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You all know that I switched from Blogger to a Wordpress platform and am now RIGHT HERE. It shouldn't have changed the RSS feed but a few of you are missing my latest and greatest posts.

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(Thanks Rachel for letting me know!)

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Fleeting Moments vs To-Do Lists

I had a to-do list as long as my arm. I was cutting the grass while the littles played. It was hot. Then I turned on the sprinkler and told the girls it was time to come in for lunch. Chloe longingly looked at the sprinkler as she headed in. I was tired and hot and didn’t want to fuss with changing 3 littles into their swimsuits.

…then I threw thoughts of to-do lists and swimsuits out the window. I filled up the (empty)sandbox with water, and we played in the sprinkler. John filled his water with mud…and I laughed with him.

We had cheese sandwiches and peaches while sitting on a soaking wet lawn in our wet clothing. That day was one of the highlights of my summer!

I was searching pictures for a silly photo contest and came across these photos from that day. I remember that I had a long to do list but I can’t remember what was on it. But as I look at these pictures, a smile comes across my face for I will never forget the looks on their faces when mommy jumped in too!

And years from now, when my littles are grown up, I’ll still have to do lists, but I won’t have these moments. Let’s make sure we make the most of these moments while we have them!

   

Seriously a Little Monkey!

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• Wordless Wednesday at 5Minutes for Mom and Two of a Kind

GraceWorks PDF Planner Winner

A big thank you to those who shared and linked up their goals for the new year. It was fun reading what others are working on and a great reminder that none of us have ‘arrived’ yet!

 

The winner of the GraceWorks PDF Family Blessings Planner pages is my dear friend, Beth @ Not a Bow in Sight! You can read Beth’s goals here. Amazing since I enjoy her blog greatly and feel like I ‘know’ her.

 

For those who missed it:  Handfuls of Purpose (the GraceWorks blog) announced a new, downloadable print at home planning aids.

This new product from GraceWorks is only $10.00 until the end of January and includes:

• Weekly Home Journal Pages
• Monthly Home Journal Calendar
• Weekly Planner with Menu Spot
• Monthly Reminder Checklist
• Monthly Home Blessings Reminder

Now Tricia was kind enough to send me my very own copies and at first I wasn't sure if I would use them since I am so in love with my planner already but you know, these are really neat. Simple, yet effective. In traditional GraceWorks style, Christ through scripture, is evident throughout the pages and serves as a reminder of what our true purpose, priority and focus should be!

What am I most excited about in the package? The Home Blessings Reminder! It is broken down into months with suggested tasks for each month/season.  I am definitely going to put that to work for me and as a result, I know my home and family will be blessed!

 

Buy It!

So be sure to take advantage of the sale, at $10.00 for the complete PDF file set you won't want to miss it!

 

(Still working on the blog transition. Please bear with me and the funny, hard to read editing!)

I'm now on Facebook!

Yes, I am taking the week off because Katie is working on the blogger to wordpress transition but I had to share:

Beautiful Calling now has a facebook page!

It’s My Birthday: 31 Things About Me!

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So this is one of the only wedding photos that I have in digital format; horrible isn’t it? At least I am smiling! We uploaded them to a site during our 3 week long wedding/honeymoon. The site we uploaded most of the photos to doesn’t give you access to the photos except to print through them. Ugh! If you view the full album there are quite a few more pics if you are interested.

 

I turned 31 on January 8th. I’m Ok with that. Last year I wasn’t Ok at all when I turned 30. DH is older than I am and I have never thought of him as old. I have many friends older than I and I have never thought of them as old either. 30+ isn’t old for others; it just seems old for me! I don’t feel 30. I thought I would feel more grown up by the time I was 30 but you know, I still feel the same as I did at 23.

 

With that being said, we’ll celebrate my 31st birthday with 31 things about me. (and I am sorry but for some reason, numbering or bullets do not show up on my site right now which means it is hard to read. I’m working on it!)

 

I love chocolate. Actually, it’s more than that. I’m a chocoholic! Maybe it’s a problem but hey, there are worse things in life right?

 

I’m not a morning person. Never have been. I am now a morning person but not by choice. The good Lord in His infinite wisdom (and with a sense of humor?) blessed me with a sweet little girl who is most definitely the happiest person alive in the morning! The early morning!

