Invested

Words are important to me.  I believe they have power.  The spoken word is especially powerful.  I have been really chewing on some words lately that God has brought to my attention.  

I was recently listening to Rick Warren speak on Oprah's Lifeclass.  He said there are 3 things we can do with our life:

1.  Waste it . 

2.  Spend it.

3.  Invest it.

I have thought so much about those concepts and have been thinking about the life God has given me.  I don't know many people who want to waste their lives.  Most would say that they absolutely don't want to do that.  

I wrote those 3 things on our marker board in our kitchen.  My kids said, "There is no difference in spending an investing."  That brought about a great discussion in our home that I have referred back to with them several times over the last couple of weeks. 

There was a time period where I used the word "spent" a lot in reference to how I felt.  When I was weary, overwhelmed, and overextended, I would say I was "spent."  We even had a saying at our church that said to God, "Here I am Lord in your response to your call, now send me and spend me, I'll give you my all."  I think the sentiment was right on, but the idea of being spent creates a negative picture of my service to God.  When you spend something, it is over, gone, done, and there is nothing left to show for it.  When you are "spent," there is an exhaustion that feels like it has no purpose.  

The concept of investment is totally different.  When we invest in something, we are looking for a return.  There is always a return.  In fact, sometimes that return is a loss, but there is the possibility of return and the effort feels more purposeful.  

I think about yard work.  I really hate yard work.  This weekend, we are going to work on our yard/garden/flower beds.  I am not really looking forward to it, but I see it as an investment.  We will put in the hard work, and will hope for a return on our efforts that we can enjoy throughout the summer.  

Have you ever experienced the kind of exhaustion of really hard work and when you lay down in your bed at night, you can feel the ache in your body from all that you have done.  It is a good kind of exhaustion because you know you invested your time in something worthwhile.  I would equate it to how I feel when I go to Africa.  We have long, hard days.  We are getting dirty, doing projects, playing nonstop with the kids, exerting a ton of emotional energy, etc.  It is exhausting, BUT it is not in vain.  It is an investment.  

I am trying to view the things that I choose to dedicate my time to as investments.  I don't want to just "spend" my time doing things that when they are over, I just feel "spent."  If it is not an investment, then why am I devoting so much attention and energy to it?

Then, just as I was feeling like I had this idea of investment figured out, my good friend, Sue, who has so much wisdom to offer, added another layer for me to ponder.  She challenged me to consider investing in my inheritance.  This is what that looks like in my life:

 and this one,

 and her,

 and him,

 don't forget this guy,

 and last, but certainly not least,

It got me to thinking.  There really are different levels of investment that I can make.  I can make earthly investments, which sustain this life and are necessary but end with this life.  I can make eternal investments which go beyond my days here on earth.  AND, I can make investments in my inheritance that will leave a legacy behind on the earth even when I am gone that can even extend into eternity through my children.  I don't know, but that empowers me.  It motivates me.  It challenges how I use my time and what I commit to.

So, I am asking myself these days, "What do I want to invest in today?  How can I invest in my inheritance today?  Does this activity, choice, etc serve as a waste, as spending, or as an investment in my life today?  It has definitely made me evaluate and weigh the things that I commit my time to.

From Art Work to Volcanoes

I am taking a deep breath right now.  I just spent an hour downloading pictures onto my computer from our cameras.  I had to download them, split them into events and label them all over again.  I am still not finished.  This whole computer crashing thing is taking time that I don't have to give right now.  It has to be done.  Knowing it is all unorganized just drives me crazy.  Making some progress on it feels good.  

The four middle kids had an art show at their school recently.  We didn't actually make it to the show because of several other things going on.  I had to make cookies and lemonade for them that night to make up for what they missed getting at the art show.  I think the lemonade and cookies were the only reason they really wanted to go in the first place.  The next day, I was able to go to the school and take pictures of their work in the show.  The really funny part is that they are usually surprised by what piece is chosen for the show.  They are told to pick their top 3 favorites and even then the work that is put in the show is not usually one of those three.  

Sam's piece.  He promises he did not pick this.  

 Abby's piece(Easy to find)

 Isaiah's piece

 I could not find Lauren's anywhere.  We decided hers must have been the lion that she sculpted that her art teacher said, "Lauren, that is a great rat!" about.  We joke about that a lot.  It really did look like a lion, not a rat.

