Back...

I'm alive.  The laptop is alive again too, after the death of it's hard drive.  Long boring story.

Lucy turned ONE yesterday.  And when I figure out how to get all my pictures back on here, I will show you all the pictures of her one-year-old-cuteness.

Until then....

There's lots of new things developing here at the parsonage.  I'm looking forward to filling you in...later.

I'm a procrastinator...

Right now though, I need to finish chugging my coffee down and get my sweaty running self into the shower in order to start my day.

Glad to be back bloggy friends!  Missed you!

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Eaglet

I've been watching this video for weeks.  My kids have been watching it at school and at home.  The whole state of Iowa (and beyond) can't seem to get enough of this bird.

One  of the little baby Eagles  is scheduled to hatch today.  TODAY.

God's design for life is simply amazing...



Video clips at Ustream

Don't worry about getting anything done today...there's an eagle about to be born...who can miss that?!?

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Telling Myself No...

I've been thinking lately.

Deep thinking.  The kind of thinking that requires just too much effort to put into words.

The Bible has me thinking.

Books I'm reading have me thinking.

People around me have me thinking.

Ministry has me thinking.

See, lots of thinking going on.  Lot's of reflecting.  Evaluating.  Observing.  Analyzing.  Changing.

I just finished the book Made to Crave.  It deals with the food issue, yes, but it deals with other stuff on a different level as well.  I may or may not have copied down half the book in quotes because it just spoke to me.

A couple things in particular just won't let go.

She says, "It's not the "how to" I'm missing.  It's the "want to"...really wanting to make changes and deciding that the results of those changes are worth the sacrifice."

I'm not sure I've heard a more truer statement uttered.  It used to be that admitting you had a problem was the first step to overcoming.  From my experience in my own life and in ministry, admitting there's a problem is not difficult at all!  We're fully aware we've got issues, it's the willingness to do whatever it takes, for however long it takes, in whatever way God says that we find the issue with.

And...

1 Corinthians 10:23  Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial.

Seriously, read that again.

We live in a culture that doesn't like to tell ourselves "no."  And, from my own observations of myself, and those around me, it is no different in the Christian culture than it is in the world's.  Oh, we like to deceive ourselves into thinking it is.  We've made lists of all the really bad things one can do, and we try our best to stay away from them.  We give ourselves an invisible pat on the back for being such self-sacrificing people...but are we?

Who do we live for?  Who do we live to please?  Do we live as though we understand the truth of God's word when it says, Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial?  Do we seek out His wisdom on this?   Do we tell ourselves no?  Or do we justify?  Do we tell ourselves we deserve to indulge in whatever it is we choose?

I'm good at justification.  Really good.  Unfortunately, justification is really just a nice word for lying-to-myself.

I'm pretty good with excuses too.  And very good with lacking the "want to" in some areas, which I cleverly turn into "I just can't"  but really, "I'm just lazy."

And the past few weeks, I've become disgusted.  I'm not even sure disgusted is a strong enough word for it.  It's as if, through God's Word, the Holy Spirit has shown me the ways in which I've been deceiving myself...living as a slave to the whims of my flesh.

And I've had enough.  Enough justifying.  Enough laziness.  Enough excuses.  Enough of telling myself yes, when I should be telling myself no.  I'm tired  of it in myself, and honestly...I'm tired of it in people around me too.  Because it's enslaves each of us.  I can't make people "want to."  I can't.

But I can live as an example of one who surrenders my own will, and puts it in submission to my Heavenly Father's will for me.   I can tell you, that there is such joy and FREEDOM in saying no to myself.

Your issues are likely going to look different than mine.  Or maybe you have no issues at all *this is where I cough out the word denial under my breath*  But, because I haven't already disclosed enough to you...I'll give you the truth I'm now speaking to myself.  The little bit I like to call..

No Sarah...

You do not need so much sugar.
You are not  too tired to get your butt up and run.
You do not need a snack...or ten snacks.
You are not too busy to spend time with God.

You get the idea.

And if you have issues with food, or issues with telling yourself "no" when you need to, I whole heartedly recommend Made to Crave...and this is most definitely not a paid for recommendation ;)

Anyone else out there in desperate need of telling themselves NO?

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Lucy

With my first two boys, I went to Sears or JCPenney's religiously to get their pictures taken.  It was the most "professional" we could afford at the time.

Which makes me smile now.

The third son also had his fair share of the "professional" photo shoots, mostly so that I could avoid the pitfall of "the third child who has no pictures" kinda deal.  But by this time, the miracle that is digital photography appeared, which somehow turned the non-professional average joe into photographers...which turned out to be waaaaaay better than heading to the department store studio.  

Along comes number four.  And she's a girl.  She's never yet made it to a professional studio.  Is it because this mama is too tired and lazy to mess with that now?  Ummm....yes.  And much smarter, I might add. ;)  Because now, instead of heading to a studio, I have fabulous friends who come to me! Does it get any better than that?!?

