On Monday I...

December 19, 2014

I should be ready to start sharing actual posts about our trip south...but I'm not. It's Monday and it feels like Monday. On Monday I wash all the towels. On Monday I try to pull myself together for the week ahead. On every Monday in January, I watch the latest Downton Abbey episode.

On this particular Monday I'm supposed to take Joe to town and I have TWO google hangout sessions planned. Oh, and I'm making beef stew for dinner.

So, I'm off to tackle this Monday. It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I can't help thinking about him and the generations that have spanned between us. He wasn't perfect, but I've always admired him very much. He stood up for something and got others to stand with him.

That's really something. 

What do you do on Monday?

I'd love to hear your favorite MLK quote! 

And...Let's talk Downton!!! What are your thoughts this season? I have SOOO many!

The Most Helpful Distraction

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving 2013 is here. 

I have to be very honest. My mind is absolutely JUMBLED right now. Yours probably is too, so I doubt I have to explain myself. 

There are two times when I attempt to DISTRACT myself from the things that have me constantly trying to catch up. These times are Sundays and every night after dinner. 

During those times I don't even THINK about what needs to be done and what it will take to get them done. During those times, my mind is at rest. 

I read, pray, think about other things, play games, catch up with friends, bake, sleep, or watch something.

It's really good to do....BUT, it got me thinking. 

During those times I succeed at turning off my "I MUST" and simply focus on what is happening at any given moment. 

The "distraction" is really just Victoria living moment by moment with God. 

It led me to ask myself the question: 

Why do I only purpose to make those moments happen during times of rest? 

They do happen, so obviously the grace of God is there...I need that same grace during my times of work as well! 

Today I'm thanking God for the fact that when I rest, I seek Him. I'm also asking God to bring me to the place where I seek Him while I work as well. 

 

It's easy to get jumbled, and weighed down by life. 

I want God to work in my heart so that I live moment by moment with Him in spite of all the chaos begging for my attention. 

As I set goals and accomplish them, as I make commitments and keep them, what I really want to be focused on and be "distracted" by is Him. 

Do you have times you set aside to tune out to the stuff that makes you feel crazy inside and tune into God in order to calm your soul?

 

I'd love to hear about it!!! 

A Walk Can Teach Us

I just got back from a walk. Even though it's getting rarer with each passing day, the sky is a deep blue. Almost every tree is bare. Leaves are still sprinkling the ground and most every lawn is still a vibrant shade of green. 

Things were surprisingly quiet....

I came across two boys on scooters. They thought I was a teacher from the school. I get mistaken for this teacher nearly every time an elementary age child sees me out in public. 

The boys were racing and making siren noises and, as it happened, getting all the dogs in the neighborhood to bark. 

Next, I came across an old man. I don't actually know his name, but I've watched him age A LOT over the last few years. He and his wife were always together. Sitting on the porch, or in the window in their chairs, going on errands. I loved knowing that they were there watching the world go by together. She isn't there any more. I'm not sure if she died or just moved to a nursing home...And he is slowing down. I've watched as he's started to stoop over a little more all the time. His movements have become less sure.

 

Somehow, he continues to press on. I still see him sitting on the porch, shuffling to the house from the car, or doing his yard work. He declines help the few times I've asked, so I think it gives him purpose. 

Today he had a rake and a garbage can. He was carefully, slowly raking leaves and edging over with the rake to pick them up. As I struggled to keep up a very fast pace, there he was, struggling to just bend over and pick up some leaves. 

Perspective. 

A few houses down I noticed a tree. One side was completely bare and the other side from top to bottom had tons of leaves on it. Strange? I thought so. 

And then I saw another old man. He's been fixing up a house for several years now. First it was the roof. Then it was the yard. And now, it's the porch. His method involves ripping things up and starting from scratch. Almost everyday for the last few years he spends his days working on the house. 

