Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Super Woman vs. Abiding Woman

Treasure Trove for Parents

I must remember this when my kids start getting cell phones, driving, having relationships, etc!

Check it out.

http://www.jillsavage.org/?page_id=896

Very cool ideas.

Trail Mix: Make Your Own

Why buy this...

When you can make your own and get more for your money?

The kids have been taking some in their school lunches each day.

Quick hello

I am obviously absent in my blogging of late.  Sorry.  It's a combination of busy, and the fact that it's just more convenient to facebook.  I'm sure I'll get the urge to post again eventually.

Until then, you have to read this article... Funny funny stuff!

Don't Call Me, I Won't Call You

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/fashion/20Cultural.html?pagewanted=all

Sharing My Blessings

Ben, Mary Claire and I were sitting on the back patio this evening watching the season's first fireflies.

I told Mary Claire this was going to be her last week of preschool. I said I was sad because she wouldn't be my baby anymore because she was going to be in kindergarten soon.

She looked at me and took my hand and whispered, "I'm still here, mama."

:)) so sweet

Cool Use for an Old Crib

Chalkboard Easel

Too cute!  New use for an outgrown crib – How very cool, wish I’d seen this before I bought the store made one.  Not that I would have actually done it, but a neat idea if you've got the time!  See instructions here:

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2011/05/old-crib-into-chalkboard-easel.html

BINGO! Errand Entertainment for Kids

There is almost nothing more challenging than going grocery shopping with kids.  I hate doing it, so I avoid it for as long as I can.  Then I end up spending three hours in there and it is pretty painful.  

This post isn't really going to change that.  BUT.... I thought I'd share another cool printable from Real Simple: BINGO games for the kids to play while you are out and about together.  Looks like it could be fun.

Grocery Store BINGO

• Grocery Store Bingo http://www.realsimple.com/static/pdfs/grocerystoreboard.pdf
• Mall or Shopping Center Bingo
  http://www.realsimple.com/static/pdfs/shoppingmallboard.pdf
• Restaurant Bingo
  http://www.realsimple.com/static/pdfs/restaurantboard.pdf
• Doctor’s Office Bingo http://www.realsimple.com/static/pdfs/doctorsofficeboard.pdf
• Car Bingo
  http://www.realsimple.com/static/pdfs/carboard.pdf

List of Lists

I subscribe to Real Simple Magazine.  Love it.  Just sharing a list of lists from Real Simple for your to keep track of your life... Enjoy!

Ultimate Contact Sheet

• The Ultimate Contact Sheet – Numbers for everything and everybody – perfect for babysitters, house sitters, the kids, and you
• The Family Crib Sheet – From allergies, to family rules, to how to turn on the DVD player, etc.
• Daily Cleaning List - Yeah, right.  LOL
• Weekday Meal Plan & Shopping List - A girl can dream, can't she?
• Ultimate To-Do List
• Moving Countdown Checklist 
• Monthly Spending Plan - Budgeting
• Grilling Cheat Sheet 
• Birthday Organizer

Cool Kids Read Books...

And play basketball and baseball and Wii... And get into occasional mischief.


Ben is one of the biggest blessings God has given me in my 30 years. He is constantly amazing me. So this year, for some reason, he was motivated to rack up FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY TWO Accelerated Reader points at school.


Don't know what Accelerated Reader is? Google it. It's basically a program in which students can read books on their own time, then take a 10-question quiz on each book on the computer at school. Depending on how well they do, they get a certain number of points for the answering the quiz questions correctly. For example, a Curious George book would be worth a 1/2 point total. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is worth 6 points total.


He read all kinds of books, but series that I can recall off the top of my head were: Harry Potter books, Chronicles of Narnia, and Percy Jackson books. Ben read 81 books on his own time this year. That's in addition to school, homework, church, basketball, baseball, bike riding, and everything else. He read more than anyone in the 4th grade at his school. Probably more than I've read in my entire life.
They got all kinds of cool rewards and special activities throughout the year. Today the top ten from each grade got a limo ride to Pizza Hut where they had lunch. :)


Ben was able to get a slip and slide (400 point level) this time.  He didn't want me to take this picture, but I'm so proud I just had to share it. :) YAY BEN!

