Simplify: Chapter 56A, Page 1

It's been nearly a year since my last blog.  Sounds kind of like going to confession in the Catholic church a bit.  But life is ever changing, and this chapter has opened with getting back to the basics:  Faith, Family, Friends, and Simplicity.

There has been no need for crafting, or achieving some new 'design' to brag about.  That's not where my spirit is in the beginning of Chapter 56.  I've done all that, and if the good Lord wants that part put back into my life again, so be it.  I certainly have the tools and supplies to handcraft numerous items.  :)  So if some of you follow www.thetygerlily.com there won't be much action over there (so no link is included).  I'm letting that part of life go for now.

With becoming a techno geek(ish) gal, loving all there is to the iPad and Galaxy we've been blessed with, it still doesn't meet the inner need for pen, paper, pencils and highlighters....  So.....

I've challenged myself with getting back to the basics of organization, keeping things simple, and being of service when the occasion arises.  This will be a LONG process, as even though we live in a small duplex, there is a lot to organize and let go of.  There is an organizer/planner out there called the "7 Minute Life Daily Planner" from The Seven Minute Difference.  It is only big enough for a 3-month span of time, or one quarter of a year.  Most businesses run this way, so why not give my own life this small increment of time to achieve some goals that MEAN something.  Not necessarily monetary goals, but ones that come from my heart, of who I am and where God would lead.  There are parts of this planner that I probably won't use due to the structure already put in place at work, and with my position.  But these can be tweaked into the values I want to incorporate.  The "5 before 11" section is where your top 5 priorities of the day should go:  get them all done before 11:00 am.  I'm replacing those with the 5 things I'm most grateful for during that day.  So the 11:00 am turns into an 11:00 pm.  It's also going to help me watch what I'm eating, and helping me to remember to DRINK MORE WATER!  That is not always an easy task at work.  But it's important.

So Chapter 56A will run for the next 90 days.

There is also a lovely church that has come into our lives, even though we have had so many discussions on whether an actual 'church' for us was needed.  It's never easy to get connected, that takes time.  But the pastor there is very passionate.  What more can you want from a leader, right?  So if you see me over on Facebook, you may see check-ins at North Pointe Community Church every other Sunday or so.  With new beginnings, you have to start somewhere and give it an honest try.

You may have noticed that I said every OTHER Sunday for church attendance.  That is because on the other two Sundays, I get to put some volunteer time over at Tabitha in their gift shop, which Facebook allows me to 'check in' at also.  What lovely residents I have met and visited with there.  It's good to hear the joys and the sorrows of the residents that come and see me.  It has taught me people need people, and with that comes patience.

I hope that this hasn't all been too boring, but when you take each day as it comes and find the beauty and simplicity of what is around, I'm hoping that there will be inspiration for some of you to find where your passion is.  And put it use!  We've all been given talents and gifts - it would be selfish to hang on to those and not share with others.

It's not 11:00 pm yet, but there are two things that will be written in my "5 Before 11" spot today (remember, I'm switching it from morning to-do's to evening thank-you's):

1.  Leftover morning coffee, poured over ice and blended with ColdStone Vanilla Coffee flavoring to enjoy after church.
2.  Income taxes all signed, sealed, paid, and driven to the post office personally.

Who knows what 3, 4 and 5 will be!  The day is young, and I'm leaning towards being grateful for a husband who keeps the tradition of cooking chicken on Sunday's alive and well.  The house smells divine.

Please feel free to leave feedback and ideas - I'm always curious as to what other people have found to work for their lives to keep them content, focused, but most of all passionate about what's in the soul and spirit.

Are you all ready for THIS?

OK, I know it's been since Sept. 11th since the last post, but honestly, there has been SO many things going on and it just didn't feel right dragging everyone along with us on this ride.

So here are the updates as of today: (and don't be shocked)

1. Haven't had Internet at the house for over a month, too expensive. Found a plan through my cell phone company for almost half the price of what we had before! That's a big WOOO HOOO!

2. Decided to close our business doors. Cleaning up jobs that we know will pay and then shut them thar doors. It's over. Now that's a big WHEW!

3. I have been offered a full time job WITH benefits at a Lincoln based optimology group working in their business finance department. I start the 14th of October! Yet another WOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

4. Bill has been offered a couple of jobs, thought about brokering out printing, too. BUT after weighing all the pros and cons, we think we've come to a decision for him to be a salesman for a local print shop who is NOT struggling, 'cuz they are bigger than we ever thought of being. He will be SUCH an asset to them and they are excited to have him on board. No more headaches with our own machinery or employee attitudes. Now how's THAT for a super duper YEEEEEE HAAAAAA!!!!!!

