This is my little black notebook where, every morning or evening, I make a list for the day ahead of me. From my ordinary routine to the special projects and deadlines, it gets written in this notebook. (Not to mention recipes and organization ideas along the way!)
Before I started using it, I was constantly misplacing my to-do lists and felt a general lack of daily accomplishment. I’ve been using it nearly every day for over a year now, and it’s become a part of me. Hardly an inanimate object, the pages practically breathe with the constant writing and turning.
It’s so simple, but keeping daily checklists has helped me in many ways, such as:
1. Look at the things I want to do
2. List the things I need to do
3. Check off the things I actually get done
4. Realistically look at how much time I waste
5. Evaluate and prioritize my time for efficiency
It has become more than a place for check lists: It has shown me the brevity of a day, a year.
I also appreciate the lack of pre-printed dates and check boxes. There’s something tangibly wholesome about writing it all by hand, just the way I need to see it laid out. The one thing this book cannot do is use my time wisely for me. ; )
What are some ways that you use to manage your time? Do you keep a daily planner, or loose sheets of paper? What helps you stay on track?
– Why I Hope Real Books Never Die (and They Won’t) | Here ye, fellow bibliophile! Cease thy anxious suspicions of the book industry possibly disintegrating as technology replaces the need for real books: This post reminds us that it is the sincerity and comrade-like nature of print books that will never allow them to go out entirely of style.
– “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” | Tedd Tripp
– American Technopoly | A sampling: “Those who resist the American Technopoly . . . are people who refuse to accept efficiency as the pre-eminent goal of human relations; . . . who are, at least, suspicious of the idea of progress, and who do not confuse information with understanding.”
– “The Attributes of God” | A. W. Pink
. . . and lots of other books pertaining to a certain historical event whose 100th year anniversary is fast approaching!
This week: These paperwhites cheered us all January, and now amidst the throes of Spring we are finally ready to get back into the vegetable garden! Driving to SC and back (for the Teach Them Diligently convention) regaled our winter-weary eyes with feasts of forsythia, magnolia, and red bud. Huzzah for Spring!
I am listening to: Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words
I am creating: Embroidery patterns
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Note about “Daybook”: I’ll be posting entries under the name of “Daybook” with a personalized, changeable list, inspired by The Simple Woman’s Daybook and used by permission.
A survivor rescued after the sinking of the Titanic wrote as follows:
“I was beside Henry B. Harris, the theatrical manager, when he bade his wife good-by. Both started toward the side of the boat where a lifeboat was being lowered. Mr. Harris was told it was the rule for women to leave the boat first.
“‘Yes, I know. I will stay,’ Harris said. Shortly after the lifeboats left, a man jumped overboard. Other men followed. It was like sheep following a leader.
“Capt. Smith was washed from the bridge [of the ship] into the ocean. He swam to where a baby was drowning and carried it in his arms while he swam to a lifeboat which was manned by officers of the Titanic. He surrendered the baby and swam back to the steamer.
“About the time Capt. Smith got back there was an explosion. The entire ship trembled. I had secured a life preserver and jumped over. . . .”
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From Miss Daisy Minaham: An account of the men’s bravery aboard the Titanic:
“I never saw such composure and cool bravery in my life as the men of the first and second cabins displayed. Colonel Astor seemed to be the controlling figure. He, Major Butt, Mr. Guggenheim, Mr. Widener and Mr. Thayer clustered in a group as if they were holding a quick consultation as to what steps should be taken next.
“Then Col. Astor came forward with the cry, ‘Not a man until every woman and child is safe in the boats.’
“. . . Then, when it was time to go, when the last boat was being lowered to the water line, we were hurried into it by my brother, who bade us good-by and said calmly but with feeling: ‘Be brave; no matter what happens, be brave.’ Then he waved his hand and our boat shot out just in time to escape being borne down by the suction of the Titanic, as it went down.
“. . . I shall never forget the calmness and quiet bravery that the men on board showed as they stood on deck and awaited the inevitable doom.”
–Selections from Sinking of the Titanic: The World’s
Greatest Sea Disaster, 1912
I had a very special project last week: creating a watercolor of an adoptive family. As I drew them, I loved conveying the individual excitement and personalities of each one. I felt like I knew their story. They’re not based on anyone I know, but it seems like they are friends with a real story behind them.
Ever since I was a little girl I have liked the idea of adoption. Adoption is a beautiful picture of God’s love for us as His children, and a beautiful way of bringing more children into a family.
Naturally, I just loved viewing a prescreen of Rescued, a wonderful documentary on adoption. Well, the creators of Rescued have started the Rescued Adoption Fund which provides Christian families looking to adopt with informational and financial aid. And all of the profit from my print, “For This Child We Prayed,” goes to the fund!
“For This Child We Prayed” is available here in my Etsy shop — don’t be shy, spread the love!
Happy St. Valentine’s Day, my friends! May your lives overflow with the love and riches of the One who laid down His life for us — Jesus Christ, our First and Truest Love who will never leave us or forsake us.
This year I’m trying something slightly different from the “New Year’s Resolutions List”. I’m starting the first 100 days of 2012 with Ann Voskamp’s 100 day calendar. Click here to get your own printable calendar!
What will I be aiming to mark off my list every day?
1.Walking, stretching, breathing deeply of fresh air and good posture.
They all go hand-in-hand so well that it’s easier to view them as one entity. Some days I may just step out the back door for a gulp of fresh air and stretch, but for the most part I’ll skedaddle onto the treadmill, or even brave the winter weather!
