As expected, I got off track with all of my goals in March.  There was so much going on that I lost focus – but I thoroughly enjoyed our travels and our visitors! 

Here’s how it all went down this past month.

Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day.  I actually stayed on track fairly well here, but did miss a few days.  It proved what I already knew – if I don’t have my devotional time first thing in the morning, but think I’ll get to it later in the day, I almost never do.

Family:  Write a note to each of my immediate family members at least twice this month.  I only did this for one family member.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.  I just missed this one week.

Personal Development/Health:  Eat something green every weekday.  When I was home, I did well with this goal, but once our trips began, I definitely failed here!  I hope to get back to healthier eating in April.

Blog:  Spend 30 minutes each weekday writing for the blog.  Again, I kept up with this for the first half of the month, but didn’t do it all after that.

I’m almost scared to say this, but April looks to be a calmer month!  Here’s what I hope to accomplish in the coming weeks.

Spiritual Growth:  Write out a specific prayer list for each of my immediate family members at the beginning of the month and pray through it every day.  I had this as a yearly goal last year and am finding I miss having this list to go to every day.  It gives me clear direction as I pray for my husband and children.

Family:  Write a note to each of my immediate family members at least twice this month.  I want to give this another try for April.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.   I’ll set this goal for another month because it’s a simple way of reaching out to family and friends to let them know I care about them.

Personal Development/Health:  Eat 3 servings of fruits and vegetables every week day.  Hopefully this will help me get back in the habit of paying more attention to what I’m eating.

Blog:  Post to Instagram 4 days a week.  I’ve never been very good at taking pictures consistently, but I want to document our days a little more – they’re passing so quickly! 

Are you working on meeting any goals right now?

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Due to being involved with my daughters’ fine arts competition with their school, family activities, and a week of spring break, it’s going to be quiet here on the blog for the next week or so.  However, I thought I’d leave you with a few previously published Easter posts of mine as well as some other inspiring Easter content!

Easter Scripture Readings for the Family

Is Your Heart Ready for Easter?

The Easter Tree:  Bringing the Stories of Jesus into Your Easter Holiday

Make an Easter Story Wreath

Easy Paper Easter Wreath

Easter Basket Ideas for Girls:  Make It Personal

Ten Ideas for Filling Easter Baskets

10 Easter Basket Ideas for Teens and Tweens

90+ No-Sugar Easter Basket Filler Ideas

15 Fun Easter Ideas for Kids

Fun Easter Activities and Games for Kids

Bunny Chow with Chex Mix

Thanks so much for reading here!  Wishing you all the best as you celebrate this joyous Easter season!!

As some warmer weather came through earlier this week, I started looking in my closet to see what I could trade for my heavier jackets and winter boots!

It will still be awhile before I can wear spring clothes full-time, but I like to evaluate the pieces that I already own so that I can be ready to put together some new outfits when those higher temperatures arrive for good.

Here are 10 style ideas that I’d like to include in my wardrobe this spring.

1.  Maxi dress with denim jacket.  This look is so pretty (okay, except that the hat’s not my thing 😉  For me to copy this idea, I’d just need to find the right maxi dress.  I’ve dragged a few to the dressing room in the past, but haven’t found one that I really liked.  However, I’m willing to give it another try!  As for denim jackets….I have three in my closet and have passed up many more that I wanted to buy!  I do want to replace a white one that I loved and finally wore out, so that will be at the top of my spring shopping list.

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2.  Striped blazer.  I like how this could dress up pretty much any solid-colored skirt, and could be dressy or casual, depending on the rest of the outfit.

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3.  Maxi skirt.  I own two maxi skirts, both of which have seen better days, so I’d like to replace those this year.  Maxi skits tend to be very versatile, and can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.  A key for me is getting the right fit in length and a material that’s not too clingy.  This outfit would also be cute with a denim vest (which I have and love!) or a cardigan.

