Loving Life
Song: “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin
This is a great song giving God the glory for creation. We serve an amazing God and the song names only a few ways of how truly awesome He is from the seasons, to knowing each star, the depths of the sea and so much more. You cannot fit such an amazing God in a box. He is the creator of miracles and He is with you always to help guide your life no matter where you may go. Here is a piece of the song to encourage you:
Indescribable, Uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God.
All powerful, Untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees and we humbly proclaim,
You are amazing God.Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I started the week out a little stronger, but still have a lot of areas I need to work on regarding my goals. Next week I hope to do better. The good news is I am at least taking small steps in the right direction.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday- Read a book to the girls everyday – I didn’t quite get everyday this week
Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) we missed two nights 🙁
Start the process of getting the girls passportsGo on Mother Daughter Date NightI had a blast with Karlie! 🙂- File the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder – halfway done
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – more than last week but not there yet
Finish reading The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary ChapmanListen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday – I made it a one night.
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the houseDinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one daySummer clothes pulled out of the main part of the closet and put away (it’s getting chilly and we are not wearing them as much now)
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk – hopefully no one will be looking at my desk today (need to tackle this one daily or it gets overwhelming).
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Research ways to create more residual income – didn’t get there this week
Upcoming events, activities, and posted to my upcoming calendar
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – Made a little over $8
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsAlms & Legs Ministry – Email Meeting Notes to the Team- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch – Schedules got a little crazy this week, hope to pick back up next week
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate. – bank has delayed the closing again and had to extend our rate, maybe next week?!
- Pay off remaining debt – almost there…..I see the light….
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until our debt is paid off completely
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Get the girls passport pictures taken
- Finish filing the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Finish reading The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!)
- Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- File the receipts for the last couple of months and organize the table in the office.
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Research ways to create more residual income
- Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate.
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Book: “Remember Your Manners”
When the girls were little we got the book called Remember Your Manners: A Story About Being Polite by Parragon Books. It is a board book that they still like to read and it provides a simple reminder of the importance of using manners. The story is about a young elephant named Elly who sometimes forgets her manners at the table. She is learning to not use her fingers, waiting for everyone before starting to eat, eating her vegetables without complaining, and sharing.
There are a three other titles in this series that the girls enjoy as well:
- Excuse Me!
- It’s Mine!
- Remember the Magic Word
This book and the other ones in the series provide a great reminder of using manners in several situations. If you are looking for a good book that’s easy to read and for younger children you should check these out. Since they are board books they are perfect for infant and toddlers but the older kids still enjoy them.
Travel & Vacation: Swimming Pool Fun on Daniel’s Island
We got to try out a few hotel pools this summer with all our travel adventures. The one in the pictures below we visited more then once and the girls love it. The Hampton Inn on Daniel’s Island, SC (actually the only hotel on Daniel’s Island) was one of the girls favorites I think because we went to it several times over the summer and it was really close to everything.
- Brina and Karlie swimming in their “favorite” hotel pool!
The pool usually had some shade any time you were in it plus it was relatively quiet during the day.
- Brina Bee swimming in the pool.
The girls did really well in the pools and ocean this summer. When it was just Mommy and the girls swimming I made sure the girls wore floaties or their life jackets as an extra precaution. When Jake was with us they could go without the floaties or life jackets because each of us could spot one of the girls. You really cannot be too safe when it comes to swimming pools.
- Karlie showing off under water
Love this picture of Karlie and the pool. As you can see from the picture we were literally the only ones in the pool at this time. The girls would swims for hours. We had a blast swimming and playing.
- Brina smiling at me under water
Cute shot of Brina under water. She did great swimming, splashing and playing in the pool. I was thrilled to see her willing to take off her life jacket and floaties for a few minutes too. She loves the water!
- Karlie ready to jump
Karlie would wait to make sure I was looking before jumping. She loved jumping off the side of the pool into the water. The cannon ball was her favorite because it did a big splash.
- Brina playing in the swimming pool!
Brina had a blast swimming and diving under the water. She thought it was funny that she could see under water better than Mommy.
- Karlie in mid air
Karlie’s face in this picture makes me smile. She loved jumping, diving, cannon balling into the pool.
Brina getting ready to jump Love her little tongue sticking out as she contemplates the best way to jump on her unsuspecting noodle. Brina’s favorite way to jump into the pool was to target her noodle and jump in on it.
Karlie holding her breath under water Karlie wears her goggles almost the entire time she is in the pool. She loves being able to see “clearly” under water. One time she even found another kids diving stick for them! The goggles are on a little off center in this picture but the girls did really well putting them on by themselves.