Doesn't get much better than this

What a GORGEOUS day on El Dorado!

I wear corrective lenses.  I've had contacts since I was in 7th grade.

Just calculated and I have inserted and removed contacts in my eyes for the last 6,000 days.  In a row.

I know my eyes, I know how to use contacts, I know what works for me (-5.75 in both eyes).

I'm pretty darn good at it now.

So my question is...

WHY do I need to pay an optometrist every year for an exam in order to be able to purchase the contact lenses that I need?

WHY???

I can buy a million different products without a prescription that are so much more dangerous than contacts.  Sure, at first you need to get an exam, but after a while, its just ridiculous that I keep paying some guy every year to tell me something I ALREADY KNOW.

You know what I think?  Optometrists have good lobbyists.

Springtime visitor!

The Buffetts Aren't Keeping Up With The Joneses

Did you read my blog post yesterday?  You know you didn't.  Go back and read it now.  I'll wait...
.
.
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Did you catch that?

Multi-Billionaire (like $50 of them, with a "B"), living in original home purchased 52 years ago in 1958 for $31,500?


I'm going to repeat that for emphasis.

MULTI-BILLIONAIRE 

LIVING IN SAME HOME HE PURCHASED IN 1958

FOR $31,500

A little background:

Back then that was a rather expensive home and Mr. Buffett was 29 – but he had been in business since he was 13 years old. The Omaha home is 6,000 sqft, and has 5 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.  Down the same street, about a mile away are the Berkshire Hathaway offices.


Some thoughts that come to mind here:
1) Whaa??

2) Never met the guy, but I like him.  I do.  I think I'd feel comfortable having him over for dinner.

3) That reminds me of my sweet, smart Papa, who bought his home in Euless, TX (also in 1958!) when my mom was 3 years old.  He and my Mimi paid less than $10,000 for that house.  Lived in it for 50 years, until my mom (their only daughter) finally talked them into leaving the promised land (Texas, duh) and moving to be close to her in Arkansas.  Also, he paid up front, in full for every car he ever purchased.  I remember him trying to pay for one on his Discover card one time (hello, rewards!) and the dealer was thrown that someone would do that.  Only let him put half on the card.  He was just going to write a check to Discover and get those cash back rewards.  The point, he is smart with his money and we'd all be wise to pay heed to their generation.

4) Did you notice he said his home was the third best investment he ever made?  The first two were wedding rings.  For his first wife, then after her death for his second wife.

Don't get me wrong, this man is a human and not to be idolized.  But he's a rare breed in any case.


My takeaway from this:

"But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either."
-1 Timothy 6:6-7

An Insightful Annual Report

What a delight to read Warren Buffett's annual letter to his shareholders!  It has to be the most interesting part of any company's annual report, and certainly one of the most entertaining letters of all companies is Berkshire Hathaway's.  Second only to that of my favorite company in the whole wide world, of course!

Go ahead, read Buffet's letter yourself.  But here are some of my favorite excerpts from this year: 


"No matter how serene today may be, tomorrow is always uncertain." p. 3

****

"Home ownership makes sense for most Americans, particularly at today’s lower prices and bargain
interest rates. All things considered, the third best investment I ever made was the purchase of my home, though I would have made far more money had I instead rented and used the purchase money to buy stocks. (The two best investments were wedding rings.) For the $31,500 I paid for our house, my family and I gained 52 years of terrific memories with more to come. - p16

"But a house can be a nightmare if the buyer’s eyes are bigger than his wallet and if a lender – often
protected by a government guarantee – facilitates his fantasy. Our country’s social goal should not be to put
families into the house of their dreams, but rather to put them into a house they can afford."  -p 17

******

"Unquestionably, some people have become very rich through the use of borrowed money. However,
that’s also been a way to get very poor. When leverage works, it magnifies your gains. Your spouse thinks you’re clever, and your neighbors get envious. But leverage is addictive. Once having profited from its wonders, very few people retreat to more conservative practices. And as we all learned in third grade – and some relearned in 2008 – any series of positive numbers, however impressive the numbers may be, evaporates when multiplied by a single zero. History tells us that leverage all too often produces zeroes, even when it is employed by very smart people.