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4.
Cargo utility vest.  I just bought one of these a couple of weeks ago because I had seen it styled on several fashion blogs and liked the look.  I’ve already worn mine a couple of times!  I liked it with a navy and white striped t-shirt and a khaki skirt; next I want to try it with a striped skirt and solid-colored shirt.

Source:  One Little Momma

5.  Navy and white.  I have a navy jacket similar to this one and I’d love to find a dress to wear it with.  This color combination is so classic and pretty!

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6.  Gingham shirt and colored denim skirt.  It may be difficult to find a gingham shirt that looks fresh and current, yet age-appropriate, but I’ll see what I can do.  I’d love to find colored denim skirts for myself and my older daughter, too.

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7.  Sheath dress.  On a good day, this is the one style of dress I can still fit into and look okay in.  This color is lovely, too – I think it’s universally flattering.

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8.  Bright colors with neutrals.  While I don’t know if I could pull off this particular shade of orange, I really like the color combination.

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9.  Striped t-shirts.  I’ve already confessed to having a couple of blue and white striped shirts, but I’d like other colors as well – perhaps pink or red!

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10.  Metallic flats.  I have a pair of gold flats that I need to replace, and this pair looks very comfortable!


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If you’d like to see more of my favorite fashion picks, follow my Fashion Board on Pinterest.

What item would you like to add to your spring wardrobe?

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Here we are on the threshold of a new month, and I’m happy to report that I met most of my goals in February!

Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day.  Done in February.

Family:  Have a date night with John and a one-on-one outing with each of my daughters.  My husband and I went downtown to eat at an Italian restaurant the Saturday night before Valentine’s Day, and each of the girls and I had a dessert/shopping outing.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.  Done in February.

Personal Development/Health:  Make one vegetarian meal each week.  I did this three out of the four weeks last month.  One week I made a vegetable quiche and served it with a side salad.  Another week we ate this Corn and Potato Chowder (but I left out the bacon!)  And last week we made a meal of sweet potato fries, roasted asparagus, fried corn with peppers and onions, and sliced strawberries and apples.

Blog:  Focus on growing Pinterest boards and interactions.  Completed my monthly planner assignments; gained a few new followers as well.

March has shaped up to be a very busy month for our family, so my real goal is to navigate the month with flexibility, a positive attitude, and a sweet spirit!  However, I’m also setting some measurable goals that will hopefully keep me moving in the right direction for the year.  Since I’ll be traveling twice this month, I’ll give myself grace for my daily goals during those periods, except that I’ll continue with my Bible study.

Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day.  I’ll continue with this goal in March.

Family:  Write a note to each of my immediate family members at least twice this month.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.  Also continuing this goal for March.

Personal Development/Health:  Eat something green every weekday.  Our Bounty Box (fruits and vegetables from a local farm that are delivered to our door) has started up again, so this week I got fresh kale, spinach, and bell peppers.  I’ve been making this Super Food Salad for lunch and have added the spinach to scrambled eggs for breakfast a couple of times.

Blog:  Spend 30 minutes each weekday writing for the blog. 

How are you doing with your goals?

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One month into this, I have to say that I’m enjoying using monthly goals instead of yearly goals.  I feel like I’m more focused on what I need to do since there’s a shorter time frame involved.

Here’s how I did with my January goals.

Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day.   Done every day last month!

Family:  Pray for each of my immediate family members for 5 minutes each  weekday (a total of 15 minutes).  I fell short with this just one day in January, so I’m considering it done!

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.

Personal Development/Health:  Practice the piano for 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week.  This is my fail for the month.  I followed through during the first week, then gave it up.  (Sorry, Mom!)  As little of a time commitment as it is, I just wasn’t at all motivated to sit down at the piano.

Blog:  Focus on growing Pinterest boards and interactions.  I finished all my assignments on the monthly planner and saw some growth – especially in blog visitors – from Pinterest.

Here are my goals for February.

 Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day. 
I’ll continue with this for another month.

