Intentional Living

  • Organized Chaos: Health & Medical Supplies

    Organizing Our Health & Medical Supplies

    Do you ever open the medicine cabinet for a bandaid or to get Tynenol for a child’s fever or something else and either everything falls out of the cabinet or you cannot locate the one item you need?  I love to get items on sale, clearance, or with a coupon but it is usually not reasonable to stuff everything in the same cupboard in the kitchen and hope that you can find it when you need it.  You don’t want any health or medical items somewhere young children can get ahold of it, it’s not food so the pantry isn’t really a great option either.  Since all the items don’t need to be in the cupboard at once (do you really need 2 to 5 boxes of the same bandaids in the cupboard all at one time) you could store them someplace accessible yet out of reach.

    Here are some more pictures on what is in the containers.

    Health & Medical items organized on the top shelf on my husbands closet

    The spot I discovered that works the best for our family is at the top of my husbands closet (thanks honey for sharing your closet space).  He was super sweet and redid our closets with the wire adjustable shelving which makes it much easier to store items in the closet.  For several years any extra items would be put in a box and stored on the top shelf of his closet.  Whenever we needed to get something we had to lug the entire box down and go through it to see if we had what we need.  I decided it was time to make it more accessible and user friendly.  I bought clear plastic containers at Dollar Tree, put all the items from the big box into the containers, labeled the containers, and re-stacked them on the top shelves of his closet.

    Far Left Stack

    • Liquid Prescription Medicine
    • Non-Liquid Prescription Medicine
    • Medical Equipment Equipment – Blood Pressure Monitor, Stethoscope, etc…

    If you notice out of all the stacks this one is the hardest to get access to (and for a good reason).  Many of the items in this stack are prescription based and in order to get anything out of this stack you have to move at least one of the other rows.  I intentionally put this in the hardest to reach place because these items shouldn’t be used as much and you don’t want someone to accidentally grab the wrong thing thinking its cough syrup.

    Middle Stack

    • Allergy Medicine
    • Headache / Fever
    • Tums / GasX / Stomach

    Right Stack

    • Cold Medicine
    • Cough Drops
    • Liquid Cold Medicine

    Organized Health & Medical Items

    Having the health and medicine organized has made the whole system much more efficient for our family.  If we are out of bandaids I go into the closet, get the bandaid container down, and restock the bandaids.  If I notice one of the containers is getting empty I will put that item on my list to look for in the sales fliers and on the clearance shelves.  Once a container is full I no longer buy any more of that particular item until we need it again because what we have in stock should last us several months.  This system has helped us save time, money, and energy.  It is much easier finding what you need, to see what needs restocked, you don’t waste money on items you already have at home, and it looks so much better too

    Left Stack

    • Miscellaneous – items that don’t fit into any of the other categories or ones that we typically only keep one extra of since we don’t go through them as quickly
    • Vitamins
    • Heat Pads

    Right Stack

    • First Aid
    • Bandaids
    • Gauze / Medical Pads

    This system has worked very well with our family.  I think it is important that you find what works best for your family and go with it.  It didn’t take me long to get this set up and it has been a huge time saver ever since we started using it.  I would love to hear how and where you store these types of items in your home?

  • Heart Reflections: Living Life in the Fast Line….Going from 0 to 70 in Seconds

    So often I feel like I am living life in the fast lane……zooming through life faster and faster.  I don’t necessary hit the top speed but I am holding steady at a high pace for days and there is always some where to be or something to do.  It is possible to fill up every blank space in your calendar (believe me I have seen it).  There are those days, weeks, or months when I am just waiting for life to slow down a little bit so I can catch a deep breath, but when that glorious day arrives I realize that all the stuff I couldn’t squeeze into the schedule before hand has spilled over into that time that was once reserved for a quiet day.

    Notice in the top right corner of the picture the “service engine soon” light is on.   One of the things I found myself skipping (which is kind of embarrassing to admit) is my quiet time with God.  Much like the “service engine light” on the van I need to be recharged or have a tune up as well.  My relationship with Christ has a significant impact on all my relationships, yet there are days when I choose to neglect the most important relationship of all because life simply just gets too busy.