We have had children in school for 9 years now and have just now done our first homemade volcano.  Abby chose that as her science project.  Here is the actual experiment:

 This was the display she created for her presentation

 This boy came to me with these flowers.  Melt. My. Heart.

I just think he is the cutest thing ever.

Some girl is going to get a good husband in him some day!

Abby was pretty upset that he chose to pick the whole plant up out of the ground since she had been growing these flowers.  Now, there is just a hole in the ground.  She didn't find it nearly as sweet as I did!

I Wasn't Joking...

So, that last post was right.  The days have been crazy.

This is first time in the last week I have been able to sit down and actually gather my thoughts.

Even if I had the chance, my computer is still not completely restored.  Rick has been amazing at recovering almost everything.  So far, at no cost to us!!  I like the sound of that!  The only thing left is photos.

For some reason, it appears that all of the backups we have done since Aug. 2012 until now did not backup those photos.  So, I have a break in my photos.  Thankfully, we have been able to recover many from our phones and cameras where they are still saved.  I even remembered that I downloaded some to Shutterfly to do a calendar for my mom.  I think (fingers crossed) that even if he doesn't recover them all,  I will still have quite a few so that I don't feel like those months are lost.  It has been really frustrating.  You almost have to have multiple back ups completed to insure everything is not lost.

We are so close to a break.  We have a weekend ahead of a piano recital, basketball tournament, soccer tournament, an Elitches Trip for Lauren, Life Group, and a work retreat for Rick.  Once those are done, we enter the last stretch of school.  By Thursday, everyone will be done with school.  I am both and excited and terrified about that possibility all at the same time.

I have LOVED the warm weather we are experiencing!  I am so much happier when it is sunny and warm.  I even changed out our bedding yesterday to the summer stuff.  The only thing left is putting the air conditioners in the window, right Rick?  (Hint!  Hint!)

I have lots of pictures and events over the last few weeks to catch up on.  I captured this everyday occurrence the other day.  I just wanted to take a pic of Isaiah playing.  He loves to play with "guys"(action figures).

 Last week at school, Laila had Spirit Week.  Day one was Hat Day.  I forgot to take a picture.

Day Two was Super Hero Day

 Shooting her laser

 Day 3 was Pajama Day

On Day 4, they had a Mother's Day Tea.  I will share those pics in my Mother's Day post.  

Crazy Days of May

We have 3 months out of the year that just about do me in.  Every day is so full in these months that I literally have to take life minute by minute, hour by hour.

They are August, December, and MAY!!

Throughout the month of May, I have to take lots of cleansing breaths.

Sports and piano are finishing up.  This means final practices, games, tournaments, recitals and end-of- the season parties.  We are currently finishing Cody's basketball season, Lauren's soccer season, and Abby's piano lessons.

The month of May is ridiculous at school.  We have end-of-the year projects, field trips, field days, Teacher Appreciation Week, concerts, finals, end-of-the year parties, banquets, a dinner/dance, and an Elitches trip.

Rick has been gone a lot.  In the span of a month, he has 3 work retreats.  In addition, there have been many late night meetings.  When he is home, he is so exhausted, he just needs a break.  We are definitely counting the days until his vacation in June.

I am also in the process of sorting through all of our clothes and decluttering our house.  What a job that is!!  This feels like a neverending job.

We all have these times when we just don't know how it is all going to get done.  I am taking it one event at a time.

I suspect this is really how God wants us to live anyway.  Trusting Him in each minute.  Not planning every detail out.  Being open to changing our plans as He leads.  

Honestly, no matter how much I accomplish in a day, I still feel defeated because there is so much left to do.  Everywhere I look in my house, I see work that needs to be done.  My checklist is a. mile. long. Splatters on the walls, a cluttered drawer (actually many cluttered drawers), a pile of random socks that need matches, crumbs on the floor, piles of random papers, messes under beds, groceries that need to be bought, I could go on and on.

The May 6 "Jesus Calling" devotional centered me.  It brought everything into focus for me.

Do not search for security in the world you inhabit.  You tend to make mental checklists of things you need to do in order to gain control of your life.  If only you could check everything off your list, you could relax and be at peace.  But the more you work to accomplish that goal, the more things crop up on your list.  The harder you try, the more frustrated you become.

