tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19817677203248257192024-03-05T07:10:41.777-05:00Finding Joy in the JourneyAttempting to embrace each step...Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-32309090793861577162012-04-27T06:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T08:17:52.625-04:00Lessons from a Jar of Pickles - Redefining Wastefulness<i>You can read the introduction to this series <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/lessons-from-jar-of-pickles.html" target="_blank">here</a> where I explain how three jars of terrible-tasting pickles came to be in my pantry.</i><br />
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There are several reasons why it was hard for me to throw away those three jars of awful pickles. One of them was:<br />
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<i style="font-style: italic;">I spent time and money on these, and to throw them away is wasteful. It would be like throwing money and effort in the trash.</i><br />
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I often correlate value with tangibility. If I spend money on something, I ought to have something tangible to show for it. Value = stuff. Value = practicality.<br />
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Spending money and time on jars of pickles and then not eating them is a waste of a tangible resource. Especially since I continued to buy pickles from the store - it is a waste to spend money on something that you already have sitting on a shelf at home. So there is actually a double-waste - the money spent on the pickling supplies and the money spent on the extra jars of pickles that I shouldn't have had to buy because I already had (awful) pickles at home.<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: normal;">
Every time I saw those jars there was a sense of guilt associated with them. </span>I ought to eat those. Not eating them is a waste.</span><br />
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<i style="font-style: italic;">But they taste awful.</i><br />
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<i style="font-style: italic;">Yeah, they taste awful because you failed at making them. You should have gone to the store for more dill but you didn't. I sure hope you learned your lesson.</i><br />
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Guilt, failure, and "you made your bed and now you have to lie in it" condemnation every time I looked at those darn pickles.<br />
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Now, this conversation wasn't that obvious in my head. I didn't fully realize this was happening because it was painful and I have a knack (I think we all do) for pushing away that pain. I'm quite talented in the art of ignoring familiar pain. I say "familiar" because I think we all have hurts and wounds that eventually become fixtures in our lives - for me those things have been procrastination and failure and laziness and probably some other stuff I can't think of right now. It's the stuff I bump up against all the time and I have this lie in my head that I am deficient - the pain exists because I am deficient. And it is just too much to openly confront that stuff all of the time so I learn to tolerate it, to ignore it, to medicate it with food and episodes of <i>Chopped </i>or <i>Storage Wars</i> or whatever.<br />
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And shuffling those pickles around on the shelf seemed to be much easier than throwing them away and admitting that I am wasteful and I am a failure and I am deficient.<br />
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Lies, lies, and more lies!<br />
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Thank you Jesus for truth and for healing and for the reality of the gospel! The truth is that as a human, I <i>am </i>deficient. However, in Jesus <b><i><a href="http://www.youversion.com/search?q=2+Corinthians+5%3A17&category=bible&version=nkjv" target="_blank">I am a new creation</a></i></b>. I don't have to live in condemnation and I can give my deficiency and failures to Jesus and allow him to use them for good. I don't have to accept my fate as a failure - I can step into the inheritance that Jesus freely shares with me. Oh the GRACE and the FREEDOM that come with that inheritance!!!<br />
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Over the past few years I have allowed God to show me the depth of this reality and I have finally allowed myself to see me for how God sees me. And it is this renewing of my perspective that enabled me to throw away those confounded pickles!<br />
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So that night as I journaled about my day and thought about the pickles, the Holy Spirit dropped a new thought in my head. You know what he showed me?<br />
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<i style="font-style: italic;">The time and money I spent wasn't a waste - it was an investment in my creativity. It was an investment in an experience, and the experience itself was the value. The <b>experience </b>made it money well spent.</i><br />
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Talk about turning a thought upside down!<br />
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I realized that my creativity, my desire to make things from scratch, my desire to try new things - these are all gifts. They are a testament to the fact that I am a reflection of THE Creator. But if I believe the lie that every creative impulse and every attempt at something new must result in something that is useful and practical and tangible and successful, then my creativity will wither and die. I will never cease to compare the amount of my "successes" to the number of my "failures." I will see each failure as a sign that I'm not really as creative as I ought to be and my confidence to experiment and try new ideas will shrink away to nothingness. I will constantly compare my failures to the visible success of others, not recognizing that their success is a result of their (invisible-to-me) failures. I will believe the lie that I am not as creative as they are, I will believe that I'm not good enough, I will eventually believe that I should stop trying.<br />
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Instead, I need to see that failure is a part of creativity. Failure is a useful experience because I have the opportunity to learn from it. I must reject the lie that failure is an ending; instead, I must recognize it as part of the process.<br />
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This has redefined how I look at spending money on things like art supplies and spending time on projects. My daughter Kaitlyn is very creative and she loves anything that has to do with art. In the past, I avoided purchasing supplies and doing projects with her because the practical, tangible outcome didn't leave me anything to show for the time and money. What can you <i>do</i> with snowflakes made out of coffee filters? How is a pipe cleaner crown <i>useful</i>? If felt wasteful to make projects like this and then see them end up in the trash. <i>Money wasted</i>, I would think.<br />
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But when I look at the benefit of fostering her creativity, when I begin to see the value of experiences, suddenly it is not a waste. And I no longer agonize about throwing projects away. Part of the joy is the process and the adventure of trying new things; gone is the pressure to make every creation significant and useful and worthy of hanging onto forever.<br />
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Making terrible pickles doesn't mean I am deficient, and throwing them away doesn't mean that I am wasteful. It means that I care enough about myself to invest time and money into making sure that my creativity doesn't go to waste.<br />
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<b><i>
Wastefulness redefined.</i></b>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-3796678833459227612012-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:002012-04-24T08:09:35.865-04:00Lessons from a Jar of Pickles - IntroductionAfter working my way through my <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/search/label/Strengths">series on strengths</a>, it feels right to move on to another series. So now, dear readers, I will begin a series that was inspired by a jar of pickles.<br />
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Every summer there is a produce stand on a corner that is on my way to/from work. It's called <a href="http://www.sweetcorncharlie.com/">Sweet Corn Charlie's</a> and they sell a variety of great produce, including (as their name would suggest) lots and lots of sweet corn. I do live in Indiana, after all, and summer in Indiana isn't complete without freshly picked sweet corn.<br />
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Two summers ago, in July or August of 2010, I stopped by the stand and was picking up my usual items - some corn, a few tomatoes, a cantaloupe, and some green beans - when I noticed some sprigs of dill next to a bin marked "pickling cucumbers."<br />
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One of the things I enjoy in life is experimenting in the kitchen. I love learning to make things from scratch and do things the "old-fashioned" way. I've made pudding from scratch, canned my own tomatoes, I love making my own chicken broth from scratch, and, although this isn't an edible item, I also make my own laundry detergent. There is something empowering about knowing that I can do these things without the aid of a box or a can.<br />
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So when I saw the dill and the cucumbers I was inspired to try canning my own pickles. I took all the dill that was left and gathered up some cucumbers and went on my merry way. (But not before I paid. In case you were wondering.)<br />
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That Saturday morning I assembled all the ingredients - those I had purchased at the produce stand and some I had picked up at the store. I went about making the pickles only to discover that I didn't have enough of the dill. I considered the situation for a minute and instead of running to the store to pick up some more, I decided to make do with what I had.<br />
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So I made the pickles and let them sit for the prescribed amount of time (two weeks, I think.) Then I anxiously opened a jar of them and took my first bite of pickle.<br />
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It tasted terrible.<br />
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All I tasted was garlic and soggy cucumber. Blech.<br />
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I put the opened jar of pickles in the refrigerator and left the rest of them (three jars) in the pantry.<br />
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For 18 months I kept those jars in the pantry. About once a month I'd have to shuffle them around to make room for jars of spaghetti sauce or cans of soup or boxes of granola bars. And every time I shuffled them I thought <i>I should get rid of these</i>.<br />
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In December 2011 while I was home for Christmas break I had a cleaning spurt and decided to clean out the pantry. I took everything out of the pantry and purged relentlessly. When I arrived at the jars of pickles I sighed a very deep sigh. Oh, those pickles! Why had a I kept them for so long? Why couldn't I just bring myself to throw them away? Why had I allowed them to take up space on my shelf for <i><b>18 months</b></i>?<br />
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I took them out, popped the sealed lids off, dumped out the awful, garlicky juice, then coaxed the soggy pickles into the trash can. Finally - freedom!!<br />
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Later than night, as I was journaling about my day, I thought about those pickles and the many questions about why they had caused me so much grief. Surprisingly, my pondering led to four or five "aha!" moments that were pretty significant.<br />
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Since I wrapped up the strengths series I've been thinking about what I should blog about next, and the other night while I was looking for something in the pantry I was reminded of those awful pickles. And that's when I knew I should write about them.<br />
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Next up in the series - redefining wastefulness.Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-43043378838497992752012-04-20T06:00:00.000-04:002012-04-23T21:59:45.876-04:00Strengths, Part Five - ConclusionHere are the first four posts in this series:<br />
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<a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-one-introduction.html">Part One - Introduction</a><br />
<a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-two-freedom-to-redefine.html">Part Two - The Freedom to Redefine Failure</a><br />
<a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-three-freedom-at-work.html">Part Three - Freedom at Work</a><br />
<a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-four-new-strategies-for.html">Part Four - New Strategies for Life Management</a><br />
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I've loved writing these posts because it's given me a chance to re-process a few things. (My intellection strength at work, of course.) I know that [probably] none of my readers will have the same exact strengths as I do so you perhaps won't relate to the specific things I've learned. But I hope that you've gotten some food for thought about your strengths and the strengths of others.<br />
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One thing to note is that there are many other assessments out there that can be just as life-changing. And the <a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx">StrengthsFinder assessment</a> may not be as life-changing for you as it was for me. It was a very specific answer to prayer for me - I had asked God to help me reclaim some things in my life and help me find the "real" me. I felt like I had spent so much time trying to please others that I had lost who I truly was. So I had a conversation with God and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me to some answers and about a week later was when I got the book.<br />
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If you are seeking answers then I have confidence that the StrengthsFinder assessment is a great tool for you to consider but I recognize that it might not be the <i>right </i>tool for you. That's a conversation for you to have with God and to ask the Holy Spirit to show you what is right for you.<br />
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My husband recently took the assessment and he felt mostly "meh" about it. There were no significant "aha!" moments. He found it to be interesting but it didn't necessarily have big implications for where he is right now. So I guess this is my disclaimer that "results may vary." But if you have $15-25 to spare I highly recommend that you at least give it a shot and buy the book/assessment.<br />
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Another note about the strengths - and I suppose I could write a whole other post on this but I'm just ready to wrap this series up - is how it has affected my parenting. Just yesterday as I was rushing out the door with Kaitlyn it hit me that I often give in to the worst parts of my adaptability strength in the morning. It is easy for me to start out in la-la-la-whatever mode - I get up, drink my coffee, check Facebook, etc., all the while knowing that I really ought to be getting ready. And then we hit the 30-minutes-until-we-have-to-get-out-the-door mark and I kick it into high gear. RUSHRUSHRUSH! GOGOGO! This isn't a problem for me with my adaptability strength. In fact, I seem to thrive on it.<br />
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But it's a different story for Kaitlyn. She takes her time with every task. I know that this is partly a five-year-old thing (and also one of those common things that parents and kids naturally struggle with) but that doesn't excuse me from recognizing where I'm allowing my strengths to overwhelm and frustrate my daughter. I felt really convicted about this yesterday and realized that I need to do a better job of harnessing my strengths in a positive way instead of letting them run wild.<br />
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This is true not just for parenting, but for all of life. I've touched on this through this series but I suppose it bears stating again - knowing my strengths is not an excuse for me to act however is most convenient and easy for me. I'm reminded of Philippians 2:3-4:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.</i></blockquote>
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I am challenged to see my strengths as a ministry opportunity - how I can use them to bless others? I'm also challenged to think about the strengths of others and use that as a ministry opportunity - how can I give them opportunities to showcase their strengths? How can I help them grow in their strengths?<br />