 

I was born in a very small town in Northern Ontario. It could be –40 and we were fine with that and, dressed appropriately, we headed outside. I loved it. Ice-fishing, ski-doing, skiing and more!

 

I now live in Southern Ontario and when it dips below 0, I’m freezing and have a tendency to hibernate in my house LOL.

 

I got my motorcycle license before my drivers license.

 

Most of my growing up friends were my guy pals.

 

I have one sister and one brother. My sister lives in the same city, my brother lives in Africa. Sorry, senior moment?!? He lives in Australia with his Australian wife and daughter. My mother-in-law lives in Africa though. We’re going to visit her this spring but that is another story!

 

The meat I grew up eating was whatever dad shot or caught (fish, partridge, moose) interspersed with ground beef and the occasional chicken.

 

I don’t remember how little I was when I first shot a gun but I was little. At 12, I got my hunting license. I own a couple of guns which are collecting dust since we moved south and I became a very busy mother of littles.

 

DH and I took archery lessons with my dad three years ago. Our bows are also collecting dust until life settles a little bit.

DH and I took ballroom dancing classes too!

 

DH and I were engaged in 2004, married in 2005 and also built our first home, miscarried our first baby in 2006, birthed our daughter in 2007 and our son in 2008. (I need to blog a little about these things huh?) Three years ago today, I woke up in labor. I thought for sure I’d have a baby for my birthday. Alas, Chloe wanted her own day. Tomorrow is CHLOE’S Birthday!

 

DH and I both worked in the same office. I had seen him around but I wasn’t interested in my DH at all. My friend Carm, who was friends with him, insisted that we go to the Office Christmas party together. I figured why not…and the rest we’ll save for a blog post :)

 

I hate spiders….I really hate spiders. I also dislike bananas, milk (on it’s own), tomatoes and melon. I like liver, brussel sprouts and almost all veggies.

 

I am terrible at public speaking; it doesn’t matter the size of the group, if I have to stand up in front and speak while everyone listens, I am nervous as anything. But I was a cheerleader in high school. Go figure!

 

I loved accounting in high school and almost failed gym class.

 

I dropped out of high school.

 

Four years later I went back to school via correspondence and graduated. I then started college courses but didn’t pursue them further after becoming a mother.

 

I’m currently on weight watchers to finish losing the baby weight I gained (and my baby is 17 months!)

 

I have birthed both our littles at home and hope to have the privilege of birthing a third one at home :)

 

I had a cleaning lady until December 2008 when she retired. Due to finances and our decision for me to stay home, we didn’t replace her. Since then I have discovered that I actually like washing my floor. I love the feeling of accomplishment I have when it is sparkling clean (for about 5 minutes).

 

I had never ironed a thing (successfully) before 2009, when I started ironing for DH as a birthday gift.

 

I had dogs, cats, ponies, hamsters, fish and birds growing up. We also briefly had a duck that we found and kept in the garage in a swimming pool one afternoon until dad came home. That was the end of our pet duck. (Turns out he belonged to someone a road over. *sniff, sniff* )

 

I love cloth diapers. Oh, not the washing of them so much but I do like to browse through online diaper shops, see the latest diapers, and ‘ahh’ at all the pretty colors. I also think that fluffy ‘diaper bums” are adorable! And though my first attempt with Chloe was a flop, cloth diapering with John is a breeze!

 

I love pink; so bright, happy and cheerful. As a child, I hated pink and would never wear it.

 

I am kind of an optimist, I always expect the best outcome (which is sometimes a problem!) and I am happiest when others are happy too.

 

I love to read. I have never read my bible through entirely. You can see my reading goals for 2010 here.

 

Reitman's is my favorite clothing store. I only own 2 pair of jeans (in 2 different sizes) and mostly wear skirts every day. If you want to buy me a present for my birthday, almost anything from there is sure to be a hit!

 

My husband claims I hog the bed and *gasp* he claims that sometimes I snore. I think he’s exaggerating. He also says that I should add “chatty” to my list. Is being chatty a good thing or a bad thing?

 

I have always disliked my hair. Oh, I’ve had it done at the salon and love the results but when I get home, I’m never happy. I guess I am looking for the elusive, “wake up, shake my head and everything falls perfectly into place.”