There is a better way to find security in this life.  Instead of scrutinizing your checklist, focus your attention on My Presence with you.  This continual contact with Me will keep you in My Peace.  Moreover, I will help you sort out what is important and what is not, what needs to be done now and what does not.  Fix your eyes not on what is seen (your circumstances), but what is unseen (My presence).

Okay, God.  I get it.  Once again, I needed to be reminded to that focusing on Your Presence will bring me Your Peace.  

Homemade Savings and Favorite Pins

I am going all domestic in this post.  I really do love cooking.  With the crazy schedule that we keep, I will say, cooking has lost some of its enjoyment for me. I have tried some new recipes lately that I wanted to share.

I have started making some things that I used to buy.  I resisted trying these recipes for a long time because these days, it feels like time is almost as valuable as money for me.  I have found these recipes to be really easy, they are way less expensive, taste equivalent or better to me than the store-bought versions, and are more natural than those same products that have additives and preservatives.

Here are my latest favorites:

These first two recipes are from the book "Miserly Moms" by Jonni McCoy

Chocolate Syrup
1 C. cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. cold water
1 T. vanilla

Combine cocoa and sugar and blend until all lumps of cocoa are gone.  Add salt and water and mix well.  Cook over medium heat, bringing it to a boil.  Remove from heat once it boils.  When cool, add vanilla.

I had an old Hershey's syrup container that I cleaned out and store this in.  It really tastes yummy.

Maple-Flavored Syrup
2 C. sugar
1 C. water
1 tsp. maple extract

Bring water and sugar to a slow boil over low heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat before it comes to a rolling boil(to keep crystals from forming).  Add flavoring as it is cooling.  Store in the fridge.

Once again, I store it in an old syrup bottle.  The kids cannot tell the difference and it is way cheaper than any pancake syrup from the store.

I found the next one on Pinterest.  If you use canned beans in any recipes, these are so perfect, cheap and easy.  I especially use black beans a lot in my Mexican recipes.  This is has been a great way to save money and I cannot tell the difference!!

Click on this link to find out just how easy it is:  Get rid of canned beans.

I had the next recipe for the first time in Hawaii.  Now, I did wonder if being in Hawaii made it taste so good, but since that time I have made it several times and it continues to be delicious.  The thing I love the most about this recipe is that you can use real bacon bits in it without having to deal with the mess of cooking bacon.  I must give my friend, Nicole, credit for this one.

Crustless Bacon and Egg Quiche
Real Bacon Bits(I just kind of eye it.  I don't know an exact amount)
1 1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. Bisquick (you can also us GF Bisquick to make this gluten free)
3 eggs
1/4 C. butter, melted
dash of pepper
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese (I use whatever cheese I have)

In blender, combine milk, bisquick, eggs, butter and pepper(15 seconds).  Pour into greased 9" pie pan or square baking dish.  Sprinkle bacon and cheese on top of egg mixture, gently press below the surface with  a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until knife in center comes out clean.  Stand 10 min. before serving.  Makes 4-6 servings.  You can double this recipe to make a 9 x 13 pan size.

I also have a few pins that we have recently tried that I wanted to share:

Copycat Chick-fil-a Nuggets - I was really skeptical about this one, but had some chicken pieces I needed to use up.  It was very messy to make, but Oh. My. Goodness!  They really did taste like Chick-fil-a to me.  So yummy!

Cha Cha White Chicken Chili - Yummy with some sour cream.  Next time I will make cornbread to go with this.

Whipped Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes - The orange juice was too strong for me in this recipe.  I will leave it out next time.

Happy Cooking!!

Still Waiting

**After I wrote this post, I realized how boring it is.  Not that all of my posts are so engaging.  The reason I wrote it is because it gives a glimpse into my life and how it relates to technology.  I suspect someday, we will look back, read it, and laugh at the technology because we have advanced so much.  I think about the technology we had when I was a kid and I am so amazed at how much we have advanced over the last 30 years!**

Well, my computer is still not completely restored.  I am typing on Rick's computer right now.