2. Book Readin’ I was warned that as life became more busy, I’d have less time to read. At the tender age nearly-twenty-one, my life has already come to that. To keep my mind always limber and alert, ready to obtain knowledge and use that knowledge whenever it’s needed, is going to take an extra dose of self discipline!
3. Communication
To be honest, simple conversations, overcoming shyness (which is just plain selfishness), etc. can be more like mountain climbing than a walk in the park for me. But the label of “Introvert” is no excuse to not be a good communicator! I’m using Jeff Myers’ “Secrets of Great Communicators” though it is designed for public speaking, I’ve found that it’s helpful for even the (what should be) less nerve-racking forms of communication. : )
So, at the end of the 100 days I may start a new list!
Do you make resolutions? What do you plan to work on this New Year?
A few good books. Sometimes that’s all you need. You really only need God’s Word. But a few books on the side are helpful. I’ve heard some wise advice that when you’ve found a few good books and can’t seem to find anymore good books to read, go back and re-read the old ones.
“A Good Book” by Paul Fischer
“Of making many books there is no end,
and much study is a weariness of the flesh.“
Ecclesiastes 12:12b
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“Some books are meant to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention.”
Do you think your rights as a responsible, loving parent are safe? Watch this fascinating docudrama online for free to discover the truth about the U.S. government’s view of parents and children:
(Official documentary, updated)
ParentalRights.org: Our goal is to pass the following amendment to the U.S. Constitution to protect the fundamental rights of parents in raising their children:
“SECTION ONE: The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.
“SECTION TWO: Neither the United States nor any State shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.
“SECTION THREE: No treaty may adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.”
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Get involved: Sign the petition, follow them on Facebook here and here, spread
the word to your friends and family, write your newspaper, call your Congressmen.
“. . . There is a difference betweena hierarchy and an elite. The one is work oriented, the other privilege and leisure oriented. For a people to accept the fact of hierarchy means to accept a given variation of responsibilities in society. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 12:3-31; he speaks of the body as one with many members or parts, all sharing a common life and purpose in Christ. The unregenerate lack such a oneness except in sin. The redeemed are still given to the divisiveness of sin because of their imperfect sanctification, but they also have the Holy Spirit and His call to unity. Their being thus moves to this unity in Christ, and a recognition of the hierarchy of callings and functions in Him. . . .
“Because the world is God’s creation, it accomplishes God’s purposes. This is also true of the curse. The curse saves God’s eschatological movements in history by destroying man’s efforts to play god and by forcing men to a dependence on Him. . . .
“When work is God-centered, it moves in terms of the premise of Psalm 126:6, namely, that the God given order of creation, as well as the providence of God, works to further all efforts in His name and for His glory. . . . Because God made the world, He made all things good (Gen. 1:31), and all things holy, set apart for Him. Things are profane when men and their motives are profane. The clergy can be and often have been profane, and the same is true of every profession, calling, or variety of work. Work becomes holy when it is governed by God’s law word and eschatology. . . .
“The ecclesia [the church; 'In Ephesians and Colossians, ecclesia has a cosmic scope.'] can be a small group meeting in a home, and it is also a cosmic power. It is also a family, and the members are brothers and sisters and a kingdom under Christ the Lord.
“All the members have a function, a local function within the house congregation, and a function in the world, wherein they manifest the works of Christ in and through them. The body does not exist for the institution’s sake, but for Christ and His world-wide Kingdom. If the church has a false eschatology, its work will have a false focus. If a church is not governed by the dominion mandate and a call to victory, it will be governed by defeatism.
“Meanwhile, the elite will work for an elitist society in which they are everything, and the people are nothing. The “scientific” interest in cloning is elitist. The dream from Plato’s day has been to command cow-like masses who will serve the purposes of the elite. The dream of cloning is a hope to stamp out docile creatures who will serve the elites as their social slaves. This is a profane eschatology, and a dream of a man-made hell.” [Emphasis mine]
Autumn–this season always seems to surprise me. Woodsy, lush landscapes of green shift from living to dying, then dead, and it’s all somehow quite mesmerizing. It’s a reminder of the story of redemption, played out before our eyes year after year. We are dead in our sins, but when we die with Christ we are made alive with Him in His resurrection.
These Dahlias are from a dear friend. They are loving the cooler temperatures!
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My family and I are enjoying this new release, Music Inspired by The Story. Wow. This is Beautiful. It’s a series of songs based on people from the Bible (such as Adam and Eve, Job, David, Esther, Abraham and Sarah, etc.) sung by various Christian artists. The lyrics, the music, the artistic quality–just Wow. This gets ten out of five stars. Go buy yourself a copy. (Note: Not all the music styles are to our taste, but there are some that we really appreciate) ; )
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While I neglected my studio over the summer, the second law of thermodynamics made itself very evident. Peace and order are now being restored, and the top of the bookshelf is already looking quite nice. I was so pleased with the results, I had to share a picture:
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And here’s one of the pear trees in our back yard. We harvested quite a few, and they’re sweeter this year!
“All things were made by Him;
and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3, ESV)
"Be Thou my vision,
O Lord of my heart,
Naught be all else to me,
save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought
by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light.
"Riches I heed not,
nor man's empty praise:
Thou mine inheritance
now and always;
Thou and Thou only
first in my heart;
High King of Heaven,
my treasure Thou art."
Vermeer’s Milkmaid