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So, there you have it. (I feel like I should have something very inspiring or profound to say, but I've got nothing.) Now I need to figure out what my next series will be...Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-76076673659604962912012-04-17T06:00:00.000-04:002012-04-21T20:37:52.349-04:00Strengths, Part Four - New Strategies for Life ManagementIn the first three posts in this series I have given<a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-one-introduction.html"> an overview</a> of the StrengthsFinder assessment and a summary of my strengths, I've talked about how this affected my <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-two-freedom-to-redefine.html">overall view of myself</a>, and how it affected <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-three-freedom-at-work.html">my life at work</a>. Now I want to talk about my new strategies for using my strengths to their fullest while also compensating for my weaknesses, especially as it relates to overall home- and life-management.<br />
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Just because <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-three-freedom-at-work.html">I don't have any "executing" strengths</a> in my top five does not excuse me from ever having to execute anything. The stuff of life must be done, strengths or not. I have laundry to do, bills to pay, dishes to wash, groceries to get.<br />
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In the past, back when I was really good at comparing myself to others, I often felt "less than" everyone else. I felt like everyone else had it together and could keep up with life while I was always just a few steps away from drowning in unfinished tasks.<br />
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I procrastinated terribly and was constantly overwhelmed by life. I would go through cycles where I worked up enough motivation to try and tackle all the unfinished business but I never fully caught up and I was left feeling exhausted by all the activity. I was a pendulum swinging between two extremes - the first was "I'm so overwhelmed I don't care" and the second was "if I just work hard enough maybe there is hope for me to be normal."<br />
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When I discovered my strengths, life didn't automatically change. The <a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx">StrengthsFinder assessment</a> didn't come with a cleaning fairy for those who discovered a lack of executing strengths. (What a disappointment.)<br />
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But there was a huge shift in my thinking and I could finally get off the pendulum. There is a monumental difference between "I ought to be good at this and I'm not" and "I know this isn't my strength but if I can learn this skill my life will be better." The first thought frames me as a failure. The second thought offers me an opportunity and recognizes that I don't have to compare myself to others. Making this switch was the first step in renewing my thinking and changing my habits.<br />
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The second step was understanding where my roadblocks occurred. I used to walk into a messy house and think, <i>This place is a mess, I'm so behind, I'm a failure, I'm overwhelmed, and obviously the best course of action is to ignore all of this and instead focus on eating an entire bag of Doritos while watching Pawn Stars. </i>You might think this is a plan for success but I will tell you it is not. (You're welcome. Feel free to throw a dollar in the tip jar in exchange for this ground-breaking piece of knowledge.)<br />
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But now I found myself walking into the house and thinking, <i>This is a mess and I feel overwhelmed, but I believe that God desires for me to feel empowered. </i>Why <i>do I feel overwhelmed by this and what choices do I have that will empower me instead?</i><br />
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This led directly to the next step of changing the way that I think and act - I tried to look at my choices in terms of my strengths instead of in terms of my weaknesses. Instead of thinking about the 50 things on my to-do list that I ought to do and didn't want to do, I tried to envision what I would feel like once the house was picked up. I tried to think about what things I needed to address in order to feel at peace with my house and then focus only on those areas instead of thinking I had to address <i>everything</i>. I recognized my need to be creative and innovative and embraced the idea of doing things a little differently every time instead of thinking that I needed to be consistent. (Somehow I used to think that my gateway to being a "normal" person included finding <i>one</i> system and sticking to it <i>all </i>the time.)<br />
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I also began to think about systems that actually work instead of systems that are perfect. Example - having a perfect filing system for all of my bills vs. having a basket where I throw everything and then twice a month when I realize that bills needs to be paid, I rifle through the basket and find what I need. Is it perfectly organized? Nope. Is it organized enough? <i>Yes</i>.<br />
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Bye-bye perfectionism!<br />
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Many of these steps were easy for me to take because they embraced my strengths. But two really important steps weren't quite so easy - facing the stuff I was scared of and doing the things I didn't want to do.<br />
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The first category - stuff I was scared of - is kind of complicated. It involved some deeply rooted emotional stuff, along with some really irrational and dumb stuff, and some areas of sin and rebellious stuff. I'm not sure if this really belongs in a discussion about strengths; perhaps it belongs more in a discussion about therapy and my relationship with God. But it was for sure a big part of my healing and being able to move forward. I won't go into any more detail than that right now, I just want to recognize this as integral to my growth.<br />
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The second category - things I didn't want to do - is pretty straightforward. I've had to learn that sometimes there is no amount of leveraging my strengths, no amount of innovation or creativity or envisioning the future that will propel me to a place where I want to do particular tasks. I just have to be a grown up and do them. (I think this novel concept is called <i>self-discipline.</i>)<i> </i><br />
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The funny thing is that the more freedom I get in my expectations and the more I let go of perfectionism, the more I have the mental fortitude necessary to do the things I don't want to do. It used to be that <i>everything </i>was in the category of "things I don't want to do," but now there are truly only a few things on that list. Freedom in the other areas gives me the momentum I need to be self-disciplined in the areas that count.<br />
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Oh yeah, and speaking of areas that count, I've re-prioritized what counts. There are some things that I just refuse to lose sleep over anymore. It's easier to address the list of "what counts" when it contains ten things instead of 100 things.<br />
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I'm sure there are a few other strengths-related strategies for life management that I could share, but I think I've hit on the ones with the most impact. I have one more post I want to write in this strengths series, one that wraps it up and gives me a chance to share a few final thoughts.<br />
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What would happen if you stopped expecting yourself to be good at your weaknesses? Are there some things that are currently on your list of "things that count" that you need to let go of?Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-88515590324775895152012-04-10T15:55:00.000-04:002012-04-21T20:37:43.996-04:00Strengths, Part Three - Freedom at WorkI woke up this morning and discovered that the blog post I finished writing last night had been deleted. Grrrr. I set the post to publish for this morning, went to relax in the living room, and had a thought that I wanted to record for my next blog post so I used the newly-downloaded Blogger app on my phone to record the thought. Apparently I also opened a version of my completed post and saved it as a blank post.<br />
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Sigh.<br />
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Now I will attempt to rewrite the post and hope that it will come out better than the first version so I can feel like something redemptive came from the accidental deletion.<br />
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In <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-one-introduction.html">part one</a> of this series I gave some background about the StrengthsFinder assessment and summarized my strengths. In <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-two-freedom-to-redefine.html">part two</a> I talked about how knowing my strengths allowed me to redefine failure and success, and completely shifted the paradigm for how I view myself. Now I want to share how this affected how I work.<br />
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My entire office took the StrengthsFinder assessment at the same time, and it was really enlightening to see our results laid out side-by-side. There is a chart that divides the 34 strengths into four main categories - executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking. Of the five people who worked in the office at the time (we now have six) everyone else had 2-4 strengths in the executing category. I had zero.<br />
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<b>ZERO.</b><br />
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All of my strengths are in the relationship building and strategic thinking categories. This gave me some wonderful "Hallelujah!" and "Aha!" moments about the way that I work.<br />
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For a long time I had been comparing myself to people who were executors. I would go to staff meetings and hear everyone rattle off their list of completed tasks and inside I had this panic - what had <i>I</i> accomplished that week? I would see everyone in the office being productive and checking off projects left and right, while I felt like I was chasing my tail and had nothing to show for it.<br />
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I would go through periods of feeling motivated and productive - for several weeks in a row I might feel like I'd finally "made it" because I was crossing projects and tasks off the list - but inevitably I would hit a wall where I was sluggish, unproductive, and dreaded the simplest of tasks. In those moments I struggled with comparing myself and wondering what in the world was wrong with me? Why couldn't I keep pace? Did others struggle with this sustained sluggishness? I know that they had days where they felt unmotivated, but did they go through whole weeks or months of it?<br />
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When we discovered our strengths and I saw that three of my four coworkers have the Achiever strength - which means that (big surprise) they are highly driven to achieve things and accomplish a list of tasks - it brought me a whole new level of freedom!<br />
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I could finally stop comparing myself to them. In moments of feeling unmotivated and sluggish I began to ask new questions. Instead of wondering <i>What is wrong with me?</i> I asked these kinds of questions:<br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>Is my lack of motivation a result of using all of my momentum in the past few weeks and now I need to allow myself time to recharge? </i><br />
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<i>Do I feel overwhelmed because I've committed to executing too many of my ideas?</i><br />
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<i>Where am I holding unrealistic expectations of myself? What tasks can I let go of and what tasks are really the priority today?</i><br />
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It's amazing what happened when I stopped assuming that something was wrong with me; when I started seeing the circumstances as the problem instead of seeing my deficiency as the problem. I now feel empowered instead of guilty.<br />
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One thing to note, and I hope to hit this in more detail in my next post, is that my lack of an executing strength doesn't let me off the hook from having to <i>do </i>stuff. We all have to face tedious tasks and just because I am not naturally motivated to tackle a to-do list doesn't mean that I can coast through life in my little idea bubble. Knowledge really is power, and knowing my strengths (and my non-strengths) has given me new power to address my weaknesses, especially at work.<br />
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Another area where knowing the strengths of everyone in my office has helped me to have a new perspective is when I'm collaborating with my coworkers. For example, I used to get annoyed when I would throw out a great idea and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/matt_esau">Matt </a>would start asking questions, questions and more questions. He'd ask about goals and strategies and purpose and blah, blah, blah. Goals and strategies are nice, but wouldn't it be so much more fun to float off on a cloud of ideas??<br />
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But when I saw that his top strengths are Strategic and Focus, I could appreciate his questions. He wasn't trying to squash my ideas, he was trying to make them better. He was trying to help me filter out the bad ones and find the ones that were feasible. He was trying to focus our energy as an office on the things that would truly make a difference and provide the most value.<br />
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It's amazing what can happen when there is a work culture that celebrates strengths instead of trying to avoid weakness. When I am concerned about my weaknesses I 1) try to hide them and/or 2) exploit the weaknesses of others and/or 3) over-compensate by flaunting my successes and strengths.<br />
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However, when I can rest in the security that I have strengths that make me a valued part of the team, and when I value the strengths of others, I don't have to try and create smoke and mirrors to puff up my job performance. I don't have to compete with others and I don't have to compare with them. I can tell them that they do a great job, and I can mean it. And I can genuinely feel joy and pride (the good kind) when my boss or others on our staff compliment me on a job well-done.<br />
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Do you ever think about the strengths of your coworkers and how they affect the roles you play in the office? If you are a supervisor, do you take time to focus on (and celebrate) the strengths of those under you? How can we contribute to a culture at work (or at home, church, school, etc.) that celebrates and honors each person's strengths?Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-79364036249663091762012-04-06T06:00:00.007-04:002012-04-21T20:37:31.214-04:00Strengths, Part Two - the Freedom to Redefine FailureIn <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-one-introduction.html" target="_blank">part one </a>I gave some background about the StrengthsFinder assessment and summarized my strengths. Now I want to share how this transformed my life.<br />
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Ideation, Futuristic, and Intellection: seeing those three strengths at the top of my list suddenly brought so many things into focus. I now understood why I spent so much of my time thinking (intellection) about possibilities and envisioning what could be (futuristic) and coming up with a million ideas related to all the possibilities (ideation.)<br />
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I would see one good idea - for example, a friend using her creativity to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/saralukecreative" target="_blank">open an Etsy store</a> - and it would spark lots of ideas and possibilities. I envisioned what <i>I</i> might sell if I had an Etsy store. I came up with some really good ideas. I executed one of them - I put significant time and effort and a little bit of money into starting one. I had lots of great visions for this particular idea.<br />
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But then, like so many of my ideas, it fizzled out.<br />
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And I felt like a failure.<br />
