Breaking Free

I started a Beth Moore study once and didn't finish it. But taking one (and finishing it) was on my list this year of things I really wanted to do.
I don't think it's a coincedence that this is the one they were offering at church this time: Breaking Free.
I struggled to get to the first meeting this week on Monday morning. It was raining. I had a long weekend and wanted to go home and rest. The house was a mess... yadda yadda. I had plenty of excuses not to go. But I went. And I'm sooooooo glad I did!

Our group leader asked us how many of us almost didn't come? I wasn't the only one. I guess Satan tries as hard as he can to keep us from Jesus. I never thought of it that way.

I've been a little disoriented lately without work. I haven't had any orders since Christmas and I asked God to show me what was next for me. I think He is telling me it is time to be with Him right now.

So I've committed to this bible study. There is 30-45 minutes of homework a day, and it is not light-hearted stuff my friends. It is deep. It is life-altering. It is a study that asks you to give God your heart and your trust, and requires you to probe yourself.

Would you say a little prayer for me? I am going into unknown territory and to tell you the truth, it's a little scary.

Have any of you taken this course before? Will you tell me about your experience?

xoxo

Chrissie

Give us this day our daily bread...

I've always had this romantic/housewife notion of making fresh bread for my family. Real bread. Served to them nice and warm...:) So when I found this bread machine at a garage sale last year (gulp, has it been that long?) I traded over a $10 bill for it.
It came with a bunch of cookbooks (five, I think), and lots of hand-written recipes. Someone used this machine a lot.

But it still works really well! Four hours after mixing minimal (and all-natural ) ingredients together, I had a small loaf of white bread. I started with the most basic recipe I could find.

I laid it on the kitchen table for the kids so they could smell the freshness when they woke up in the morning. However, someone got to it before I could slice it up.

Next up...something sweet. Perhaps cinnamon bread!

And now I can cross off #9.

Speaking of food, you have to try this recipe. It is delicious and perfect for a cold evening. By the way, have you heard that it's been freezing here in Florida? Literally, freezing. So I am cooking lots of hearty warm meals. This one is delicious.

We omitted the black olives due to some pickiness, and served it with yellow rice. Almost the whole pan was gone after dinner.
Stay warm on this Tuesday Friends. I'm off to do a little sewing!:)

#29 Volunteer with the kids

I completed the first item on my list! I originally set out to volunteer with the two older boys, but it turned out that even my three year really got into this.
Operation Christmas Child is a program where you collect, package and send out filled shoe boxes for less fortunate boys and girls across the world.
We started by getting on-line and showing the kids the Samaritans Purse Website. I think seeing some children helped them visualize what we were doing. We talked about how some children don't have any toys, very little food, almost no hygiene products. We also talked about how some children don't even have mothers or fathers, and that we would be spending time making them a present to open on Christmas morning.

It really filled my heart with joy to see my children worry about these kids. They were full of questions and I did my best to answer them. We also prayed for all of them.

My mom really got into this too. She had a lot of hotel sized shampoos and soaps. She also brought over combs, bandaids, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and Christmas baggies. Her and Ava spent all afternoon dividing them up, wrapping them in the baggies and tying pretty ribbons.

We gave the kids $6 each and took them to the dollar store. They each picked out very thoughtful gifts: balls, jump-ropes, a doll or stuffie, coloring books and crayons. I picked up some school supplies and some hard candy.

When we got home we filled up the shoeboxes. They were crammed full and the kids were so excited! What fun it is to give! I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet but the whole experience really put me in the Christmas mood. I would like to continue to find situations where the kids could volunteer their time with me to help others. Ava taught me that three is definitely not too early to give!

Speaking of Christmas, I've been wondering how some of you celebrate with your kids. We have decided, for the first year ever, to do three gifts for each child. As a tradition I always give them new pajamas and a book or movie on Christmas Eve, and they will still receive a stocking as well. When I say it out loud like that, it still seems like a lot to me. But I have friends who say NOOOOOO WAyY!!! Christmas is a time to go big! Three gifts is like a deprivation!

