Writing Prompt No. 4

"List Fun Things You Like To Do By Yourself"

I thought this would be a fun topic to write about. And it is in list form so it will be easier to write. And easier is good for tonight, because daylight savings and a Sunday - need I say more?! :) I do like to do some of these things with friends, too.

• Read! 
• Browse antique, thrift, and consignment stores
• Manicure and pedicure
• Edit photos
• Create invitations and word art for others and myself
• Take long drives
• Go for a walk or run
• Write/Journal/Blog
• Clean the house - not that I really like it, but things need to be prepared for the impending disaster the next day
• Buy gifts and make things for other people

What Are My Top Three Priorities in This Season of My Life?

Writing prompt number three.

What season of life am I in right now? That is a great question, actually. I have just transitioned out of the work force and am going to focus on being a wife and mother. I am very excited for this phase. I get to be TJ's wife and Lucy's mom. I am most excited to be wife and mom only - for a while - at our new church. I know that I will eventually volunteer in some role because I feel like God has given me that gift and I will use it for His namesake. Right now we are living in transition mode. It's crazy. Our house is in shambles. Our new house looks like a city scape almost - towers of boxes and stuff everywhere. So, my top three priorities? Here they are! *pictures are from Lucy's best bud Parker's birthday party today! It was so much fun! Wizard of Oz themed :) *

1. A better and stronger relationship with Jesus. How can I do this? It is all a matter of choice. What I choose to do. Easier said than done because believe it or not - I can be l a z y. I have the tools, I know what to do. So, here's to actually doing it. Here's to putting my knowledge to good use. What I would like to do is get up earlier and goodness, I know I am in control of my sleep. I am a night owl by nature; I inherited "sleepy-deepy-i-tus" from my father. It makes you stay up until the wee hours of the morning and encourages sleeping in. I did get a new bible recently, the Beautiful Word Bible. It is similar to the Illustrated Faith journaling bible that a lot of people are getting into. I have attempted the pretty artwork but it just looks awful. I am better at writing, not drawing. It has all the "prettys" that I adore and encourages me to read more in my bible. I am also wanting to find a mentor. A friend in hyt has one and mentions her often. Titus 2 encourages older women to teach and train younger women. I need something like that in my life. I would also like to do bible studies. Like Beth Moore or Priscilla Shirer or Lisa Harper or Angie Smith. I was able to be involved in them years ago at our first church but haven't had the opportunity to do any since. I enjoyed the camaraderie and encouragement from being involved in bible studies. Today, at my goddaughter's birthday party, I overheard ladies talking about starting their new study at a friend's church and I was jealous! I'm sure Mineral Springs has something going on, we just haven't been there long enough for me to find out (tomorrow is only our 2nd Sunday). Mineral Springs seems to have a lot of younger couples and I am excited to get to know them.

2. Being the best I can for Lucy and TJ. How can I do this? Make them priority over myself - most of the time. I know that I need to prioritize myself some of the time, so no worries about me neglecting some sort of health issue or whatever. But, for now, my job and responsibility is wife and mother. Nothing more. I need to focus on being present, focus on listening, focus on cultivating deep and meaningful relationships with my sweet husband and precious kiddo. I plan to refer to our new family manifesto to do these things! :) TJ read it and said it was perfect.

3. A fitter and healthier me! How can I do this? Refer to priority one - make good choices. Right now I make the easy choice way too often. Moving to the country will force me to work at meals and plan better. I will have access to better walking paths (the road by my house! no busy traffic!!) that I won't have to drive to. This "baby fat" has not gone away and I need to fix this so I can run around with my girl and not get tired or winded.

Family Manifesto

Using a different prompt tonight! "Make a family manifesto". Sounds daunting, right? And maybe a bit dictator-y. But I think this is going to be a fun entry and will for sure be fluid enough to change and grow with our family. I researched manifestos and read quite a few different styles. This is going to be similar to those "house rules" Pinterest posts, I suppose. Any who, here we go!

• We will love, always.
• We will forgive.
• We will dance until we can't breathe properly.
• We will give endless hugs and kisses. 
• We will play and pretend. 
• We will play tricks and "scare" each other. 
• We will love God above all and then others. 
• We will show grace and mercy.
• We will snuggle. 
• We will go outside.
• We will be a blessing to others.
• We will be kind. 
• We will tell the truth. 
• We will ask for help. 
• We will play dress-up. 
• We will listen well. 
• We will make good choices. 
• We will go on adventures. 
• We will try new things. 
• We will be good friends. 
• We will choose joy. 
• We will listen to our music, l o u d l y. 
• We will create. 
• We will read - all the books. 
• We will reach out to the poor, oppressed, and lonely. 
• We will be a part of something bigger. 
• We will be the hands and feet. 
• We will know that Jesus is better, always and always. 
• We will dream big dreams. 
• We will discover. 
• We will be grateful. 

