FAMILY Archives • Page 20 of 49 • New Nostalgia

Counting Gifts/ Easter/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Our Easter Sunday & A Powerful Video

I didn’t know what to expect this Easter, as I have not been feeling well and our usual family extended family plans didn’t happen this year. I did have a sense of relief that I could rest if I needed to, but I wanted the day to feel important…because it is.

The Easter bunny usually is on top of things at our house and has the baskets ready and waiting when our girls wake up. This year I woke up in a panic, realizing I had completely forgotten to get their baskets ready. I made an announcement that they would receive their baskets after they got ready for church to buy myself some time!

Our baskets contained jelly beans, some chocolate, & a golden egg with a few bucks in it. Our girls are getting older and prefer cash instead of junk food or gifts, so that makes things easy.

Church this morning was amazing. Our 2 older girls sat in with us this week. I loved having them next to me. We also got there early enough (miracle) to say hello to my in-laws. I love them so much and it was good to see them on such a special day. The service was beautiful & a highlight for me was a video that they showed, which I will share below.

Another highlight for me was listening to my sister-in-law play the violin. She played through the whole service, but her part in the song “In Christ Alone” was my favorite. It gave me chills.

I felt a bit lightheaded during the service and had to hold on to my Todd or sit down for a few of the songs. I didn’t like that and hoped that food would help.

We went to the early service, so we were out of church by 10:30. We planned to go out for brunch. My goal is to only cook hard boiled eggs for coloring later this afternoon, so going out to eat was perfect.

I enjoyed my veggie omelet. My little one loved her silly face pancake. I definitely felt better after eating and continue to feel better this afternoon than I have in days. Maybe eating all this high-potassium food is working?!

My middle girl was not too into having her picture taken, so I had to be sneaky. Isn’t she cute?

We got home and it has been a beautiful, super chill afternoon. We have the windows open and everyone is just hanging out. I put some eggs on to boil and my girls are dipping them as I type. I plan on using the extra eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for tonight’s dinner, which we plan on eating while watching recorded episodes of The Bible. Seems appropriate for the day, don’t you think?

I’m sitting by an open window and I hear my Todd busy outside. One of my girls just told me he is getting our bikes all pumped up and ready to ride. This makes me very happy and eager to get my energy back up!!

Oops..got girl drama at the Easter egg table so I need to sign off. It is a good reminder of how broken we all are, especially me, as my blood pressure starts to go up at the first sign of bickering.

I’m also reminded of this beautiful video that was shown this morning at our church service. It shows how broken is made whole in such a beautiful way. I’d love if you took the time to watch it.

I would love to know what you think of the video.

I’d also love to know what you are up to this Easter day!

FAMILY/ Marriage

Correct Priorities – Serving Your Spouse

These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

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Correct Priority #4 – Social Health-Spouse

(click here for outline of Correct Priorities)

Goal – February 2013

Show love to my wife through a purposeful act of service. Specifically this means taking full responsibility for upkeep of the basement. Areas of focus include:

Making sure it is always picked up.

Vacuuming once a week.

Getting rid of the NordicTrack exercise equipment that is broken and hasn’t been used in years.

Getting rid of our old big screen TV taking up space in the back corner of the basement.

Getting rid of my copy machine taking up space in the back corner of the basement.

Organizing the back corner of the basement currently filled with various random items.

Thoughts

Our home is important to Amy. She works very hard at making our house a home where our family and others feel comfortable, peaceful, and content.

And she has done a darn good job. I love being at home. Our girls love being at home. We are all home bodies. And a primary reason we love being home is the comfortable atmosphere Amy has worked so hard to create.

I know it drives Amy crazy to walk down the stairs and see my stuff strewn all over the basement table and floor. In thirty seconds I can turn the space she worked so hard to organize into a disaster area.

So it is time for me to step up and take responsibility for keeping the basement picked up. I spend the most time there. I have turned the basement into my personal man-cave.

I know I’m not up to tackling this project all at once so I broke it into several smaller goals that are more achievable.

I’m also not committing yet to a specific starting date. At this point I am only committing this goal to paper. But committing it to paper is a significant step as it will greet me each week until I act on it.