"Leverage, of course, can be lethal to businesses as well. Companies with large debts often assume that
these obligations can be refinanced as they mature. That assumption is usually valid. Occasionally, though, either because of company-specific problems or a worldwide shortage of credit, maturities must actually be met by payment. For that, only cash will do the job.

"Borrowers then learn that credit is like oxygen. When either is abundant, its presence goes unnoticed.
When either is missing, that’s all that is noticed. Even a short absence of credit can bring a company to its knees.  In September 2008, in fact, its overnight disappearance in many sectors of the economy came dangerously close to bringing our entire country to its knees." - P 22

"On the facing page (see page 23) you can read a letter sent in 1939 by Ernest to his youngest son, my Uncle Fred.  Similar letters went to his other four children. I still have the letter sent to my Aunt Alice, which I found – along with $1,000 of cash – when, as executor of her estate, I opened her safe deposit box in 1970." - P 22

****

Taken from his letter to management:

"We can’t be perfect but we can try to be. As I’ve said in these memos for more than 25 years: “We can afford to lose money – even a lot of money. But we can’t afford to lose reputation – even a shred of reputation.” We must continue to measure every act against not only what is legal but also what we would be happy to have written about on the front page of a national newspaper in an article written by an unfriendly but intelligent reporter." - P 104

****

"P.S. Another minor request: Please turn down all proposals for me to speak, make contributions, intercede
with the Gates Foundation, etc. Sometimes these requests for you to act as intermediary will be
accompanied by “It can’t hurt to ask.” It will be easier for both of us if you just say “no.” As an added
favor, don’t suggest that they instead write or call me. Multiply 76 businesses by the periodic “I think he’ll
be interested in this one” and you can understand why it is better to say no firmly and immediately." - P 105

That last one may be my favorite.  :)

God's Plan for Your Mate

Someone special to me shared this with me recently ( :) ) and I love it.  I wish I had seen it when I was younger.
To my single friends, and my young girl friends....

e
God’s Plan for Your Mate

Everyone longs to give himself or herself completely to someone, to have a deep and committed soul relationship with another, to be loved thoroughly and unconditionally.

BUT GOD SAYS:

“No, not until you are fulfilled, satisfied, and content with being loved by Me alone…

With giving yourself totally unreserved to Me… to having an intensely personal and unique relationship with Me alone, discovering that only in me is your satisfaction to be found, then will you be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you.

You will never be united with another until you are united with Me.

Exclusively of anyone or anything else, exclusively of any other desire or longings.

I want you to STOP PLANNING. STOP WISHING. And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing…

One that you can not imagine.

I WANT YOU TO HAVE THE BEST.

Please allow me to bring it to you. Just expect the greatest thing…

Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.

Just wait. That’s all.

DON’T WORRY. DON’T BE ANXIOUS.

Don’t look around at the things others have gotten or that I’ve given them.

Don’t look at the things you think you want. Just keep looking off and away.

And up to me, or you’ll miss what I want to show you.

And then when you’re ready, I’ll surprise you with a love far more wonderful than you would ever dream of.

You see, until you are ready,

Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life that I have prepared for you. You can’t experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me.

And this is the perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have this most wonderful love in My time.

I want you to see a picture of your relationship with Me. And enjoy completely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love that I offer you with Myself.

BELIEVE IT AND BE SATISFIED…

Lessons from Secretariat

We rented Secretariat from the Red Box today.  I wasn't planning on watching it but Ben really wanted me to.  Wow, I'm so glad I did.  What a great movie!  I love crying happy tears and I certainly did watching this movie. 

