A look back; 2012. A look ahead; 2013.

I smashed 2012, literally! My smash book is nearly complete. I need to get a bunch of pictures printed and added to the book and then it will be done! Yay! 

 

Ahava Genevieve Sheafer

Reflections ~ 2012: girlfriends and Florida (Keegans Grille, Ghirardelli, 4-seater surrey, hot tub hairy-man, Landry's,.....amazing!), I turned 40 and found out that I was going to be a granny (awesome!), I almost lost my husband (so thankful for paramedics and LIFE), HCM Gala, Pennel family vacation at Monkey Island, Grace and Hannah ran their first 5k with me, I ran the Joplin Memorial, my kids went to prom for the first time (thanks to the 'Toddards' :) for their friendship!), we had chickens, summer Olympics, many motorcycle adventures...a NEW motorcycle...caught in a rainstorm on our first ride on the new bike!!!, WHOLE conference, cousins White Cloud weekend, swing dance social with my kids, green smoothies, Rangers football....John broke his hand, Brie threw an amazing shower for Trevor and baby girl, Ahava, Eureka Springs adventure with my man, we celebrated our 18th anniversary....Grammie and Grampie celebrated their 70th!!! I held my firstborn grand-baby, Ahava. I learned to love me, simply for me.

A new year ~ 2013. 
**#13in2013....13 5ks of various kinds - mud runs, memorial run, foam 
   run, color run, night runs, etc. I am excited and I look forward to each of them. 
**Yay for kettlebell workouts! I just received my first kb for Christmas and now I am 
  working to purchase more! I am going to work  hard to firm up using kb and tabata workouts! 
**I'm going to support my disc golfers. Chris and John are both playing in the PDGA World 
  Championship tournament as well as others. Fun excitement!
**Read more, mostly non-fiction books that will encourage and challenge me. 
**Capture our life with pictures. I haven't taken many in the past year or so.
**Listen to the "little" things more diligently, because they are really the big things in life.
**Organize my grocery shopping and be more frugal! 
**Family dinner table more often
** I am going to love me. I am a pretty, cool woman. 2012 was a great year of realizing that 
  and I want it to continue in 2013 

  

A look back; 2011. A look ahead; 2012.

My tattoo

July 4, lovin' the corn

A look back; 2011. In March I turned 39 and got an amazing camera. I learned that I love photography. In April I started the HCG diet (affordablehcgdiet.com). In May we celebrated E and his 14th birthday (14th birthdays are THE big one here). By June I had lost almost 50 pounds. Also, in June the kids spent almost two weeks in Kansas. Chris and I had an amazing time...a married couple with no one else to focus on. Crazy fun! We both got tattoos. In July, we had a blast on our deck - CABANA - and enjoyed corn-on-the-cob-on-a-stick. August brought the school year and I realized that I struggle to teach jr. high and high school. I am so thankful for co-op. Our twins turned 13 in October and I took them to the mall for a shopping spree; they also got their ears pierced. November; oldest son turned 21. How can that be?! December; last month. I learned about smashbooks and planned my goals for 2012. Life is a blessed, hard, good, amazing journey. Cheers to 2012!

A look ahead; Smashing 2012. I'm going to work on my new journal, Smashing 2012, throughout the year. I hope to journal the progress of my goals and other memorable happenings. What are my goals, you ask? Here they are: *Make blankets for niece and nephews for their birthdays. *Run four 5Ks. *Update my blogs 2x a month. *Spend more one-on-one time with my kids. *Consistently add to 1,000 Loves list. *Consistently add to 1,000 Gifts list. *Daily hubby love. *Prepare and follow through gardening tomatoes and cucumbers. *Take kids bowling. *Launch My Magpie Nest - my craft business. *Send monthly snail mail. *Attend one, organized birding event. *Grocery shop every two weeks (instead of every two days). * Reach 250 geocache. *Reach 50 munzee. *Hike Roaring River State Park. *Go to church regularly. *Float trip! *Knit John a hat. *Knit myself a shawl. *Paint the kitchen. *Keep bedroom clean. *Plant lots of flowers. *Get family pics taken. *Make wall art for living room. *Quarterly service project. *Compete in the KC Warrior Dash. *Get below 145 pounds and maintain the loss.

If you are wondering why the 'smashing' title for my journal. Check out the following blog. Maybe it will inspire you, too. Note: I made my own smash book. First daughter purchased a 'real' smash book. While I love homemade, I also love the purchased book. I'll post pics of my Smashing 2012 throughout the year. If you smash one, too, please share your pics. :) I'd love to see them.

http://www.smashstoriesblog.com/  

Consistently Inconsistent

Well, I haven't been on here for such a long time. I'm really not a blogger, I guess...ugh.

