On Monday, I submitted another entry to the "Imagination Unrolled" contest. My floral wall decoration took quite a while to assemble and finish, so I don't think I will enter any more creations. Other priorities require my attention. But I would still appreciate any votes you would like to send my way! If you have a Facebook account, I think you can vote more than once (daily even?), until the contest ends in December.
2. Experimenting in the Kitchen
- Making homemade yogurt continues to intrigue me. I'm starting to favor the crockpot, combining Alicia's crock pot method with my own, which involves using a cooler.
- I've been experimenting with kale again. Last month, I tried soup, pizza, and pasta with kale (and reported the results here). I incorporated kale into our meals in three more ways during the past week:
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| Broccoli, kale and ham pockets |
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| Butternut squash, sausage, and kale soup |
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| Corn and kale soup |
3. Enjoying Isaiah in Spite of Myself
When I did a "full court press" house cleaning this past weekend, I was not studying Isaiah. But the truths I've been learning in weeks past are still sinking in, and I'm thankful for the weekly opportunity I have to learn from other women. I've also had an inspiring song from Isaiah 11 running through my head lately:
"For the earth will filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
Music helps me focus again on the source of all true joy. I am easily sidetracked.
4. Struggling with Priorities
Godly priorities are so hard for me to live out consistently. That's why I liked the idea of mapping out different categories, as Amy Andrews does in her Tell Your Time strategy. But implementing what I know tends to trip me up. I tend to focus on one thing at a time, to the exclusion of all else.
This all or nothing tendency of mine is one reason I wanted to be a mom who stays home, because I knew that working at another outside job and raising young children would not be a good combination for me. But motherhood is defined by multi-tasking nonetheless--training, teaching, disciplining, cleaning, shopping, cooking, etc., etc. I need to trust God for the grace to improve in managing multiple priorities.
And how about you?
What priorities have you successfully carried out this week?
What helps keep you on the right path?
6 comments:
Priorities...ugh! It is amazing how easy it is to take things you consider high priority and push them to the bottom of the list just trying to live life! It is a continual struggle for me. Hope you have a great weekend!
I've gotten in the habit of getting up early in the morning to have quiet time. During this time, I give my day to God, to let Him lead me to do the things that must get done today. I have this fear of all things not getting done, but since I don't want to be a stress ball all the time, I have let go of that control. Oh, I still get stressed, but now I have a better chance of taking a deep breath, feeling peace, and moving forward.
Unfortunately, I have spent over 4 hours this week in a chiropractor's office for a pinched nerve/herniate disc. But I've also spent time cleaning (a praise when you're in pain) and homeschooling, and making some pillows.
Nice to read your blog! I'm a Company Girl, too.
Setting priorities was one of my highest scores on the managerial assessment I took a year ago - it's easy to do, at work. At home, it is a different matter. It comes down to what Jen has said: meeting with God first thing in the morning, and asking Him to help you focus on the things that are important to Him in your life today.
That said, some days are better/easier than others, but at least by being consistent, you make progress over time!
Great post! Setting correct priorities is something I struggle with too. And I especially struggle when things don't look just like I think they should.
This week I've been forced to focus on nursing a baby every 2 hours. Love the time with my sweet baby! My struggle is in not getting up tight over all the things I can't get done. Those things seem to shout at me while I'm sitting and taking care of baby. The key definately is starting the day with the Lord and then letting Him live through me.
Have a blessed weekend!
Julia, I enjoyed reading this honest post. :)
Love hearing about your experiments with Kale, something I've never cooked with before...
Priorities. Hm. Sometimes I tend to be so task-focused, that priorities that are more abstract (these also tend to be the more important ones!) can get neglected. I've been asking God to help me love my husband and son and never overlook them because I'm trying to "accomplish" something.
I find that life with a very active one year old boy is FULL of interruptions, so when I get a quiet, un-distracted moment I want to hoard that moment as "my own," which the Lord is gently showing me I can't do...
It's a constant learning curve!
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