed). That hike must have really worn him out!

                                         Isn't this beautiful?? I really love this scenic picture :)

And man alive….I have never had so many sleeping issues in my life since being Prego!


Ok, so thats only partially true--- but it has been a lot more difficult since carrying this little one. I wish I could be like my other prego friends and just be completely exhausted where all I can do is sleep. However, God made me the more high strung variety that must learn to function on little to NO sleep. Haha… Thus, I shall rely on my Savior more.


It’s funny the devotional for Day 13 was about ‘Fighting Fatigue’. She gives us energizing tips like: move (sine inactivity makes you more tired), only get the sleep you need (anymore might make you sluggish), do not become overwhelmed (stress makes you tired—refer to Day 10 to minimize it), increase your magnesium (yes, its true; it works), have a healthy whole grained snack, and CAFFEINE (if you can). Or if you are like me, get some exercise and LET YOUR 'TO DO' LIST REST UNTIL TOMORROW! AH!


Day 14, Sarah speaks of more energizing tips. She encourages us to find something that “gets you all jazzed up.” You will find yourself more effective than you had been without it. This used to be running for me, but I will have to find something else to incorporate into my week…


Now Day 15 is where I can relate today: ‘I’d rather do anything but clean’. Yes, I feel you Sarah Mae—usually, I do enjoy cleaning just because I function better in a clean house, but with so many projects and rearranging happening lately, its hard to feel motivated. Sarah suggests we read over our mission statement we made on Day 1, put our sneakers on (which makes us feel as if we should move!), do the hardest things first, play some music and remind yourself why you do it (like to serve my poor tired husband, exhausted by his paper pushing job...and definitely for an eternal cause). This sure is motivating for me: I am now ready to get my laundry on, despite my little sleep intake!


Besides reading through the 31 days to clean devotional, I have also been reading through the book of Isaiah. The Lord really wrapped my heart up in the comfort of his love for me today and I want to share some of his word with you:

"But now hear, O Jacob my servant,



Israel whom I have chosen!"--Isaiah 44:1


We have been chosen! I love all the verses that also speak of his forming us from the womb! Just makes me think how God is taking care of my little one right now—44:2, 44:24.


Idolatry is also is a large theme through this book and chapter 44. And even though we wouldn’t think it we have idols like they did back in the biblical days, we definitely go about the same kind of worship—just in a less evident observable way.


For myself, I know it’s my never ending to-do list, my house and projects. Even though a lot of them are necessary, they can become an idol that my heart rests upon for satisfaction and worth. I can bow down to them to measure my days’ worth and continue to be slaved by their demands. There is nothing that these idols are going to do for me… except continue to demand that empty satisfaction I will never get from them. They will leave me weary and tired. Kind of like today…


But we have a Savior that draws us to Himself, to refresh and guide us; to redeem and equip us for life’s hardships (44:22, 45:5-7). We will not seek him in vain (45:9), but he will accomplish his purpose with us and his counsel he gives us will stand for his glory—for our good (46:11). How refreshing…. What a wonderful God we serve.

 Yet we look at His ways as burdensome (44:23). Why do we think a God with a love like that for us is a burden??


Because of our idols…


Time to fight back—for our soul’s sake.

I plan on fighting for the order of my priorities; fighting tiredness, but embracing rest; and learning to weed out idols before I let them consume the things that matter most in life. I will let you know the result tomorrow.

Until then, I pray you find you are reaping your strength from him and learning to let him rule your heart, because he only wants your ultimate good:)