No "AP Tuesday" Today

Thanks for stopping by! Anti-Procrastination Tuesday will be back next week.  Blessings to all of you!

No More Pain

 I wrote about a remarkable man a couple weeks back, who was choosing to have faith even in the midst of a wife in pain and fighting brain cancer.   I have followed their blog back when his wife, Kaci, was healthy enough to write it, and have followed it everyday since she got sick as her loving husband kept us informed on her health.

Kaci went to be with Jesus Saturday morning.  She is now perfect, whole and pain free.
Please pray for her husband, Ryan and their 3 children, who are all hurting right now.  I can't imagine their pain..

My friend Jeana wrote so beautifully what I feel about Kaci's death, so I will direct you over there.  Please go visit her, she is wonderful and has been such a kind and inspiring friend to me, despite that fact that we have never met in person.

"Fear Not"

***2 days after I wrote this post, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer.  How kind was the God of the Universe to have this truth upon my heart, right before my devastating news!

I write this post as a reference for myself to be able to come back to.  A place to come when I need to hear truth.  A truth reminder, for when I am fearful.

There are so many things that we can find, to be fearful of. Yet God tells us over and over, "do not fear."  Yet, I do...

I read the following verses and feel so understood and taken care of by the God of the Universe.  He gets us. He gets that His children would struggle with fear.  He is this beautiful, perfect, Creator Being; reassuring us over and over that He's got our backs.  Reassuring us that we can trust Him and His perfection. He is perfect, which means His plan for me is perfect, even if my world shatters around me.  

For me, fear can be so "in my face" at times, and at other times appear so subtly that I don't even realize that I am being fearful until it has almost paralyzed me.  I find that my fears often comes in the form of this question:

What if?  

Oh how those 2 words can sneak in and occupy space in my brain!

"What if-- my children get hurt?"

"What if-- something happens to my health or the health of my husband?"

"What if-- I just offended her"

"What if--they aren't telling the truth?"


Scripture says "Whatever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable....think on these things." Philippians 4:8  
That first one jumps out at me:

"Whatever is TRUE..." 

Back to the "What If" question.  It is a question about things that are unknown.  Do I know for a fact that I have offended that person?  Do I know the future of my children?  Of my health?  No. So why am I allowing this "What If" stuff in?  Why do I worry?  Why do I fret?
Instead, I want to think on what is true.  What I know to be true.   

Truth.  

Easier said than done, but as the below verses show, I have a perfect God, who is ONLY good, that has my back and tells me to "fear not" over and over and over again.  When the list of verses runs so long, of God telling me not to fear, I can't help but shut my eyes & exhale, let go, and decide to trust.  And when the "what if" question comes back, I will come back to this post and read, exhale, let go and decide to trust, again, because:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. 

Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

 Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

 Genesis 26:24 I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you.

 Numbers 21:34 Do not fear him, for I have delivered him [your enemy] into your hand. 

Deuteronomy 3:22 You must not fear them [spiritual or natural enemies], for the LORD your God Himself fights for you. 

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." 

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." 

Joshua 10:8 And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you."

1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD. 

2 Chronicles 20:17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you."

 Psalm 27:3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. 

Psalm 37:4 The Angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. 

Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 

Psalm 56:4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? 

Psalm 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 

Isaiah 35:4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you."

 Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

 Isaiah 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, "Fear not, I will help you.

Isaiah 43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." 

Isaiah 43:5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 

Isaiah 44:8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one."' 

Isaiah 51:7 "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. 

Isaiah 54:4 "Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. 

Isaiah 54:14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

 Daniel 12:2 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 

Daniel 10:19 And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me." 

Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things! 

Haggai 2:5 "According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'

Psalm 91 1 He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. 14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. 

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 Mark 4:40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? 

Luke 12:4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

 Luke 12:7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 Luke 12:32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

 Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

 Revelation 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Loving Gestures From Minimalist Knitter

I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  Her name is Robyn Devine, and were friends back in the day and lost touch over the years, then reconnected (I'm so glad!) through blogging.  She has always had a huge heart, so when I heard about her 100 hats charity project, it made MY heart smile.  Her 100 hats project goes like this:

100 hats

100 patterns

1 year

all for charity.  

How cool is that??

She just finished the year long project on August 23.  Phenomenal.  She is celebrating by doing a bunch of giveaways at her blog.  In true Robyn style, she celebrates by giving more!

Her thoughts, in her words:

"A few weeks before I decided to knit one hundred hats in a year, I decided I wanted to be the kind of person who loved on the world in grand and ridiculous ways. Because I am a knitter, the goal to knit 10,000 items for charity seemed like a natural outpouring of this desire for big love. To kick off my new habit of grand and loving gestures, I dreamed up theOne Hundred Hats project."