It doesn't.

Lucy's first photo shoot is here:  

And second photo shoot is here:

And some of her latest, by my super-sweet-uber-talented-friend-Beth.

I know, the cuteness factor is overwhelming. 

And no photo shoot is complete without sharing some out-takes.  I love me some out-takes...as long as they are not of me ;)  Vanity, vanity...blah blah blah

Happy Day to You Bloggy Friends!

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I Lose Track...

Sometimes I lose track of time.  It gets away from me.

Like on the blog.

Or the month of March.

• I finished the 30x30 challenge!  But still never took any more pictures.  Ah well.  It was a good experience.  
• I've been sewing little dresses for Lucy.  

• I'm back at running.  Winter and the treadmill were not so great, but this week marks week 4 of running at least 3 times per week.  It feels good to be back into the groove.  I signed up for a 5k on April 2nd...which feels like tomorrow already.
• My friend Beth took some pictures of Lucy that are so cute I can't quit looking at them.  Hoping to get them posted tomorrow so that you can all ooooh and ahhhh...because that's fun stuff.

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30 for 30 Remix

Let talk 30x30 remixing.  If you need some background, go here or to see my 30 items go here.

• Remembering/avoiding to take pictures has improved this week, but only slightly.  I took four pictures, and you've already seen at least two of them.  Fail. 
• When I picked my 30 choices it was 50+ degrees out and I had spring on the brain.  Since then, it has been snowing and freezing and the outfits I had planned in my head, with ballet flats and cuffed jeans...now seem a little ridiculous.   Not that that will stop me.
• I did pull out the white jeans on a snowy, cold day in February.  

I likely would have never thrown these items together if they weren't in my 30x30, but they worked.  My hair...not so much.  I'm growing it out.  And it's at a length that I just sort of despise right now.  Now short enough to have a style, and not long enough to make me like it.  Bear with me, in a year is should be fine...and then I'll cut it. ;)

You can't really tell, because of my craptastic photo skills, but this jcrew tshirt has rosettes on it, and then I wore a rosette pin and I think that might be considered over-kill by some.  But not me.

 I put this old navy white pheasant top in the 30x30 because it's one that I always keep in my closet, certain that I'll wear it and then never do.  I like it fine...except the sleeves make it nearly impossible for me to wear a cardigan.  And as you can tell, my basic uniform consists of jeans and a cardigan.  I love them deeply.

I added in the 2nd pic, because I realized I'd cut off me feet in the first shot....but my expression in the 2nd shot is...ummm, yeah, not so cute.

Here's what I've learned so far:

• I'm on day 13 of 30, I'm going to have to get MUCH more creative with the outfits from here on out or I am going to lose my mind.  Creativity requires planning.  So far, my planning consists of rummaging through my closet in the dark hoping not to wake Lucy up (yes, that's a whole other post.)  This week, I'm going to try harder.  In theory, at least.
• It is very difficult to suck in your stomach and smile and take a picture at the same time.  

• I am already way more appreciative of the clothing items hanging on the "other" side of my closet.  It's probably because they're off limits, but I notice myself thinking, when this thing is over, I'm wearing that and that and that.   And that is a good thing...learning to shop my closet.
• I really, really, REALLY want to have a real life clothes swap with friends.  I think it would be so fun, I just don't know how to do it...yet.
• And this is totally off topic, but my sporadic winter running is turning into regular running starting this week, thanks to my running buddy being at my house at 6am.  Very excited to get back into the routine.   Very excited that tomorrow is MARCH.  
• I'm very happy to be back into the blogging groove as well. ;)
• And, if you want to see how remixing is done (with cute pictures) then you should go here and be inspired...and then come back and join me in remixing.  It's never too late to start *key inspirational music*

Happy Sunshiny Monday!  

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Let's Chat...

There's so many new blogs I've been visiting because they offer so many ideas, inspirations, tips, and projects they've been working on that after all their genius I feel a little....boring, with a capital B.

It's a good thing I'm super cool with being boring.

But I do know some things.  A few.  A couple.

1 - I buy Lucy's diapers on Amazon.  They have this amazing Subscribe & Save program (which is free) and you can have all sorts of different things shipped to you for FREE and as regularly as you'd like.  I do once a month.  And for signing up, you get two different discounts to use all the time, which saves you 30%, and today I had a coupon for an extra $10 off.  Cha-ching.  Plus, I never run out and I don't have to add it to my Target list.

2 - I'm getting back into the blogging groove.  This month marks THREE years of blogging.  That's crazy.  This is off subject, but I just saw a man ride by on his bicycle with a trailor thing attached to it that had some sort of barrel on it.  Oh the things I see from my dining room window...

Anyways.

What else can we discuss here?  What are your burning questions?  Let's discuss...and by that, I mean leave me a comment.

Happy Thursday...and yes, I have been taking pictures of my outfits.  Sadly, I still look like a girl who doesn't have anywhere to go. ;)

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