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Monday, September 24, 2012

Closing The Circle

Close - up of Weaving a circle pattern Stock Photo - 9893603

Whether you're just beginning your journey to a simpler life or somewhere in between I am sure this one little perspective will help. I'm not sure where I first heard of it and I'm sure there are many ways to describe it, but the easiest way to remember is: Close the Circle.

And it's very simple. Whatever you do, finish it.

If you make breakfast, clean it up.
If you take something out, put it away.

If you do this your home really has no reason to be messy, right?
However it does take discipline :) And it's a lot easier if you have less to put away!

A circle represents harmony, and I believe simplicity itself.

Can you picture having a complete circle in your life? One where everything is tied in, no loose ends. Obviously we will always have things to do, otherwise life would be pretty boring! But compare this to a life where every end is left loose and frayed.

Which will you choose?



Thursday, September 20, 2012

Asparagus with Ceasar Dressing

This is frickin amazing asparagus!

First, steam your asparagus.

Mix together 2 tsp garlic
1 Tbsp Dijon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp grated parm

pour over asparagus. Sprinkle with cheese, s and p and toasted sesame seeds (0ptional)

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Daily Confessions - Childbirth God's Way


  1. We have a perfect, healthy, normal baby
  2. I have a perfect pregnancy
  3. I have a perfect, short, easy, painless delivery with no complications
  4. The baby is positioned properly and will come out properly – head first, face down, and will rotate as it should.
  5. I cover my placenta, uterus, and umbilical cord with the blood of Jesus
  6. Nothing from my body can filter into my baby unless Jesus says it can.
  7. The blood of Jesus purifies everything that goes into the baby to keep it perfect
  8. I claim Psalms 91 for the protection of the baby
    He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
    If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
  9. The cord is the perfect length and is positioned right where the Lord wants it
  10. The baby is going to come precisely when the Lord has foreordained
  11. We have a good baby that is easy to take care of
  12. We have a happy, smiling, pleasant-natured baby
  13. I am not going to tear at all or have any other adverse effects from the labor or delivery
  14. I am not going to get any stretch marks, varicose veins, broken blood vessels, dry, peeling skin, puffy, or swollen legs or ankles, or any other negative symptoms of pregnancy
  15. I am going to have a perfect figure after the baby is born
  16. I have perfect, healthy blood and perfect circulation
  17. We are scriptural parents, and we know how to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
  18. I am not going to gain more than 35 pounds during pregnancy
  19. As soon as the Devil brings fear to my mind, I immediately cast it out and replace it with the Word
  20. I put all my trust in Jesus – not in flesh
  21. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, therefore we speak life to our baby with our tongues. We command it to live
  22. The baby and I get the proper amount of rest each day
*Taken from Childbirth Gods Way by Brenday Willis - some additions made by me

Monday, September 17, 2012

What Minimalism Won't Do



Minimizing your home will not...

...dust your surfaces
....vacuum the floors
...do the dishes
...do the laundry
...feed the dogs
...feed the kids
...clean up after the kids
...make your supper

In other words, it will not transform your home into the perfect looking magazine home. 

What it will do is make your life a little simpler by...
...having to little knick knacks to dust
...having clear floors to vacuum, not needing to move around a ton of things
...having less dishes to wash
...having less laundry to do, and put away!
...having less things to put away at night

So don't be frustrated if it seems like you've put in so much effort to get rid of things and simplify but you've hit a plateau where cleaning up and life just don't seem any easier.
Just keep plugging away when you're not feeling too tired.
I know there's a lot you want to do, and a lot you want to change. 
Keep streamlining and making things simpler. Keep aiming smaller with everything - birthday parties, Christmas, household binder, recipe binder until you are only doing what you need to be doing.
The extra little things we pressure ourselves to do don't matter unless you truly enjoy doing them. Think about it, do you really enjoy it? Or does something inside you just feel like you HAVE TO? You don't.
Your kids don't want Super Mom...they want you.









Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Tip #1 Freedom

A spotless house is a sign of a life unlived, an uncluttered house is a choice of freedom. - Olivia

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Scriptures for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. 
 
 
Isaiah 49:1 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name.


Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 


-Jesus formed my baby, therefore it has to be positioned properly inside of me


Psalm 127:3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him.


Ezekiel 18:4 For every living soul belongs to Me, the father as well as the son — both alike belong to Me.


1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.


-God gave us 9 months to prepare on purpose, Rats birth in one month and dogs in only half a year. We have the longest preparation time, so use it. You need to prepare for the fruit of your womb by taking care of the seed within you.
Water it with the Word and by praying and praising. Take precautions against anything harming your seed. Do not let doubt, fear, hatred, or any other evil tool of Satan's come in. Nourish and fertilize your seed with Gods words and your words of life.