Brina laughing at her noodle. Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that are so funny. Even though we were really busy filling our days with activities it was wonderful to have play time were we could relax, play and just have a blast together.
Karlie in mid jump.....her target is her blue noodle Karlie loves jumping into the pool. I was surprised at how high she was able to get on some of her jumps. Thankful for this time together and seeing my girls growing up.
Pretty Brina Bee holding her breath under water in the pool It takes talent learning how to hold your breath under water. I think over the last several months the girls have become water bugs. They love swimming!
- Karlie having fun at the pool
The girls could play all day at the pool. After several hours of swimming and several layers of sunblock Mommy decided we better head in so Daddy wasn’t waiting on us. The girls loved swimming in the pool and going on adventures. Most of our activities were simple (swimming in the pool, playing in the park, etc…) yet they were enjoyable for everyone. We made a lot of fun memories together this year. Thankful for my camera Jake gave me for Christmas because I can take it with me in the pool, ocean, or rain and not worry about the camera being ruined. The girls loved that I could take the camera into the pool with us!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Operation Christmas Child Packing Party
One box ready to be opened by a girl and another one for boy! Every year our family and our church participates in the Operation Christmas Child. Our church collects items for Operation Christmas Child throughout the year. Each month they have an item or two that they request donations for and in late October they have a big Operation Christmas Child Packing Party. The girls enjoy donating items throughout the year but they really look forward to packing the actual boxes. We were not able to go to the church’s big packing party (the girls were very disappointed) but we were able to have a packing party at home. We had so much fun doing it I totally forgot to take pictures of the process! I was simply amazed at how many items we were able to get into the boxes. Our kitchen table was full of goodies and we were able to get almost everything into the boxes. The children getting these boxes will be very surprised at all the fun stuff the girls included.
How did we do it?
- We collected items throughout the year to put in our Operation Christmas Child Goody Box (toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap, toys, trinkets, notebooks, books, socks, shirt, sunglasses, crafts, etc…)
- Once our OCC Goody Box was full we donated any extra items to our church’s packing party
- Throughout the year during the girls devotions we talked about helping others, Operation Christmas Child, and prayed for the children who would receive their boxes.
- The girls saved some of their money to purchase a few specific gifts for their child
- We prayed for the kids who would receive their boxes and went to the store to pick out items for them.
- We set all the gifts out on the kitchen table and packed as many gifts and treats that would fit into the boxes (the boxes barely closed with all the items).
- The girls proudly carried their boxes into church so they could be sent to their kids.
- We are continuing to pray for the girl and boy who will receive their boxes in the next few weeks.
Brina picked out items for a little girl and Karlie picked out items for a little boy. This activity provided many great opportunities to show the girls what it is like to give to others, pray for people who we will probably never meet, to share, and many other learning moments. The girls enjoyed donating to the church’s packing party throughout the year and it gave us an chance to discuss giving each time we donated items.
They love putting together their individual child boxes. I am amazed at how much thoughtfulness they put into each item they pick out for their kid. Even though we may never know the full impact their gift has on the recipient it is a true blessing to see them desiring to give generously to others without any expectation of getting anything in return. I pray that Operation Christmas Child will be a blessing to many children this Christmas Season and for many years to come.
Compassion International: “One Meal One Day” Event on November 9, 2011
On Wednesday, November 9, 2011 Compassion International holds an event called One Meal One Day. Skip a Meal and Change Your World. Have you ever gone a full day without any food because you have nothing to eat? There are people all over the world who are go hungry every day and this is a great opportunity for us to help.
What To Do?
- Step 1: Skip 1 meal on November 9, 2011 and donate the money you would typically spend on a meal (or more)
- Step 2: Engage Others – encourage others to participate in the event with you (both before the event day and the day of the event) by going without lunch and donating to help others around the world.
- Step 3: Feed Hungry Children – Compassion International uses your donation to feed children and train parents on the benefits of a healthy nutrition.
Why Should I Do It?
- You get to help others in a tangible way (food for those without any), plus you may have an chance to show the love Jesus with those around you.
- Youth, parents, and people around the nation are experiencing what it feels like to be hungry and sharing the challenge with their churches, passing out empty paper bags at school, and inviting their friends to skip one meal and give $5.
- When friends, family, or co-workers ask you why you are not eating lunch you have the opportunity share about the event and what Compassion International is doing to help starving people around the world.
- Once the donated amount is collected you send it to Compassion International so they can help feed children in poverty countries.
What is Compassion International?
- For over 50 years Compassion International has diligently worked to free children from poverty in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Compassion International works in 26 developing countries and with more than 1.3 million children who are living in poverty.