 

I never wanted to blog! I am married to the most wonderful man. I didn’t want to blog and was frightened of the whole thing. He encouraged me to do it anyway and said it would be a perfect fit for me. Now I am hooked.

 

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So did you make it through my whole long list? I’m flattered if you made it half way through!

 

 I have a birthday request: if you’re a regular around here, please leave a comment with your website if you have one and something about yourself. I’d love to come visit you too!

TUT: Trust the Engineer (Giveaway Reminder)

Source

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. "

Corrie ten Boom

Well, throughout the month of December planning fell by the side with the hustle and bustle that Christmas brings. I have a Beautiful Life Management planner from Graceworks that I love but sometimes, I get too busy to plan and the results are chaos and nothing like the Beautiful Life I want to have.

So January, I dusted off my planner and so far, the New Year has been wonderful. Not picture perfect but I'm back to my 'morning latte' with the Lord, I feel that my home is getting back to a state that is functional and works for our family, Chloe has started her regular "school" time, and I feel a sense of peace.

In my reader Handfuls of Purpose (the GraceWorks blog) announced a new, downloadable print at home planning aids. The moment I saw it I thought, "Wow, that would be the perfect giveaway for our 2010 Goal Link Ups!"

This new product from GraceWorks is only $10.00 until the end of January and includes:

Weekly Home Journal Pages

Monthly Home Journal Calendar

Weekly Planner with Menu Spot

Monthly Reminder Checklist

Monthly Home Blessings Reminder

Now Tricia was kind enough to send me my very own copies and at first I wasn't sure if I would use them since I am so in love with my planner already but you know, these are really neat. Simple, yet effective. In traditional GraceWorks style, Christ through scripture, is evident throughout the pages and serves as a reminder of what our true purpose, priority and focus should be!

What am I most excited about in the package? The Home Blessings Reminder! It is broken down into months with suggested tasks for each month/season.  I am definitely going to put that to work for me and as a result, I know my home and family will be blessed!

Buy It!

So be sure to take advantage of the sale, at $10.00 for the complete PDF file set you won't want to miss it!

If you missed the BLMS planner series, please read A Real Blessing, Plan to Bless, Morning Latte Anyone?, Our Beautiful Calling isn't ALL about Housework! and finally, The Main Thing.

Win It!

This week’s TUT is located here for December 31 and January 7th. We are working on goals for 2010 and I hope you will join in! By participating, you'll have a chance to win a complete PDF set. If you don't have a blog, just share your 2010 goal(s) in the comment section of this Goals post!

Have a Blessed Day!

Eating a Freezee: Tu-Tu Cute!

To have been posted August 2009. Chloe loves her tutu!

• This post links to Wordless Wednesday, Two of a Kind, 5MinutesforMom, and 7 Clown Circus

Bookin' It 2010: My Reading Goals for the Year

(taken this evening so it is kind of dark)

We have a library in our home because my husband and I both love to read. Yet, since I became a mother in 2007, I have found myself reading very little except small portions of scripture and many, many picture books. I seriously feel like my intelligence is slipping because of it, or it's just mommy brain. I find myself grasping for words when speaking and such. I enjoy reading, I need to start reading more and I will make time for it in 2010!

In 2009 I read:

• Small portions of scripture each day most days
• Little House in the Big Woods with the Chloe (I'd love to get the set; Chloe loved them and so did I!!)
• Passionate Housewives Desparate for God (Which was an incredible blessing! Highly recommended!!)
• The Love Dare (only part of it)
• The Unfinished Gift and The Christmas Dog
• Many wonderful blogs!

Wish List for 2010:

I hope to read more. These are some of the books that I would like to read in the coming year. They are in no particular order. I have a ton of unread books to read because last spring a Christian bookstore near us closed and they had clearout prices of $2.99 to $4.99 for most books. I bought 30+ books. I couldn't help myself! Sadly, most are still unread but that will change this year!

Books I Have and Hope to Read:

• Living Life on Purpose by Lisa TerKeurst
• The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace (I am super excited to read this one though my knees are shaking at the prospect. This is one comprehensive looking book that came highly recommended!)
• Youniquely Woman by Kay Arthur, Emilie Barnes & Donna Otto
• Biblical Womanhood in the Home by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
• Habits of a Child's Heart by Valerie Hess and Mari Watson
• With All Their Heart by Christine Yount

Refresher Reads (Previously read, would like to read again someday!)

• Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George
• Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
• Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
• To Train Up a Child by Michael & Debi Pear
  

Books I Would Like to Read (*hint hint* to my DH who reads my blog LOL )

• Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook
• Steady Days by Jamie Martin (I read her blog Steady Mom and enjoy it greatly! This is her first book and it officially comes out in a few days!)
• No Greater Joy by Michael & Debi Pearl

Now I have a serious love for self-improvement books (my "self help" books as DH calls them) and I have to watch myself! I love books that give me fresh ideas for home-making or organization, or books the provide encouragment and motivation to a higher plain in my walk with the Lord, in my marriage or as a mother. I enjoy books that give me new ideas in teaching my tots about the Lord, life, crafts and education. And you know, I have to admit that reading blogs fills a good portion of these catagories but you know what is missing? Reading a nice story just for fun. My favorite kinds? Historical Christian Romance with a happy ending. My goal? Getting one of these in during the coming year!

• 
  
  This post links to Life as Mom
  
  
  

Amazing Marbled Coffee Cake

It’s an Austrian yummy marble coffee cake in a bundt pan. It is amazingly delicious!

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups flour

1 cup softened butter

3 oz semisweet chocolate roughly chopped

Splash of imitation rum extract (optional; original recipe called for 2 TBSP dark Rum)

3 Tbsp corn starch

½ cup icing sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

5 eggs (separated)

1 cup sugar

Putting it All Together:

Preheat oven to 325 deg
Butter and flour bundt pan
Set medium bowl over simmering water and melt chocolate. Stir in optional rum extract and set aside to cool slightly
Sift together flour and cornstarch and set aside
Beat butter, icing sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
Add egg yolks one at a time beating after each addition
Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 additions, beating after each addition
Set aside
In a large bowl beat the egg whites on high until frothy.
Sprinkle in sugar and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form
Whisk 1/3 of egg whites into cake batter to lighten it.
Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites to make an airy batter
Fold 1/3 of the cake batter into the chocolate mixture to make the chocolate flavored batter
Put ½ the vanilla batter in the pan, then all the chocolate batter and then the remaining vanilla batter.
Use a knife to swirl the batter to marble it
Bake until toothpick comes out clean (about 50-55 minutes)
Let cool, turn upside down on a place and dust with icing sugar

 

• Recipe Adapted from Saveur. DH has a subscription and reads it the day it arrives!
• This post links to Mouthwatering Mondays, Tasty Tuesday,and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday since it seems to go with them all.
• And it was less than 30 Minutes to write in keeping with Steady Mom’s Challenge. I need to start timing these posts accurately!

One Fine Fall Day We Went for a Walk

One day we went for a walk. Chloe brought her baby and I brought mine. Chloe picked her own outfit to wear right down to the boots. She wore a tutu just like Ina, her cabbage patch. She loves her tu-tu and those crazy boots. It’s the simple things in her life that she loves the most – like walks.

Thank you Lord, for precious days like these!

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P is for Picnic

A Picnic with Pasta & Pesto, Pickles and Popsicles = Paradise for Chloe anyway!

(if only our table cloth were Pink!)

Anything is as exciting as you make it! Few things are more exciting that a Picnic! The little ones love pasta and Pasta Pesto is easy, economical and good hot, cold or at room temperature. No need to worry about anything spoiling in the sun.

Praise the Lord that the nice weather is here!

(Another post that was never posted. this one is from April 2009.)

Make the Most of Your Visit to African Lion Safari

Ready to go! (Well, most of us. Not sure where John is going.)

Thoughts on African Lion Safari:

• *Pricey but worth it as a special treat. Parking, train ride and boat ride are all included in admission.
• *Children under 3 are free!
• *Buy advance tickets. It saves quite a bit. (Ours were purchased at Costco.)
• *Take your own snacks and drinks.
• *I would also suggest taking your own lunch too. Standard fries and a burger will run you about $8+.
• *Go early to avoid crowds and lines.
• *Go on a cooler day if possible. Overcast but not rainy. Animals are much more active.
• *Skip the waterpark stuff. There is too many other things to do.
• *Go through the safari driving park more than once.