I love magazines. My mom brings me stacks of them and I am a sucker for a new one when I am in the checkout line at the store. I will go through the magazines and tear out all kinds of articles...decorating ideas, parenting tips, recipes, and brilliant ideas. I destroy the magazine! I have a three-ring binder full of these great ideas that one day I'll get to. Well, there is something new; something exciting, fun, addicting. Check it out at

www.pinterest.com/jsheafer/pins

Yes, I am obsessed with pinning. It is my new 'tear-up-the-magazine' way of finding and saving great ideas! Try it out. I'm sure you'll love it, too.

Simply Covered

I grew up in the church. I was surrounded by family and friends who accepted Him, who loved Him, and who believed in His love for them.

I didn't get it.

I believed in Him, loved Him, and believed in His love for me...with conditions (be nice, read your bible enough, pray enough, etc.). I think so human. I forget that His ways aren't like mine. He doesn't think like I do. He is Jesus.

After so many years of self-condemnation; condemnation that I let myself believe was from Him, I finally get it. Well, I at least get part of the puzzle. (and for the many parts that I still struggle to understand, I trust Him to reveal them to me when, and if, it is necessary...until then, I simply trust Him.)

Jesus died for me. His blood covers me.

                            I am righteous because of the blood of Jesus.

I am imperfect, impatient, and sometimes I wallow in the muck.

And then I stand up. I remember who I am. I shut up the condemnation and I talk to God and love Jesus for his covering. I fall in love with Him more every single day. I desire a closer relationship with Him and not because I have to, but because of the great gift of my rightousness.

I believe in Him, love Him, and believe in His love for me. Simple.

Blessed Stuff

Do you ever experience the loss of breath in your throat, like the beginning of a sob? You know, that feeling you get when pride wells up in you for your children and you catch your breath and stifle emotion....or when your spouse takes your breath away...?

Well, a few days ago I looked around me and I felt that same loss of breath over my 'stuff'.

Truth: I'm struggling with want for new stuff. I want new lamps, new pillows, new paint on the walls, a new van, etc. YET, I am amazed at what I own, as little as it is. For the most part, my home doesn't really reflect me...I feel in limbo waiting for my forever home. But there are little places in my home that do reflect me; places that have character, history, and a bit of whimsy.

These areas of my home hold the 'stuff' that took my breath away. Crazy, isn't it? No, not really. I think God is so good at taking me out of my pity parties...He reminded me of this stuff, the history of some of the pieces, and my heart was glad. Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17. Oh, my blessed stuff.

What can we learn from George Washington Carver?

He taught his students the following:

* Be clean, both inside and out.

* Neither look up to the rich nor down to the poor.

* Lose, if need be, without squealing.

* Win without bragging.

* Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.

* Be too brave to lie.

* Be too generous to cheat.

* Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

Quotes:

"Our creator is the same and never changes, despite the names given Him by people here and in all parts of the world. Even if we gave Him no name at all, He would still be there, within us, waiting to give us good on this earth."

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God."

"We get closer to God as we get more intimately and understandably acquainted with the things He has created. I know of nothing more inspiring that that of making discoveries for one's self."

Look Deeply

Today was a wonderful day. Chris and I took the kids to the the creek to play. The temp. was around 90 and they were ready to 'swim' and play. I took my chair, my water bottle, and my book. I am reading The Foxfire Book and really enjoying it. "this is the way I was raised up" is the name of the first chapter. One of the quotes brought so much emotion to my heart... I cried sitting right there in my chair in Hickory Creek. Here is the quote: '"seames as every body was happie to."

Late 1800's, work was hard and life required steady, hard work from everyone. They were "happie."

As I sat there pondering this, I watched my kids down the creek. They were laughing, working together, living a simple-together, old-fashioned fun day.

I cried some more. My kids 'require' computers, facebook, video games, Disney Channel, air conditioning, and much attention... then they are happy. UNTIL we get away from all of those things...when we do, they discover REAL happiness.

I believe that Neosho is taking me back to "this is the way I was raised up" and I'm so glad we are here. Life is slower, demands are less, and I LIKE to be an old-fashioned girl. I want to make my own soap, grow my own food, and live a simple-together, old-fashioned life. Balance is key. I do live in 2010, but 2010 isn't going to consume me or my children. I want to 'look deeply' at my life and really live it.

Hey, I might even dress my own hog and build a log cabin! Just kidding, but if you read the book...you'll learn all the details of both.

Happy Living!

Gifts aka God's Love

I have often teased my husband regarding the gifts that God gives him. Chris will have a thought about something he would like to have and before you know it... someone is giving him the very thing he thought about.


He has been given a truck after thinking how nice it would be to have one. No prayer. No request. A thought.


He was given new tackle boxes after mentioning to me that he'd like a new one. A neighbor walked over and asked Chris if he would like to have them.

The bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above. The truck, the tackle boxes, and all of the many other gifts Chris has received were good and perfect... God loving on him.


Chris has always said to me, "Jen, don't you know that God wants to be a part of all things in your life... even the small things?" God does care about our wants...even if we never pray about them. He does give us the desires of our heart.


Like Chris, I have thoughts about things I want. Like Chris, God often gives me those things. I know I am loved all the time, yet when I recieve a gift I am reminded of how much He loves me.


This past weekend was the Neosho city-wide garage sale weekend. I told my sister, Aime, that the main thing I was hoping to purchase was lawn type furniture for my deck. That very evening Chris came home and let me know that our neighbors were purchasing new furniture for their porch and giving us their old stuff!!! I was so happy I jumped around like a little girl. God loves me so much...this was indeed a good and perfect gift from above.


The next afternoon I was having a moment of missing my Willow house, in Olathe, where I had two large lilac bushes that I loved. As I was standing in my yard pondering the lilacs, the same neighbors that gave us the furniture walked over and Terry, the wife, had a large bouquet of lilacs for me. Can you believe it!?!?!?


I am a well-loved girl. Who else, but God, loves us so perfectly?

Really Living

Today I choose to relax and live loved.

Joy

A few days ago, Chris and I went for a motorcycle ride. The weather was nice, the trees were beautiful; spring is wonderful. We went to Shawnee Mission Lake where the dogs get to run free and play in the lake. It was such fun watching the dozens and dozens of dogs.

I couldn't stop smiling! What is up with that? There are things going on in life that hurt, that make me angry. Money...ugh! Yet, on the flip side, the simplest things; a motorcycle ride, the green trees, happy dogs...they filled me with joy.

I realized that day that as quickly as I get frustrated or sad, I can get encouraged and glad!

Joy is simple. Joy is healing.

What is making you smile today?

What did make you smile today?

Smile!

I dare you to smile at everyone you come in contact with today. I would love to hear the reactions you get from your smiles.

Celebrate

Hello. Life is moving right along. My Life Notebook isn't a life saver. It is a tool...a great tool! I have to choose to use it. The past few days have been difficult as far as keeping up on the schedule. Chris has been home and that throws me off my groove a bit. I love being with him and I am not complaining...it is just different when he has my attention. Today he is working on a small job so we will do our best to get things done this morning. I pray that God will bless me, and all of us who are organizing life, and my efforts. Amen!

Yesterday my first nephew, Caden, turned three. Wow...when I say life is moving right along it really is. Caden and his mama, Jaime, lived with us for the first 2 years of his life. He is very special. Birthdays are a big deal to me and it is my heart to really celebrate the life of my loved ones.

Today, Chris and I are going to pick Caden up and take him out for ice cream.

Today, Chris and I are setting a little bit of time aside to let Caden know he is a blessing and that we celebrate him.

Life, it is worth celebrating. How can you celebrate today?

A New Year... A New Me...the process continues

It is 2009! One year ago I was pondering the difficult year I had just gone through. Today I am pondering all that I actually accomplished in 2008.

I attended, and completed, BreakThrough. I began attending a women's group. I read a lot of books...two of them were life changing; The Shack and So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore. I completed my Life Notebook.

While these things may seem minimal, they are HUGE.

BT began a process of growth and change that is amazing. The women's group is a continuation of that process. The Shack reminded me of the love of Papa God and led me to really know I am accepted by Him. So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore challenged my thinking about church, about community, and the body of Christ. Both of these books are fiction and they both led me to powerful truths. Completing my Life Notebook has been in the making for over a year. Completing it is a big deal!!

It sounds like 2008 was all about me. Well, maybe it was. I'm worth it.

Reality... the more I do for ME the better I am for my family and the closer our relationships are. Chris and I are growing together and I am learning to be a better Mom. Life is exciting!

2009 is going to be great. I can feel it.

Each day I live, I want to be a day to give the best of me
~ from One Moment in Time by Whitney Houston

Merry Christmas!

Today is Christmas Eve and I am finally feeling excited about Christmas. The ground is covered with a fresh blanket of snow and the sun is shining. What a blessed day. I am celebrating Jesus Christ. How wonderful of a gift. He walked as I do, he was tempted as I am, he overcame... I try. :) I am perfectly imperfect and HE is so very fond of ME! Again, how wonderful a gift.

This year the gifts beneath my tree are scarce, but the gifts of love and life are plentiful. I am among the richest and most blessed!

Merry Christmas to you. I hope that you find joy in this season and that your heart is full.

Grace and Peace!

From tree to table!

Today I canned my first dozen quarts of pears. Our tree is bursting with ripe fruit that tastes wonderful! Next week we are going to make some pear jam and pear pie! Yum-O!

Nature...a love of mine ~

Rose of Sharon, in my back yard, on a rainy day ~ love it!