    When life gets too busy and I get stuck running full speed in the fast lane God has a way of slowing me down and getting my attention.  Earlier this summer my husband was in a car accident.  If you just looked at the vehicle the damage looked devastating, but thankfully God spared his life and he walked away with only minor injuries.  I am truly grateful for God’s protection and goodness in this situation.  Over the past couple months as we’ve been juggling one car, looking for another vehicle, and spending some extra time together I am reminded of His amazing grace and mercy for me.  I love my husband so very much, but God loves me even more and longs to have a personal relationship with me.  Why would I hold back from the most awesome relationship in my life?

    I make time for what is important in my life – God, family, work, ministry, friends or whatever else that may be.  Every person gets 24 hours a day.  How do I spend my day, what are my priorities, am I making a positive impact on the lives around me, or am I just rushing through the “to do” list and jammed packed schedule while trying to catch my breath in between?  How are my relationships being effected by my decisions?

    Sometimes the best thing I can do is stop, take a break, and enjoy extra time focusing on the what’s truly important.  When my heart is in the right place, my relationship with God is open and honest life seems brighter because I don’t have to live life in the fast lane or have to be the one in control because He holds my life and future in his hands.  Being a Wife, Mom, Friend, and everything else can be tough some days, but when you have your priorities in line it really can be quite enjoyable.  We all need to take some time every now and then to slow down, relax, and service the check engine light of our soul.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    We were blessed with the opportunity to spend a long weekend away with the St Clair side of the family.  All my extended family was able to make it out this year and it had been awhile since all of us were together for a weekend.  It was great catching up with everyone.  Thankful for the amazing blessing of having a family that gets together to relax and enjoy each others company.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Attend Family Reunion
    2. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion – have a plan that I need to execute once we get settled back in at home from our travels
    5. Spend time with extended family
    6. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Put mail on hold for when we are away
    2. Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – currently looking at cars and praying the perfect one comes along
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    4. Spend time with extended family

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Check in with the person coming by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Happy Birthday to My Handsome Man!

    Wishing Jake a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! 

    I am so thankful for my amazing husband and all he does for our family. He is generous, kind, and loves me despite all my craziness.  Wishing him many more awesome years packed full of great memories.  I am looking forward to celebrating this special day with him.

    Another really cool part about Jake’s birthday is he shares it with two other family members – his Grandpa Conklin and my Uncle Rick!  Happy Birthday to Grandpa and Uncle Rick! May it be a wonderful birthday for both of you!

    Photo credit

  • Song: “The Marriage Prayer” by John Waller

    This week Jake and I celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary!  YAY!  It is hard to believe it has been 12 years it has gone by so fast!  We have created so many amazing memories together and I look forward to making many more as we journey through the years together.  God has been good to us and faithful even in the storms.  I am very thankful for a wonderful husband.  Jake has been extremely loving, kind, and patient with me even when I don’t deserve it.  I am very  blessed.  As I was thinking about all our years together I wanted to find a song in celebration of our anniversary week.  I want both our marriage to continue growing stronger as well as our personal relationships with God and this song says it well.

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    The girls are excited about getting to go to Grandpa and Grandma’s VBS program.  We are all looking forward to spending some time with family this week at the family reunion.

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    4. Spend time with extended family
    5. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – still working on it

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule – didn’t get much done with all the travel last week
    3. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Clean house prior to traveling

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – will work on it more once the car is purchased
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – still saving for a new vehicle
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – on hold temporarily until we purchase a new car

     

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Attend Family Reunion
    2. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Plan out the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes) Grand Prize for Completion
    5. Spend time with extended family
    6. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. Put mail on hold for when we are away
    2. Line up someone to come by and check on the house / pets while we are away

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Heart Reflections: 1 Corthinians 13 Heart Assessment

    Beautiful purple flowers with white spots from our last trip to Charleston.  Sometimes I feel like my heart is spotted much like these pretty flowers.