Family:  Have a date night with John and a one-on-one outing with each of my daughters.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.  Also continuing this goal for February.

Personal Development/Health:  Make one vegetarian meal each week.  Not only will this hopefully help us eat more healthily, it will also save money as I buy a little less meat!

Blog:  Focus on growing Pinterest boards and interactions.  I’m going to continue with this in February as well.

How are you doing with your goals?  Do you work better with long or short term deadlines?

My current decluttering challenge has come to an end….without me finding 500 things to get rid of.

(If you want to see how my first two weeks of decluttering went, read here and here.)

Last Saturday I remembered some old files I had and found 16 more pieces of paper to throw away.

I gathered 15 items from the dining room and the hall linen closet.

On Tuesday I went through my books on our bedroom bookcases and found 15 books to give away.

Wednesday I checked out the hall closet and went through the bathroom cabinets, which yielded 12 items.

Our master bedroom closet was the final frontier, and I found 14 items to throw away or recycle.

Yesterday I bought a new fan for my younger daughter’s bedroom, so I was able to get rid of her old one that was on its last leg.  That brought my grand total to 252!

So I didn’t make 500….but I did weed out plenty of odds and ends that needed to go.  Now I hope to be a better gatekeeper for what comes into the house!

Have you done any decluttering or organizing this month?

Last week I began decluttering in hopes of finding 500 things to get rid of in our house.

On Saturday, I cleaned out the pantry and found 13 items to throw away or recycle. 

Our desk/office area yielded 11 items.

The garage was next on the list, but that’s my husband’s domain.  I have almost nothing out there, but in the cubby of outdoor shoes, I did find a pair of my flip flops that were coming apart!  Those went straight to the trash can.

Monday I pulled 5 things out of the living room, most of which were just relocated to other parts of the house.  (No, I didn’t get rid of my favorite Bible from my teenage years!  It has lots of good, handwritten notes in it!)

Yesterday, I faced the laundry room – the actual laundry area didn’t scare me, but across from it is a large closet where we keep games, puzzles, art/craft supplies, etc.  I found 27 miscellaneous things to get rid of.

I also did a quick sweep of our medicine cabinet, and found one expired medication to throw away.

That brings my grand total to 179.  I’m thinking I need to lower my expectations and go for 250 items instead of 500!  I should be able to finish the rest of the house next week and I’ll share my final count with you then.

Is there a room in your house that you dread cleaning out?

I mentioned recently that blogging is great at giving me public accountability for goals that I want to reach.  After reading about Nikki’s success with decluttering this month, and following Crystal’s challenge to rid her home of 500 things, I decided that I would give this a try.

Let me preface this by saying that I am the opposite of a pack rat (whatever that is!)  I don’t typically let unused items pile up, and I’d already done some decluttering between Christmas and New Years.  Therefore, I’m not confident that I’ll be able to find a lot more to get rid of.  Also, I limited myself to only clearing out items that are mine…much as I might love to tackle other family members’ belongings! 🙂

On Wednesday, I finally had time to address the first category – paper.  I went through our one file drawer and eliminated some old receipts from online orders and other miscellaneous papers.  I had a huge stash of old magazines in a nightstand drawer, so those got added to the pile (though each magazine only counted as one item).  After cleaning out a few random papers in a kitchen drawer, I was stuck in the low 80s till I remembered Nikki mentioning weeding out recipes!  I went through my recipe binders and found enough to discard to reach 101!

I tackled two areas yesterday.  I only managed 13 items in the bedroom.

On to the kitchen countertops….I keep mine pretty bare so, like Crystal, I “cheated” and tackled my kitchen cabinets.  I found 7 things to get rid of, which, though it’s not a lot, was more than I thought I’d find!

So far, I’m at 121 items gone with 11 projects left.   I don’t know that I’m going to hit 500, but regardless, I’m happy to be paring down a little bit more.  Next Friday I’ll update my progress!