We went to African Lion Safari in the morning on a cooler day. There was hardly anyone where and ALL the animals were active. We had monkeys climbing, lions and zebra wandering and an ostrich pecking at our window. It was pretty neat and we almost had the place to ourselves. It took us about 2 hours to drive through the animal reserve the first time. We then had lunch, took a train ride and visited some other exhibits. Before we left we did another drive through. It only took us about 1/2 hour that time. The girls are 2 and they LOVED it!

 

In my van we have one of the captain seats removed to make it easier to get the littles in and out. I have John and Chloe on the back bench and add an extra seat on the passenger side when Jaiden comes with us. I let them out of their seats to stand at the window and watch. It sure made it nice for them!

The Lions were walking around our van. I had to wait for one to move before we could drive away!

And of course the monkeys were leaping on our van. Lots of baby monkeys which impressed the girls!

John escaped from his seat into Nana’s lap :)

 

No matter where we go…Chloe always finds some poor seagull to chase!

Well, don’t I have a big smile LOL. We crowded onto the seat for the picture but for the actual ride, Chloe moved back with Nana and Jaiden sat where Chloe was. They both had a fun ride.

Jaiden took to the goats. Chloe doesn’t “yike dem much.

Places to go…

And with this picture, I had the camera on something other than auto. Being fairly camera-illiterate, I didn’t understand what was happening with my pictures. I love this photo though because it really captures the spirit of the day!

Interesting Links: December Edition

Photo by Dezz

 

Is there Life After “No”? at (In)Courage pointed out that it can be well with us even when it isn’t.

More Important that Your To-Do List @ Life as MOM offered up an incredible reminder that we should keep in mind all year round whenever we get to thinking we have it all together or get too overwhelmed in the realization that we don't!

Quietly Treasuring @ (In)Courage was a beautiful post about quietly treasuring His birth in our hearts.

Will All the Real Moms Please Stand Up  and Real Mom Follow Up @ Heavenly Homemakers was an incredible blessing.

20 Ways to Stay Healthy (and happy) This Winter Season @ Simple Mom

3 Reasons You Should Enter Blog Giveaways @ 5 Minutes for Mom was something I appreciated. I love to enter giveaways and at times host some of my own. I always appreciate those who enter and support me!

How to Get Through a Stressful Season @ Steady Mom will encourage you if you are going through a rough patch. But whether or not you are, letting go of mommy guilt is something many of us need to do - and often!

Pro-Mom not Pro-Blogger @ Keeper of the Home was an amazing read. One that will strike a chord in all of us mom bloggers whether we are at home or in the work force!

It's The Thought That Counts @ (In)Courage reminds us to give gifts that show we care.

A Christmas Story @ (In)Courage was a touching. I often feel a bit sad after Christmas as we head into the new year. I tend to think about memories and all we've left behind. But with Christ - we havea  bright future. Let's make that our focus!

A Challenged Heart @ The Well spoke to my heart as well. Though I am a positive person, at times when DH is otherwise occupied and I am still doing housework, I can easily slip into an unthankful spirit!

Blogger Sellout @ Emily's Latest really put into words what I feel too. While I do receive items to review and often have a giveaway associated with it, the review is truly my experience. I also often do a google search for a review if there is a product that I am considering buying. I VALUE A REVIEW IF IT IS GENUINE. It really helps me with my purchasing decisions. Reviews that are clearly not written based on an honest experience I tend to ignore. Whether they bought the product or received for free doesn't matter as long as it isn't a "paid to say" review.

TUT: Being Intentional! 2010 Goals (Link Up!)

 A Google search of 'Tune Up' revealed the following definition:
An Adjustment for Better Functioning
A search of 'Adjustment' revealed the following:
A Small Change, A Minor Correction, A Modification

What is Tune-Up Tuesday? Find out more HERE!

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I mentioned that this tiny little quote issued a big challenge to me.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Making it SMART

The idea of smart plans came from a review I did on an Epicure product. Who’d have thought it would have such an impact on me. A SMART goal is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. In order to maximize our chances of success, each goal should cover most of these areas.