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And I cried some tears.<br />
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And I felt like all my excitement about the idea was now foolishness in the eyes of everyone who had heard me talk so enthusiastically about it.<br />
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I felt this way about at least four other major projects that I'd undertaken in the past six years - like a big, fat failure.<br />
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Sometimes I would lay in bed at night and think about my failures. (I don't recommend this. It's a lot like looking up your health symptoms on Web MD - it only leads to trouble.) The reality of failure would wash over me and I had the thought that I just wasn't good at follow-through and I never would be. Ever. Period.<br />
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I thought this was a major character flaw that would keep me from being successful. If I could only fix this character flaw, then maybe I would have a chance.<br />
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And so I would begin anew, finding another idea that was better than the last, determining to have the willpower to follow through this time. <i>This time would be different. It had to be.</i><br />
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</i><br />
But it wouldn't be different.<br />
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And there would be tears.<br />
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And more late night musings and prayers and questions.<br />
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And then one day I discovered the amazing truth that my perceived character flaw <i><b>was actually my strength</b></i>.<br />
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It was MY STRENGTH!<br />
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Oh hallelujah!<br />
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I cannot tell you the joy I had when I found out that my strength was having ideas, not carrying them out. Up until that point I had assumed that every good idea that came into my brain was given to me so I could see the idea realized. It was as if each of my ideas was a ball, and with every new ball that came at me I thought it was my job to keep it in the air. Keep juggling, Erin.<br />
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I assumed that everyone had ideas, all the time. And I assumed that everyone did a better job of juggling them than I did.<br />
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But when I discovered my strengths and I saw that my gift for thinking about ideas and possibilities was <i>not</i> the norm for everyone, I suddenly had the freedom to drop all of those balls. I had the freedom to filter them - to throw some away, and to put some aside for later, and to pass some of them on to other people. I could end the exhausting three-ring circus act of trying to keep them all in the air.<br />
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I've learned to redefine success, which in turn has allowed me to redefine failure. I can be okay knowing that I have limited momentum for each of my ideas - I no longer expect to have the momentum to carry them all the way through. Failure to execute no longer constitutes failure for Erin. Success now looks like having lots of ideas and allowing myself time to think and the confidence to share my thoughts and ideas and visions of the future with others.<br />
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This changed the paradigm of my life, and in the next two posts I'll talk about what that looks like <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-three-freedom-at-work.html">at work </a>and at home.<br />
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I am so thankful that Jesus takes my failures and tears and the broken areas of my life and he makes beautiful things out of them. Here is one of my favorite songs - it's a celebration of what Jesus has done in my life, and also a prayer for the areas that still feel messy and dusty and old and hopeless. "You make me new - you are making me new." Hallelujah!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TScWzIzT8m8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-50139820303835749082012-04-03T06:00:00.001-04:002012-04-21T20:37:20.110-04:00Strengths, Part One - IntroductionIn my last post I mentioned the <a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx">StrengthsFinder</a> test and shared my top five strengths. I have to say that knowing my strengths changed my life! I know that sounds a bit overblown but it's true. Understanding my strengths allowed me to see where I was trying to be like others (and failing miserably) and freed me to just be me.<br />
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Because they have been so instrumental in changing the way I view myself, the way I think, the way I approach my to-do list, and the way I work with others I want to take several posts to talk about my strengths.<br />
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Part of me feels like this is really self-serving. Like, "Hey guys, let's talk all about MEEEEEEE!!!" I started thinking about this in church on Sunday, and then I wondered if it was a nudge from God since, you know, I was in church. Was he telling me that coming back to blogging is making me self-absorbed?<br />
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But the truth is, if I'm going to blog about thoughts and process and transformation and growth, I'm really only an expert when it comes to ME. It would be way weirder if I decided to become an expert (and share my expertise on this here blog) on how other people need to change; I'm sure that's an option but I have feeling it would make me unpopular with friends and family.<br />
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Anyway... I guess I felt the need to express that and get it out of the way. Now back to the subject of this post...<br />
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I first heard of the StrengthsFinder in college. In fact, most of my graduating class took the test during the second semester of our senior year. I graduated a semester early so I missed out on that opportunity and I always wondered what I would have discovered had I taken the test.<br />
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Fast forward eleven years to a staff meeting where everyone on our staff was given a copy of "<a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx">StrengthsFinder 2.0</a>." I was so excited to finally have a chance to take the test! (In hindsight, I'm not sure why I never researched what it would cost to get the book/test on my own. The book is $25 retail, $15 <a href="http://www.amazon.com/StrengthsFinder-2-0-Tom-Rath/dp/159562015X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333070204&sr=8-1">on Amazon</a>, so I could have easily discovered my strengths if I'd only thought to search it out.)<br />
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I've taken many different assessments and there is something about this one that is really unique. Perhaps it is because there are 34 different strengths; perhaps it is simply that I didn't take this assessment until I'd gained some life experience and started coming to terms with who I really am.<br />
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If you are unfamiliar with the StrengthsFinder book/test, here is a little excerpt about the strengths concept:<br />
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"Our goal was to start a global conversation about what's right with people. We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses. Society's relentless focus on people's shortcomings had turned into a global obsession. What's more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies."<br />
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Here are my top five strengths along with some excerpts from the book that explain them:<br />
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<b>Ideation</b><br />
<i>"You are fascinated by ideas. ... An idea is a new perspective on familiar challenges. You revel in taking the world we all know and turning it around so we can view it from a strange but strangely enlightening angle. You love all these ideas because they are profound, because they are novel, because they are clarifying, because they are contrary, because they are bizarre. For all these reasons you derive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to you."</i><br />
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<b>Futuristic</b><br />
<i>"You are the kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon. The future fascinates you. ... You are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and who cherishes those visions. When the present proves too frustrating and the people around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future and they energize you."</i><br />
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<b>Intellection</b><br />
<i>"You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the "muscles" of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. ... You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. ... This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life."</i><br />
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<b>Adaptability</b><br />
<i>"You live in the moment. You don't see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices you make right now. ... This theme of Adaptability enables you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. ... You are, at heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once."</i><br />
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<b>Connectedness</b><br />
<i>"Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. ... This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system."</i><br />
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The book offers some examples of what these strengths look like in everyday life and gives some advice for the types of jobs and roles to avoid/pursue. The above descriptions for Adaptability and Connectedness leave me wondering if those are really in my strengths, but the additional information confirms that they represent how I operate.<br />
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For example, for Adaptability one of the ideas for action is "avoid roles that demand structure and predictability. These roles will quickly frustrate you, make you feel inadequate, and stifle your independence." That is spot on for me, although I am learning to develop the ability to live within structure and predictability.<br />
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I feel like this post was not very insightful overall but I wanted to lay the foundation for sharing all the ways my strengths have affected my life. In the next couple of posts I want to share several "aha!" moments I had as I processed my strengths and saw how they applied to my thinking and my approach to doing, both at work and at home. (Here is <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-two-freedom-to-redefine.html">part two</a>, here is <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-three-freedom-at-work.html">part three</a>.)<br />
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Do you spend a lot of time focusing on your weaknesses instead of your strengths? What would happen if you shifted your focus and began to develop your key strengths instead?</div>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-85412882736523754912012-03-30T06:00:00.001-04:002012-04-05T22:17:54.459-04:00Why I decided to blog again - part twoIn <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-i-decided-to-blog-again-part-1.html" target="_blank">part one</a> I talked about some blogging hang ups and why I abandoned writing on my blog (for the most part). Now I want to share why I decided to come back to it.<br />
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(Hence the title <i>"Why I decided to blog again."</i> Smart, huh?)<br />
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In the past two years I'd often find myself in a strange/interesting/humorous situation and I'd start writing a blog post about it in my head. And then I would think, "Nope, you don't blog anymore, don't go there Erin."<br />
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Then I'd find myself thinking deep thoughts and processing things and having "Aha!" moments and again, I'd start writing a blog post about it in my head. And again, I would think, "Nope, you don't blog anymore, don't go there Erin."<br />
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But the past couple years have brought a lot of change in my life; a lot of new revelation and so many areas where God has truly renewed my mind.<br />
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In conversations here and there I would share these thoughts and revelations with others and often I would get a stare of disbelief from them - for a terrifying split second I would wonder if I had broccoli in my teeth or if maybe I had just said the dumbest thing they'd ever heard and they were trying to figure out how to respond to me. But then they would look at me and say, "wow - I've never thought of it like that."<br />
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So I began to think that maybe what I was going through in my life and my new ways of thinking could help other people. Perhaps I was supposed to share about my journey?<br />
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I let this roll around in my head for about six months. <i>Should I, shouldn't I? Should I, shouldn't I? Should I, shouldn't I?</i><br />
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(As you can see I am <i>awesome </i>at making decisions.)<br />
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Then, about a month ago, four or five things happened within the course of one week that confirmed I should come back to blogging.<br />
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The first is that I ended up with a <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2012/03/a-tale-of-two-weekends/" target="_blank">guest blog post</a> on <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/" target="_blank">A Slob Comes Clean</a>. I wrote the whole thing in my head on the way to work one day and I sent it to <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/about-me/how-a-slob-comes-clean-began/" target="_blank">Nony</a> as email feedback for her <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/28-days-to-hope-for-your-home/" target="_blank">ebook</a>. She immediately emailed back to ask if she could use it as a blog post and I was flabbergasted. I really didn't have that in mind when I sent it to her but when I went back and reread it I realized I had written a blog post without even knowing it!<br />
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The second thing is that I needed to send Nony a bio paragraph about me to include with my guest post, so I took my bio from another project I had done and tweaked it a bit. And do you know what I included in my bio? A link to this here blog.<br />
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Now why in the world would I go and include a link to my (former) blog if I have no intentions of coming back to blogging??? I don't think you need a master's in psychology to answer that question.<br />
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In the week between sending my email/bio off to Nony and the day she actually published it on the blog, I had a meeting with two acquaintances. We were talking and I was sharing some of what God's been teaching me recently and I got "the stare" from one of them. She said, "you need to write a book, or a blog, or <i>something </i>so you can share things like that with other people."<br />
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Then Nony published my blog, and I put a link on Facebook, and the response from Nony's readers and from my friends really blessed me. I saw how it had encouraged others.<br />
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Then, just a few days later, <a href="http://lifeonthefringe.org/the-book/" target="_blank">my testimony was published online</a>. I had written this at least a year ago - two of my friends (one of them also happens to be my boss) are writing a book about the testimonies of women and they are including mine. They asked if they could use mine on their website as an example of what is in the book, and I said sure.<br />
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I posted a link to my testimony on Facebook and again was blessed by the response and encouragement I got. Is it really coincidence that I was published online twice in one week?<br />
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As I rolled all of this around in my head I kept coming back to one thing: <b>fear</b>. Fear of failing; fear of my weaknesses; fear because I don't know what it is that I really want. Fear of vulnerability. Fear that I am making too much of my experience - do I really think that my story is anything extraordinary? That people would read it and get something from it that they don't already have on their own?<br />