Recently I was on the receiving end of one of her grand and loving gestures.  She heard my sister was pregnant, and offered to make the baby a hat and booties! Isn't that so kind? She doesn't even know my sister!!!

I just marveled at her work when I received them in that mail.  It felt so great to take them to my sister and tell her about this act of love, made for the both of us.  My sister and brother-in-law were very touched, and my new nephew looks so cute in his hat, don't you think?

Robyn has a wonderful blog called "Minimalist Knitter" and has written a free e-book that you can download at her site called "The Minimalists Knitter's Handbook"-knitting more while owning less.  She  will be continuing the giveaway celebration until September 1, so head over there and win something!

5 Minutes A Day To Control Areas Of Clutter

Sunroom Last Spring {after it was spring cleaned!}

You know those small areas in your home that tend to attract clutter?  The ones that, if left unattended, go from a small smoldering fire to a huge inferno within days?? Why does this happen?  Well, according to Flylady, it is because "CLUTTER ATTRACTS CLUTTER!"

 I recently have been spending just 5 minutes a day, focusing my attention to one of those areas, and like magic, they are starting to disappear or at least become a bit more controlled! It is great.

I have many spots in my house that I would consider "Hot Spots."  Places that just scream, "leave stuff here, you can get it later" at every member of the family.  One of them is our desktop.  I am sitting at the desk writing this and on top of it right now are:
~earrings
~a half eaten burrito  (my lunch:))
~a vitamin C pill
~ ipod & earphones
~an invoice
~my phone
~the camera bag
~ a gardening book
It was completely cleared off last night, but within minutes stuff just takes over. If I do not take a couple minutes and "rescue"my desk top, it will be a large magnet attracting more clutter, and by the end of the night it will be a hot mess!

"Hot Spots" that often need rescued around here are:
a couple of desk drawers
my dining room table
a chair in my bedroom
an area on my kitchen counter in the corner
my trunk
the stairs
the sunroom
my pantry

Back to the "5 minutes a day" part.  I have been taking 5 minutes each day to focus on a "Hot Spot"(I made it part of my morning routine) and I have been amazed at what can be transformed in such a short amount of time!  The KEY is STOPPING after the 5 minutes are up.  In the past, I would not want to stop once I started.  It would eat up my whole day and I never, ever would want to do a "5 Minute Hot Spot" check again, because I turned minutes into hours.  Not anymore! I have been setting my timer, and stopping right when it goes off, even if the area is not finished. (Duh, right?:)) I tell myself there is always the "5 Minute Hot Spot" check tomorrow, and then go on with my day.


Today my "5 Minute Hot Spot" was my sunroom.  It easily becomes a dumping ground for my family as they walk in the door.  My girls are getting much better at not doing this, due to "pick up personals" on their charts.  Recently, it became a mess and clutter attracted clutter.  Then, because there was stuff in the way, I didn't sweep it like I normally would.  When my daughter said "Mom, the sunroom looks like a bug cemetery" I  knew it was time to rescue my poor sunroom!


I set my timer for 5 minutes and:
~gathered up all the plastic bags for recycling
~moved the big black ball bag to the trunk (Todd takes the girls to the park almost nightly and they love having the bag of balls with them)
~put the pool float in the trunk to return to a friend
~put the bag of goodwill donations in my front passenger seat so I will HAVE to drop it off today
~swept the "bug cemetery" out to the front yard

Before:

After:

5 minutes made a big difference!

This is just one of a few techniques I use to keep my home in order.  I will be sharing the rest in future posts.

Where are your "Hot Spots?"

Do you have any techniques that you use to keep them under control?

Let me know how it goes if you try the "5 Minute Hot Spot" technique!!

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday #24

***Please read before linking.

There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***

To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.

To read my original "Doozy List," read this post.

To read my "Summer Doozy List" read this post.

This week I have been re- establishing our routines, and loving every minute of it.  I posted my Fall Morning Routine, My Kids Back To School Morning Routine, and My Kids Back To School Evening Routine. These posts have brought much traffic to the blog lately, it seems like a lot of us think alike and want to streamline our mornings now that school is back in session.

My Summer list is just about finished, so it is time to revamp my regular Doozy list.  I will put that on my things to do list this week. 

 Here are a few other things that I need to do, accountability please!!

~Get lettuce going in the garden--it may be too late??

~Call Mick for roof check--I have GOT to do this, fall/winter is coming!!

~Make bday decorations for oldest girls b'day! {Its a candy/cupcake theme.  Fun!}

~Make something with the insane amount of bananas in the freezer--any suggestions?