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Amy’s Thoughts:

“I felt so touched reading this post. I noticed the basement had been looking very picked up the last few weeks. I also would feel almost giddy when I would hear the vacuum in the basement running, knowing my man was vacuuming (there is NOTHING like a man who vacuums!). To know he has more goals set in the area of serving me as his wife makes me feel very loved and thankful. It also motivates me to check myself and think about how it is that I am purposefully serving him.”

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Purposeful Living

Goal Setting & Reflection-February 2013

Foundation Post

Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts

Purposeful Living Outline

FAMILY/ Leaving A Legacy/ Music Renews/ Parenting/ Spiritual

Leaving A Legacy For My 3 Girls – A Plea & A Prayer

As a 2-time cancer survivor, I look at life with tangible knowledge that life could end at any given moment. None of us know how long we have here on this earth. This legacy series to my 3 girls…my lovelies… is my way of attempting to leave a legacy for them. To speak of what is most important for them to know from me, their forever Mom.

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Dear Lovelies,

I don’t have many words of my own for you today, just a verse which is also a plea, and a prayer. I may even go find a song for you if your lucky. 🙂

My Plea for you, my 3 lovelies:

Ephesians 4:1 I…beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling. For you have been called by God.

How I pray for you:

Every time I pray I think of you and thank God for you! I ask Him to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what He is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians. Oh the utter extravagance of His work in us who trust him– endless, boundless strength!

Be assured from day one I have not stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds & spirits attuned to his will and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. I pray that you live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn how God works you will learn how to do your work.

I pray you will have the strength to stick it out over the long haul, not a grim strength of gritting your teeth, but glory-strength that God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful He has for us!

By giving Himself completely at the cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side & put your lives together, whole & holy in His presence. Don’t walk away from a gift like that! Stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned into the message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.

I Love you More’n,

MOM

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The above are Paul’s prayers, so wonderful to pray over your children. They are taken from:

Colossians 1:9

Ephesians 1:15-23

Ephesians 3:14-19

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FAMILY

Helping My Daughter Grow Her Business-Part 1 – Purposeful Living

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These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

………………..

Correct Priority
Priority #5 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Children

Goal Setting & Reflection Date
November 2012

Goal
Help Teagan (my 13 year old) deepen her knowledge about how to effectively run a business.

Identify a small business book that we can read and discuss together.

Goal Status
In Progress

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{My Teagan didn’t want to get her new shoes muddy}

Thoughts – ORIGINAL
Teagan desires to continue growing her Twisted Tape business. Amy has done a great job helping Teagan with the mechanics of starting this business. Teagan has asked me to help her grow in her understanding of how to run an effective business.

I am definitely not an expert in business and/or sales. But I am a learner and know how to go about deepening my knowledge of subject matter I am interested in.

I am going to first help Teagan by finding an appropriate book for us to read and discuss. Whether the book is related to growing a business or more specific to being an effective salesperson, I want to find something that will be of genuine help to her to support her in this project.

Thoughts – UPDATED

I have identified three books to read and discuss with my daughter to help her grow her Twisted Tape business.

The first book is The $100 Startup by Chris Buillebeau. This is a book focused on the necessary elements to start and grow a small business. I chose this book because we already had it in our home library and I didn’t have to spend any money to purchase it. I think it is important Teagan view this project as a business rather than just a “how can I get more sales on Etsy” endeavor. We will read this book first.

The second book is The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gittomer. I browsed through every sales book at Barnes & Noble and liked this one the most. In addition to approaching Twisted Tape as a business, I also want Teagan to learn the art of the selling. I believe her business will depend on her ability to effectively sell her product. We will read this book second.

The third book is The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin. This book outlines how to sell handmade products locally, globally, and on-line. Exploring in more depth the various ways to sell handmade items seems appropriate. We will read this book third.

What I am not interested in, at least not right now, is a book specifically about how to sell products on Etsy. I am not convinced this is the best way to sell her products. If it becomes evident after reading the books above that Etsy is a legitimate tool to market her products, we can further explore Etsy at that time.

My plan is to read a couple chapters a month. When I finish a chapter I will share with Teagan what I learned in the evening when we talk before bed. When I complete a book, I will compile the information and use it to work with Teagan on a business plan.