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And then one night as I was laying (or lying?) in bed thinking about all of this, God dropped a whole new thought into my brain.<br />
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I realized that success in life - in ministry, at work, at home, in our relationships - comes when we work out of the overflow of our giftings and abilities. Have you ever looked at someone else and thought, "Wow, they are good at what they do - they have such a gift for ____!"<br />
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For example, I know someone who is a very gifted hostess - she loves throwing parties. She loves all the work it takes to plan and prepare; to decorate and cook and serve; she loves being a hostess. Each of her parties comes out of the overflow of the gifts and abilities God has placed in her. It is effortless for her because that is who she is.<br />
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I felt like God showed me that I was trying to copy the overflow of other people - I saw what they were creating and somehow felt it was a standard that I could/should live up to. I should be as good of a hostess, or I should be as good at having my own business, or I should be as good at crafts, or as good as whatever someone else was good at.<br />
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I was challenged to think about my giftings and abilities. Not just the things I'm good at - I'm a great learner and direction-follower and I am interested in a wide variety of things, all of which have caused me lots of confusion because I often mistake <i>being good</i> at something with <i>having a passion</i> for that thing.<br />
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Do you know how many things I have started because I thought it was what I wanted to do, only to get three months down the road and realize that I had zero motivation to keep at it? Too many. Way, way too many. I have had many tears over my "failures" and my perception that I don't have the ability to stick with anything.<br />
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But that is a bunny trail that I will fully follow on another day, <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2012/04/strengths-part-one-introduction.html" target="_blank">in a series</a> I hope to write about the <a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx" target="_blank">StrengthsFinder</a> test and how it changed my life. For right now I will share that my top five strengths are Ideation, Futuristic, Intellection, Adaptability and Connectedness.<br />
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If you aren't aware of the StrengthsFinder then these words probably seem a bit strange. Like I said, I will talk about this more in depth at a later time, but the point I want to make is that my top three strengths have to do with <i>thinking </i>(ideation, futuristic, and intellection.)<br />
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In fact, the intellection strength means that I like to think. How nerdy is that? One of things that makes me who I am is that I like to think. A lot. <i>About everything.</i><br />
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All of this flashed through my head in a matter of seconds and that is when I realized it - my overflow comes from my brain. It comes from my love of thinking and processing.<br />
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And what means could I possibly use to express the overflow of my thinking and processing??? Gee, perhaps writing would be an option? As in, blogging about my thoughts?<br />
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I also realized that I have been afraid to come to terms with what I often envision myself doing - writing and speaking. Why is it so hard to imagine that I could actually write and speak about my experiences? Why have I run around trying to find other things to do with my life when so often I find myself imagining what it would be like to spend my time writing and speaking and sharing with others?<br />
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And so, here I am, blogging again. My goal is to share my story in the hope that others will be encouraged and perhaps they will have their own "aha!" moments as a result of mine.<br />
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Of course I reserve the right to occasionally deviate from my story and write about social media or cooking or my daughter or strange experiences. (For example, I need to blog about how Kaitlyn accidentally chewed Mike's fingernail clippings out of a bag of Doritos. Yes, really. This has now happened twice in our house, except the first time involved three toenail clippings and a bag of Chex Mix. Apparently it is a bad idea to eat bagged snacks when you come to our house.)<br />
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What is <i>your </i>overflow? Are there things that you are passionate about but are afraid to pursue? Are there areas where you need to prune away activities you are <i>good </i>at in order to give yourself more fully to the things you are <i>passionate </i>about?Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-61660326384741014882012-03-27T06:00:00.001-04:002012-03-27T16:01:31.751-04:00Why I decided to blog again - part oneWhen I started my blog on March 1, 2008 it was because I enjoyed writing, I enjoyed the other "mom blogs" I was reading, and I liked the idea of taking all the thoughts running around in my head and sharing them with others. I saw what other bloggers were writing and thought, "I can do that too!"<br />
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And I did. And I enjoyed it for a while. But here are a few things I learned along the way:<br />
<ul><li>Creating consistent content for a blog is harder than it seems</li>
<li>After I've spent time writing and editing a post, hitting "publish" is scary and sometimes paralyzing</li>
<li>I highly underestimated the agony of "this post is either brilliant or the dumbest thing anyone has ever written"</li>
<li>I also underestimated the agony of "no one is reading or commenting except for my mom and sisters - this is awful" versus "oh my gosh people are starting to read and comment - what do I do now???"</li>
</ul>Now that I am here, four years of personal growth later, I also realize that I was putting unrealistic expectations on myself and I imagined that others had expectations of me. Failing to meet those expectations led to feelings of guilt and shame, which prevented me from posting for long periods of time, which, in turn, made me feel like a failure. Eventually I would miss all the good parts about blogging and think, "I'll start again and this time I can do it - I just have to be more diligent." All of this was due to nonexistent expectations and some ambiguous standard that lived somewhere in my head.<br />
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The expectation issue was intensified because I had no plan or direction for my blog so I was trying to imitate EVERYONE. I had zero filter for my ideas - every idea was a good idea, and every time I saw another blogger write/do something that I thought I <i>could</i> do, it became something that I <i>should</i> do.<br />
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And, if I'm honest with myself, I also see that I wasn't confident in my own decisions. I was sure that other people knew the right thing to say or do or write, and my way was always a little bit shaky. So I would put something out there and then see someone else do the same thing but (in my opinion) ten times better, and I would think, "Oh no! <i>That's </i>what I should have done - it was so obvious!"<br />
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My lack of confidence came from not understanding that <i>other people don't know what the heck they are doing either, </i>we all just take our gifts and use them the best we can. Others will always be better at some things than I am, but that doesn't mean I'm inferior. It just means I have to have confidence in my unique perspective and giftings.<br />
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</i><br />
In the past few years I've come to understand that there are very few black and white, wrong or right decisions in this life. Of all the decisions I will ever make, a small percentage of them will be ones that I need to agonize over and pray about. The rest of them - especially when it comes to being a writer/blogger/artist - don't matter as much as I once thought they did.<br />
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What matters more than making a perfect decision is <i>moving forward.</i> Having 5 perfect blog posts that are published and 95 not-quite-perfect posts in the hopper is absolutely backwards. It doesn't allow me the chance to grow; the opportunity to make mistakes, to learn, to get feedback from others, to have to clarify what I meant when something is taken the wrong way.<br />
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And so, I am learning to embrace my imperfection.<br />
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This blog post has taken a turn I didn't expect; everything I have written was supposed to be part of my introduction for why I decided to blog again but it appears to have taken on a life of its own and morphed into its very own post! Consequently, I will save the rest for another day and will work on writing part 2 of why I decided to blog again.<br />
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Are there areas in your life where you've created nonexistent expectations? How is that holding you back? What if you decided to let go of them?Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-35864929280397635892012-03-20T11:00:00.001-04:002012-03-25T13:13:51.046-04:00Back at it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23JuvsKYPvY-32xDb0qGuX7pufHDuP3LBEyZJZEPKejzWH5sR4cr97o4g5Homg5RSIwCMX-LrnPwrqHy_Z6MjEhETVDUO-VFrOEagweKO_BHeWf0h-fcmDM66pTNFDbu0xGznQ09CZh8/s1600/keyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23JuvsKYPvY-32xDb0qGuX7pufHDuP3LBEyZJZEPKejzWH5sR4cr97o4g5Homg5RSIwCMX-LrnPwrqHy_Z6MjEhETVDUO-VFrOEagweKO_BHeWf0h-fcmDM66pTNFDbu0xGznQ09CZh8/s320/keyboard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It's official, I am returning to blogging.<br />
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Well, to messy blogging at least.<br />
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What I mean is that you might find my blogging to be a bit messy; unorganized, inconsistent, infrequent. When I started blogging I had this idea in my head of it being a consistent and organized undertaking. I also put a lot of expectations on myself to make it... something. What I thought I had to make it I'm not sure, but I definitely had some expectations rolling around in my brain and I often did not live up to them.<br />
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So this time around, I'm letting myself off the hook from the beginning and I'm clearly communicating this to anyone who might happen to be reading. You know, just in case you have any expectations and would be tempted to start a public outcry against me if I do not meet your expectations. Because that is a completely realistic possibility, right? Oh, wait, that's just in my head? Well. Moving on...<br />
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Another difference about this time around is that I really do have some goals (which I hope to address in another series of posts). And, overall, I'm more confident about who I am and what I have to offer to others. I'm more confident about my story and the process God has brought me through in the past few years. I'm more willing to put myself out there, to make mistakes, and to embrace the fact that perfection is not a prerequisite for action. If I expect everything I do to be perfect, then I will often be disappointed and I will rarely take action. And I don't believe that is the kind of life God has called me (or anyone) to live.<br />
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You might wonder what it was that caused me to take the blogging plunge again and I will be happy to answer that in my next blog post. Stay tuned!Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-17973538840526618552012-03-12T07:47:00.003-04:002012-03-12T08:32:32.080-04:00Confessions of a Former BloggerI somehow ended up with a <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/2012/03/a-tale-of-two-weekends/#comments">guest post on A Slob Comes Clean</a> today. Even though I don't really blog anymore.<br />
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But over the past few months I've thought about returning to blogging. And this guest post has made me think even harder about blogging again. Which has made me think about why I started blogging and why I stopped blogging.<br />
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I started because I like to write and I like to think; I like to process life through writing.<br />
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Plus, all the cool kids were doing it.<br />
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I stopped because it began to feel like a lot of pressure and like one more thing I had to keep up with. In the past 2-3 years I've really been working on some stuff and life has seemed really messy - not in the physical sense, but messy in my head. Messy, as in, I can't quite bring order to all that is happening to me at the moment and having to write coherent things on a blog is just a tad bit overwhelming.<br />
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However.<br />
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I'm in a different place now. I have new confidence. I have a new ability to be honest about what I want to do and a new ability to say no to the things I don't want to do. I also feel like my house is much less messy and overwhelming than what it used to be. Perhaps I could pick blogging back up and not feel pressured about it.<br />
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I'm still not 100% sure about that, but I have had about 10 posts rolling around in my head for the last month so we'll see what happens.<br />
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Anyway, I felt the need to write something new since <a href="http://www.aslobcomesclean.com/">Nony</a> is linking here today. I don't know why I included a link to my blog in the first place if I am truly no longer blogging. (Maybe that is my subconscious answer about whether or not to pick it back up??) If you clicked over from her blog, thanks for stopping by to visit! Feel free to look around and read some of my past posts, one of my favorites is a true story of how <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-are-there-toenails-in-my-chex-mix.html">I once accidentally chewed my husband's toenails</a>. (For real.)<br />
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Now - I'm off to empty the dishwasher...Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-27438389394818689132011-03-02T21:51:00.004-05:002011-03-03T11:04:07.925-05:00Ups, downs, and the grace of God in the midst of tragedyThe past two weeks have given me one really big up, and one really big down.<br />
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The big up was that God moved in a big way on the campus of Bethel College, where I work. Many people are talking about revival - I don't know if we can officially classify it as that, but the Holy Spirit was definitely poured out in an extraordinary way and the students definitely responded. You can read more about this in a <a href="http://www.bethelcollege.edu/magazine/?p=1215">blog post</a> I wrote for Bethel.<br />
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The big down was hearing that the seven-year-old daughter of a high school friend was shot and killed in a tragic accident. I went to the viewing last night, and the funeral was today.<br />
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I remember my friend Jay as being constantly upbeat. We didn't go to the same school but we spent many hours together with our church youth group and hanging out at friend's houses. I wouldn't say that he was a "class clown" type of guy - that's almost an accurate description but not quite right. I remember him as someone who loved to have fun, and was a big teddy bear underneath it all. I haven't seen Jay in more than ten years.<br />
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On Friday night I heard of the tragic death of a little girl, and on Saturday I learned that it was Jay's daughter, Karlee. You can read the details of the accident in this <a href="http://goshennews.com/local/x72345263/Family-spokesperson-Shooting-was-tragic-accident">news article</a>.<br />
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I know there are many people who question what happened. Why did Jay have a handgun in his pocket? Why didn't he secure it before playing with his daughters? How could this have happened?<br />