<a href="http://www.amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/3032373667_7c7e803b43-3.jpg" border="0" alt="New Nostalgia" /></a>

Winners Of  Last Week's Most- Clicked- On "AP Link" In Order:

10 Foolproof Ways To Eliminate Clutter @ I Dream Of Clean

Great tips, I especially like #4 & #5.

How I Organize My Junk Drawers @ House Of Grace

Love those clear containers!

Ruffles Petal T-Shirt @ Leafy Treetop Spot

Super cute, I think my t-shirts need a little makeover like this one!

Pantry Organization @ Organizing Diva

Now doesn't that just make you smile?  Awesome.

Canning Jar Dish Soap Dispenser @ Blissfully Content

She is already thinking about homemade Christmas gifts--that is inspiring!

Most Clicked On "Flexible Themed" Posts, In Order:

The Great Pantry Makeover @ Decor Chic

This is an awesome post.  Her dad made her 6! lazy susan's to use in her new pantry.  Isn't it pretty?

Chalkboard Paint Projects @It Feels Like Chaos

Click on through, she found all kinds of uses for chalkboard paint!

Decorating With Books @Honey We're Home

I just love it...what a statement!  

My Sewing Room @ So Chic And Unique

Isn't that the greatest rug?  Isn't is such a cheery room?  Love.

 

<center><a href="http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/7393129504_TCNCj.jpg" /></a></center>

All right, let's get to linking!

Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!

***Stop And Read Before Linking!***

I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!

*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***"Anti-Procrastination" Themed:***

~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination

***Flexible Themed***

~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts

Kids Back To School Evening Routine

I posted our "Kid's Back To School Morning Routine" here, and got many requests for our evening routine, so here it is.  It may be helpful for you to read the Morning Routine post, as I go into detail about how GREAT routines and charts have been for our family, and how we enforce them.

 I made our charts online at this great site, it was SUPER easy to just follow directions, fill in the blanks, and push print.  Then I had them laminated, and we hang them on our Chore Board with magnets. They use dry erase markers or dry erase crayons (did you know there was such thing? We love them!) to mark off as they go.  

Kid's Back To School Evening Routine

~Snack

~Fill Water Bottle/Put In Refrig

~Pick Up Personals

~Brush/Floss/Rinse

~Clean Up Bathroom Sink Area

~Pajama's

~Dirties Into Hamper

~Clean Clothes Hung Up

~Outfit For Tomorrow

~5 Minute Room Rescue

~Devotions

~Pray

Snack-a habit we started when they were young, now I wish we had not!  It is a small snack, fruit or crackers/cheese, etc.

Pick Up Personals-I talked about how this is one of my favorite routines when I wrote about the Morning Routine.  They go into each room of the house and find anything that they left out and put it away.  No longer am I bending over a thousand times picking up after others!

Brush/Floss/Rinse-we are strict about this, as our girls get cavities way too easily!  

Clean Up Sink Area-we had to add this because I got so sick of seeing toothpaste globs in the sink!  Yuck.

Pajama's-I've been seeing too many pajama's in the dirty clothes, that do not seem dirty. I think I will teach them the "keep your jammies under your pillow" trick.  

Dirties In Hamper-this step really helps keep the rooms picked up

Clean Hung Up-so does this one! I have shown them that there are certain items of clothing that I want them to wear twice before washing (like jeans) if they look and smell ok. :)  Guess they need a refresher when it comes to pajamas!

5 minute Room Rescue-They do this in the morning, too.  They set the timer and "rescue" their room (pick it up).  Their rooms do not frighten me anymore..

Devotions-they do these on their own.  We have loved this for my youngest (7 yrs old) and these for my 11 & 9 year old.

Pray-Todd and I take turns with which girl we pray with.  It is precious time, just a quick few minutes, and usually a little back gets scratched in the process which they think is heaven!

To keep them on task, most nights we have to set a timer.  If they do not get their routine done by a certain time, they do not get their points for our allowance system.  They can get it done in 30ish minutes-sometimes the devotions take a little longer.  Some nights when we are out later in the evening, we will skip the room rescue and devotions, which makes the routine is about 10-15 minutes.  Their room will be rescued in the morning, and we still pray with them, so a night without a devotion once in awhile is fine.  

***How I decide what should be added to a routine is pretty simple.  If I find myself nagging about something repetitively, or frustrated that I have to do it when I know they are capable, (like cleaning toothpaste globs out of the sink!) then it should go on the chart. 

Hope this is helpful!!  

Easy, Homemade Freezer Salsa

See the larger jar of salsa in the background?  My husband has just about finished off the jar, and I just

made it 2 days ago!  This is a super easy & quick way to make salsa for the freezer.  If you like a chunky salsa, then freezer salsa is not for you.  Chunky salsa tends to get mushy in the freezer, but we prefer ours thick, but all chopped up, so this is perfect for us.