5. Our DD#2 has made an appointment (finally) with an attorney to get divorce proceedings underway. She is so happy, so lively, just a different woman. We pray that God will just keep helping her be strong for herself and those precious little ones of hers. PRAISE GOD!

6. House isn't selling, but we are able to stay a little bit longer in it than we had anticipated. We are thankful since we thought the biz and the house were going to have to go at the same time. Thank goodness we are only having to deal with one at a time now. HALLELUJAH!!!

7. So grateful for the friends and family that have been so strong for us during this distressing time. The phone calls, the cards, the emails have all been SO comforting to us. THANK YOU!

There really is so much more, but you all deserved an explanation for my lengthy absence on the blog and on the internet.

Thank you ALL for your continued prayers and support. BLESSINGS!

A Worthwhile 8 Minute Video

Please take the time to watch this Cardboard Testimony video - it's well worth the 8 minutes of your time.

Hooooo, boy.......

With all the life changes that have happened recently (AND the ones coming up), there have been so many times I've fallen into the trap of 'blaming' others for things that have happened. That's just plain a cop out. As soon as I put blame on others and take no responsibility for myself, I become a puppet and we all know that no one is or was ever intended to be that way. I guess maybe ya'll would have to be in my head this morning to understand this, but the reading for today pretty much nailed me flat and redirected my thinking in some areas.

The faults I see in others' lives

are often true of me;

So help me, Lord, to recognize

my own hypocrisy.

- Sper

Taken from Our Daily Bread for August 2, 2008

Comfort Dog Ministry

When listening to K-Love radio yesterday morning, they interviewed someone from Lutheran Church Charities. They were plugging their vision for the use of "Comfort Dogs" in disaster situations, such as Katrina. It was absolutely the best idea I'd heard in a very long time. We've all heard of pets in retirement homes and nursing homes, and how wonderful they are for the residents, but I'd never thought of how comforting and calming a dog could be in a disaster situation. It honestly just made sense.

I just wanted to share their website with you - it looks like these people are doing wonderful things. Click to go to Lutheran Church Charities..... enjoy their site.

Sunday Sanity

I should be further with these projects by now, but I guess I just did a little more messing around yesterday than I should have. We went to the Farmer's Market and Licorice International along with going on a job interview for a part time job and renting a couple dollar movies. By the time I actually sat to get those needles flying, I was more drained from the week than I'd anticipated. But anyway, here are the projects on hand for this final week in July:

1. The gorgeous fern green skeins are for a special order I received from a virtual Canadian friend to work up my Wishbone Cable Bag for her! YEAH for Etsy!

2. An idea POPPED into my head for a design while we were waiting for the little folk to get picked up by their dad and this is the beginnings of a new design of handbag. I think it will be a really fun one when finished. This color with bamboo handles is going to be very eye catching I believe.

Friday evening we got another shot of adrenaline going around here when an e-mail came in from the Lux Center for the Arts. The director is interested in seeing my handbags up close and personal for possibly, I repeat POSSIBLY having them for sale at the gallery! If that falls through, I will still be pumped just because they inquired!!! That in itself is an honor that I'll never forget.

Another blessing came Friday morning when going into a meeting at a local cafe/coffee house and who do I run into? Tyler's old basketball coach!! And even though he is getting up there in age, he still remembered who I was. And then I got to run into another parent of old LCS students who I hadn't seen in over 4 years, and HE even remembered who I was. So it just goes to show me that I haven't fallen off the edge of the world as it had been feeling!!!!!!!! :)

It also shows that there are some prayer warriors out there who have been praying overtime on our behalf.

Prayers for Family

We are babysitting two of the grands today and we are trying to find something to do, which isn't easy now that our house is so bare. Here we are messing around the pond and Raegan loves flowers and is modeling an Oriental Lily. This little family is under a great deal of stress right now, so please offer up a prayer for them that peace and serenity will surround them. God has a plan, we just don't know what it is yet. :)

Reflective Sunday

After having one of the most incredible visits with my Sister-Sister this week, and seeing the peace, love and acceptance in her - - - it only makes sense that THIS particular story was put in front of me this morning. What an inspiring little tidbit of history.