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Some people ask these questions honestly, wondering at the horrific series of events that would lead to this. And others ask these questions with anger and judgment - how could a parent let this happen?<br />
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I've been rolling all of this around in my head for several days, and I can't help but think of all the "what if" moments in my life and in the lives of other parents. You know, the one time you drive down the street without your seat belt on because you're only going a quarter-mile.<br />
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The one time you are preparing dinner and leave a sharp knife within reach of little hands while you run out to the garage to grab something out of the chest freezer.<br />
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The one time the kids are in the backyard and you run inside for just a second to grab the ringing telephone, not realizing that the gate to the pool is unlocked.<br />
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The one time you decide to send a quick one-word text while driving down the road.<br />
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The one time you forget to fasten the baby gate at the top of the stairs after you bring up the laundry from the basement.<br />
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I would venture to say that most responsible people act responsibly 99% of the time. But we all have our moments in the 1% when we aren't responsible. And in those 1% moments, most of the time there is grace.<br />
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We arrive safely to our destination and never need the aid of the seatbelt.<br />
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We walk back into the kitchen and catch our breath at the sight of the knife on the edge of the counter, saying a prayer of thanks that little hands didn't find it.<br />
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We look out the window just in time to see a toddler opening the unlocked pool gate and are able to rush to him before he makes his way to the water.<br />
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We look up from the quick text to see that we've veered into the other lane, and breathe a sigh of relief that there was no oncoming traffic.<br />
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We have a moment of panic when we hear the crash of something (or someone?) falling down the stairs, but laugh when we realize it's because the dog bumped into the baby gate and made it fall.<br />
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Most of the time, the worst case scenario doesn't manifest.<br />
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And sometimes, the worst case scenario lines up in such a way that it becomes a horrible tragedy.<br />
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My heart goes out to Jay and his wife, Kelly, and their oldest daughter, Brooklyn. I went to Karlee's visitation last night, and the thing that sticks in my mind is how tightly Jay hugged me. I'm so glad I went and was able to give him that hug. I know it won't fix anything, but I hope that it helped somehow.<br />
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I wasn't able to go to the funeral today but I did read an <a href="http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=536374">article about it</a> in our local paper. I really appreciated this quote from Steve Chupp, pastor of the church where I grew up and where Jay and his family still attend: <span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">"You have to be careful, Jay, that this tragedy does not define you ... you're God's son, you're God's boy, and you're a loving father."</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">I pray that Jay will take these words to heart. I pray that he can move beyond the guilt of that 1% moment because, truth be told, we have all had at least one of those moments. </span></span><br />
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<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">Why don't all of our 1% moments end in tragedy? I don't know. There are so many "whys" and "what ifs" that have rolled around in my head in the past week, and I know that I won't ever have an answer. </span></span><br />
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<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">Part of me wonders if I want an answer so I can insulate myself from fear - if it's true that the 1% moments happen to all of us, and if it's true that sometimes they can result in tragedy, then I have to face the fact that I don't have 100% control, 100% of the time. Not that I will walk around in fear of what tragedy might be around every corner; I just have to learn again to trust in the sovereignty of God.</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">I'm still processing all of this so I'm not sure how much sense I'm making right now. I mostly want to express the need for us to show grace in this situation. If Jay was right here in front of me, I would want him to know that the grace and love of God are big enough for this circumstance. They are big enough to carry him and his family through the days ahead.</span></span><br />
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<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">Please keep this family in your prayers. </span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">In other news... I have my next vlog ready to go, but it's on my computer at work. I've actually had it ready for quite a while but I keep forgetting to upload it to Vimeo so I can post it here. The topic is appropriate because it is about ups and downs. I'll post it when I finally remember. :)</span></span><br />
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<span id="storyBody"><span id="ctl00_contentMain_lblStoryPart2">Also, here is <a href="http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-funeral-service-a-celebration-of-karlee-bylers-life-and-legacy-20110302,0,6763195.story">another news story</a> about Karlee's funeral. She was more of a light for Jesus in her seven years than many people who live a long life. I wish I had been able to know her here on earth, but look forward to the day when I'll get to meet her in heaven. </span></span>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-22938361780107791392011-02-16T18:30:00.000-05:002011-02-16T18:30:00.564-05:00Addiction and the GospelI've mentioned my friend Teresa in some of my previous posts, and now it's time to give her husband, <a href="http://twitter.com/talprince">Tal</a>, a mention. They are part of a ministry called <a href="http://www.route1520.com/">Route1520</a>, which helps families and individuals who struggle with, or have been affected by, sexual addiction.<br />
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I love what they are doing. And I love that the things they talk about affect all of us - at the heart of sex addiction is the same thing that's at the heart of ANY addiction or brokenness that we experience.<br />
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Below is a video of Tal talking about the hurt that led to his addiction, and his encounter with the Gospel that began his journey out of addiction. I find it interesting that much of what he says in the second half relates to what I said about my own journey in <a href="http://vimeo.com/19538585">this video</a>. <b>The specific sin and brokenness in our lives might look a lot different, but when you distill it down to the root, it all has the same cause and the same solution.</b> <br />
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I'm probably not done mentioning Tal and Teresa. In fact, Teresa just published another <a href="http://canyoudocoffee.com/2011/02/the-art-of-relationships/">blog post</a> that hit home for me in several areas of my life. I see reflections of myself in much of what they say and anticipate sharing more of their videos and writing with you in the future.<br />
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Stay tuned later this week for my next vlog! This one will be about "riding the wave."<br />
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Here is Tal's video:<br />
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<object height="255" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9cX1q0xXrc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9cX1q0xXrc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="255"></embed></object>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-36247035471120596952011-02-13T21:53:00.001-05:002011-02-13T21:55:29.013-05:00Giving Myself a Boost of FaithFor about the past five years, I've tried various versions of starting my own business or doing some type of freelance work. Like, seven or more.<br />
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And each of them have either failed or fizzled out. Well, one of them was okay, but I came to realize it definitely wasn't for me.<br />
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These failures have haunted me. Haunted is a strong word, I suppose, so maybe that's not what I really mean to say. But they certainly bothered me. Why didn't they work out? Why did I fail? WHAT is wrong with me?<br />
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Over the past six months God has been bringing various pieces of the puzzle together for me, and then one day, Clinton from "<a href="http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/what-not-to-wear">What Not To Wear</a>" suddenly brought the overall puzzle picture into clear view for me. (Yes, really.) He was giving advice to a woman who was constantly frustrated by not being able to find pants that fit her. She was quite depressed about it, and it was one reason why she had given up on any form of fashion for herself.<br />
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And Clinton told her, "YOU are not the problem. The CLOTHES are the problem."<br />
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For years she had only seen her body as imperfect and herself as a failure. The clothes were the standard, and she constantly didn't measure up.<br />
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But Clinton told her that she had a unique body, and designers make their clothes to fit the broadest spectrum of women possible. Which means that they don't make anything ready-to-wear for someone with her body type.<br />
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Then he and Stacy showed her how to make the clothes behave. They showed her the one or two places she had to make sure that pants fit, and then they showed her how a tailor could alter everything else. And suddenly, she had clothes that fit.<br />
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You could see the mental and emotional transformation taking place. By the end, she was having FUN shopping! She felt empowered because she now had knowledge of how to make the clothes fit her, not the other way around.<br />
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I've realized that in all of my business ventures, I've ignored something really important. I've ignored the things I'm NOT good at. Well, actually, I haven't ignored them - I've been apologizing for them; attempting to make up for them.<br />
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"I know I'm not good at X, but that's what my potential customers will want, so I need to make up for my deficiency in that area. I'll just try really, really hard. I'll be really disciplined, and it will all work out."<br />
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Only, it didn't.<br />
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I was trying to make myself fit the clothes.<br />
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As a result of various bits of revelation, I finally have a new perspective. I have a new confidence in myself, that the things I'm good at doing are GOOD ENOUGH. And that I can simply say no to the things I'm not good at. Why should I set myself up for failure? Why give anyone an expectation that will be a struggle for me to fulfill?<br />
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Now, I'm not saying that life will be perfect and I'll never have to do any work that I find difficult or tedious. But I have given myself permission to let go of unrealistic expectations for myself and focus mainly on my unique gifts and talents.<br />
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And you know what I've done? <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/-Boost-Social-Media-Solutions/185627391471398">I started another venture</a>. It's quite spontaneous and I'm just taking each day as it comes. But I'm excited about it.<br />
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What do I hope to do with it? First and foremost I want to help people build their passion through social media specifically, and through encouragement and ideas and creativity and innovation and strategy in general. I want to come alongside of them and give them a boost, help to give them a fresh perspective, and serve as someone who can help them do the things they can't do for themselves.<br />
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I would like for this to be a business, but most of all, I've come to the conclusion that I want this to be my ministry. Whether I get paid or not, I need to help people. This is my passion, and I'm finally giving myself a boost of faith to put it all out there.<br />
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I started to do a vlog about this but it just did not flow well. I was going to try the vlog again but then felt that I needed to type this out. I like having both options available to me!<br />
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In closing, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/-Boost-Social-Media-Solutions/185627391471398">here is my Facebook page</a>. I'll be sharing general tips and advice on a building a social media presence, whether you are building a business, a non-profit, or a brand for yourself. Come "like" my page, and definitely email me at Erin.Kinzel@gmail.com if there is any way I can help you!Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-43627383827773120672011-02-09T18:24:00.002-05:002011-02-09T18:24:00.496-05:00Boundaries, Part 2Thanks to those of you who commented on the blog and in person about my last post. Putting a video out there is definitely a whole new level of vulnerability, so the positive feedback is encouraging.<br />
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Here is the second part of "what I learned from the book '<a href="http://store.cloudtownsendstore.com/boundariesbook1.html">Boundaries</a>.'" (Here is <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2011/02/blogging-take-2.html">part one</a>.) Again, there is glare on my glasses but hopefully it's not too much of a distraction.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19538689" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/19538689">Vlog 3 - Boundaries, part 2</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5929748">Erin Kinzel</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Here is a link to a blog post from my friend <a href="http://canyoudocoffee.com/about/melody-and-teresa/">Teresa</a> that helped spark part of this discussion. It's called "<a href="http://canyoudocoffee.com/2011/01/my-mouth-said-yes-my-heart-said-no/">My Mouth Said Yes, My Heart Said No</a>."Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-87754494797970973142011-02-06T21:30:00.000-05:002011-02-06T21:30:00.592-05:00Blogging, Take 2After almost a year without posting, I'm ready to jump back into blogging. I've learned a few things about myself and feel like I have a refreshed perspective on a lot of stuff. I'll probably still post about random things and Kaitlyn stories, but the focus will be on the things God has taught me over the past few years. (And what he continues to teach me.)<br />
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I'm also going to try doing a video format. I recorded my first three vlogs (short for "video blogs") and will post the first two here. I promised myself that I wasn't going to be a perfectionist about the videos - there are things I don't like about them, such as the sound quality and the glare on my glasses in the second one.<br />
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However... I'm trying to move past perfectionism. At some point I'll do a vlog about perfectionism as the enemy of progress. So many times I hesitate to take action because I see the imperfections, but the thing about that is... you never go anywhere. And I want to go somewhere.<br />
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I'm not sure how all of this will go, but another thing I'm trying to move past is the need to have all my ducks in a row and know exactly how something will turn out before I get started. You know how that's worked in the past? I get all my ducks in a row and the thing still doesn't turn out like I thought. At this point all my ducks are running around and it's all very unruly, and I'm not going to let it stop me.<br />