 

Every time I see him, I wonder things like where did he come from? What does he do in the evenings? What does he think about while he works? Has this always been a dream or has he spent his whole life doing these kind of projects? 

Today I learned something about him. He does that quiet not quite a whistle but more than simply blowing air out of your mouth thing...And it made me smile. My grandma always did that. It was always a tune of some kind, louder than a hum but much quieter than a whistle. I wonder what song is his favorite? 

And then I just walked. I didn't see any more people or hear any more children playing. I passed old houses that I haven't walked by since this time last year. I thought about the people that do live or have lived in many of them...

And then I saw a woman in her kitchen window drinking her coffee. And heard the boys who had ditched their scooters and started playing soccer behind a fence. And breathed out because I was almost home. 

The quiet was still there, but now I had seen and heard. I had observed and remembered and questioned life. 

 

And the simple things that happen everyday all around me looked like something different. They looked like God putting people here and blessing them with so many things. It looked like perspective...

 

A walk can teach us something. 

 

I am here and He is there. And yet, all of these details and all of the details in the universe, are His. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

November 5, 2013 that is....The first snow of winter 2013. A brown sugar cinnamon mocha. Time to sit down and write about what's been on my mind.

I've read a lot of good stuff on the internet this week. (I'll post some links for you another day.) My thoughts have been ALL over the place.

* I've been thinking about Advent. Last year I put together a set of cards with Scriptures and activities that went along with John Piper's "Seeing and Savoring Christ". Any suggestions for this year? I'm debating on using a book, an advent guide, or maybe just putting together something of my own around a theme or text. What do you do during Advent? 

* GOALS for the rest of 2013.

*My brother turning 21 this weekend. You know what the kid asked for? An eating plan, recipes, kitchen tools he might need for said recipes, a mug, and some different teas. Hear me out here, he was a lineman in football (the kind that made people flinch), he's over 6ft tall, he lives in hoodies and athletic shorts, our Grandma called him a "bull in the china shop". He's no hipster, no lady-like sissy...He's a tough guy and THAT'S all he asks. I love that kid!

* God is HAPPY. I know some people have a problem with that word because it seems fickle and fleeting. Sometimes I'm one of them. Yesterday morning I took a little bit to really think about God being happier than we can even imagine. I am a pretty serious person, I smile a lot but I'm always thinking. In my head, God is holy and just and full of joy. But, happier than I can imagine? I never thought about that....I'll be kicking this one around for a while. 

*Living in "the way of the gospel". The way that see's the wickedness in my heart and in the world and responds by calling it out and graciously continuing with mercy and hope. If it's my sin, I can confess it and go right to God. He will give me grace and mercy and with that comes joy and hope. If it's a friend's sin, they need me to help them do the same and show them what God has already been giving me. It's the gospel being the good news all the time. It's the gospel received and shared over and over again.

*The presence of God. The place everything makes sense. The place I belong. The place that keeps me living in the grace and sharing that grace with others.

*The Holy Spirit as mentor and companion. He is there. I haven't been living like it. Living without regular Christian fellowship wears on me QUICK. I've been feeling the pain lately. I've been realizing what's really missing, my communion with Him. Jesus promised that His Spirit would be the one to Help...Why haven't I been going to Him?

*God's love and provision comes without condition. It was a sunset over a wheat field that made this truth wash over me a few weeks ago. So many times things in life are based on conditions. I throw the conditions out and rid myself of the drain they place on my life. With God, HE took care of every condition and loves and provides freely and gladly. I have Him and He holds me. No matter what. He is better than anything else. He holds me better than anyone else ever can. 

 

 

So, it's snowing. The years are FLYING by. And God is showing how GLORIOUS He is, how far reaching His love is, and how He is calling His people to imitate Him. 

What's been on your mind lately? 

PAUSE - Good Things

What a weekend it has been! And yes, I know it's only Saturday. 

 

Last night I tried out the Pioneer Woman's recipe for french bread pizzas on my brother and sister. I was crazy about them, but they weren't impressed.