    There are days when I feel like I mess up more than get it right.  I say things that aren’t sweet and nice, over react to the little stuff, or have a bad attitude.  Does anyone else have these types of days?  The people who probably know me the best are those who get the “privilege” of living with me everyday (my husband and kids).  They have seen many of my mistakes, bad days, and over reactions. As Jake and I approach our 12th anniversary I am reminded while the most important relationship I have is with my heavenly Father another one that impacts our entire family is my relationship with my husband.  While I was thinking about our upcoming celebration the passage in scripture that came to mind is the one from 1 Corinthians.

    1 Corinthians 13:4-8

    4. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5. or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6. it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  8. Love never ends. As f or prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

    The verse was brought to my attention again as I was reading Lysa TerKeurst’s book Am I Messing Up My Kids when I got to the section on spouses.  While most days go smoothly (thanks to the large doses of grace Jake extends to me) I could really benefit by working on many of these characteristics.  When my relationship with Christ is open and consistent it ripples across to all other relationships I have, including my spouse and children.  Lysa gave an amazing 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Assessment that I want to share with you.  It was really good and included scripture passages to reference and / or memorize.  Many of these attributes and characteristics can be applied to other relationships as well.  As I read through the list it made me realize how far from perfect I am and how wonderfully gracious the Lord is to me. Yes, some of them I do much better than others but I could improve in many areas as well.   What better place to start implementing some of these characteristics than with your spouse….let’s give it a try!

    Whether you are having a tough time or things are going well at home I think we all can benefit from applying the principles outlined below (insights from Lysa’s book Am I Messing Up My Kids):

    • Am I patient with my spouse  (I am flexible and understanding)?  Ephesians 4:2-3
    • Am I kind to my spouse (I am kind in thought, words, and actions toward my spouse). Ephesians 4:31-32
    • Am I supportive (not envious) with my spouse? (I do not keep score when I feel I do more) James 3:16-18
    • Am I encouraging (not boastful) to my spouse?  (I do not brag about my accomplishments while downplaying my spouse’s)? Hebrews 3:13
    • Am I humble (not proud) with my spouse? (I do not think my agenda is more important than my spouse’s agenda.) 1 Peter 5:6
    • Am I gracious (not rude) to my spouse?  (I build up my spouse with my words spoken in private and public.) Ephesians 4:29
    • Am I selfless (not self-seeking) with my spouse? (I focus on my spouse’s needs and wants and balance them with my own.) Philippians 2:3-4
    • Am I self-controlled (not easily angered) with my spouse? (I do not have a short fuse or quick temper) Proverbs 15:1
    • Am I able to forgive and let go (keeping no record of wrong) with my spouse’s shortcomings? (I do not use my spouse’s past shortcomings as ammunition in today’s disagreements or allow these things to taint our communication today.) Colossians 3:12-14
    • Do I delight in being faithful to God (not delighting in evil)? (I seek to live a pure life and choose not to flirt with sin.) Ephesians 4:1
    • Do I rejoice with the truth? (I actively pursue God’s truth over Satan’s lies.) John 8:31-32
    • Do I seek to protect my spouse? (I fill in the gaps where my spouse feels weak and vulnerable.) I Thessalonians 5:11
    • Do I trust my spouse? (I give my spouse the benefit of the doubt.) – I Peter 3:8
    • Do I keep hope alive in my marriage? (I trust God with “our” future, not “my” future.) – Jeremiah 29:11
    • Do I persevere in my marriage? (I look for solutions to problems rather than look for a way out.) Matthew 5:33
    • Am I committed to the permanence of our marriage? (I believe that divorce is not an option for us.) Malachi 2:16

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    Last week was a fun one with Horse Camp for the girls among all the other fun summer activities.  This week we are gearing up for extra time with extended family and friends!