We've always gone big, but it's always felt like too much. Overwhelming and greedy is not what I want to feel on Christmas day. So we are focusing on simplicity, and being grateful for what we have.

What about you? Do you love to buy a lot of gifts for your kids, or do you set a limit?

(ps I don't think you are greedy if you like to buy lots for Christmas!!:) It just hasn't been working for our family:)

35 things to do before I turn 35 (MSAM)

It's Week 4 of Make Some Art Monday and our assignment was to make a list. These to-do lists are going around all over bloggy-land, and I've been wanting to make one. I won't turn 35 until June, but I'm not quite sure I'll finish this whole list by then. I sure am going to try though! I will be updating on my list so I can share my experiences with you.


1. Run a 5K
This is probably the biggest one. I really need to get my body back into good physical shape, and having this tangible goal will help keep me on track.

2. Be able to do 5 pull-ups
I can't even do one. Can you? If you can you are my hero.

3. Plant a veggie garden
My husband are researching the best way to do this for our type of climate, soil, and road distance.

4. Finish paying off all debt.
I started off last January at almost $30,000. That included student loans, car loans, credit cards, a business loan, and dental bills. As of today we are down to 16,506. By the new year we should be down to 15,000, which is half of where we were last year. However, we did also almost fully fill our emergency fund. So we have made big strides, and I want to continue our frugal savings. Thanks Dave.

5. Mosaic backsplash in kitchen

6. Do a Beth Moore study at my church

7. Make cloth baggies to replace plastic ones

8. Make cloth pads

9. Learn to use my bread machine
I bought a really nice one (I think) for $10 at a garage sale last year and still haven't used it yet.

10. Learn how to REALLY use my camera.
I took a class last year and I'm still not happy with my skills. I would like a new lens but I what I really need to do is practice!

11. 365 photos

Starting in January I'm planning on starting a new blog in which I take one photo a day.

12. Go bowling with the family

13. Play putt-putt golf with the family

14. Update all scrapbooks and photo albums
I am way behind on my kids books, and the pictures are piling up. I've got to get a handle on them!

15. Moo cards

16. Sign at least one licensing contract
I've dreamt of this for a long time, and after chasing this dream too hard, I let it go for awhile. But I still want it to happen!

17. Couples Massage
Just Mike and I

18. Contract fourth book

19. Finish my Master Bedroom quilt

20. Go on a real camp out with the kids.
I may end up regretting this one!:)

21. Weekend trip with Mike
We've been so busy having kids that we haven't gone on a trip alone in five years. So we are going to make it happen this year! (the trip, not another baby...:)

22. Bake an apple pie from scratch

23. Learn to can

24. Reach 500 sales in my Etsy shop

25. Rebuild my website

26. Art retreat
This one was hard for me. I feel like it's a very selfish one, but I would still love it.

27. Take more deep breaths.

28. Pray more.

29. Volunteer with Logan and Ashton
The last couple of years Logan and I did some volunteering together and I think Ashton is ready.

30. Go rollerblading.
I used to go with my bf Courtney all the time. I don't have rollerblades anymore, but we'll see what happens.

31. Get down to $500 a month grocery shopping.
We are currently at $600, and for feeding a family of six that's pretty good. But I know if I was better at menu planning and shopping around sales I could get it down even more.

32. Go strawberry picking.

33. Sew from a pattern.
Not a quilt though. I'd like to try an Amy Butler pattern.

34. Go to the park more.
We have a lot of nice parks pretty close by. I'd like to take advantage of them and take the kids more while the weather is nice and not too hot.

35. Start Ava and Jax college funds.



Okay, I want to see your list. Link up, but please remember the rules:

1. Link to your post, not your whole blog.

2. Please link back to this post so we can get traffic flowing both ways.

3. Leave some comment love for those participating.

Remember you can link up any art you've made, it doesn't have to be in this theme!
I will not be doing MSAM next week because my kids will be out of school and we will be preparing for Thanksgiving. But I will come back next weekend with a new theme.
Okay, time to share!:)