Do you think you have 500 things around your house that you could get rid of?

The beginning of a new year often causes us to evaluate where we are and where we’d like to be.  Sometimes we feel a lack of contentment or are faced anew with a realization of the current season of life we’re in. 

Setting goals is good when they encourage us to move forward toward our hopes and dreams.  Sometimes, however, we’re dealing with current realities that might, in our minds, limit what we can do.  Each of us is in a particular season, whether that’s as a single adult, newlywed, parenting young children, guiding teenagers, empty nester, or being a caretaker.  Every situation is unique, but God has placed us in that season for a reason.

Here are a few things I think we can all do as we learn to accept what we’ve been called to do in this moment.

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1.  Manage expectations.  If you have three little ones under the age of five, you’re probably not going to accomplish as much in a day as if you were home by yourself.  Having a short, daily to-do list is mandatory in some stages of life.  Don’t totally give up on your expectations, but learn what you can reasonably handle and be content with that.

2.  Focus on what matters.  Our walk with God takes first place, always.  In any season, try to make time in His Word and prayer a priority. Then determine which of your responsibilities is the next most important.  Often, that’s taking care of our family and making sure they know that they are loved.  It helps to remember that souls are eternal while everything else that we deal with is only temporary.

3.  Be grateful.  Whatever your limitations in your current season, be thankful for what you can do.  Look for the blessings that cross your path every day, whether they’re in the form of people, a tasty meal, or a beautiful sunset.

I’m in a season where I spend lots of time in the car, either driving or sitting in a parking lot waiting for one of my children to finish an activity.  I also spend time in stores finding that particular item a daughter needs for a class project or a sporting event.  One trip to the grocery store each week doesn’t work for me right now.  I need lunch meat or a fresh loaf of bread or fruit for school lunches or cupcakes for a favorite teacher’s birthday on a very frequent basis.

But I know that this season is short, so I’m trying to do what I can in the hours I’m at home, seeking to keep my priorities in line, and thankful that I have the health to drive around town and a reliable car to do it in! 

My goal is to not only accept this season, but embrace it, so that I’ll have many happy memories to look back on.

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One of the best things to come out of blogging for me has been the motivation to improve myself in different areas of my life.  Having a public forum that holds me accountable when I share my goals makes me much more likely to follow through with them!

This year, I’m trying something a little different.  Instead of yearly goals, I’m setting monthly goals for myself.  I found out last year that when I set short term goals, one at one hundred days and one at six months, that I liked the quicker time frame and felt more motivated to stay on track.

Each month I’ll set one goal in each of the following five areas:  Spiritual Growth, Family, Relationships/Service, Personal Development/Health, and Blogging.  I wanted only five goals per month, so I combined a couple of categories and will see how that works.

Here are my goals for January.

Spiritual Growth:  Use the She Reads Truth app for Bible study every day.  I’ve been using this app on my iPhone for about a week now and I’m really enjoying it.  There are a few free reading plans – I’m currently working through Psalms of Gratitude – and the plans you pay for are $1.99.  I believe you can access all of the plans for free on your pc, but I like the ease of having it on my phone since I can refer back to the passage at any point during the day.

Family:  Pray for each of my immediate family members for 5 minutes a day (a total of 15 minutes).  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but I want to develop more of a focused prayer time for each one.

Relationships/Service:  Text one friend each week to let them know I am thinking of and praying for them.

Personal Development/Health:  Practice the piano for 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week.  My mom gave me some piano lessons when I was growing up, but it’s not something I’ve ever put much time into.  I have a very easy book of hymns that I hope to work on this month and we’ll see if it’s something I want to pursue further.

Blog:  Focus on growing Pinterest boards and interactions.  I downloaded the 2016 Ultimate Pinterest Planner from Simple Pin Media, so I’ll use that to help me work towards this goal.

So that’s the plan for January!  I’ll update my progress at the end of the month.

Have you set any goals for the new year?