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So... without further ado, here are my first two videos:<br />
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Vlog Intro:<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19538520" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/19538520">Vlog Intro</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5929748">Erin Kinzel</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Boundaries, Part 1 (sorry for the glare on my glasses!):<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19538585" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/19538585">Vlog 2 - Boundaries, part 1</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5929748">Erin Kinzel</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Here are the links I mentioned:<br />
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<a href="http://store.cloudtownsendstore.com/boundariesbook1.html">Boundaries Book</a><br />
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<a href="http://canyoudocoffee.com/2011/02/you-need-me/">Article about boundaries</a> by Teresa Prince<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEisSxR2cps">Graham Cooke video</a>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-12327045174120586532010-03-01T18:00:00.002-05:002010-03-01T18:26:41.103-05:00Organizing Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am so excited for today's post! For a month I've been working on a room in our basement so I could enter it in the <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/">OrgJunkie</a> organizing <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/challenge">challenge</a> for the month of February. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was perfect timing for me because after the activity of the holidays I started thinking that I finally wanted to tackle our basement office/craft space. Just as I was gearing up to take action, Laura posted the challenge. It has provided great motivation for me to keep plugging away at it and I'm so happy to say that the room is FINISHED.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Ok, it's not 100% finished since I want to get some artwork on the walls, but for functional purposes, it is finished.) </div><br />
Before I show the photos, I have to say that my wonderful husband was such a help throughout the process and put as much (or more) work into the room as I did. Thanks Honey! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is a quick look at the before photos - I have bigger photos below where they are put right up against the after photos. The room essentially has three corners (the fourth "corner" is just the door):</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Two different angles of my craft corner:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlxLKQjCNH594t8HBuDkNgJn6gWK8Ie_SJ328wE35nFrejyqcZByrKjBWFgfy9dUC983ccYCcl0Lnwzw6sXnatqVT38EI7yIunxkkA8akxjNYPjDMp5RYoA2E8N5gUPIWJtNMRjljWaI/s200/SANY0420.JPG" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmA4WOaHvLHbkkYYUfEOENVSBxUrMfCd9CcAfeR7rKP4sCd0tP6k-ChR1D4v49um1Ck_zQtnFGD7huJV8-_bUUXNYIaxLnBPFYwZ3wSVadzEEGm7oPxu7C5d8_2b1Q7QJ6kPAnwXS0uA/s1600-h/SANY0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmA4WOaHvLHbkkYYUfEOENVSBxUrMfCd9CcAfeR7rKP4sCd0tP6k-ChR1D4v49um1Ck_zQtnFGD7huJV8-_bUUXNYIaxLnBPFYwZ3wSVadzEEGm7oPxu7C5d8_2b1Q7QJ6kPAnwXS0uA/s200/SANY0419.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mike's corner and the window corner: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4GK-rmRTSLsH9Q9ZGhrI3s49ezcUdXEUID7Pf8XASXc15AlmbfZDgljts0c3HZYPqDREEYrujxO5sDfP9nNjo627wAiaEd2aKyXPA1xlZnTkp0-E4l3Sq9dkBXhILmAPvOXk5bzEaq0/s1600-h/SANY0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo4GK-rmRTSLsH9Q9ZGhrI3s49ezcUdXEUID7Pf8XASXc15AlmbfZDgljts0c3HZYPqDREEYrujxO5sDfP9nNjo627wAiaEd2aKyXPA1xlZnTkp0-E4l3Sq9dkBXhILmAPvOXk5bzEaq0/s200/SANY0418.JPG" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyV5LJar0MIRpZasNpfZm08Ff1RXTdtT9hxPd2NiVNJd6MoXAboBlAYZ9tR07wE9x0cDV3F-ZU_ufa5titg3s9fx8XzcLdVIRbnBjZb3YBaI19C1Sa2HiXVcn6P3ba5OnXiPjla77Hhk/s1600-h/SANY0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyV5LJar0MIRpZasNpfZm08Ff1RXTdtT9hxPd2NiVNJd6MoXAboBlAYZ9tR07wE9x0cDV3F-ZU_ufa5titg3s9fx8XzcLdVIRbnBjZb3YBaI19C1Sa2HiXVcn6P3ba5OnXiPjla77Hhk/s200/SANY0417.JPG" width="200" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oy. What a mess! When we moved in this was one of those catch-all rooms. It was a place to pile things that we didn't know what to do with, or didn't want to deal with at the moment. I'd think "we'll deal with that later," but "later" never came. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's the classic organizing struggle - the longer I put off organizing everything, the more I dreaded the task and found reasons to avoid it. However, ignoring it doesn't make it go away. Things kept accumulating whether I liked it or not - more accumulation, more mess, more putting it off, more dreading it. What a vicious cycle!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mantra for 2009 was to <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2009/01/termites-vs-tornadoes.html">take termite bites</a> - instead of getting overwhelmed by a large task, I focused on tackling it one tiny bite at a time. My mantra for 2010 is to keep moving forward. Just do it, so to speak. Both of these mantras came into play as we tackled this room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our goal here was to create three distinct spaces. One for me, with space to 1) do crafting, 2) work on my computer, and 3) pay bills. Mike needed desk space where he could work on his laptop, and we wanted a third space for Kaitlyn to sit and do her own thing while we work on our projects. I think we accomplished these goals quite nicely!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are the side by side before and after photos with my commentary, and then at the bottom are my required answers to the five questions for the challenge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mike's corner:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE7BBzcGPRPmeuF-ZHePK6wBUbUDQWL-sfgklfInLp6mgR_E-cId-jymTT7K7fsRIHbh3MkXFIdvhDmO70jAnh4rwFE5k3VlvtBOt9UZiYqBCUr6W0nE7nfCB9dxo2RAHtE68BFl3BvQ/s1600-h/SANY0418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmE7BBzcGPRPmeuF-ZHePK6wBUbUDQWL-sfgklfInLp6mgR_E-cId-jymTT7K7fsRIHbh3MkXFIdvhDmO70jAnh4rwFE5k3VlvtBOt9UZiYqBCUr6W0nE7nfCB9dxo2RAHtE68BFl3BvQ/s400/SANY0418.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TEXE_oi1ciWch5TQ8ZHsQgEU4W48nH-0PX3TY1JxbU2A6OsrDt7V80C9TzhYIYOoYPKRjc6s5ql9hdSOD2D8rQKhI0MbaORYovpBXe8OdYqwO7vlr_F70QOa-WNgl4T-Ngdqk5mdPuE/s1600-h/SANY0426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TEXE_oi1ciWch5TQ8ZHsQgEU4W48nH-0PX3TY1JxbU2A6OsrDt7V80C9TzhYIYOoYPKRjc6s5ql9hdSOD2D8rQKhI0MbaORYovpBXe8OdYqwO7vlr_F70QOa-WNgl4T-Ngdqk5mdPuE/s400/SANY0426.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Even though this is a corner desk, one thing that kept Mike from sitting at the desk was having his back to everything else going on in the room. We turned it 45 degrees so it's out of the corner, and even though it takes up more space it's worth it because Mike is much happier with the arrangement and more likely use the desk.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another view of Mike's desk:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDOM_je4SSS65f-Ut0i31zQOzE20GI1EUtBg9tXxKkxoo8Psd87xFpj5VXO-pIoZVxjXJ3_4iZqYPcTw_s6BMtqQK9lrZZT9kOWQElKffJJnq7afeOT3I6L7RLxUeaxRYD7LQkuHbxjw/s1600-h/SANY0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDOM_je4SSS65f-Ut0i31zQOzE20GI1EUtBg9tXxKkxoo8Psd87xFpj5VXO-pIoZVxjXJ3_4iZqYPcTw_s6BMtqQK9lrZZT9kOWQElKffJJnq7afeOT3I6L7RLxUeaxRYD7LQkuHbxjw/s400/SANY0438.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The blue basket on top holds printer ink, tape, scissors and other various office supplies. The silver stacked organizer on top used to be crammed full of papers, but those have now gone to the recycling bin or the filing cabinet and this is now clear for "to-do" items. There is a smaller blue basket on the main desk for pens and pencils.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The window corner before and after:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviK1nDLMjxIA-pyyfZJSTPjFn2aQrkDDHOJd_Iw7MxftQppxsOw9kvcGIccDua0Te5u0eeDKFb2kCObvoABNe-ZiyhPCprqC3h1e_17lUbslXvfl-VEizS6e5AFH29Hc4nKb-2jpKQJo/s1600-h/SANY0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviK1nDLMjxIA-pyyfZJSTPjFn2aQrkDDHOJd_Iw7MxftQppxsOw9kvcGIccDua0Te5u0eeDKFb2kCObvoABNe-ZiyhPCprqC3h1e_17lUbslXvfl-VEizS6e5AFH29Hc4nKb-2jpKQJo/s400/SANY0416.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3RMQrWhgfd-DoCh1IdvfLizhLvvQmcKoNaZSkrshDJIbafRIOx_-Rx4pPuoTN8zKHNBY2cwFrr71XdQX9Oikyqprzo_lZFAYoUB5fKBB8imhXFE1puLysF-OeKJEoP95O8YrldN5FzU/s1600-h/SANY0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3RMQrWhgfd-DoCh1IdvfLizhLvvQmcKoNaZSkrshDJIbafRIOx_-Rx4pPuoTN8zKHNBY2cwFrr71XdQX9Oikyqprzo_lZFAYoUB5fKBB8imhXFE1puLysF-OeKJEoP95O8YrldN5FzU/s400/SANY0427.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We now have space for this purple table that we bought at a garage sale for $2. (It has a second chair, which is currently in Kaitlyn's bedroom.) This is a perfect spot for Kaitlyn to sit with some toys or craft supplies - she feels like she is a part of what we are doing but she is busy enough on her own that Mike and I can get our own things accomplished. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
Here is a close up of our newly arranged filing cabinet and cubes:</div></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WAkLtrqWOR-AaDIH6kZCyPLv8omKsJ_LU4-sEMJV58kkQB6vsUv95tbxr9jlWokVIzaGug5RTCD9tTN_J0s7OuIsQwzifRR4bUdSqHC7OPPX-I6-UH4CcMUtuOujJl77ThjV7E5MIfE/s1600-h/SANY0436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WAkLtrqWOR-AaDIH6kZCyPLv8omKsJ_LU4-sEMJV58kkQB6vsUv95tbxr9jlWokVIzaGug5RTCD9tTN_J0s7OuIsQwzifRR4bUdSqHC7OPPX-I6-UH4CcMUtuOujJl77ThjV7E5MIfE/s400/SANY0436.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>These were already in the room (they are hiding behind Mike's chair in the before photo) but we moved them to a different wall and stacked the cubes so they take up less floor space. They used to have a variety of books stacked on them which made everything look cluttered. We cleared some things off a bookshelf upstairs and moved most of the books up there, with the rest of them going into the cubes with doors on the front. The metal basket on top of the filing cabinet is for papers that need to be filed.<br />
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The open cube is now designated for Kaitlyn:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHG7DY4wvnSemH1rmzX_W9Zo5P1HLzBsNr5_0z6bDbq5T-vqKX17Xrt_o38B8UzbP9_FJye-AIkiqy90HZtqDhejerte7tukcBifz7vKcwZ8WGIYtRgjZ7lkwnolO9_hXomyerCQx8wA/s1600-h/SANY0437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHG7DY4wvnSemH1rmzX_W9Zo5P1HLzBsNr5_0z6bDbq5T-vqKX17Xrt_o38B8UzbP9_FJye-AIkiqy90HZtqDhejerte7tukcBifz7vKcwZ8WGIYtRgjZ7lkwnolO9_hXomyerCQx8wA/s400/SANY0437.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There is scrap paper for her to draw on or to use with my punches (which she loves - you'll see those in a minute.) The white basket is empty, but leaves room for her to add new treasures. On the bottom shelf are her coloring books and crayons (yes, they are in a container that previously held parsley flakes); in the blue container are miscellaneous note pads and stickers, and in the yellow card file she has her Curious George stamps and stamp pad.</div><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For the grand finale, here are my corner's before and after photos:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6lLOvwW9JxEGQWkOI-FfoQHYdUiPfHRGit-FDb-YVDvTCBzjbYjXBon_mxYWkPh1C4xUy-FotaU6OXFdHQvPmy3qIPy1BGucjgT9FR6bsy4BlDCJAgsK_b0NDM7PBS5EKEb3Rt1P8NY/s1600-h/SANY0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6lLOvwW9JxEGQWkOI-FfoQHYdUiPfHRGit-FDb-YVDvTCBzjbYjXBon_mxYWkPh1C4xUy-FotaU6OXFdHQvPmy3qIPy1BGucjgT9FR6bsy4BlDCJAgsK_b0NDM7PBS5EKEb3Rt1P8NY/s400/SANY0420.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D5-AZ4AqKrfc9M2iktbdO6aVvGl4uQrtqxqcuLV5f9CCmzSscS7T0X3du4SZMJX7Vd10KAA_rg_k3xXoR9LVaWu5sAiAX6_qSQ2UOYpIAdfZ5eCfA5Pdic61fd3LpILE_3Fdcnp-xMI/s1600-h/SANY0435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9D5-AZ4AqKrfc9M2iktbdO6aVvGl4uQrtqxqcuLV5f9CCmzSscS7T0X3du4SZMJX7Vd10KAA_rg_k3xXoR9LVaWu5sAiAX6_qSQ2UOYpIAdfZ5eCfA5Pdic61fd3LpILE_3Fdcnp-xMI/s400/SANY0435.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love it! We spent about $100 in the course of our makeover - $50 on a chair for me, and $50 on the shelving, magnetic board, command hooks, and various doodads. Not too bad for having such a big transformation!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I used to sell <a href="http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/default.asp">Stampin' Up</a> products, so I have an obscene amount of stamping and paper-crafting supplies.<br />
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Here you can see my paper and stamps:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY570B5z1IrZpSpee_bkKl8un98cLz1RM3GDqLXTcWnvFTqgnz0pOu0GV_iBw1N9oTqfDLLTglkaZrFibesvUjRfw8yiVeH7wyczKHTaK55RbvDNagH452w0y-g_142lgVM0kwQCBZBv8/s1600-h/SANY0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY570B5z1IrZpSpee_bkKl8un98cLz1RM3GDqLXTcWnvFTqgnz0pOu0GV_iBw1N9oTqfDLLTglkaZrFibesvUjRfw8yiVeH7wyczKHTaK55RbvDNagH452w0y-g_142lgVM0kwQCBZBv8/s400/SANY0430.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The cart that now holds my stamps used to be incredibly underutilized - in the before photo you can see it sitting to the right of my colored drawers, holding a few stacks of books. It really wasn't a convenient place to put anything and the size/construction of it is a little odd, so I thought I'd have to get rid of it. But then I discovered that it was a perfect place for my stamp sets, which had previously been spread out over several different shelves. Now they are all in one place, and the cart is being put to good use!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Above my paper and stamps are some of the shelves we put up. I love the look of this and it was fairly easy (and inexpensive) to do:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jyp18TPKqF7oS7vxuGI2rVgSaZoEYUys3BfhKm3Kv64X8JGFpmDIfxIN2NwfaoSae6uFg9chZxnoCe8rAaMTeaZSY_40TFR5mNPPy7nb5v6173IjDB7hb7iqWLe-plC2wo5H3kXgBzw/s1600-h/SANY0440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Jyp18TPKqF7oS7vxuGI2rVgSaZoEYUys3BfhKm3Kv64X8JGFpmDIfxIN2NwfaoSae6uFg9chZxnoCe8rAaMTeaZSY_40TFR5mNPPy7nb5v6173IjDB7hb7iqWLe-plC2wo5H3kXgBzw/s400/SANY0440.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the top shelf you can see one of my obsessions - photo boxes. Every once in a while Michael's will have these on sale 3 for $5, and twice now I have stocked up on them. (I probably have 25 or 30 scattered throughout the house.) I love them because I can have them out in the open and they look neat and organized, and they are great containers for a wide variety of things. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of these boxes is for Kaitlyn and her various keepsakes; one is for Mike, with a bunch of miscellaneous things that I have no idea what to do with, but he doesn't want to get rid of; one is for the child we sponsor through <a href="http://www.compassion.com/">Compassion</a> and contains all of her information and the letters she's sent us; and the other three have other photos, keepsakes, computer software, blank CDs and DVDs, etc. in the them.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the bottom shelf is a cute (and cheap!) trifle dish I found and put decorative stones in. (At some point I'll add a candle.) The purple container has small pads of patterned paper.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the second set of shelves we put up, above my desk:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinihxfR2merJVpg4F0ZK71kqlNro0lObU6XUlT0o0KCXJCcOFbGxE3ZaXYMZyy4-bDLU75V9T2ue0_UDl1jUSjewGTcJpHJVTs8MsRCqnueN1zk4gwLKr5a8TAO0Er9EImo6c8mC3-i44/s1600-h/SANY0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinihxfR2merJVpg4F0ZK71kqlNro0lObU6XUlT0o0KCXJCcOFbGxE3ZaXYMZyy4-bDLU75V9T2ue0_UDl1jUSjewGTcJpHJVTs8MsRCqnueN1zk4gwLKr5a8TAO0Er9EImo6c8mC3-i44/s400/SANY0441.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the top shelf there is one box with cards I've created, and the other three boxes are empty (for now.) The bottom shelf has a blue basket for envelopes, stacking trays with paper and stamping supplies, and three glass containers I got at the dollar store to hold my ribbon scraps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of my favorite things in the room is the space under the bottom shelf. A long time ago I bought some small white shelves and we hadn't used them for anything. They work perfectly here to hold some of my stamping supplies. There are two tiny metal buckets on one of the shelves - I bought three of these for a dollar at the dollar store and am using them for small supplies such as paper clips, binder clips and rubber bands.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I think Laura will also appreciate my command hooks on the wall, used to hold my scissors. On the right you can see my desk lamp and the caddy that holds all of my ink pads and re-inkers. This is the side of the desk where I normally stamp, and now I have more of my supplies right at my fingertips.