Project Simplify: Turning Goals into Reality

If you have not already printed these free goal-setting printables, you can do that now and work on determining the goals that you would like to reach this year.

Since the theme this year is “Project Simplify”, I thought it would be pretty silly to make some kind of complicated worksheet to help me determine how to reach my goals.

Instead, I am using a simple calendar.

If you care to use my simple method, read on and I'll explain how to make your goals become reality.

• Re-read your list of goals and determine how they can broken up into actionable items.  For example, if you wrote that you want to memorize more scripture, you should decide  which specific verses you want to memorize and by what date you want to have them memorized.  Add that to your calendar.  I want to memorize Colossians chapter 3, and I am planning to memorize one verse each week.  So I have added “Colossians 3:1” to the first week of the calendar, “Colossians 3:2” to the second week, and so on.

• If you have long-term goals, break them down into steps and determine a deadline for each step.  Add each step to your calendar.  For example, let's say you want to re-decorate your bedroom.  Give yourself a couple weeks to decide on the colors you want.  Mark that deadline on your calendar and focus the next couple weeks on browsing Pinterest and magazines until you're sure you know what you want.  The next deadline could be when you want to have it painted by.  Then when you want to have the new curtains made (or bought).  And so on.

• Make sure your goals are reasonable.  I know many people suggest to aim high, but I'm going to suggest the opposite.  You can always add more if you easily reach one goal.  My tendency in years past has been to be all starry-eyed about the things I'm going to accomplish.  Then when it's too much to keep up with I end up getting discouraged and scrapping everything.  I'd rather choose a couple simple things and do a good job keeping up with them than to end up aiming too high and ending up accomplishing nothing.

See how simple this is?  I bet I  could sum up this whole post in one sentence.  Let me try:

After assuring that your goals are reasonable, turn them into specific actions and add them to your calendar in the appropriate places.

In a few days I'll be sharing my daily planner (if you can even call it that -it's so easy!) and how I translate what's on my calendar into daily actions. But for now, go ahead and print your 12 calendar pages and work on translating your goals into specific actions you can put onto the calendar.

(And go ahead and add birthdays and other yearly events now too. )

 Download here

For those of you who indicated on Facebook that you really could use some help in the organizational department, you will not want to miss the post where I share my daily planner! I'm calling it “The Planner for the ADD Personality”, or “A Simple Planning System for People who Hate to Plan” or something like that.  It's working for me, and I've been pretty much hopeless until now.

Be sure you're subscribed to email updates so you won't miss it when it's posted!

Pretty Winter Vase

I just recently found out about the Dollar Tree Value Seeker's Club  through a friend’s blog.  She had done the cutest craft that she found on there. 

After my Christmas decorations came down, I knew I wanted to make something to make my house look pretty for the rest of the winter.  The Dollar Tree Value Seeker's Club was the perfect place to look! The free club has new ideas every month that you can print and take with you to the Dollar Tree as a shopping list.  They had some great ideas for January, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to create one of their projects as part of a sponsored campaign.

I decided to make a pretty winter vase. I figured it wouldn’t be too hard, and I knew I could find some fillers for it out of my backyard.  I headed to Dollar Tree and found this vase that was a nice shape, brought it home, and got to work using the instructions on the Dollar Tree Value Seeker's Club website.

I was so excited that this project went so quickly and easily – I am the queen of finding ways to mess things up and make them take forever!  And all I needed was my vase, white paint, white glue, and Epsom salts. I painted the vase white,

let it dry (sort of – I’m a little impatient), then coated it with glue

and applied the Epsom salts.  So easy, but pretty! The only thing I did differently from the instructions on the website was instead of rolling the vase in the Epsom salt, I ended up sprinkling it on after I applied the glue.  I found that rolling the vase in the salt was scratching the paint off of it.  That may have been because I was too impatient to let it dry well enough.  But sprinkling it on went very fast, and I had complete control over getting it exactly where I wanted it, so I was fine with doing it that way.

I am so happy with how this project turned out, and I’m enjoying having my house a little less dreary for the rest of the winter. 

Be sure to sign up for the Dollar Tree Value Seeker's Club for access to the instructions for this project and lots more like it!  I already bought the supplies for another easy decoration that I plan to make for my bedroom.

What project do you think you would like to try first?

Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the prizes from the book launch of Farewell, Fatigue!  If you are on this list, you should have already received an email from me:

Grand prize giveaway – Andrea H.

Kerrygold Prize Package – Renee W.

Kind Bars variety pack – Rachel A. L.

Non-toxic Living eBooks – Karen G. D.

Real Food eBooks – Eileen H.

Boiron homeopathic sleep aid – Tyra N Blake W.

Propur Sport Filtration Bottle – Nikki S.

Thoughts from The Imperfect Grandmother

I am honored to have my mom posting some things from her heart today.  And while she wrote this from a grandmother's perspective, there is so much that we young mothers can learn from this too!  (Titus 2:3-4   The aged women likewise…that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children…)

I sure wish I were closer to perfect than imperfect, but unfortunately, the closer I get to heaven, the more I realize that I need the Lord to help me through each phase of life! In fact, in some ways it gets harder as life goes on because now not only do I have four children to be a godly example to, but now I have 15, (soon to be 17) grandchildren to pray diligently for and be a godly example to.
My daughter recently gave birth to her fourth child and we were privileged to keep her other three while she had some R & R after the birth. Throughout those three days, the Lord was showing me what I can learn from keeping these precious grandchildren. They are not necessarily in any special order, but just random thoughts.

1. They need love, attention, discipline, and did I mention that they need love, attention, and discipline, and oh, teaching. Teach them diligently. Teach them the Word of God in the Way. Use every day incidences and objects to teach and instill the Word of God in their hearts. Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Deuteronomy 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

2. Focus on them, not yourself. They are your main mission. Meet their needs, physically, emotionally, and Spiritually.

3. Don't be too quick to judge them expecting them to act like mature adults. Remember they are very young.

4. They need to see Christ in my actions, not just hear about Him in my words.

5. They may claim to be saved and only God know their hearts. If they claim to be saved, teach them as though they are, but always giving the gospel so that it becomes clear in their hearts and minds. Pray that you will see evidence of their salvation or that God will reveal to them that they are not saved and that they will see themselves as a sinner and accept Him.

6. Often as I see my grandchildren do many wicked things, I become angry and frustrated. I remind myself, what if God became so angry and frustrated with me every time I disobeyed or did so wickedly. While thinking back, I remember many wicked things I did after salvation, yet God in His mercy still loved and forgave me and gently led me on.

7. Forgive them as God forgives you.

8. Teach them God's Word and how to live a victorious Christian Life.

9. Never give up on them.

10. Don't break their spirit, but don't give in to their will either.

11. Be merciful and kind. Oh how merciful and kind God is toward me. What if He screamed at me every time I sinned or rebelled or disobeyed? What if He punished me unmercifully without love and thought?

12. Remember how often I act like a 2 year old when God is dealing with me. I am so quick to forget what He told me and to go my own way without a care at all.

13. God definitely made younger women to care for children. Yes, Sarah and Elizabeth had children in their old age, but they only had one. But God does give grace and strength and joy in it all!

14. Sit back and enjoy them! They are great entertainment and can really give you a good time.

15. Snatch any quiet moments to be alone with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. While keeping grandchildren or your own children, there may not be a long length of time that you can sit and meditate on God's Word, so learn to recognize and be prepared for any small windows of quietness that God may give you. In the quietness of your heart, meditate on Scripture and pray without ceasing. Be thankful for any quiet time that God gives you. Use it for getting to know the Lord better through His Word and for praying. Pray continually for your grandchildren.

Summary: It is a privilege to be a grandmother. I desire that my grandchildren see this in their grandparents:
Proverbs 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Remember: Proverbs 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Psalms 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children…

What imperfections do you need to weed out from your mothering or grandmothering?

You’re Invited!

You are all invited to a Facebook party on Tuesday evening from 8 – 10 pm.

We will be discussing various aspects about my new ebook Farewell, Fatigue.  There will be a lot of great information there for everyone, regardless of your current health.

And of course there will be door prizes and party favors!

RSVP here so you can get a little reminder before the party starts!

And, would you do me a little favor and invite your friends too?

Looking forward to chatting with you there!

Does Caffeine Make You Tired?

There are many things that can contribute to fatigue in your body. One of the most surprising things that may be adding to your fatigue is the very thing you are using to stay energized – – caffeine.

Head over to Growing Slower where I've posted 3 Reasons Caffeine is Making You Tired…