A Word

Tricia mentioned last year that she chooses a word for the year. After much thought, prayer and having come across this idea so much in the past few weeks, my word for 2010 is INTENTIONAL.
More specifically, being intentional about:

• Growing in the Lord
• Nurturing my marriage
• Raising, training and teaching my tots
• Reaching out to others with the gospel

A Verse

“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men.” Acts 24:16
I discovered this verse a few months ago and it has crossed my mind so often! I want this to be the focus of 2010. As I have meditated on this verse, the Lord has brought many thoughts to my mind and reinforced that He has chosen this verse for me.

• “And herein” – A declaration of intent! A statement that from this point on… or a resolve. This is a great way to start the year

• “Do I exercise myself” – It won’t all come naturally. It will take work, determination, will-power, reliance on the Lord.

• “To have always” – Consistent!

• “Conscience Void of Offence” – When you first read this, you may think about not offending God or man but the more I’ve thought about it the more firmly I realize that this verse isn’t about not offending men. It’s about having a conscience void of offense. When we are doing right, standing up for right and proclaiming right, someone is bound to take offense. But if my goal is to have a clear conscience, then I will strive to do the classic WWJD in all circumstances. Note: the more Christ-like we become, the more the Holy Spirit convicts and fine tunes us.

• “Toward God and toward Men” – My primary and first goal is to be void of offense before God and a natural by-product of that will be that I will have one before most men as well. I know that often we can have the attitude, “I don’t care what other people think”  but I believe that while we can’t govern our actions by what others will think, their opinions of us are important! It should be Christ they see through us.

A Plan

SPIRITUAL: Since the Lord ought to be my first priority, He should be at the top of my list. I admit that sometimes it is easy for me to jumble priorities and when that happens, chaos ensues.

• In 2010, I will strive to put him first in all areas, my day included. One of the books that I read this year and loved was Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. In it, they dispel the myth of “perfect” morning quiet/prayer time for those of us with littles, which was liberating to read. At the same time though, it shouldn’t keep us from striving for it, but rather free us from the guilt for those times that we can’t.
• I have never read the whole bible through. It seems like everyone has but I haven’t. Though saved at a young age, it wasn’t until the Lord drew me back to his side (after a difficult miscarriage), that I really began to get serious about my walk with Him. Alas, losing Isaiah, then having Chloe, then John, I have to say that I never seem to have time. This year, I am going to read through the NT. I know that the whole bible is too large a goal for me but if I read two + books a month, the NT is a do-able goal for me!

MARRIAGE: is the next most important thing to me. And you know what, sometimes I get that mixed up too. When the littles are so, well, little, they require so much extra attention and sometimes I forget that DH needs my attention too. We do welcome daddy home (most days) but I need to do more. Our marriage is wonderful but filled with many areas that need a little work.

• Miscommunication is something that I believe will always be a bit of a struggle. While we rarely ‘fight’, we certainly can get snappy at each other sometimes and most of the time it has to do with miscommunication. We have talked about it in the the past and agree that ‘subtle’ hints are not the way to go for us. We both need to clearly (and kindly) speak about what is on our minds, and what we are thinking. Listening more and talking less often may be the solution.
• Expectation is another key area that goes hand in hand with communication. I’m not sure that DH struggles with this as I do but it is something to work on this year. In many cases, we need to lower our expectations of ourselves and our spouses. I know often I expect him to do something, know something or say something and he has no idea. This frustrates me and I feel like a need isn’t being met and I get grumpy or snappy.
• If we can communicate expectations and listen more and clarify to help avoid misunderstandings, 2010 will be a great year for our marriage!

PARENTING: Loving, teaching, training and disciplining my tots is the third priority in my life and one that is filled with joy, delight, frustration and challenge. Though I could list a million areas that I need to work on in order to better raise my littles, keeping it simple and attainable, I’ll just list two:

• Depending more on the Lord for PATIENCE to respond in a kind and loving tone when dealing with an attitude or action for yet the millionth time. Patience to explain when necessary, to love when I don’t feel loveable and to give myself wholly when it costs.
• Being CONSISTANT in rules, consequences, discipline and in love.

FINANCES: are something I seldom touch on here at Beautiful Calling because I am in no way qualified. I will say that this year I read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and was amazed.