It was confirmed that the hard drive did crash.  Rick took it in to Apple to get it fixed.  At this point, we did have not had to pay anything because we had a smaller hard drive from when we purchased the computer that they installed for us.  He is in the process of downloading all the info from our external hard drive.  It appears to be working fairly well.  My fingers are still crossed about some things.  

I really miss my computer in so many ways.

There is nothing like having something taken away that brings about the awareness of how much you depend on it.

Here are some things that I have missed:

~Emails.  Easy access to reading and sending emails.  I can use my phone, but it is so cumbersome to write emails on it.  If you are awaiting a reply from me about something, this may be why you haven't heard from me.

~Blogs.  I have this neat little blog list I can click on to read the blogs that I keep up with.  It is so quick and easy.  I don't even have to remember the blog addresses.  As a result, I am really behind, and I hate that.  I miss keeping up with my "blog friends."

~Facebook.  I communicate with a lot of people through fb.  Once again, it is so cumbersome to type out messages on my phone.  If I have missed your Birthday, I am so sorry.  Happy Birthday.  Oh, that is another thing.  No matter how many times I put someone's bday in my phone and choose for it to repeat every year, it does not repeat it.  I am missing many bdays this year because of that!

~Pinterest.  I didn't realize how much I have come to depend on Pinterest for things.  I especially have a lot of my recipes on there.  I just pull them up on my laptop, set it on my island, and cook away.  That has been much more complicated using the app on my tiny phone screen to read recipes.

~Groupon, Living Social, etc.  I love getting deals through these websites.

~Websites.  I did not realize how much I use my computer as a resource when I have questions and need an answer.  I also look up the weekly grocery ads on my computer.  I reserve books at the library. I keep up with the kids' grades and classroom news.  I handle all of our health insurance business online.  I order a lot of things online. Way more than I realized.  The list goes on and on.

~Documents.  I have created several documents over the years of processes that help me run our house more smoothly.  They include our chore system, family traditions, meal list, etc.  I have not been able to pull any of those up over the last week.

~Kids' school work.  The older my kids get, the more they need the computer for their homework.  Cody, Lauren and Abby are the main ones right now.  They have missed my computer, too!

~Photos.  This is the one I have been most concerned about.  So far, Rick has been able to recover all of my photos up to August of last year.  He has not been able to recover any since then.  I feel a little sick at my stomach every time I think about it.  I am praying desperately that he will figure this one out. Not having access to photos or a place to download them has made blogging more complicated.

Hopefully, I will be back up and running this week.  Until then, please keep in touch with me!!

Crashing

Well, I have been a bit silent for the last week, but I have a very good reason.

I have experienced a couple of crashes.

First, last Thursday, I crashed my truck.  Let me begin by saying it was REALLY  MINOR.  It was totally my fault.  It was a careless mistake, and I was so frustrated with myself.  The damage to both vehicles was really small.  Ours is so small that we don't even think it will warrant a claim because it should be less than the deductible.

Basically, I was sitting behind a truck at a stop light.  The light turned green and out of of habit, I started driving.  The problem is that I started driving a little, tiny bit faster than the truck in front of me.  I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late.

The man was very kind.  I was very mad at myself.  My husband was completely and absolutely loving and grace giving over the whole ordeal.  

The next day, after realizing how much I actually drive(over 50 miles every day, but between 75-100 many days), that only having this one accident since we have lived here(almost 13 years) is pretty good, and I decided to be kind to myself as well.

Now, I cannot blame the car crash for my lack of blogging, but I can blame the other crash.

On Saturday morning, I woke up and my computer screen was blank.  I know the computer was on because I could move the cursor around, but there was no response from my computer.  I wasn't surprised.  I didn't even freak out.  Electronics of every kind do not like me.  I am pretty sure there is something in my body that messes up electronic/technological devices.  There is really no other explanation for the amount of issues I have on a regular basis.  I figured Rick would come down, do the same things I had tried and it would started working again as usual.

After some research on Rick's part, he can find no other explanation than that my hard drive crashed.  Thankfully, we just backed it up a week ago.  Hopefully, that back up was successful.  I really only NEED my pictures.  Everything else can be restored despite all the work it will take.

So, I have been without my computer.  On the bright side, we have had hot water for a week now.  I must confess, I think I miss the computer more than I did the hot water.

Sad, but true.