I am truly proud to say that my dad has finished his very first novel! Now, this is no small task. If you are a writer then you know 
just how much time and effort is put into every word, punctuation and page to make it exactly how you envisioned it. His first book is The Light of Ordaya by Gary Swensen. This is a fiction fantasy novel and I love reading the words knowing that my dad created it all! To me I look at the finished work of books as art, every word delicately and creatively thought out. As a writer myself I could not be more proud nor could I be more respectful of his art! If you have a list of books that you are working your way through you should definitely put my dad’s on there! Not only will you get to enjoy the great story but you will be supporting a local writer as well! Happy reading!
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“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Lately I have changed my routine from reading my Bible before bed to now waking up early and reading it after I work out. It was a challenge making myself actually do this because I do not like getting up earlier than I have to, but I am glad that I finally did. That first week was rough. I was tired from not being used to getting up early and satan was attacking me every which way. It felt like that week I just couldn’t seem to catch a break at all. I was continually reminding myself that he was attacking me because I was doing something right, I was starting my day off with God and satan was going to do everything he could to make me stop. Wonderfully, God has also given me some good friends at work that I was able to share this with and get encouragement. He alwasy knows just what we need and who we need in our paths, it’s just amazing how He does that!
Now that I have adjusted to my new routine I find my days better, my moods better and just feel closer with God through out my day. Morning Bible studies have always been a challenge for me but something that I have felt that I should do for a while now and I am so glad that I made that change! It never fails that when we are doing something right satan will attack. Don’t let that defeat you, don’t give in! God will bless you for diligently seeking Him!
Photo Credit: Brett Jordan
Time management. Enough said right? I have always been a person who manages their time and tasks right down to the tiniest detail, and then I became a mom and that particular quality has been challenged. I am sure you know what I am talking about right? Our jobs as mom are a 24 hour a day job, I literally can not have every moment of every day planned nor can I expect it to happen perfectly according to my agenda. Plus, I have to take a moment and look at the entire picture… yes I might need to dust, the folded laundry might need to be put away BUT my son also needs my attention as well when he is bringing me books to read or puzzles to put together. I have had to learn to “manage my time” so that those precious moments of reading books, finger painting and trips to the park don’t go missed. It can be easy to feel like we are not getting our jobs done as wife and mom when our attention is being pulled in nine million directions. But, that is not the case! Spend a little time putting laundry away and then dedicate all your attention to a fun book to read, save the dusting for another time. Not everything has to be done at once, take joy in the things accomplished in that day and not focus on the “failures” of what was not accomplished. Housework will always be there calling our names, how long will our children be little? Not long! Basically I think the biggest thing I have learned and would tell other moms experiencing this challenge is that “time management” as a mom is more about learning that not everything must be done right this second and that our children don’t stay little forever.
Photo Credit: Sean McGrath
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Today has been the day for us to get back into our usual routine after the holidays. We have either had family in town or was out-of-town ourselves. It has been a great time spending Christmas and the New Year with family, Eli even took his first steps while we were visiting Chase’s grandparents! Today while Eli took his nap I took down the Christmas decorations. Is it just me or does the house seem really empty when the tree gets put up for another year? It’s like there is a giant empty spot now in my living room that is usually there unless its December and the tree is up. As I look at that empty space I am trying to figure out what to fill it with but I know I will do what I always do… nothing and eventually it will look like normal until it is time for the tree to go up again. It’s a never-ending cycle that I am sure I am not alone in. While I am sitting here writing, something came to me about this cycle, it’s a lot like life. How so? Well if your like me there are some days where you feel like you don’t have enough minutes in the day. (I know I was that way Christmas Eve… trying to clean, wrap gifts, do laundry etc.) Then there are other days where you might find yourself with a few extra minutes. What do we do with those minutes? Turn on the tv, play on the computer, read, call someone or probably any number of other things and so we fill up that extra space of time until we are full and can move on with our day and then the cycle continues again. Today while I was thinking about all this I decided how great it would be to break that cycle! What if instead of filling up our every minute of every day we take those extra precious moments and praise God, read his word, listen to Him and even just rest… yes I said rest, sometimes resting is what we need too. It doesn’t have to take long to say a prayer or even listen to a favorite worship song. What can we teach our kids when we live our lives in a way that shows that we don’t constantly have to be entertained by something but yet using the time given to us wisely and in praise of our God!?!
Photo Credit: Leland Francisco
“When you hide another story in a story, that’s the story I am telling the children.” Maurice Sendak
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!” Where the Wild Things Are
One of Eli’s gift we got him last month for his birthday was the book “Where the Wild Things are.” I love this book! What a classic! The artwork is so fun and the story is creative. I am all about the creative and fun filled story so when we were shopping for his present and I found the book I knew I wanted to get that for him. The story is also a great lesson for the kiddos. There are probably many lessons that could be pulled but the one in particular that I am thinking of is being free to be creative, to have fun and to be yourself. Max is a fun character with lots of imagination. He let’s that imagination run wild, literally, and makes his own world. He didn’t worry about what others thought, he just continued to be his creative fun self. Besides the fun memories this story will bring, I hope that Eli will also take from it the importance of being his own creative selves, always.
Photo Credit: Brandi Jordan