• I hope to re-read it with my husband in the New Year and talk about how we can implement it into our lives.
• As of January 1st, I will be an epicure consultant and hope to contribute to our finances through that.
• I am thankful that we both share the same desire: me to be at home raising and training our littles. We are still learning to work as a team when it comes to finances and everything else.

COMMUNITY: I hope to be more involved in our community in the coming year.

• The biggest thing that I want to work on is sharing the gospel. Sure, it is easy to share with someone who expresses an interest first but sharing my faith with someone I don’t know or who hasn’t brought it up first? Nope, that is scary. To just hand a tract to someone you don’t know? I’ve never done that. Ever. Door to door knocking to invite people to church? Never done that. Ever. This year, I want to try (Lord, give me courage) to be more bold for Him.
• In 2007 I sent out quarterly letters to seniors and shut ins but 2008 just got so busy. I think I sent out one. I know that snail-mail is a fun surprise and can be a real blessing. It is also a super easy ministry to do with the littles. I want to sent out at least once card per month to someone who could use a snail-mail {hug}.
• I also live very close to a nursing home. I often drive by it and think, “Oh, one day we’ll drop in and visit someone” but never do. Once the weather is warm again where we can walk that far without freezing, I would like to try get that visit in to some new friend just waiting to be met.

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** Oh, and don’t forget the giveaway surprise I mentioned if you’re playing along! (If you don't have a blog, just share about your goal(s) for the year in the comments**

What is Tune-Up Tuesday? Find out more HERE!

Do you have a tune-up you are working on or completed? Link up (directly to your post) or share a comment! If you could mention TUT and link back so others can join in too, that would be appreciated!

• Visit Happy Housewife for more 2010 Goals!

Skating in Harmony Square

2008

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A few years ago our town tore down some dilapidated buildings and built Harmony Square downtown. It has an outdoor rink which is beautiful, well maintained and family friendly! Last year was the first year we tried it out. Chloe was 22 months last winter (2008). She was pretty wobbly but Uncle Keith, Aunty Jazzy and I took her out skating anyway. She couldn’t stand on her own without support but she sure had fun!

2009

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Nana bought Chloe new skates this year since her last years ones were too small. We headed out bright and early on Monday morning! GrrGrampa came with us. The weather was perfect; fluffy snow, not too cold and no wind! Chloe can stand without support and, as long as she has her skating aid, she can skate on her own. She’s kind of slow and much prefers a little “boost” from mommy. Chloe likes to go fast! John went out on the ice in just his boots. Boy, was he excited. Chloe’s skates from last year will actually fit him so I think next time we head to the rink, I’ll let him give skates a try. John is up for anything!

• This post links to Wordless Wednesday (though I have to admit it probably has too many words to qualify! LOL), Two of a Kind, 5MinutesforMom, and 7 Clown Circus

Gratituesday: My Top Three

My sad attempt at a self-family picture :) 

1. My Lord. His sacrifice and love for me. Unconditional Love!
2. My husband. His love and support. I am learning more each day about this wonderful man God gave me!
3. My Children. Oh, how the exasperate me at times and oh, how I love them. I thank God for them constantly and have never spent as much time at the throne of Grace as I have since becoming a mother.

Lord, I am so thankful for this family you have given me. Teach me, that I may be the wife and mother that you designed me to be. The one they need me to be!

The Lord has blessed our family richly in 2009.

He has supplied all our needs and exceeding abundantly more! We have family to love, food to eat, clothes to wear, a home to clean and so much more.

We celebrated Chloe’s 2nd birthday and John’s 1st birthday; what precious gifts we have been given to raise.

We had joy droplets amidst the tears when my Grandfather went home to be with the Lord. We praised God when Gram made it through chemo and a resulting pneumonia that was critical.

We took the leap and I officially became a stay-at-home mom.

Sometimes I stop and wonder, with tears in my eyes, why He chose to give me what He has. I don’t deserve it. None of it. Especially Hs love and attention. I am unworthy and worthless but because of Him, only because of Him, I am priceless!

You can read all my Gratituesdays here. What a blessing it has been each week to reflect on those things for which we are thankful for. We are to give thanks in all things. Thankfulness stems from a contented heart. May we cultivate both in 2010!