I came across a blog post by Brian Dodd where he outlines Leadership Principles from the movie.  Listed some quotes Brian highlighted that I liked below...

1.Our Lives Are One Phone Call Away From Changing Forever. Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane, receives a phone call in the opening scene notifying her that her mother has passed. This begins the series of events that resulted in Secretariat becoming the greatest racehorse of all time. I have had several instances this year where my life was propelled in another direction simply as a result of an unexpected phone call so this principle hits close to home.

2.“It’s not whether they think we won. It’s whether we think we won.” - Penny’s father Chris Chenery

3.“Great colts come from great sires.” Fathers, we are not horses obviously, but can you see the application?

4.Talent is Often Uniquely Packaged. Lucien Laurin, played by the incredible John Malkovich, is eccentric in wardrobe and personality to say the least. Be careful about making judgements based upon external appearances.

5.“I got what I wanted.” - Penny Chenery referring to acquiring Secretariat in a coin flip followed by her brother Hollis’s statement “You got what no one else wanted.”

6.Always Trust A Woman’s Intuition. Penny received no support from either her husband or brother. It is one of the truths of this life that God gives women a sixth sense regarding life’s issues. Husbands, trust your wives’ insights.  (hehe)

7.“Let him run his race.” Good words for us as leaders.

8.“You never know how far you can go unless you run.”

9.“I will not live the rest of my life in regret.” – Chenery

10.“One loss can happen. Two is non-performance.” – Chenery’s primary financial backer Ogden Phillips played by James Cromwell.

11.“I’ve run my race. You run yours.” – Chenery speaking to Secretariat the evening before the Belmont Stakes.

12.“Let him run Ronnie! Let him run!” - Chenery as Secretariat was going down the backstretch at the Belmont.

Go rent the movie!

Cajun Ten Commandments

We're studying the ten commandments in our small groups on Sunday nights.  Dan shared the following "Cajun" version.  Too funny...

Da Cajun Ten Commandments

   

1. God is number one... and das' All.

2. Don't pray to nuttin' or nobody... jus' God.

3. Don't cuss nobody... 'specially da Good Lord.

4. When it be Sunday... pass yo'self by God's House.

5. Yo mama an' yo daddy dun did it all... lissen to dem.
 
6. Killin' duck an' fish, das' OK... people - No!

7. God done give you a wife... sleep wit' jus' her.

8. Don't take nobody's boat... or nuttin' else.

9. Don't go wantin' somebody's stuff.

10. Stop lyin'... yo tongue gonna fall out yo mouf!

Southern Plate: Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice make regular appearances at my home.  On rare occasion I start with dry beans.  To be completely honest though, we love Blue Runner Beans per a previous post and we use those a lot.  They'll make you wanna slap your mama.

So Christy Jordan at Southern Plate posted a recipe using dry beans that is very similar to what I do and I thought I'd share that with y'all.  Basically the only difference is that I make mine in the crock pot because I don't have time to stand around the stove all day.  We use red wine vinegar as a condiment with red beans in our house and it's a nice touch.

Here's a link to Christy's recipe.  Enjoy!  

And call me if you make them so I can come eat with you.

Cousins

Silly cousins...

Isn't my niece, Talyn, gorgeous?  She's beautiful inside and out!  Love that girl!

Good Riddance Sugar-Free February!

So Sugar-free February wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.  Actually I thought the Great January Buying Cleanse was easier. 

Because sugar is in so many things, our goal was to avoid obviously sugar-filled treats, like candy, desserts, and sodas.  I didn’t think that I would have any problem with giving up sweets, but it was a challenge.  Here’s how it worked out for us:

MAGEN

Let’s start with sweets, and we’ll get to sodas in a sec.  I was good.  From February 1 – 13.  Then I consulted with Tiffaney and determined I deserved a cheat day in honor of Valentines Day.  Had some chocolate covered strawberries.  And it kinda went downhill from there.  I gave into temptation, well, probably 6-8 times after that.  That’s including that Cream Cheese Banana Bread that I made.  Should have never given myself a cheat day.