 

 

 

 

We also watched a very cheesy movie called "Spy School" and finished off a package of oreos and some ice cream. I was going to do smores, but somehow, I completely forgot about that until it was too late. 

 

 

This morning, we got up bright and early to head out to a little fall bazaar. This particular bazaar is kind of like Black Friday. People have their eyes on what they want and they show up early to get a good place in line. I stood in line while everyone else got breakfast. 

 

It was a PERFECT day. Very chilly first thing this morning, but by 10 it was perfectly calm, completely dry, and there was a beautiful blue sky. I'd forgotten just how lovely fall can be!  (You might hear me say that a lot - I'm thinking it all of time.)

 

 

 

We came away with sooo many good things including books, games, legos, some tea cups, a wooden thing that holds a couple decks of cards and some dice, fresh donuts (the kind they fry right in front of you), and of course FOOD.  

 

 

 

After things were finished there, we headed out to do some geocaching on the way back home.We were 3 for 3 again today. :)

I did a lot of thinking in that line this morning. At first it was soooo cold nobody was really talking. 

 

Pretty soon I started talking to the guy beside me and it wasn't long before the guy beside him and the lady beside me were talking too. We had our own little circle right in the middle of this line. And then of course as we were wandering around we ran into people that we actually know.

So, yes, it's only Saturday...But this has been a wonderful weekend already! The weather is perfect, I've been having fun with most of the people that I love, and God is there reminding me WHY all of these things are so good. 

What has your weekend been full of? I'd love to hear about it! 

 

Click ^^^ to see a list of all the posts in this series.

Like the Leaves

It's just time for a list...A list of the things that I am looking forward to this fall. 

* Putting my new library card to some serious use.

* My birthday is next Thursday...Only, I didn't realize that it wasn't next Wednesday until I sat down to write this post. Strange! 23, WHERE did you come from? 

* The final cook out weekend happening at my house in a few weeks.

* Football.

* I started a book club!!! We're reading "Persuasion" and we'll have our first meeting at the end of this month.

* Hitting up another living history event at a local museum. 

* The SCHEDULE that comes with fall. I thrive on routine, predictability, and goal setting.

* A trip to the corn maze/pumpkin patch - maybe?

* Warm drinks, candles, sweaters, leaves, the CRISP air, movie nights, game playing on Sunday afternoon...My list could go on here!

* Thanksgiving. 

What did I leave out? What are you looking forward to this fall? 

 

You've Got MAIL

Can someone explain to me why it continues to be so exciting to KNOW that you're getting mail and then to GET the mail you've been waiting on? 

I cannot explain it, but I get giddy just thinking about packages coming in the mail. There have been times when a package comes and I know it's not even mine, but I get excited and can't wait to find out what SOMEBODY got. 

That was me while I was waiting on my mug. It was great! In fact, I'm giddy all over again just thinking about it! :) 

I sent my mug to Elizabeth, who turns out to have an Etsy shop full of mugs and things. She was a trooper, I didn't send out her package until the day AFTER the deadline...I tracked that package like a crazy lady though, and I was happy to know that it only took two days to get to her. 

 I received my mug from Bethany. She did soooo good. I absolutely LOVE my mug. It's the PERFECT mug for fall and winter. Who am I kidding? I'll be using it all year round! The tea she included is really good. Give it a try if you're looking for something new in the tea department...It doesn't even need sugar, it is just the right balance of sweet and strong.

She wrote the sweetest note too. Bethany, I'm excited about all the conversations and memories that are going to happen while I use my mug! And, can I just point out that the card and the mug match? Yeah, Bethany? You did a good job!!!

Thanks to Kim for hosting this great swap! This is my first swap with you and it could not have gone smoother. 

Joy

If you've ever been to my "about me" tab and if you've ever read to the end of what I wrote there, you came across one of my favorite verses. The verse is Philippians 3:10. 