I have an abundance of little cherry tomatoes growing in my garden.  My larger tomato plant is slow to ripen, but that is ok since we are up to our heads in cherry tomatoes.  

I saw this mix (Mrs. Wages Create Salsa Mix) when I was at the grocery store and I was happy to see that the ingredient list was short and familiar.  I wanted homemade salsa, but my peppers are not ripe yet, so this mix was the perfect answer.  

There are 3 different options on the back of the package-Freeze It! Can It! or Serve It!  Love that.

I washed my tomatoes and threw them into the food processor.  I DID NOT skin and core my tomatoes.    Too lazy, plus they were so small...

 

Then I  dumped them in a pan on the stove (no pic, sorry!) and added the dry mix and 1/2 cup of vinegar, and then simmered for 10 minutes.

I let the mixture cool a bit, then poured it into jars.  

We have not eaten the salsa that I froze yet, but like I said earlier, the one jar that was left out is almost gone.  It really is a tasty salsa, not too expensive (2.59 for the mix, tomatoes were free from my garden), made about 21/2 quarts, and took very little effort!

**I find these salsa mix packets by the canning goods in most grocery stores and walmart.

Healthy Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

These are so very easy to make, and my kids excitement over them made me feel like "Mother Of The Year!"  I've seen a few recipes and methods across blog land and have wanted to make them for some time now. The easy tutorial and beautiful photos over at "The Little Red House," plus a bowl of apricots quickly becoming past their prime in my refrigerator, was enough to get me to do it.  I don't know why I didn't do it sooner!

I have been appalled by how expensive 100% natural fruit roll ups and fruit leathers are at the store.  When we visit our local health food co-op, my girls beg me to buy them a fruit leather.  I cringe if they are not on sale, and even on sale they are outrageous.  One 2"x 5" strip of fruit leather costs anywhere from a $1.00-$1.29 at our store. The cheapest I have found them is on Amazon for about 50 cents each. I buy them occasionally, because at least it is not candy, but I buy it with a "grr" on my brain! 

The regular fruit roll ups at the grocery store are not 100% fruit have artificial colors, flavors and high fructose corn syrup--all things I try to avoid. (click here to read why high fructose corn syrup and I are not very good friends). 

  I love that instead of wasting fruit that is getting mushy, I can just mush it up more and turn it into fruit leather!

Ingredients:

4 cups Apricots 

Squeeze Of Lemon Juice

2-3 Tbls Sweetener of choice (agave nectar, sugar, sucanant)

*I'm sure other types of fruit can be used, I will let you know what other fruit I have success with.

How I Made Healthy, Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

~I started with 9 apricots (they cost me $1.69!)

~Washed them

~Took out the pits

~Cut them into fourths

~Put them in a pan on the stove

~Squeezed the juice of one lemon over apricots

~Add sweetener, if desired. (depends on the sweetness of your fruit.  I added 3 Tbs of pure cane sugar)

~Cooked on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, smashing them and stirring once in awhile. 

~Put cooked apricots into my food processor (I'm sure you could use a blender)

~Pureed them until smooth- it looks like baby food

~Spread them out on freezer paper on top of a cookie sheet (can use waxed paper) (**see below for thickness comment)

~Put them in the oven for about *4-5 hours (150 degrees is recommended, the lowest my oven went was 170 degrees)

~Took them out, let them cool 

~Cut them into strips and rolled em' up

~Stored in a mason jar.  (or Ziplock bag or any airtight container)

*I put them in the oven after dinner and took them out right before I went to bed.  I let them sit out on the counter all night, then cut and rolled in the morning.  

**The only thing I would do different is spread my pureed apricots just a tad bit thicker next time.  I think it would work better for me since my oven's lowest temperature is 170 degrees.  It was harder to get the paper off at the thin edges, which is where you need it to be the easiest!  Other than the thinner edges, these turned out perfect, I just had to cut about an inch off all around where it was too thin--such a waste!

I am eager to experiment with with these.  I want to try a batch with no added sugar and see what it does.  I'm sure the amount of sweetener will depend on personal tastes and how sweet your fruit is. I personally liked that our apricot fruit roll ups were a bit tart, so I will avoid the sugar as much as possible. I can't wait to use different kinds of fruits, I have a ton of pureed strawberries (thanks to this fun day) in my freezer, so next will be strawberry fruit roll ups!  I let you know how it goes.. 

*** I Am Pleased To Be Linking Up To These Wonderful Blog Parties. *** 

Mommy Moments