Farewell to a decade

Well, there's no avoiding it now.  I have only a matter of minutes left in my 20's.

I have definitely made some strides with my list over the past couple of weeks, but I'm still not done.  Life is busy.  Some I will share about here and others are a little personal.  Once you see it crossed out on my original post you can assume I am done with it. 

Thanks for the love and support :)

Fifty Nifty United States

After I included memorizing the nicknames for all fifty states in my list I found these great flash cards in the dollar section at Target!! 

Here is my scratch paper from studying....

Today at lunch Jarrod quizzed me and I am proud to say that I got them all right :)

Not ready

Thirty.  30.  The big 3-0.  However you want to say it, I'm not ready.  This isn't exactly easy.  Now I can say it has kept me up at night.  Why?  I don't know for sure.

Perhaps it's the fact that once I cross over to the 30's I'm afraid that life will accelerate quickly.  Or maybe it's the silent reminders such as my health insurance premium skyrocketing or the fact that I'm much closer to the end of my child bearing days.  I don't know for sure....

Someone said to me this weekend "Turning thirty is better than the alternative".  And it is!  But, it's going to take some getting used to.

All I know is that I'm thankful for the first 30 years God has given me.  I'm right where I wanted to be at this time in my life....

Handmade Necklaces

Time is ticking and three weeks from tomorrow I will be bidding a bittersweet farewell to my 20's.  It's time to mark another item off the list!  Today I made two necklaces.  It was actually quite simple but was just a matter of me remembering the materials at the store and then sitting down to do it :)

Materials Needed:

• clear fishing wire
• scissors
• stones/beads of your choice
• clasps

Drum roll please....



TA DA!!  These really didn't take long at all.  I love the big stones because they are eye catching and FUN.  I chose to do multicolors in the first one because it will match everything!  I did only pink stones in the second one because I always seem to be searching for something to wear with pink!

Instructions:

• Measure fishing wire to be exactly how long you want it....then add a few extra inches!
• Attach one part of the clasp by tying it to one end of the wire
• String beads on in whatever pattern you choose
• When all stones/beads are strung tie the other clasp part on the very end
• Enjoy wearing it :)

Family Night

I've always wanted to designate a family night each week.  Family should be a calm in the storm of life.  Our schedule is BUSY (football, activities, etc.) but I figure that if we make a point to spend quality time together as often as possible we are doing okay :) 

Last night we ordered pizza and played Candyland (Emma's request!) 

Owen showing off his tricks :)

Emma doing a little victory dance!!

Congrats to daddy on his BIG Candyland win!  We hope to continue setting aside special family time.  We know that one day the kids will rather do anything but stay home with us on a Saturday night.....

Still 29

I now only have one month left in my twenties.  And there is nothing I can do about it.  It's really just another number, right?! 

I am officially over half way done with my list and I will have several things to cross off very soon.....

Esther

One of the items on my list was to establish a quiet time with the Lord daily.  This sounds incredibly simple but often the hustle and bustle of life intervenes.  I'm sure some of you can relate.  This evening I completed a nine week Beth Moore Bible study on the book of Esther.  I did her study of Daniel five years ago when we lived in Riesel and enjoyed it very much!  If you are not familiar with Beth Moore, she is absolutely fabulous!  She is hilarious, truthful and yearns to get the message out!  Once a week our group of lovely ladies would meet to discuss and watch a dvd series.  There was also "homework" (reading, analyzing and writing) which was divided among five days.  This allowed me to become more disciplined in spending time with the Lord on a daily basis.

As a woman we sometimes feel overshadowed, underrated, overwrought, underqualified, under attack, overanxious or overresponsible......but GOD can turn it ALL around :)  Sometimes its just plain TOUGH being a woman.  Beth does an excellent job of showing how contemporary and applicable the happenings of Esther are to our lives today. 

One of the most unforgettable passages is Esther 4:14.  It says "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  God has a masterplan (can I get a hallelujah!?!) and each of us is put in a certain place at a certain time for a REASON.  Sometimes we ask "why?" and we don't have full understanding but we are to trust Him.  Another similar passage that Beth referred to is Romans 8:28 which says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  How powerful!!

I loved this study SO much that I even hired a babysitter for the last couple of weeks to keep the kids until daddy returned home from football :)  If you ever have a chance to get involed with a Beth Moore study do it!  You will be blessed.