I am sure I will add more to this. These are some things I came up with just sitting on the couch listening to TJ and Lucy talk and giggle in bed (at 11:45pm, when she has a birthday party to go to tomorrow and daylight savings time... pray for me y'all. :) ). I did steal a couple from Pinterest that I loved and inspired me to write this one. I will probably make this list into a printable to frame for our house. Because, while I can't handwrite it out very well, I can definitely make a pretty darn cool word art poster on my computer. ;) 

etsy.com/WinsomeEasel

Writing Prompt Journaling...

I have a friend that is writing each day for Lent. It has been neat to read her posts. She is actually a professional writer so I doubt my writing will be anywhere near as good as hers. But this is for me and people so I'm good with putting some thoughts down that aren't up to snuff, professionally speaking. :) I actually found a writing prompt that was an "all about me" prompt and it was really neat. Way too personal for the internet, though. I'll have to put all that down on paper. Anyway, I found a prompt for lists and I thought it would be something interesting to try out. I chose the "3 Things that Make Me Smile" list.

1. Lucy - She is silly and makes me smile all.the.time. She'll even grab my face when I'm upset with her and look at me through squinted eyes and say, "Mama, are you happy? Smile at me!". It makes me smile every time. She is just a funny and bright little girl. Today, we were having lunch at DQ and ran into Mrs. Lisa and Mrs. Marilyn. Lucy talked to them and goofed off, making all of us laugh. When is was time to go, I asked Lucy to go give them hugs. She did, but not to them first! She went to the two older ladies on the other side of us and then to Lisa and Marilyn and then on to another lady sitting by herself! It blessed my heart and made me smile. My sweet girl, making sure no one is left out.


2. Hand-drawn Lettering and Art - I love seeing all the creative posts on Pinterest. I wish that I had the talent to make that amazing artwork come to life. I do know how to print it off and frame it! I love seeing beautiful things, especially things that are uplifting and food for my soul. My office walls at FUMCH were littered with this beauty and it was so encouraging to see while I was there working. They made me smile and spurred me on. I plan on putting them up in the new house where I can see them all the time.

3. Mexican Food - It is my hands down favorite. Give me some chips, salsa, and guac any day. You'll be my best bud. :) My new favorite guacamole is Miguel's Guacamole from Zapopan. Ahhh-mazing!

Money and Toddlers

Lucy and I have been having lots of conversations about money. She seems to think she can have anything she wants when we go to a store. And it is partly our fault. After reading Dave Ramsey's book in one night (ahh! It was really good, an eye-opener for us and how we use money), I decided to talk to TJ and see if Lucy was ready to "earn" money and have some responsibility. We thought it would be good for her and today was the test!

We are in the process of moving and I packed a ton of things to take to the "Hannah Home" (is Hannah Home even a real thing anymore?! I will always refer to thrift store collection boxes as "Hannah Home"). The collection boxes are in the parking lot of a strip mall with a Dollar Tree. She loves Dollar Tree! She asked me if we could go and it hit me - no, she can go home and clean her room with me and earn some money. So I told her the plan and she thought it was a good idea. Honestly, she was really helpful and did everything I asked her to do. She picked up her books and toys and put them away in the correct places; she took the dryer sheets form the clothes I was putting away and threw them away. She helped make the bed. She truly earned her money today.

Periwinkle wings and helping Dad fix the car. 

When we finished, I asked her to get her her owl bank and sit with me on the floor. I had a dollar and two quarters - three different pieces of money to help her learn a lesson. I laid them in the floor and told her when we earn money we need to give some of it to God, save some, and then we could spend the other. I asked her to pick up one of the pieces to give to God - she grabbed a quarter and we set it aside. I asked her to pick up one of the pieces to save - she grabbed the other quarter and put it in her owl bank. (a side note, she has l o v e d putting money in piggy banks for such a long time, I think before she was even one Mom showed her how to and she has loved it ever since. We always gave her our extra change to put in her owl or the bigger Mr. Piggy. And when she needed to focus and calm down, we would empty out the owl and have her put the money back in.) Finally she was to the part about spending. She grabbed her purse and Jasmine and we headed out the door. She found a pair of fairy wings and decided that was going to be her treasure. She walked up to the checkout line and set her wings on the counter along with her dollar (I gave the tax to the clerk - we aren't going to learn about taxes just yet!). She was so proud and I was proud of her! 

We are going to continue to learn about giving to God, saving, and spending. Even saving without spending it! But that wasn't the lesson for today. And the money she earns will be equivalent to the job she does. I grabbed an extra makeup pouch for her money to give to God and she was so excited! I explained that we would take it to church every Sunday and put it in the offering. I am excited to teach her about money at an early age. Money can be something that can make you a slave and I don't want that for Lucy. I want her to be smart about money and how to use it.