Now about sodas… I usually have a couple sodas a day when I’m at work.  On the first day of February I had a Coke Zero (no sugar, right?) and Tiffaney (my very own personal Jiminy Cricket) didn’t think that was a great idea.  She said that if I was going to drink soda then it may be better to drink the real thing rather than consuming all those chemicals in diet soda…

Sulphite Ammonia Caramel, Phosphoric Acid (Also used for rust removal), Sodium Citrates (Also used in photography and as an anticoagulant of blood stored for transfusion), Asapartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Sodium Benzoate, Phenylalanine, Caffeine

…Yeah.  Not that the real thing is good either.  So I had maybe 4-5 Coke Zeros during February.  I am going to claim one victory for February, and that is the reduction of soda drinking and the increase in drinking water.  I don’t think I’ve ever been a consistent water drinker – don’t really like the flavor. :)  So replacing all that coke with water was what I am most proud of for February.  Believe it or not, I have still not had a Coke yet.  I’m kind of afraid to, and also I don’t want my first Coke after a long break to be just any Coke.  It has to have GOOD ICE.  Am I right?

TIFFANEY

I totally agree with Magen that quitting sugar cold turkey is difficult. I tried not to even allow myself sugar-free products, but one night thoughtful Magen brought over some sugar-free candy to eat on my trip to Chicago. It was a “sweet” gesture; however, it led to my falling off the wagon for almost 5 days straight. The desserts of Chicago are hard to resist. I still remember the muffins! Sorry Magen.

I actually did fairly well, except with the occasional breakdown of Valentine’s Day Conversation Hearts (one of my favorites) and a pancake dinner (that I didn’t cook, therefore rude not to eat J.) As the month went by, I found myself craving sugar less and less.  Although come March 1, one would not be convinced seeing as how I consumed a good third of a box of well hidden Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Overall I think we accomplished our goals of breaking our dependence on sugar.

Good riddance Sugar-free February!

…Check back soon for Journaling and Kindness March.  Still trying to come up with a catchy title for that one.

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread (minus the nuts)

Made this tonight because I had some overripe bananas. Reminded me of making it at Susy Bryan's (ok, Houx) house when we were kids. That's where I first learned that old bananas had such a wonderful fate. Susy and Ms. Monique were always baking something wonderful!

Because I hate nuts, I have eliminated them from the batch pictured and replaced them with chocolate chips.

Oh, and yes, this is still sugar-free February. So sue me. :) The bananas told me to do it. It was their final wish.

Included the recipe so you can try it...

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
3/4 cup butter softened
1- 8oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups self rising flour
3-4 medium sized mashed bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 tea. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time beating until just blended. Gradually add the flour to the mixture, beating at low speed until just blended. Stir in bananas, nuts and vanilla. Spoon batter into two greased and floured 8x4 loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes (if it starts getting too brown, put some aluminum foil over the top). Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

We Survived the Great January Buying Cleanse (sort of)

Remember that I said in a previous post that Tiffaney and I were going to take our 2011 resolutions one month at a time?  We chose to go on a "buying cleanse" for the entire month of January.

Tiffaney wrote about our month-long adventure below.  I have a guest blogger!  Does that make me official or what??

As it turns out the theory of not buying anything new, that isn’t considered consumable,  had more “gray lines” than I anticipated. It’s strange how you can find way to rationalize that items are “consumable.” Overall I think you’ll see that Magen certainly out performed me in her attempt to curb consumption. But, I think we both realized we often make impulse purchasing decisions with little regard to whether we truly NEED the item. I can remember a few occasions of contemplating purchases to only remember we were on our “January Quest.”  Now I can’t remember most of what I wanted to purchase…guess that proves that you don’t always need what you want. 

January’s Tally

Magen’s Purchases:

• 2 - $3 disposible tablecloths (I think these are considered consumable)
• $70 of Clinique makeup (It was bonus week, therefore a bargain in any woman’s mind!)
• $2.58 for two itunes songs
• Magen edit – Okay okay, Tiffaney, it just occurred to me that I bought Sugarland concert tickets on Jan. 29, but its not till MARCH!  Oops, my bad.

