Toes in the Sand

Whew! Is January really almost over? This is the first time in recent history that I haven't spent January fawning over my list of New Year's Resolutions, and I have to admit it's not half bad. Not that I don't have plenty of goals and big intentions for 2015 -- but it seems I'm more likely to accomplish them if I just get down to it, rather than taking the time to write a list.

In the meantime, it's been a busy month filled with exciting new projects, a bachelorette party blow-out, and visits with family in the South. Here is one of my favorite photos from our visit to Ormond Beach, Florida, where Cormac experience his first taste of sand and salt water. He loved it and I'm looking forward to another trip down during the summer months!

{ Testing the waters }

{ Building castles in the sand }                                       { Squinting into the sun }

We also spent a couple days in Georgia with my parents, enjoying the comparatively warm "winter" weather (I was wearing flip-flops... guess the Midwest is rubbing off on me!) and giggling at Cormac's antics. It was thrilling to see how quickly he recognized his grandparents just from regular Facetime chats. I'm so thankful for the technological advances that allow us to stay connected, even over long distances.

Our road trip also included a special bachelorette party in the mountains for my baby sister who is getting married in March. This was my first visit to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee and it was a trip! Definitely lots of touristy stuff to do in the middle of the mountains, which I really didn't expect. We had a rousing time celebrating the bride, and I can't wait for the big day in March! Family weddings are simply the best.

And now we're back home, settling into the routine again, and looking forward to warmer days with visions of beaches in our heads...

New Beginnings: 2015

I love fresh starts. I'm pretty sure that's why morning is my favorite time of day: the start of something new, a clean slate filled with possibilities and opportunities. Every new day is worth celebrating, especially as we remember that the sins of our past (and future) have been washed clean and, because of Christ, we are a new creation with the opportunity to start each day afresh living in obedience to Him.

As a reminder of that, and as part of the Desktop Calendar Project that I'm starting for 2015, I'd like to share my very first Desktop Calendar for January. Download this fun freebie and enjoy it on your desktop, tablet or phone with my best wishes for a New Year full of love, laughter and adventure!

January 2015 Desktop Calendar

 1024x768 | 1280x1024 | 1920x1020 | 1920x1200

Mobile | Tablet

Right click link to download and 'Save as...'

Leave the Dishes in the Sink

In my head, I am the kind of woman who sweeps and mops daily, vacuums and dusts regularly and cleans the bathrooms once a week. In reality... I'm far from it. And it's finally beginning to dawn on me that "ne'er the twain shall meet". Keeping a house clean can be a monumental challenge amidst the day-to-day tasks of parenting, freelance work, relationship-building and just plain living. It's the kind of thing that can really get me down, at the end of a long day of balancing priorities and accomplishing just the necessities, to have to empty the dishwasher again, clean up the dinner mess again, start the laundry again, fold and put away the clothes again. It is a never ending cycle and it is not an easy one to maintain. At the end of most days, I just want to sit. Maybe read a book. Maybe.

So, I'm slowly coming to a mental conclusion: my standards are just going to have to change. Normally, this would be a bad thing. No one wants to lower their standards -- this means settling for less, degrading the ideal, undermining the barely-attainable goals after which we have always sought. But maybe it's not such a bad thing when it means prioritizing the more important standards over those less critical. What's critical to me is making time for my family; striving toward a deeper relationship with God; investing energy in the upbringing of my son and my relationship with my husband; seeking after the welfare of others before self, and using my vocational gifts to do so. Those things take a lot of time and energy. And sometimes, after spending a full day pursuing those things, I don't really want to do much else. And sometimes, that's OK.

I'm realizing it's not worth stressing over the newest coffee stain in the carpet or the hardened bits of baby food that stick to the kitchen floor until I make time to scrub it. Those things aren't as important as making time for a daily devotional, reading a book to my son, or spending some quiet time at the end of the day with my husband. The house may be a little messier and we may not have guests over as often to admire our pristine rural setting (haha)... but I believe I may be a better wife, mother, woman for it.

Especially when someone is there to remind me that he's watching and learning. So, I guess I do clean often enough for him to recognize it... and it's so encouraging (and cute) to see him imitating me in that way. But yes, that's a giant orange stain on his shirt from lunch. And for now, I'm going to say that's good enough.