-The Lord has some things he'd like to show you while you are pregnant, ask him about it!


Psalm 139
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

John 14:13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Psalm 127:3-5 Behold children are a heritage from the LORD. The fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

John 16:21 A woman, when she is in labor, is emotional because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the pressure or the pushing, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

Exodus 23 25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Rev 4 11"You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being."

-God created your baby for His pleasure, do not dwell on the thought that you might have a miscarriage, once the thought is implanted in your mind it can become a stronghold for the Devil to use. Immediately cast out those thoughts so that the Lord can do what he says he will. the thief has come to steal kill and destroy, but God comes to bring life abundant (John 10:10)

Genesis 25:24 And when her (Rebekah;s) days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

-God's timing is always perfect, your due date is mans prediction of when you will give birth, God already had a date set before you conceived.


Psalm 22:9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.

-God delivers your baby, not the doctor

Psalm 71:6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.

Isaiah 66:9 Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?" says your God.

Isaiah 46:3-4 "Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all you who remain of the house of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since you were conceived,
and have carried since your birth.
4 Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

-You do not need to tear, no matter what size your baby is, Jesus carries us from the womb. My baby is the perfect size for my body.

Isaiah 40:11 He gently leads those that are with young.

- Every woman in the Bible who became pregnant also gave birth.
Genesis 49:25 because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.

-no sore, dry, or cracked nipples and no engorgement

Deuteronomy 7:13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.

Deuteronomy 28:4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.


Isaiah 44:24 "This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself

Isaiah 54:13 All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace.

Galatians 1:15 God set me apart from birth and called me by his grace

1 Timothy 2:15 But women will be restored through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Keeping Up With Clutter

Is your clutter overwhelming you? It seems like it gets out of hand overnight but in reality takes months, even years to get to the state your house was/is in. Before you just go throwing everything out take a look inside and figure out how/why you got into this mess in the first place. You need to deal with the root cause to make sure you don't end up with a full house again!

Honesty:
Why do you hoard?
Do you buy things to keep up with the Jones's?
Do you shop for recreation or stress-relief?
Are you a bargain hunter who loves to bring home every treasure?

Why:
Why did you let yourself begin these bad habits in the first place?
What triggered it?

Most of us learn to handle our money and finances from our parents, whether we liked their method or not.
Hoarding tendencies date back in my family. My grandma, my mom, me.

Why?

A poverty mindset. I need to keep this just in case I need it, and I need to buy this just in case I can't afford it when I need it. 
I've been thrift store shopping for enough years to know that doesn't work. In the long run you spend more money on what you don't need used than you would on purchasing something you do need new. 
I remember as a child getting kits of beads and loving them so much that I couldn't use them because I was afraid if I used them we wouldn't be able to buy more. Sometimes I would use the ones that I liked, but never the ones I really loved and valued.
Shopping with my mom, we would buy lots of little things we liked, spending hundreds of dollars at value village. But we would never save up for something we really wanted.

Once you recognize why your house is/was as bad as it is you can finally deal with the issues, and recognize them for what they are.

For example to myself I can say, logically, the amount of money I've wasted on buying all those little knick knacks, decorations, clothes, kitchen supplies over the years really adds up and I would've rather spent that money on a few things I LOVE instead of a house full of things I LIKE.

I've narrowed down my decorations to only my absolute favorites. Heirlooms and ones that bring me joy and inspiration. Everything else is just clutter! You will most likely be surprised at the decorations you don't care about even if you think they look pretty.
Parting with items you LIKE may be difficult but the sense of freedom and release you feel when they are gone is second to none. And knowing that you are on your way to a calm, clutter free house? Amazing :)

Please read: Outsmarting your Inner Hoarder at Minimum for some great inspiration to let go!



Thursday, September 6, 2012

Blueberry Rhubarb Crisp

Filling

2 c blueberries
1 c rhubarb
(thawed and drained if using frozen)


Topping

1/2 c old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c flour
3 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 drops stevia

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix filling and dump in 9 x 9 pan.
Mix topping and sprinkle over top.
I also threw some blueberry juice in the topping to wet it a bit more.

Bake 30 min.


Note: When you double the topping it turns out smoother

Monday, September 3, 2012

Searching for Simplicity

Everyone is searching for simplicity.
In this age where everything moves so fast: cars, minds, time. There is no way to slow it down.
The only thing we can slow is ourselves.
We can decide to take a deep breath, look around and capture moments.
We can decide to stop washing the dishes when our toddler is pulling on our leg and sit down to read stories or play games.
For that is what life truly is.
Moments. Memories. Captured bits of time.
What will you remember? What will you choose?
Don't be in such a rush that you miss out on what truly matters to you.