Magen's Resisted Purchases:

• Wall Calendar $15 (turns out she got one free from Economics Arkansas later)
• Norah Jones Duets CD $14
• Bathroom rugs $40
• Living room rug $100
• Birthday gifts $75 (some were improvised, and some are coming, Talyn and Jake!)
• James Dobson’s “Strong Willed Child” book (that’s another post) $8
• Magen edit - Y’all there are countless other things that I thought about buying that I can’t even remember.

Tiffaney’s Purchases:

• $8 – Mascara – We counted this as consumable (one of those gray areas)
• 2 – Birthday gifts – I went as consumable as possible, but sometimes you just have to buy a gift.
• 2 pairs of pants – Now I rationalized this one by ordering them in January, but I will not get them until Febuary…tricky. (You can chalk this one up to forgotten RedStrike chapstick  in a pocket and sent to the dryer…turns neon yellow.)
• Hangers – I completely cheated on this one. I wanted, not needed hangers and may have tricked Magen into saying they were consumable/purpose driven items. What I did not disclose is that I ordered 100 of the slim line ones. I just had it with my closet and have been thinking about it for six months so technically not an impulse purchase, but still cheating. Sorry Magen!  Magen edit – I did not say they were consumable!  I said they were NOT consumable!  :) But I did buy those tickets, so we're even.

Tiffaney's Resisted Purchases:

• BE Lip Gloss set $25
• More lavender slim line hangers J
• A board game I saw that would be good for our upcoming game night
• New Glasses

Hopefully our sacrifices have taught us a little self-control, we’re certainly going to need it for February…

no sugar month! 

God's Will - Can You See It?

<sup>Do you sometimes wonder if what you're doing is God's will?  Even though you know it's good, is it where God is leading you?  I do.  What a cool example of God showing answering a specific prayer instantaneously...


44</sup> and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the LORD has chosen for my master’s son.’

 ⁴⁵ “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

 ⁴⁶ “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also. ~Genesis 24:44-46

Lord, You know what I need before I ask, and provide it before I can finish asking.  Thank You Father, for Your constant provision.

My Favorite Song This Week

I've heard this song on K-Love a couple times this week. It's from Francecsa Battistelli's soon to be released album. The song is called "This Is The Stuff."

I think she wrote it for me. Describes my chaotic moments. And reminds me how BIG I'm blessed! :)

Look for your 2% temporary raise

I don't know if I like this or not.  I'm pretty sure social security is going to run out before I retire.  And I don't see anything being done to prevent it.  So I'm paying in every paycheck for possibly nothing during retirement.  This will likely put the SS pot further in the hole.  But here it is anyway...

Now that 2011 is here, there is a good news for millions of workers in the United States—more money in their paychecks. Thanks to the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, there has been a 2 percent decrease in Social Security withholding taxes. The short-term tax break has been referred to as the payroll tax holiday. Both self-employed individuals and employed workers will see the bump in their regular pay effective January 1, 2011.

How Change Has Come

Employees were paying 6.2 percent of their pay toward Social Security. For 2011, employees will only have to pay 4.2 percent on income below $106,800. For self-employed individuals, the self-employment tax also drops from 12.4 percent to 10.4 percent. There will be no additional checks accompanying your normal paychecks. The adjustment will be made on your regular check, with the two percent difference added in throughout 2011.

The tax act for 2011 will only be a short-term tax break. Once 2012 hits, the payroll tax holiday will no longer be in effect unless the federal government once again steps in to extend the time period for another year. In 2012, the Social Security withholding amounts will go back to the current rate.

What are you going to do with your two percent?  :)

Is Guilt Good?

Recently, I read an article in Harvard Business Review: "Guilt-Ridden People Make Great Leaders."  As one that is prone to guilt, I find the study intriguing and think there is some truth to it.