- While Compassion does help meet the physical needs of children they also minister to them spiritually.
- Compassion sponsored children have more opportunities for education, medical assistance, and physical benefits (such as food and water) while hearing the message of Jesus.
For more information about Compassion International and the One Meal, One Day visit their website. Our church youth group is encouraging everyone in our church to participate. Jake and I decided this is a great way to help others and are participating in this event.
Heart Reflections: I Was Hungry…
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. – Matthew 25:35
This verse has been on my mind since working on our church’s Alms & Legs Food Pantry a few weeks ago. Recently I was visited another church for a Fall Festival and I noticed the same verse on their Food Pantry informational sheet. Our family has gone through tough times but never have we been completely without food to put on the table, yet there are families in our community that go without meals every day.
I am grateful for this verse’s reminder of the importance of reaching out to other people to help not only with their physical needs but spiritual needs. Actions really do speak louder than words. What actions do I take when I see someone in need? Yes, I maintain the Food Pantry at church but how often do I reach out and give from my own resources to those in need around me?
Do you ever have a moral dilemma when you see a person standing on the side of the road holding a sign saying something along the lines of “Will work for food.”? What do you do? I have a mix of emotions seeing someone standing on the street holding one of those signs. I really never experienced anything like it growing up so the first time I saw someone standing there holding a sign I didn’t know what to do.
- Do you give money…..what if you just feed an addiction?
- Do you give food…..(you have a granola bar or box animal crackers in the car) does that really help them?
- Do you give them water…..(you have an extra water bottle in the car) how does that help them?
- Do you give words of encouragement…….you only have a few seconds or minute if you are at a stoplight?
I have had the opportunity to think about this situation and several other ones similar over the past few years. When you apply the verse from the beginning of the post by giving them food, drink, or a welcomed word of encouragement you are reaching out. You may be meeting their physical need which may in return open the door to meet their spiritual needs. I do not suggest you feed or give water to everyone standing on the street corner especially if it is unsafe. Use your best judgment, but take an opportunity to help others when you can even if it means just sharing a bottle of water or granola bar.
Travel & Vacation: Angel Oak Tree and other Family Adventures near Charleston, SC
Canopy of trees on the way to the Angel Oak Tree The girls and I ventured out a little ways to check out the Angel Oak Tree while Jake was working in Charleston one day. The picture above is the beautiful canopy of trees we saw on the bumpy country road that led to our amazing tree adventure that was recommended to us by my friend Janet.
Facts about the Angel Oak Tree In case you cannot read the sheet above here are some of the details – The Angel Oak Tree we visited is said to be between 300 to 400 years old, 65 feet tall, the circumference is 25.5 feet, area of shade 17,000 square feet and the largest limb is 11.25 feet in circumference and 89 feet long. It is located on John’s Island near Charleston, SC. Some people believe that the tree is over 1500 years old.
Angel Oak Tree near Charleston, South Carolina The Angel Oak Tree is massive, it was really hard to get a picture that truly shows it’s size. I took a few pictures from different angles but I couldn’t get the entire tree to fit in one picture. It was simply amazing to see such a huge tree.
Beautiful and huge Angel Oak Tree If you look closely you can see the supports helping hold up the limbs. The girls and I were nearly speechless at the size of the tree. We walked around it several times just in awe!
Brina inspecting the large carrot we picked out at a local Farmer's Market We stopped at this really neat local Farmers Market store on our way back from the Angel Oak Tree adventure. Their carrots were very BIG, the girls have never seen carrots that huge before (not sure I had either). They must have had some great soil for carrots. We picked out a large carrot and nibbled on it for a couple days (I didn’t think to weigh to but I am think it could have been over a pound).
Great quote the girls and I discovered along our adventures The girls love traveling with Jake and I on road trips. We are always on the look out for neat ideas or something interesting to share. Of course one of the areas we frequently visited in our travels were a variety of restrooms. Sometimes the girls were in dire need of a restroom by the time with found one. The girls wanted me to read this sign in the Farmers Market restroom, we all had a good laugh at it as we reminisced together of some times just in the last few months we felt like a minute was a very long time as we waited on the other side of the door.
Walking down one of the girls favorite piers. Some days the water is low and all the greenery is out of the water other days it is complete under water. Love the little “sand” trail that you can see under the water.
The guy fishing off the pier caught a little one! As we were walking down the pier we notice a guy fishing. We asked if he had caught anything yet and he showed us his catch of the morning. The girls thought it was such a cute little fish! They were very excited for him.