    Last week’s goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Read at least one book or a chapter in a book to the girls every day
    2. Listen to the girls read at least one book to me or Jake every day
    3. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    4. Get to the 3/4 Goal Mark (1500 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    5. Go to the library with the kids
    6. Take the girls to Horse Camp
    7. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get – getting closer, such a big decision

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – at least 5 days this week – didn’t do well this past week

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Weekly Dinner Menu & Schedule planned out for the week
    3. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    4. Pack for upcoming family reunion – getting started
    5. Pay all upcoming bills

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. 1o minutes a day Cleaning / Organizing my desk
    4. Put in extra hours with clients while girls are at camp

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    2. Prepare for the next Alms & Legs meeting

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled – saving up for new vehicle
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes – temporarily on hold until we get the new vehicle

    My goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Read regularly to the girls and have them read to me
    2. Participate in at least 2 fun Summer Activities with the Kids
    3. Get to the Final Goal Mark (2000 minutes) on the Girls “Swim Into Reading” Summer Reading Goal (total 2,000 Reading minutes)
    4. Spend time with extended family
    5. Narrow down what type of vehicle we want to get

    Personal Goals

    1. Spend extra time helping and making memories with my extended family

    Home Management Goals

    1. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    2. Work on My Summer Organizational Schedule
    3. Pack for upcoming family reunion
    4. Pay all upcoming bills
    5. Clean house prior to traveling

    Business Goals

    1. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    2. Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
    3. Work on projects with the family business

    Ministry Goals

    1. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Emergency Fund – save 6 months worth of living expenses
    3. Car Fund – save money for another vehicle to replace the one that was totaled
    4. College Fund – put cash aside for 1 year of Jake’s College Classes

    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.

  • Travel & Vacation: Leaving On A Jet Plane….

    Karlie and Brina watching the airplanes coming and going from the Greenville Spartanburg Airport

    Do you remember the John Denver song “I’m leavin’ on a jet plane, Don’t know when I’ll be back again….”?  I don’t necessarily love the entire song but every time I fly that phrase pops into my head.  Our family, especially the kids, love traveling and flying!  The last time our entire family flew was back in January out to Kansas (the pictures are from that trip).  It was the first flight the kids were big enough to sit in their own row together without one of us beside them.  We sat in the row right behind them so we could monitor them and they did very well.   I love seeing their excitement over traveling and flying, it’s contagious!

    We are currently gearing up for another fun flight to see family soon.  The girls have already started packing their backpacks, talking about all the places we will go and who we are going to see.  Here are a few pictures from our last adventure on the plane:

    Karlie reading the informational sheet for the airplane!

    Karlie is all about flying and learning more about airplane.  Every time we fly she reads about the airplane, the safety manual, and anything else she can get her hands on.  The whole experience is a grand adventure for her!

    Brina all snuggled up and asleep in her seat on the airplane

    Brina loves to fly but when it is a couple hours past her bedtime after a super busy day once the flight is in the air she tends to crash.  Glad to see her sleeping.  If only I could curl up and sleep that comfortably on the airplane seat.

    Karlie loves flying!

    Karlie turning around to see what Dad and Mom are up to and sneaking a peek out our window too!  She loves gazing out at all the city lights and watching as the plane lands.

    I am truly grateful that both my girls love to travel and fly.  They have always been excited about going on various adventures.  It is a blessing to be able to travel to see family and friends.  The items they pack in their back packs keep them busy for hours while on the plane or at the airports.  I am thankful for the amazing memories we have created throughout our years of traveling together and look forward to many more.

    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.

  • Teaching Our Children: Book Bingo

    I got the idea for “Book Bingo” from 2 Love Learning!  The girls have been enjoying reading the books and getting BINGO’s!  For every Bingo they get they receive a prize.  When they fill the entire Bingo card they get a bonus dollar reward.

    I started doing this for the girls almost a year ago and it has been a big hit for the kids.

    If you are looking for a great way to encourage a kid to read this mixes reading, games, and incentives all in one place.  The girls love seeing the cards fill up.  We draw smiles on the square after a book has been read.  You can find a blank bingo card here.