Taken from Our Daily Bread for 8-8-08 (yes, that's where the booklet opened up to today)

As the Olympic Games open in Beijing, my thoughts go back to Eric Liddell, a former champion immortalized for his surprising gold medal victory in the 400 meters during the 1924 Games in Paris. A year after his triumph, Liddell went to China, where he spent the last 20 years of his life as a missionary teacher and rural pastor. There he ran the greatest race of his life against opponents we all know - difficult circumstances, war, uncertainty, and disease.

Crowded into a Japanese internment camp with 1,500 other people, Eric lived out the words he had paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 13:6-8 - "Love is never glad when others go wrong. Love finds no pleasure in injustice, but rejoices in the truth. Love is always slow to expose, it knows how to be silent. Love is always eager to believe the best about a person. Love is full of hope, full of patient endurance; love never fails."

Eric served the others in camp, whether carrying water for the elderly or refereeing games for the teens. When he died of a brain tumor in February 1945, one internee described him as a man "who lived better than he preached."

In life's most difficult race, Eric Liddell crossed the finish line victorious through love.

- David McCasland

Please Take the Time.....

I don't know if DD#1 will ever really know how much she has helped me the past few weeks and months. Faith issues and what has turned into a bitterness I can't stand about me has come like the Black Plague. But this woman, who has suffered such loss in her own life, keeps on hacking at me (she doesn't know she does this) and loving me through some pretty desperate times. OK, hacking might not be the best word to use, but the things she has done, says and shows HACK at my angry heart. She's like the lumberjack trying to clear a path and open my heart up again to life.

Please take the time to check out this link and read the sermon transcript from April 6th, 2008. She has reminded me numerous times since then to check it out, listen to it, read it, get the CD. This hit HER heart hard, and to be honest it hit mine incredibly hard this morning as I skimmed over it. I am not shocked that their pastor got a standing ovation for this one.

My daughter is a woman of faith, hope and a generous love which she will be greatly rewarded for by her King.

Ocean Floor by Audio Adrenaline

The mistakes I've made

That caused pain I could have done without

All my selfish thought

All my pride

The things I hide

You have forgot about

They're all behind you

They'll never find you

They're on the ocean floor

Your sins are forgotten

They're on the bottom

Of the ocean floor

My misdeeds

All my greed

All the things that haunt me now

They're not a pretty sight to see

But they're wiped away

By a mighty, mighty wave

A mighty, mighty wave

Your sins are erased

And they are no more

They're out on the ocean floor

Take them away

To return no more

Take them away

To the ocean floor

John 15:1

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1 NIV).



It was one of those mornings when you wake up and not know exactly which day of the week it really is. Took me a good minute to figure out it wasn't Saturday today since I was at the office both days this weekend. It frustrated me that I had to actually work and not be at home doing more productive things those days. Yep, productive in my own eyes, that's the kicker. When reading this verse this morning, which I hope you read too, it made me think...... and I'm still thinking on it.

It's sometimes a good thing to see that setbacks, delays, frustrations, brick walls, etc. may have been placed there for a reason: for us to step back, or re-evaluate, or take a different direction, or to learn, or commit to improving, or to make changes........ All in all, it's a great lesson in seeing there are things to let go of, because they only get in the way of the great stuff that should be going on and that God wants going on!

This is just a little cathartic writing this morning. In the past few months and years I've seen myself turn into someone who has left all the dead branches on and letting them stifle who I think I was meant to be. The glass used to be half full and I've let my view switch to seeing it half empty. (there is more but won't bore you with it all) The point of all this is, my heart has turned bitter and angry. It's time to start doing some whittling. Notice I said start? All this took a long time making it's home here and it will take time and effort getting it under control.

I hadn't read this verse in ages, it was obviously the one I needed to see on this Monday morning.

Prayer Requests

Manic Monday - If you stop by, would you be so kind as to lift up a small prayer for us for the next few days?

1. Major press down - farming out product which is now critically late, that customers will be as understanding as possible as we work through this for them.
2. Shipment held up once again for materials we needed last week for major catalog, will be past deadline now.
3. Employees attitudes - that they will stay positive through this trying down time which is out of our control.
4. For one of our employees who is going through major personal strife, and that she will find solid answers. We hate to see her so distraught.
5. For a wonderful employee who wants to work part time, even though he is leaving to drive a truck the 15th. Many blessings on him and his family.
6. For Bill's active participation on company decisions once again. He does not know how truly missed his abilities have been to us all.

I know this is a lot to ask for, but if you can, please pray. Thank you.