Time for InstaFriday!

It’s InstaFriday time! Here is a recap of my Instagram photos from the last week:

 

Saturday was our anniversary! We spent the day in the city at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival. We were able to get 15 samples of different chocolate items: brownies, tarts, ice cream sundaes, malts, cookies, and of course, Ghirardelli chocolate. It ended up being a little different than we expected, but it was a beautiful, clear day in the city… :o)

For dinner that night, we were able to use our Buca di Beppo gift card. We had never been there before. This bowl of spaghetti and meatballs was meant for 2 people, but it could have fed at least four people! So glad we didn’t order appetizers or salad. Maybe when we have the kids with us.

Since Kev bought our tickets for the chocolate festival early, we received two $10 gift cards to Macy’s. On our way home from the city, we stopped at a Macy’s and found these cute fall mugs. We both thought they would be great for tea and a reminder of our day together.

I have been enjoying the Hello Mornings Challenge. This has been a great way for me to get my mornings started the right way. Our fall Hello Mornings Bible study is in 1 Peter. I love digging into God’s Word this way.

Tuesday found me at jury duty. It was really strange being at jury duty on 9/11 and the court house is on 11th Street. I spent the morning reading and looking through some magazines. We were let out early for lunch, so I ran a couple of errands. Once we returned from lunch, most of us were called into court rooms for jury selection. I ended up in a court room for a month long murder case. Because I am the primary caregiver for my daughter, I was excused from service. Maybe I will be able to serve next time.

Months ago, I found an idea on Pinterest to send to our Compassion kids. We traced our hands, cut them out, and wrote a Bible verse on them. We mailed along extra paper and a note asking the kids to do the same, then mail them back to us. This week, we received our first hand back!

My camera has been off being serviced, so I thought I would make a new camera strap while it was away. This strap has a pocket to hold the lens cap. So handy!

Still making progress on the baby blanket…126 rows done, 95 to go. I usually will sit down and knit two rows at a time. There are quite a few mistakes, but I don’t think anyone will really be able to tell. Can you see the hearts?

Yesterday, there was a group of us that headed over to the National Heirloom Expo. My friend and I went last year and really enjoyed ourselves. This year, there were five of us that spent the day learning about how to grow better tomatoes, basil, and garlic and what to do with some of the herbs your might be growing. It was a fun day out with friends!

Have you been Instagramming this week? Join us for InstaFriday!

How many books are you currently reading?

This is my current reading stack…yes, that means I am reading 4 books right now. There is a system to my reading madness which I will share with you.

1. Bible – this is the most important book for me to read. Since becoming a Christian 13 years ago, it has been the book I try to start my day with.

Since starting the Hello Challenge back in January, I have been working on being up before the kids so that I can start each day reading my Bible and soaking in His truth.

Along with my Bible reading, I have been working through a study of 1 Peter this summer. This study has challenged me to not just read His Word, but to observe the truths, promises, and commands are in each passage. Looking up key words in the original language has been my favorite part of this study though.

2. Christian non-fiction – after I finish my Bible reading and study in the morning, if I have time before the kids are up, I like to read at least one chapter in some type of Christian non-fiction book. These have ranged from homeschooling books, marriage books, raising kids books, learning more about extreme poverty books, etc. These are books I like to have in our home library as reference books when I need them.

3. Biography – a few years ago, since my kids are older, we implemented quiet reading time after lunch. Boy has it changed how my afternoons look! During the school year, we are constantly moving from one lesson/activity to the other in the mornings. Then after lunch, there always seemed like we were busy doing something. By taking a break after lunch, this caused all of us to slow down and be quiet for even a half an hour each afternoon.

During this afternoon time, I usually like to read some type of biography. There are so many people that have lived before us that have made great impacts on our world. I feel it is important for us to take the time to learn from them.

4. Classics and fiction – after eveyone has gone to bed for the evening, I love to pick up a classic title or some work of fiction to devour for a while. I usually don’t buy many fiction titles since I read through them too quickly, but I do love to add classics to our home library.

Our local library does seem to stock quite a few Christian fiction books, so when our CBD catalog comes in the mail, I look through it to see what titles our library has in the system. A few authors that I enjoy are Francine Rivers, Beverly Lewis, and Karen Kingsbury.

So, how many books are you reading?

Hello Mornings Challenge

I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time with winter. So I have decided to join this challenge to maximize my mornings! This challenge has been set up to help us in three ways:

1. Get. Out. Of. Bed! – I don’t like to be cold. In the winter, it is hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. It is so warm and toasty under the covers and it is so dark in the mornings. My prayer is that this challenge will help me get out of bed by 7am every morning so that I am ready to tackle my day.

2. Create a Quiet Time Schedule – Since my kids usually sleep later than I do, I am able to spend time reading God’s Word in the morning before they wake up. My prayer is that I can also use this time in worship and prayer/listening. If you sign up for this challenge, there are also some printable prayer calendars available.

3. Develop an Exercise Plan – Last year, I was very faithful using the Wii Active ‘game’ and was exercising 3 times a week. We entered a very busy time for a few weeks in May and the exercising stopped.. Then in the fall, Kevin and I started walking after dinner. Then it started getting darker after dinner, so the walking stopped. My prayer is to start back into a routine of using the Wii Active and walking at least 3 times a week.

4. Create Planning Routine – While we are in the school year, things run pretty smoothly around here. However, by planning my time better, I know there are a lot of projects I can tackle and finish. My prayer is to use the planning time to schedule in projects I have been wanting to start and finish.

The challenge is free and has a free printable book to help you plan your mornings. Will you join me?