 

"For my determined purpose is that I may know God. 
That I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, 
perceiving,recognizing, and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly. 
That I may be continually transformed in spirit into His likeness..."

 

Years ago that verse was part of the "old school" header I had. When I redesigned my blog, there wasn't a place for it there, but I knew I didn't want it to go away. It may be buried in a tab, but it's a verse that's central to my life. 

I just want to KNOW GOD...And I want my life to be continually TRANSFORMED by that knowing. I want people who know me, to feel like they are closer to be God because they've been near someone who has been close to Him. 

Friday I listened to a sermon by John Piper back from 1984. The sermon was on Philippians 3. As I watered my begonias, I was ecstatic at this thought -

Christian, there is more of Christ to know than you now know.

Really think about that. HOWEVER long you've been a Christian. HOWEVER much you think you know. There is STILL MORE of Christ to know. 

The sermon was about so much more than even that...But that thought really stuck with me.

As we know God, there is ALWAYS more to know. As we keep pursuing Him, He is stirring up that desire in us. As we see and savor and share what we find in Him, there is such JOY. 

We won't pursue perfectly. We won't know perfectly. The joy will sometimes seem completely gone. 

Yet, He is there. 

With that, there's one final thought I'm going to leave with you. I saw this quote and then I took this picture during my Friday morning outside. I decided to put the two together...

 

Once Upon a Saturday

Another weekend is over and with it another holiday has come and gone...I get the horrible daughter of the year award! I made sure to be there to spend the holiday with my Mom but that is all I had for her this year.

Saturday marked the first official cook out of the season. It was HOT and perfect.

Sunday was (of course) Mother's Day. There was face timing, chalk drawing, a dinner with friends, and "Lincoln" watching. My Mom is an AMAZING woman and yet honoring her on the holiday marked for it was PATHETIC. She's reading this shaking her head I'm sure...I love you and you know it, Mom, even when I STINK at helping you know it!

*****


LAST weekend, my brother and sister asked me to put together an obstacle course for them. I looked around for things to set up and hours worth of fun was born...The time JUNK came in handy, or something like that!

They ran, jumped, crab walked, crawled, balanced on a barrel, carried water, dribbled, and jump roped....OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. The scores got faster and slower. "Hey, Mom, watch this!!!!" was shouted. Videos were made, pictures were taken, and I hope another fun memory was added to the banks. 

Every now and then a quiet Saturday at home turns into something a little less quiet. I love those days!!!

*******

Uno mas, Meh-Mah.....I LOVE you and I'm GLAD you're my Mom and my best friend! There may not be any grandbabies, but there are still plenty of good times. :) 

They Matter More Than We Think

Frankly, life does not have to be exciting to be good. You don't have to take trips...Or know many people...You don't have to have a nice car...And you don't have to be important...Life can still be good.
I have spent most of my life living in small towns. Even when I've lived in the city, I've seen that neighborhoods become their own small town, their own safe haven. 
These places are full of people who are all "busy" and yet if they died, life would go on just fine without most of them. They spend their days going to work, cleaning the house, fixing food, taking care of the lawn, checking the mail, getting gas for their car, watching TV, and occasionally they get together with family for a party, a cookout, or a milestone. 
Life in these safe havens have things to teach us...
Time goes on and things don't matter, people do. Yet, it's always the things that bring us together.  We see the same people at the post office, our kids play on the same sports teams, and maybe our Grandma's go to the same beauty shop. As we do the menial things, we get to know each other and we start to CARE for each other. 
 When you know the people around you, you know that we're all in it together. And together, we can see that a quiet life really can be quite good. 
This weekend, especially if you're just taking it slow, take some time to think. We're not going to be around forever. MOST of the things we do don't even matter. Think about the people around you and take some time to pour into them the joy and the life that you have in Christ. 
In Christ, the "pointless" minutes and hours and days have purpose. He gives them to us and He means for us to use them well. 