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Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline

Books/ FAMILY

Three Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2013-Part 1

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

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Correct Priority

Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse

Goal Setting & Reflection Date
December 2012

Goal
Invest in the social and emotional health and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2013. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:

Mutually choose a marriage book.
Amy chooses a book of her choice.
Decide how often to read and discuss each book.
Develop a plan to ensure relevant discussion and dialogue.

Goal Status
Partially Completed

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Thoughts – UPDATED
Amy & I have identified the books we will read together and discuss in 2013. The goal was to select two books, but we ended up choosing three.

Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

{Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs}

The marriage book we will read is Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs. I don’t know much about the book, but Amy has friends who recommended it and she liked the parts she came across while browsing through it.

We also chose two additional books to read together both on the subject of nutrition. Both are written by Dr. Fuhrman.

Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician, best-selling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He is the father (creator) of nutritarian eating. A key component of nutritarian eating is the Health Longevity Equation which he also created.

H (Health) = N (Nutrients) / C (Calories)

The first nutrition book we chose to read is Eat To Live. This is the first book Dr. Fuhrman wrote and I wanted to start at the beginning to understand the foundational theory and evidence behind his approach to nutrition.

The second nutrition book we chose is Super Immunity. This is Dr. Fuhrman’s most recent book and focuses on foods that offer the most nutritional benefit according to his Health Longevity Equation.

The first book provides theory and evidence on why nutritarian eating is the most effective way to eat. The second book provides clear advice on the most healthy foods.

We will read and discuss one chapter each week. On weeks we go on a date we will discuss the book over dinner at a restaurant or coffee shop. On weeks we stay home we will discuss the book on a Friday or Saturday night before we start a movie. We will both highlight parts of the books we consider important and want to share or discuss.

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Thoughts – ORIGINAL
This goal has become a yearly tradition and one that has proven to be very beneficial to our marriage.

Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.

Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong. Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.

In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection.

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Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Valentine's Day

Captured Life Tidbits – Our Life In Instagram Photos Valentines Edition

So thankful for these moments– these tidbits–that make up life.

Capturing the moments visually is a gift.

It keeps me present, it keeps me thankful, & reminds me to live NEW!

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I went to kiss Lil’ One goodnight and had to walk through these first. I love how she gets so excited and has to decorate before a holiday!

More decorations by my girl, she surprised me and had this all waiting for me when I got home.

{no our Christmas tree is not still up, that is our small ‘winter’ tree}

Had a lovely date with this middle child the day before Valentines day. I took her to her favorite Noodles & Co. & then for a brownie at a coffee shop.

Valentine sweets from our local health food store.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 9 year old.

Valentine breakfast place setting for my 12 year old.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 13 year old.

“Chevron” Brownie making with dear friends. Pretty huh? So easy. They actually made these for our super bowl party, but I thought they looked pretty Valentines Day-ish, too!

I pulled out the high heels for my Valentines date night.

I found an ombre shirt at Target and a fun necklace that matches the bracelet that was given to me by a special little girl in my life.

I’m a lucky lady. The cucumber lemonade is so fresh and light. I could drink gallons!

Pepe’s. A local vegetarian restaurant, perfect for our Valentine dinner out.

Todd had the Sweet Potato Quesadilla. I had the Vidalia Zucchini Enchilada plate.

I had Strawberry Coconut Cake & he had Chocolate Cake with Coconut Fudge Frosting.

Pepe is an incredible chef and just relocated his restaurant (my fav in town) to my neighborhood!

Love/ Spiritual/ Valentine's Day

A Valentine From New Nostalgia

For the above graphic to make sense, please CLICK HERE to listen.

It is a song. It is the song “Times” By Tenth Avenue North. This song alone gives me chills, especially the end. But the version linked above was one that I had never heard and was played by KLOVE. I was listening in my car and had to pull over as I was listening…it touched me so. It is words of love from the very best Valentine…the God of this Universe. I just had to share it with all of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you!

Here is a video I share every year at Valentines day. It is called “The Father’s Love Letter” and it is full of scripture truths that God says about us. They use portions of it in the song linked above, but here is the video in its entirety. Enjoy!

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