Give Yourself a Break!

Ever had one of those weeks? The kind where you just felt "off". Everywhere you look you see reminders of things that need to be done. Everything thing feels URGENT. I have those weeks quite often. . . the kind where I feel disorganized, scattered, overwhelmed and uninspired. During those weeks my life doesn't feel very beautiful. It feels, well, blah.

I've been asking myself, how do I find balance and beauty around me regardless of how I feel? This is one of the real struggles in life.

How do you live the beautiful life you want when you are just not feeling inspired?

Do you give yourself a break?

Sometimes I just get in a rut in daily life and I need a break. When I feel overwhelmed and am not seeing the beauty around me, I need to leave my responsibilities behind and do something for myself. I grab the camera, take a walk, visit with a friend, go to a movies, or read a good book.

A reprieve from the daily grind does wonders for my emotions. It doesn't take long and I can suddenly see life in it's beauty once again. And, thankfully, I can enjoy the daily routine again! The responsibilities and struggles may not change, but I can manage them so much better when I have taken time to recharge my energy. I need to consider ME into my balanced week!

It seems counterproductive at the time, but the quality of my life actually improves when I slow down and take time for myself. It'll be there waiting when I return refreshed.

Next time you are having one of those weeks, give yourself a break!

Menu Planning

After a conversation with David today about meals and the fact that we tend to eat the same thing week in and week out, I have given some serious thought in how our family could benefit from using menu planning. Through a friend I found a very helpful website (thanks Lori), Organized Home, that has suggestions for menu planning among other wonderful tips. This is just taste of the suggestions that I found on the website:

Menu Planning Basics

Okay, it's food ad day. Ready? Time to rough out a simple menu plan. The goal is two-fold: shop efficiently to obtain food required for seven dinner meals, while minimizing expenditure, cooking, shopping and cleaning time.

Here's the overview of the process:

• Scan the food ads for specials and sales. Rough out a draft menu plan: seven dinner entrees that can be made from weekly specials, side dishes and salads.
• Wander to pantry and refrigerator to check for any of last week's purchases that are languishing beneath wilting lettuce or hardening tortillas. Check for draft recipe ingredients. Review your shopping list and note needed items.
• Ready, set, shop--but shop with an open mind. That 59-cent fryer won't look like such a bargain next to a marked-down mega-pack of boneless chicken breasts at 89 cents a pound. Be ready to substitute if you find a great deal.
• Return from shopping. As you put away groceries, flesh out the menu plan. Match it up with the family's calendar, saving the oven roast for a lazy Sunday afternoon, the quick-fix pizza for soccer night.
• Post the menu plan on the refrigerator door. Refer to it during the coming week as you prepare meals.

This website also has printable menu planning sheets like this one.

Who Am I Trying to Please?

Do you dash around trying to make everyone happy? Does it bother you if someone doesn't like you?

If you answered YES to any (or all) of those questions I can so relate with you. Seriously, it will eat away at me if I think that someone doesn't think highly of me. I know it, I'm a grown woman for goodness sake, why should it bother if someone doesn't think highly of me. Why do I care? Because, for far too long, I have been a people pleaser! I hate to admit that, but it is true, oh so true. But I would venture to say that quite a few people can relate to that very statement too! Am I right?

I love this verse I found in 1 Thessalonians 2:4b, "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts."

Be a God pleaser, not a people pleaser! Until I STOP trying to please everyone else and START trying to please God I will forever be stuck in that cycle of being a people pleaser. Here is a little bit of truth that I am beginning to understand. . . I can't be everything to everyone, so I just have to try to to be the best ME that I can be for HIM. Because in all reality HE is the only one that it really matters what He thinks of me. Right? If I want to be a woman who lives with a passionate purpose then I can do it for HIS glory!

Source of Encouragement

Christ is preparing a place for me.
Christ is coming again to receive me to Himself.
Where Christ is, I will be also.
Where Christ goes, I will know the way.
Knowing Christ, I know the Father.
Seeing Christ, I have seen the Father.
The works Christ does, I will do.
Whatever I ask in Christ's name He will do.
I have a helper given by the Father that abides in me forever.
Christ will not leave me.
Because Christ lives, I live also.
I am loved by the Father.
Christ will manifest Himself to me.
Christ will come to me.
The Holy Spirit will teach me and remind me of things Christ has said.
Christ has given me peace.

Pet the Calf

I was talking to a friend earlier today about going out yesterday to take pictures of the eagles and how I managed to get a picture of the eaglet. This friend was warning me not to get too close up on the nest because the momma eagle might get defensive. I explained that I understood the concept that a momma will get upset when you mess with their children. This friend then went on to explain (he's always trying to educate me) that this was where the saying, "You pet the calf to get to the cow." came from. Being from redneck country I thought I had heard all those type of sayings, guess not.

Eaglet, Flower and Sunset

After work yesterday I ventured back out to check on the Eagle's nest. I was surprised to actually get a shot of the eaglet in the nest while it's parents were in trees away from the nest. I love capturing nature on camera.I always manage to find some type of flower or bush that I'm unfamiliar with and yesterday was no different. After checking on the eagles, I drove up to the dike and watched the sunset.