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• This post links to Gratitiesday and 30 Minute Challenge (though because of the last picture it took a few extra minutes to upload).

VanderPloeg Family Christmas 2009

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Christmas Eve we had dinner at my parents. We ate too much, caroled too little and opened our Christmas Eve presents – which turned out to be matching PJ’s :) Hurray! Ever since I can remember, we always got new PJ’s for Christmas Eve. What a fun tradition.

We came home and put presents under the tree…and I added our Capture the Magic photo to Chloe’s stocking.

Chloe was up bright and early Christmas morning. She knew it was Jesus’ birthday but she had no idea what awaited her downstairs. Though we tried to keep our Christmas simple and we were able to keep spending to a minimum (hurray Kijiji!) while still joyfully giving; the tree was piled high as you can see.

A few of  Chloe’s favorite gifts:”Chloe Monkey” her sock monkey,  Melissa and Doug wooden food for her kitchen, ice skates, and her ‘princess’ bag (which she either packs food in for a “pik-pink” a.k.a. picnic or she wears it on her head as a hat).

A few of John’s favorites: “eggbert” his sock monkey, a tiger flashlight, big tonka dump truck, wooden train and toy Xylophone. John likes to flip his truck over and spin all the wheels. Littles are so easily entertained.

Both littles got sock monkeys and I wouldn’t have guessed how much they would love the simple, old fashion toy. But they do!

Daddy got a new scarf and mommy got a watch. We also got lots of yummies for our tummies!

Christmas morning we had pancakes and raspberries then headed off to church. We had sandwiches at my parents for lunch and came home for a much needed nap. Then we watched a movie that we had received for Christmas.

Daddy made a fantastic prime rib for dinner along with brussel sprouts, asparagus, mashed potatoes and gravy. Chloe, Mommy and John baked cupcakes to honor Jesus’ birthday. Baby Jesus didn’t come because he lives in “heavens”. He will come back some day. He’s all grown up now.

Both the littles were pretty tired and headed to bed at 6:30pm. We headed to bed early too. It was a beautiful, wonderful, peaceful day. A day with plenty of time to cherish family and reflect on His birth!

How was your Christmas? What was your favorite gift?

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Chloe was not at all interested in posing for pictures. She just wanted to play. The result? No smiles! LOL. We look nice though.

The Perfect Un-Perfect Christmas

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(The second photo and last photo in the series is of our Jesse tree)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I am sitting here typing and mulling over how I have failed to accomplish everything I had hoped. Last year I sent out well over 100 Christmas cards (many  hand made!) with photos. This year I barely got the basics out and all without photos since I just got them today! My rug cleaner sits in the downstairs hall, needing to be put away after cleaning up the accident this morning (a whole other story!) and a million other little things weigh on my mind.

I don’t know why but I thought I would have my home perfectly in order and everything done to perfection before Christmas arrived. Why? I don’t know. I’m good with unrealistic expectations of myself.

Tomorrow evening we will spend with my family as we always do. Caroling, good food, opening one gift (which always turns out to be PJ’s)…and while we usually have it at my house because we have the most space, this year it is at moms. Just one of the changes we’re embracing this year. Christmas Day we usually have DH’s family but this year we are simply opening presents, going to church, baking a birthday cake (for Jesus) and having a quiet dinner with just our family. Boxing Day we are hoping to head to the zoo for their Christmas treats walk and then Pizza at Nana’s. Since her apartment is downstairs, we don’t have far to go. I share all of this to say simply that there isn’t any real reason that my house needs to be perfectly in order – and with littles it really never will be.

It got me thinking about how Mary must have felt. Giving birth to the Lord Jesus, her first born son, in a stable, far from home with no family support save Joseph. It probably wasn’t everything she had envisioned yet it was perfect; exactly how God had planned and envisioned it.

I’m heading to bed now for a good night’s rest. Tomorrow will dawn bright and early. I’ll get the essentials done and enjoy this time with my family. Though everything isn’t checked off the to-do list I had, it will be a perfect Christmas because we’re celebrating Jesus’ Birthday! I don’t need to be perfect because HE is!

Some posts I was encouraged by:

• More Important than Your To-Do List
• The Un-Perfect Christmas

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