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you can see another of my favorite things in the room - my new magnet board:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-s1ps4oEbCvqV3LDBMVk7m2eM6BXE6P0mXbt8kYg_7KGjIQ_Hv5NohVeZ9uItbZJBkdc9D2qdI1896bJ1rc7ZhVIBX54WNCMdk6HeiobE0m7PD1dlmZiUGOfzUU2I-wInuhmDabXt2_o/s1600-h/SANY0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-s1ps4oEbCvqV3LDBMVk7m2eM6BXE6P0mXbt8kYg_7KGjIQ_Hv5NohVeZ9uItbZJBkdc9D2qdI1896bJ1rc7ZhVIBX54WNCMdk6HeiobE0m7PD1dlmZiUGOfzUU2I-wInuhmDabXt2_o/s400/SANY0442.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I found this idea <a href="http://modpodgerocks.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-like-this-reward-chore-board.html">here</a>, but made my own adjustments. I bought a piece of metal at Lowe's, used Mod Podge and patterned paper to decorate it, punched two holes on top and threaded ribbon through, then hung it on a command hook. I bought some heavy duty magnets in the craft section at Wal-Mart, and had the intention of using them with these round metal containers I got at the dollar store. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">However, sometimes there is a good reason why things are sold at the dollar store... I will soon be throwing the metal containers away because they aren't very durable! I bought some magnet clips to use on the board and will also buy some containers to replace my dollar store tins.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the desk you can see a white basket that holds my hole punches and a few other tools, and on the turn-table are additional ink pads, pens and pencils, paint brushes, and other miscellaneous supplies.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next up are all of my paper punches and my computer space:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpgj1p6Ib_4BTxHQyUtvG-cpbmzdfb4Y6Pa6Bm9Or5dDuxFcy8CiZpBRNIBerPwBCzgUZDlLLdZgEwCAXaJmHrUapkHYboNlbkmolr2cMjXTeaBnzvPGU1a6qwMOARL_xdbn2Ar2qz_U/s1600-h/SANY0443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpgj1p6Ib_4BTxHQyUtvG-cpbmzdfb4Y6Pa6Bm9Or5dDuxFcy8CiZpBRNIBerPwBCzgUZDlLLdZgEwCAXaJmHrUapkHYboNlbkmolr2cMjXTeaBnzvPGU1a6qwMOARL_xdbn2Ar2qz_U/s400/SANY0443.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The punches are on a CD holder. I came up with this genius idea when we first moved in and it is such a great way to organize my punches! They are easily accessible, and most importantly, it's so easy to put them back where they belong when I'm done using them.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Right below my computer is a small space where I now keep my bill file:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7u5JQcC84Jxm4_7cb3s7Zfc3Tocvgu0vAtMomIZVfR8PRWVx6yPc-N3I010bq7Hsag0VajEncd4voGqCfkrRLKsERNvGKm7phsnkcZPZOBRnBYtixvkqiH-fgydQJtyNy7PiFtTrIXE/s1600-h/SANY0444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS7u5JQcC84Jxm4_7cb3s7Zfc3Tocvgu0vAtMomIZVfR8PRWVx6yPc-N3I010bq7Hsag0VajEncd4voGqCfkrRLKsERNvGKm7phsnkcZPZOBRnBYtixvkqiH-fgydQJtyNy7PiFtTrIXE/s320/SANY0444.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This desk has seen better days and this spot is where part of the keyboard tray used to be, but now it is the perfect spot for my little file holder where I file this year's bills and keep track of the bills that need to be paid. It is a convenient spot since I do all of our banking online - I have my computer right there and can easily pull out the bills, do my business, and then file everything away.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lastly, here are more shelves and drawers:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4taa9YQF6c0ksYq4Fjy563KPfJJbJrH3jp9aBKNS8M8lwqnobPzihQbLThcIGDUJRilm-aKxLmgOXOOEv64ODRqy7o5vj-B3P9M-6Fw2esB038mINYYbluklycnl6zf85q5d_vtoIQQ/s1600-h/SANY0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4taa9YQF6c0ksYq4Fjy563KPfJJbJrH3jp9aBKNS8M8lwqnobPzihQbLThcIGDUJRilm-aKxLmgOXOOEv64ODRqy7o5vj-B3P9M-6Fw2esB038mINYYbluklycnl6zf85q5d_vtoIQQ/s320/SANY0445.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I didn't change a whole lot with these, since they were pretty organized to begin with. Each drawer holds one specific type of supply - ribbon, adhesive, markers, file folders, scrap paper, embossing supplies, magazine pages with ideas I want to use, etc. The open shelves hold my stamping wheels and supplies, catalogs and magazine, and the green box has supplies related to my new Etsy store.<br />
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(Yes - you read that right... <b>I just opened an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/encourageme">Etsy store</a></b>! It's still under construction, but feel free to stop by and take a look.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">To make my entry in the contest final, here are my answers to the required questions:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"><b>1. What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The hardest part was making my way through all the clutter. There was so much paper clutter, which doesn't take up a lot of space (compared to other types of clutter) but it can be so difficult to sort through it all and make decisions about what needs to be filed and what should be tossed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was able to overcome the challenge by taking it in small pieces - I focused on one attainable pile at a time, following my "termite bite" mantra that I mentioned above. When I first started the project I would go into the room and just stare at everything for several minutes, overwhelmed by not knowing where to start. I decided that I had to block out most of the room and focus only on one five-minute task. I picked one thing that seemed attainable and told myself that I could quit when I finished that one thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This attitude helped a lot! Since I was trying to fit this in at night after working a full day, cooking dinner, etc., it was really important for me to take it in small bites and for me to celebrate the accomplishment of finishing each small bite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mike was such a help in tackling some of the big piles I was dreading the most. Just when I would lose motivation, he would get a burst of energy and work on some areas, and then when he was losing motivation I would get re-energized by his progress and jump in again. We made a great team!</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"><b>2. Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">The major change is that there is now a place for everything, making it easier to put everything in it's place. This weekend I had been working at my desk and when I quit I was in a rush to get upstairs. I wasn't going to clean up but then I decided I could put just a few things away. I got on a roll and ended up putting EVERYTHING away, and it only took me a minute. It was easy because everything has a designated place!<br />
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Another thing that will help in maintaining this is that we accomplished our goal little bits at a time. In the past we've tended to have big bursts of motivation that lead to us jumping into a project, but we have very little staying power and some projects go unfinished or are not maintained. Since we tackled this 15 or 30 minutes at a time in the evenings, this has helped us to establish a habit of doing a little bit here and there, which is all we'll need to keep up with general maintenance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"><b>3. What did you do with the “stuff” you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">We did a combination of giving things away, throwing things away, and putting things away. We had two or three bags of trash/recycling and two large boxes of papers that need to be shredded. There are some items (keepsakes, storage containers, decorations, etc.) that were moved to our storage area in our laundry room.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"><b>4. What creative storage solutions were you able to introduce in order to create additional space as well as establish some limits and boundaries?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was my favorite part of the process! Adding the shelves has created so much storage for us, and the photo boxes are a great way to establish limits and boundaries. If a box gets too full, it's not overwhelming to thinking about purging and reorganizing that one box.<br />
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Other storage solutions include the magnet board, re-purposing the metal cart to hold my stamps, creating a space for Kaitlyn's craft supplies, and my new space for bills that need to be paid. Two of the storage solutions that I love the most (but are really small) are the hooks for my scissors and the glass containers for my ribbon scraps. I love them because in the past I wouldn't have considered them storage solutions, but now I see how I can create storage in a way that is fun and beautiful and maybe even a bit quirky. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #990000; text-align: left;"><b>5. Why do <i>you</i> think you should win this challenge?</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">When we started this project the room was a constant reminder to me that I was unorganized. I hated going into the basement and seeing it because it made me feel like a failure; it made me feel like I was maintaining a mess and would never be able to conquer the mess. I avoided the basement because of this and as a result, I also avoided other activities that I can do there, such as exercising or hanging out in the family room with Mike and Kaitlyn. I felt like a prisoner upstairs; I felt like I didn't have any options for my evening hours except to sit on the couch like a bum.<br />
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Now when I go into the basement, I am productive. I don't sit on the couch as much because I have a revitalized space where I enjoy spending my evenings and weekends. For a year and half my paper-crafting and stamping supplies sat idle because I didn't want to spend time in the room. Now I am finally stamping again (putting hundreds of dollars-worth of supplies to good use again!) and I've even followed through with my goal of starting an <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/encourageme">Etsy store</a>, all because I have a space I <i>want </i>to use and a space that is organized enough for me to be productive.<br />
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In addition to this, I feel better about my upstairs space because I finally have a designated space for all of my paper clutter, which used to accumulate in various hot spots in the dining room and living room. I now have a basket where I put any papers that need to go to the office, and when I go downstairs I grab the basket and file the papers accordingly. It's amazing how such a (seemingly) small thing can make a huge difference, physically and mentally.<br />
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I think I should win the challenge because not only have I dramatically reorganized a room, I have seen how clutter has held me back from fulfilling my goals and the negative effect it had in many areas of my life. Now that I've conquered this space it has motivated me to tackle the two remaining problem areas in my house, and it's inspired me to find creative storage solutions throughout my house.<br />
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Laura, thanks so much for hosting the challenge! Having this "carrot" dangling out in front of me has certainly helped my motivation for finishing the project. I'm so happy with the space and can't wait to spend more time in it!!<br />
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</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-2343834754149803852010-01-14T18:30:00.000-05:002010-01-14T18:30:00.275-05:00ReflectingI once heard someone say that with parenting, the days are long but the years are short. How true is that? I wish I could remember where I heard it because it's a saying that often comes to mind when I'm having a long day. It encourages me to embrace the day, tired as I might be, because the years are going to fly by all too quickly.<br />
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I was reminded of this saying as I read <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2010/01/im-gonna-miss-this.html">this post</a> from MckMama, a mother of four (soon-to-be five) kids ages five and under. She takes its message and expands on it in such a beautiful way, and it's a great reminder for me and for anyone who has small kids. I encourage you to take a few moments to read it, even if you don't have small kids.<br />
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On a related note (I promise it's related - I'll explain in a second), the college I work for is hosting the funeral for a police officer and his K-9 partner tomorrow. The viewing is today, and because of these two events our campus has been greatly disrupted. All week I've heard the constant roar, hum, and beeping of trucks and bulldozers from the city as they've come on campus to clear massive amounts of snow from the parking lots. Because they've closed off various parking lots at various times, it's been extremely confusing and inconvenient to find a parking space.<br />
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Today everyone has to park in a shopping center across the street, and a college bus is shuttling people over to campus. I've heard the bus drive by my window all day, along with numerous police and fire vehicles coming on campus for the viewing. <br />
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Tomorrow, we'll be somewhat locked onto campus as it will be difficult to enter or exit from about 10am until 1:30pm because of the funeral and procession.<br />
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Logistically, it's quite a pain.<br />
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However, I found myself being very contemplative this week. Every beep of a bulldozer, every blocked off parking lot, every police car that I see on campus, is a reminder of how short life is and how blessed I am. It's a somber reminder of those who serve our community and our country, knowing that they put their lives on the line every day. <br />
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I have much to be thankful for.<br />
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Now there is also news of the tragedy in Haiti to remind me of the blessings in my life. A warm bed, a hot shower, clean water, food. These are things that I do not want to take for granted.<br />
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Between MckMama's post, the funeral, and the earthquake in Haiti, God has been reminding me this week that I need to embrace every moment. Instead of annoyance because Kaitlyn wants to read Cinderella AGAIN (seriously, how many times in a row can a book be read??) I need to embrace my role as a mom and be thankful that she wants to spend time with me. <br />
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Instead of getting mad at the driver in front of me or the person who is holding up the line at the store, I need to pause and be thankful that I have a car, I have a job, and I have the ability to go to a store and purchase what I need, along with a few wants, too. How many people in the world can say that?<br />
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What do you have to be thankful for this week?<br />
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<span class="versetext" id="1th5-16" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum">1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 </span></span><br />