More in May

There's a challenge to "blog everyday in May" going around this month. I was thinking about doing it...Then it was May 3 and May 4 and May 5 and since I hadn't blogged yet, I decided it was just too late. 
My challenge? Blog more in May. 
We'll see how it goes. 

Lately I've been...
* Clearing out flower beds. Weeds and grass and spring flowers that have come and gone needed to be dealt with. To be honest, I'm kind of sad that part is over. 
*Dreaming about what to plant this year. I picked up some seeds and am trying to decide just how much I'm going to take on this year. 
*Listening to good music. Still enjoying Talented Xth and now I'm moving on to "Heroes For Sale".
* Rearranging things. My room, closets, cabinets, the fridge, and the garage. Operation: ORGANIZE. 
* Trying to "plan not plan" the summer. There are several places I'd like to go this year and I want to be sure not to miss special events happening at each place. The calendars have been printed and things have been penciled in (penciled = "plan not plan", it's an option but I'm not bound to anything). It's coming together!!!

*Enjoying time on the patio again! So far I've spent plenty of time out there, but Sunday marked the first MORNING on the patio.   *Cooking up new things in the kitchen. Over the last few days I've boiled taco meat, tried to figure out burrito sauce, and shot from the hip at some teriyaki chicken. I'm ready to do some things I'm comfortable with too....Cold brew coffee, anyone? 

So, it's May. It's almost summer. 
Winter has come and gone. It turned out to be a pretty good one. 
We celebrated the holidays, beat the "blues", played lots of games, celebrated lots of birthdays, saw my brother, spent time with my friend and her newly expanded family, put on a play, and made it out with smiles on our faces...Mostly! 

What have you been up to lately? 
What are your "plans not plans" for summer 2013?

The Scenic Route: 15 Years

Last week, we had a little party to celebrate my sister's 15th birthday! In case you haven't noticed...I love getting together with people. If it involves setting the table, fixing food, and putting up some kind of decoration, that's even better.

A few years ago, I bookmarked a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte. I sent my sister a picture of said dessert and she was all in favor of it being her birthday "cake". 

Having never made it before I was VERY nervous about how it would turn out. It involved using a spring form pan. I've never used one of those either. Thankfully, it turned out just fine and I was not the least bit embarrassed to serve it on that special day!

My sister LOVES pasta...The menu that she picked for the evening was: Baked Alfredo, Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread, "Jay" Juice, and of course the fancy "torte" (I'm still not sure why it's called a torte).

After the dessert was done, I was on to bigger and better things. I headed out to the tulip garden and cut every single last tulip that was worth looking at. I'm not really into flowers in the house, but I knew that my sister would love it.

I have to say, I'm thinking it was a good move. The tulips are looking a little sad by now, but they are probably looking better than they would have if they were still outside.

There was also some last minute gift wrapping going on. One of her gifts was too large to wrap...It got turned into a "scavenger hunt" without a single clue beyond "you have one more gift and it's somewhere in the house."

She found it.

Every year, these two sit together while the other opens their gifts. I love watching them get excited together about whatever gifts were received. This year was no different.

This is where I should say something sweet and sentimental....I'm getting there.

At 15, my sister is very excited to be starting DRIVER'S ED soon! She's done so much in the years God has given her. With a compassionate heart and a spirit of joy, I trust that God is going to make something pretty special out of her!

These next few years are the "big ones". She'll have major decisions to make. I'm excited to be around to watch how she uses these years and what comes of them.

My prayer is that she would grow so close to God that her identity is TOTALLY in Him. I hope that her dreams revolve around truly knowing Him and helping others do the same.

Wherever she goes...Whatever she does...I want her to be a woman of God who is devoted to His truth. A woman whose presence brings the light that God places in the faces of His people.

We've had a lot of good times...I look forward to the good times the years ahead will bring. Times are changing, but for once, I'm kind of okay with the change!

To my sister:  Hope you had as much fun on your special day as the rest of us did!!!  I'm glad we're sisters. :)