Daddy brought us a blue raspberry slushy. After a fun day at the park and pool Daddy brought his girls a blue raspberry slushy. It was amazing!
We had blue tongues after just a few minutes. The blue raspberry slushy made all of our tongues blue! I think the girls drink more of the slushy based off their tongue color, ha!
Cannon outside the hotel. The girls always hoped that our room was never in the line of fire. Thankfully our room never faced the cannon. The girls always loved looking at it!
After dinner we took a little walk together and found a pond with turtles. I am not sure how long we watched these turtles but it was a lot of fun. The girls were mesmerized by these cute little turtles. According to the girl there was a whole family of turtles (we did see quite a few).
Crashed on the pull out couch after a few minutes of chitchat about their "super fun" day We got back to the hotel, gave the girls baths and they spent a few minutes talking and giggling about their “super fun” day before crashing. They were exhausted but in good spirits. We really did pack a lot into one day!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Song: “Something Heavenly” by Sanctus Real
I heard this song again recently, the phrase that really stood out in my mind was “Whatever You’re doing inside of me it feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace.” A few weeks ago I posted a series on Loosening My Grip one that had been on my heart and mind for over a year (the post was started back in September 2010) but I finally after several months of going back and forth with God about posting it I decided that he knows better and may encourage someone who is going through a similar situation even though I felt like “chaos” was going on inside of me. The other phrase that caught my attention with this song was “You’re up to something bigger than me, Larger than life, something Heavenly”. His plans are much bigger than me and sometimes I may miss out on an opportunity he has for me because I want to be in control even though my life is the most effective when he is in control and is working through my life. Hope this song is a blessing to you as well, here’s a few lines of it:
Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there’s peace
It’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see
But I’m giving in to something HeavenlyTime for a milestone, time to begin again
Re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything, I surrenderWhatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something HeavenlyIntentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was a busy one, about halfway through the week I started wondering if I was going to finish anything on the list, but slowly some got checked off. The personal goals were the hardest for me to do because everything else kept me busy. This upcoming week I hope to do better on my personal goals so I can keep my life / time and resources in balance as I work towards my goals.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday- Read a book to the girls everyday – Monday was a super busy day with the Holiday
Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed) – Didn’t get this done every night with the busy evenings, a couple late nights including our couple Date Night on Saturday.
Schedule a Date Night with Jake– Went on our Date Night on 11/5Schedule a Date Night with each child– Date Night Scheduled for 11/11/11
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – As hard as I tried this didn’t get done, it was busy and a couple unexpected things came up. I hope to do a lot better next week with this one.
- Finish reading The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman – Made it through a couple more chapters, maybe I will get it done next week.
Listen to The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday – We had a couple late nights with extra projects and activities going on (I think I only made it to bed on time once).
Home Management Goals
Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday– Completed a day early 🙂Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday) – Dinner was ready but not on the table on Monday because of the Fall Festival Activities
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day– Completed all the laundry from striping beds, washing, folding, putting away, and remaking the beds on Monday- Summer clothes pulled out of the main part of the closet and put away (it’s getting chilly and we are not wearing them as much now) – about halfway through this task
Pick the fresh vegetables that are ready and start preparing the garden for the first freeze.– big thanks to my sweet husband and girls for doing this for me and we even were able to share some of the goodies with friends!
Business Goals
Spend 10 minutes cleaning and organizing my desk (somehow everyone stacks stuff on my desk, myself included, and within a day I have a pile sometimes piles)Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog posts- Research ways to create more residual income – didn’t get to this one
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsAlms & Legs Ministry – Email upcoming meeting reminder to members, write and print the meeting agendaMeet a friend for Breakfast or LunchPack our Operation Christmas Child boxes
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4 – I went over budget this week. (thankful for the opportunity to stock up and a budget guideline even though I went over it this week.)
- Pay off remaining debt – working on it and I see light at the end of the tunnel
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – work in progress (we had two vehicle repairs recently which set us back a little bit)
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
- Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
- Start the process of getting the girls passports
- Go on Mother Daughter Date Night
- File the last several weeks of coupons in my File Folder and Binder
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Finish reading The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman
- Listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)
- Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday through Thursday
Home Management Goals
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
- Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
- Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Summer clothes pulled out of the main part of the closet and put away (it’s getting chilly and we are not wearing them as much now)
Business Goals
- Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Research ways to create more residual income
- Upcoming events, activities, and posted to my upcoming calendar
Ministry Goals
- Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Alms & Legs Ministry – Email Meeting Notes to the Team
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Close on our Refinance – Our plan is to go from the 30 year mortgage that we have been paying off to a 10 year mortgage with a lower interest rate.
- Pay off remaining debt
- Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