<span class="versetext" id="1th5-16" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span>Be joyful always;<a href="" name="1"></a> </span><span class="versetext" id="1th5-17" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span>pray continually;<a href="" name="2"></a> </span><span class="versetext" id="1th5-18" style="display: inline;"><span class="versenum"></span>give thanks in all circumstances,<a href="" name="3"></a> for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.</span>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-85929436139403091662010-01-04T18:30:00.000-05:002010-01-04T18:30:00.435-05:00Hello 2010!!<p class="MsoNormal">Happy New Year!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Can you believe it’s 2010?<span style=""> </span>Wow.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had a relatively great Christmas at our house, although it was mixed with some not-so-nice stuff.<span style=""> </span>My grandpa passed away the week before Christmas – while it wasn’t expected, it wasn’t necessarily a surprise.<span style=""> </span><a href="http://frommourningtodancing.blogspot.com/2009/12/bittersweet-christmas-losing-last-of.html">Here</a> and <a href="http://frommourningtodancing.blogspot.com/2009/12/memories-of-grandpa-helmuth.html">here</a> are two posts that my sister wrote about him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We also had three rounds of sickness – a nasty 24-hour flu.<span style=""> </span>Mike got it first, a few days before Christmas, and we thought it was food poisoning.<span style=""> </span>Then Kaitlyn got sick in the middle of the night while we were at Mike’s grandpa’s house.<span style=""> </span>(There is nothing quite like having a child get sick in the middle of the night, while sleeping in the same bed as you, when you are in a strange house.) </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Then I got sick on the 30<sup>th</sup> and ended up ringing in the New Year on the couch in my jammies, snuggled up with a bottle of Gatorade and some saltine crackers.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">(I declared that it was a sign of what I was leaving behind in 2009, not what I was taking with me into 2010.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Aside from the negative, we had a good time with our families.<span style=""> </span>My sister Andrea came in from California a few days earlier than planned to attend Grandpa’s funeral and it was really nice to have that extra time with her.<span style=""> </span>In spite of Kaitlyn being sick, we also had a good time with Mike’s family, including his grandpa, mom, and aunt and uncle.<span style=""> </span>The highlight of that time was going to see <a href="http://www.munkyourself.com/us/">Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel</a> in the movie theater.<span style=""> </span>It was Kailtyn’s very first movie experience, and she did wonderfully!<span style=""> </span>The only bad thing was trying to explain to her why we couldn’t watch it again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have much to say about resolutions and the new year – it’s all rolling around (quite thunderously) in my noggin.<span style=""> </span>I may actually have <span style="font-style: italic;">too much</span> to say…<span style=""> </span>I doubt all of my thoughts will behave well enough to fit into one post.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>I’m working on putting them all out on paper in a format that will become a series of posts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">However.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think we all know what happens when I say here that I intend to come back and post something later.<span style=""> </span>It never quite seems to happen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I would really like to wrestle all of my thoughts out and onto the screen because 1) I want to remember some of what I’ve gone through this year and 2) it might help someone else.<span style=""> </span>And also because I did a great job of following through on my <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2009/01/termites-vs-tornadoes.html">resolution </a>from last year, and it is building towards another one for this year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">How’s that for some suspense?<span style=""> </span>Keep your fingers crossed, say a little prayer that I’ll stay motivated, and this all might actually end up in a blog post someday.<span style=""> </span>(How’s that for a promise???)</p><p class="MsoNormal">I hope you had a great Christmas, and may you have an abundantly blessed 2010!</p>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-90728992522038033142009-11-25T07:05:00.002-05:002009-11-25T07:14:23.846-05:00Carven Der Pumpkin<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E0frEohsTJM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E0frEohsTJM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />I found this yesterday, courtesy of one of my Facebook friends. I thought it was the perfect way to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! (Hopefully yours is bazooka-free.)<br /><br />I also found these hilarious videos of the old guys from the Muppets. Enjoy!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zSDj7bjAv2s&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zSDj7bjAv2s&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pCW0bd-gH0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7pCW0bd-gH0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vgqM7zrgCLI&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vgqM7zrgCLI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VDYsipu7KZQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VDYsipu7KZQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-50245379750503332462009-11-24T15:54:00.005-05:002009-11-24T16:17:25.373-05:00Oh deer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94TFeXJ9IR2AAryyLVLcogusO-GUzRIODVXJ51guf8HIIgFmnjRrC114UCCn3WCY741qxb2GgdHupjbF_B8_qZDl1CMLUMSRgkAE5mWVbN9ym_drvC53qojMh-n_1L6wgw_KdLW8rXn0/s1600/mike's+car.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh94TFeXJ9IR2AAryyLVLcogusO-GUzRIODVXJ51guf8HIIgFmnjRrC114UCCn3WCY741qxb2GgdHupjbF_B8_qZDl1CMLUMSRgkAE5mWVbN9ym_drvC53qojMh-n_1L6wgw_KdLW8rXn0/s320/mike's+car.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407776603569856306" border="0" /></a><br />This is a photo of Mike's car, which had the misfortune of colliding with an 8-point buck last Tuesday night.<br /><br />We are thankful the deer did not come through the windshield and that Mike walked away with no injuries.<br /><br />The car and the deer, however, are different stories. A hunter came along shortly after the accident and shot the deer to put it out of its misery. The hunter speculated that all four legs were broken, so there was no chance the poor thing was going to survive.<br /><br />The car is totaled.<br /><br />Which, in a way, is a blessing. We were hoping to replace the car in the next year or so. It had a bad oil leak and we hadn't put any major money into repairs for it, so it's a blessing that we are getting insurance money out of something that could have (very soon) been a liability for us.<br /><br />On Saturday we got a new-to-us car. It cost more than what I wanted to spend on a car, but in looking at our options, it was the one that made the most sense and will be the best value for us in the long run.<br /><br />The good news is that the week before, God blessed us and gave us the ability to completely pay off our minivan. <br /><br />For a split-second after Mike's run-in with the deer I was a little frustrated - we finally had paid off both cars, but less than a week later we had to add a payment back. What kind of progress is that?<br /><br />But then I realized that, while this isn't ideal, God had already provided. We hadn't yet reworked our monthly budget to account for not having a car payment (we had in our heads - but not on paper) so to take on another payment is effortless. What a blessing!<br /><br />As we approach Thanksgiving day I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. The list is long. <br /><br />I'm not sure what else to write here - there has been a long pause in my thinking, reflecting on all the reasons I have to give thanks. One of the verses from Psalm 16 comes to mind - it is the same Psalm the Holy Spirit brought to my mind when I went in for <a href="http://joyinthejourney1.blogspot.com/2009/01/surely-i-have-delightful-inheritance.html">my biopsy</a> last year. It seems quite appropriate as a Psalm of thanksgiving (and for what we've been through in the past week) as well. <br /><br />Yes, surely I have a delightful inheritance!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/psalms/16.html">Psalm 16</a><br /><span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps161"><span class="versenum">1</span> Keep me safe,<a name="1"></a> O God, for in you I take refuge.<a name="2"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps162"><span class="versenum">2</span> I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord;<a name="3"></a> apart from you I have no good thing."<a name="4"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps163"><span class="versenum">3</span> As for the saints<a name="5"></a> who are in the land,<a name="6"></a> they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.<a name="a"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps164"><span class="versenum">4</span> The sorrows<a name="7"></a> of those will increase who run after other gods.<a name="8"></a> I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names<a name="9"></a> on my lips. </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps165"><span class="versenum">5</span> Lord, you have assigned me my portion<a name="10"></a> and my cup;<a name="11"></a> you have made my lot<a name="12"></a> secure. </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps166"><span class="versenum">6</span> The boundary lines<a name="13"></a> have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.<a name="14"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps167"><span class="versenum">7</span> I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;<a name="15"></a> even at night<a name="16"></a> my heart instructs me. </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps168"><span class="versenum">8</span> I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand,<a name="17"></a> I will not be shaken.<a name="18"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps169"><span class="versenum">9</span> Therefore my heart is glad<a name="19"></a> and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,<a name="20"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps1610"><span class="versenum">10</span> because you will not abandon me to the grave,<a name="b"></a><a name="21"></a> nor will you let your Holy One<a name="c"></a><a name="22"></a> see decay.<a name="23"></a> </span> <span style="display: inline;" class="versetext" id="ps1611"><span class="versenum">11</span> You have made<a name="d"></a> known to me the path of life;<a name="24"></a> you will fill me with joy in your presence,<a name="25"></a> with eternal pleasures<a name="26"></a> at your right hand.</span>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-9232810491462904292009-11-10T09:02:00.002-05:002009-11-10T09:17:32.740-05:00Everybody wants to be a catI have watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aristocats">The Aristocats</a> approximately 40 times in the past 10 days.<br /><br />As far as children's movies go, this one isn't bad. It's one that I liked as a kid and it is definitely a Disney classic.<br /><br />But I've watched it so much that I now over-analyze the plot.<br /><br />I mean, really, doesn't Edgar know that even though the cats will inherit the money first, he will still have to be around to take care of them? While continuing to live in the mansion? While enjoying all the money left behind?<br /><br />Doesn't he also know that cats don't really have nine lives, and that the cats (in all likelihood) wouldn't really outlive him?<br /><br />Also, if kidnapping the cats was news enough to make the front page of the paper, don't you think the police would get involved? And don't you think they would question Edgar? And don't you think they would find some evidence that would indicate him?<br /><br />I think the movie would have been greatly improved if they had taken care of some of these pesky details and made it a little more realistic. Because, obviously, the whole taking/singing animals part is totally realistic.<br /><br />Yeah, it's been a long week.<br /><br />Also, I went to Wal-Mart on Sunday to do some shopping and found myself humming this for an hour and a half:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lFZc3gyBEOA&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lFZc3gyBEOA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-2965207272511776592009-11-09T22:20:00.003-05:002009-11-09T22:37:53.061-05:00MiraclesI was home again today with Kaitlyn. To make a long story short - she is recovering from pneumonia. It's been a long week.<br /><br />The good thing about being home today is that I had a chance to participate in two miracles.<br /><br />#1 - the <a href="http://stuffchristianslike.net/">Stuff Christians Like</a> readers have raised almost $30,000 in the past 24 hours to build a school in Vietnam. It's been cool to refresh the <a href="http://www.firstgiving.com/scl">donation page</a> throughout the day and see the total grow. As of writing this, we only need $1,000 more to reach the goal!<br /><br />UPDATE: The goal was met! So much for hoping to reach it by December 31 - how about 24 hours instead??<br /><br />#2 - I've loosely been following Stellan's story over at <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/">MckMama's blog</a> for the past year. He is a miracle baby who wasn't expected to live past delivery. He did survive (and thrive!) but then was diagnosed with some heart issues. He had surgery today in less-than-ideal conditions, and as of one point this morning his heart stopped.<br /><br />However.<br /><br />God worked a miracle and Stellan's surgery is a <a href="http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/11/its-going-its-going.html">home run success</a>!!!!!!<br /><br />I have been praying for him all day long and have obsessively been refreshing MckMama's blog and her <a href="http://twitter.com/MckMama">Twitter updates</a>. As I sat here with my sick baby I couldn't help but think about how terrible it must be to see your baby hospitalized and going through surgery. I am so blessed that God cleared my schedule today so I could pray for little Stellan and be a witness to this miracle. God is good!Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-17173051054407924502009-11-03T06:30:00.001-05:002009-11-03T06:30:00.367-05:00Happy Birthday, I think<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPoyMSwZibze1VQVq4_5VLRSqixi7_8KQETZ-EsmFQsTtET9Jcyo55pzMpdnqgpO-O5VHacWM7Rn5AFZQbjbTz3LpnN-o7PNzf9hEW608Ues32JY_0EEba91fdwOtO2rUwasADItH4iA/s1600-h/SANY0331.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPoyMSwZibze1VQVq4_5VLRSqixi7_8KQETZ-EsmFQsTtET9Jcyo55pzMpdnqgpO-O5VHacWM7Rn5AFZQbjbTz3LpnN-o7PNzf9hEW608Ues32JY_0EEba91fdwOtO2rUwasADItH4iA/s320/SANY0331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399713299703535586" border="0" /></a><br />This picture represents the last 48 hours at our house. (Not pictured: the humidifier, cough drops, Candy Land, and DVR'd episodes of Top Chef.)<br /><br />Early Sunday morning (2am-ish) Kaitlyn woke up with a fever, we gave her some Tylenol, and she promptly gave it back to us - including some in our bed and in her hair. Awesome. Those are always the moments when I think, "Yep - I'm a mom."<br /><br />The poor girl has had a fever of 102.5-103 ever since, and we all have terrible coughs. (Or "the coughs" as Kaitlyn says.)<br /><br />On Sunday Mike went to Walmart because we were out of children's Tylenol and Motrin, and lo and behold, they were also out of it.<br /><br />Well, let me ammend that statement slightly by saying that according to Mike, who called me while at Walmart and was very confused about what he was looking for, they were out of it. He did come home with some chewable Tylenol.<br /><br />Anyway, my point is that it seems we aren't the only ones dealing with this sort of thing right now.<br /><br />So, happy birthday to me. I stayed home with Kaitlyn yesterday and will stay home again this morning.<br /><br />And really, what could be better than hanging out in your PJs with your favorite kid? I really want all of us to get better, but I'm also trying to count my blessings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKZKw5ZiU5M_qFkr5tRIs_HvopCmheiFvGTkBIJkoOOnQbpbdMXAJio3UQQIYYLt3tQtlZn4o4GeBPaCEQI3fJw6Yjyg_sm68L4X-oxcSSNiJYyHe4_6ViHvV6FwZDcfv3LV4REf36RI/s1600-h/SANY0335.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKZKw5ZiU5M_qFkr5tRIs_HvopCmheiFvGTkBIJkoOOnQbpbdMXAJio3UQQIYYLt3tQtlZn4o4GeBPaCEQI3fJw6Yjyg_sm68L4X-oxcSSNiJYyHe4_6ViHvV6FwZDcfv3LV4REf36RI/s320/SANY0335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399718438439702450" border="0" /></a><br />I'd say I'm pretty blessed. :-)Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1981767720324825719.post-57712905891868504342009-11-02T06:00:00.000-05:002009-11-02T06:00:01.313-05:00My Christmas gift to youI recently received the ABC Distributing catalog in the mail, and it has inspired me. As my early Christmas gift to you, I will periodically share some wonderful gift ideas to aid you in your shopping this year.<br /><br />Gift idea #1 - Knit Jean Lounge Pants<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqojLSzFaxojO2EvNSD63DQNX_hRpoI_B56wqKFEkel7PZjFtw14z2mQs4xDdGpwsZVtduQ87Uhk1BnGoVSU-PsJkCzRBmKu7IlGYLxmNl7yGxEfojEbWKJMDzZh1lrmBz7fOcjmvGuo/s1600-h/lounge+jeans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqojLSzFaxojO2EvNSD63DQNX_hRpoI_B56wqKFEkel7PZjFtw14z2mQs4xDdGpwsZVtduQ87Uhk1BnGoVSU-PsJkCzRBmKu7IlGYLxmNl7yGxEfojEbWKJMDzZh1lrmBz7fOcjmvGuo/s320/lounge+jeans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399137927040501746" border="0" /></a><br />Who wouldn't love a pair of lounge pants that look like they stepped right out of the 80's? The perfect gift for your favorite brother-in-law! Click <a href="http://www.abcdistributing.com/Knit-Jean-Lounge-Pants/cat_item_pg.asp?G=694&P=115&Rec=3&Ntt=denim+pants&N=35&Nao=0&R=464147-8KLPLGE2">here</a> to order.Erin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07686443938324656578noreply@blogger.com1