The study: About 150 workers in the finance dept. of a Fortune 500 company took a standard psychological test, which measured the tendency to feel guilt.  Those results were compared with their performance reviews.  They found that people who were more prone to guilt received higher performance ratings from their bosses. Studies also showed that they were more committed to their organizations and seen as stronger leaders by their peers.

The finding: People who are prone to guilt tend to work harder and perform better than people who are not guilt-prone, and are perceived to be:

• harder workers
• better leaders
• more altruistic and willing to help others
• higher performers
• more committed to their employers
• able to see the big picture

http://hbr.org/2011/01/defend-your-research-guilt-ridden-people-make-great-leaders/ar/1

Wonder Years: In the Country

Lived here from the time I was in 3rd grade until I graduated from HS.  This was out in the country with plenty of space to roam.  Also lived across the street from best friends Courtney and Jaime.  We had so much fun!

Mom had this sign on the front porch when we lived there.  Guess what?  When I visited recently (new owners were kind enough to show me around) it was STILL there!  How funny.

 There used to be a playhouse behind the mailboxes where we'd wait for the school buses in the morning.  There is a story behind that PVC pipe newspaper holder.  The newspaper boy used to fly down our gravel road (only three families lived down it) every day.  Well, he ran over my dog one day.  One of our neighbors and dear friends, Jerry, forbid the paper boy to ever come down that gravel road again.  When they got tired of not getting the paper, I think he built that receptacle for it.  :)

 Handprint from the front porch.  :)

12 Resolutions for 2011

OK - quick break in the Wonder Years posts...

I’m excited about 2011. Are you?  Like my dear Susy blogged about, I was happy to say good riddance to 2010.  Don’t get me wrong, there were so many good things about it, but 2010 also marked some life-changing difficult times for me.  I did learn – albeit a difficult lesson – that life is not easy, nor is it supposed to be.  I don’t think we were promised happiness, were we?  Rather, we can find joy in our Creator who is just so in love with us, and in aiming to please Him.  Wow – it is so amazing as I look back to see the strength and peace He blessed me with this year.  Thank you, God, and please go gentle on me this year!

Louis L'Amour  wrote, "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."  All I know is, 2011 will mark the 30^th year of my life and I am going to relish every moment of this year and celebrate the start of a new chapter, a new decade.

So…

My friend Tiffaney and I are mixing it up with resolutions for 2011.  Instead of one 12 month resolution, we’re taking it by the month.  For example, we’re on a “buying cleanse” for January.  We have agreed not to buy anything that is not considered a consumable this month.  Obviously, groceries and gas are okay.  But, no indulgences.

As I was shopping in Whole Foods on New Year’s Day (buying a homemade birthday cake for mom – ha), I realized that this is going to be a little more challenging than I thought.  I saw a 2011 wall calendar that I “needed” for the kitchen, but remembered that I couldn’t get it.  Also, as I was checking out, I saw a Norah Jones (don’t you love her voice?) duets CD that I would have purchased without a second thought before, but did not.  So that’s probably $25 right there for those two items.  I may make a list and see how much I potentially save throughout the month.

We also thought about using one month to do things for one week at a time.  For example, maybe in August, we’d go without tv for a week, drink only water every day for a week, etc.

We talked about the need to get into the habit of daily Bible reading.  That will be a yearlong resolution.  College Avenue C of C has a bible reading guide to take you through the Bible in a year.  Here’s a link to one I found online.  My parents’ church is on board: “One Church.  One Bible. One Year.”  They’re using a Daily Bible that is arranged in chronological order that takes you through in one year. 

Back to the monthly resolutions – we’re still developing the list, but here are some ideas:

• No sugar
• No Dining Out
• Working Out 3  Days a Week (my issue, since Tiffaney's always at the gym)
• No Driving Distractions (phone, makeup, etc)
• Daily Random Act of Kindness
• Arriving on Time ~shudder!~
• Organizing
• Journaling

Help!  What are your ideas?  What can I do to develop myself physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally? 

Wonder Years: Forest Place

 We lived in this house from the time I was three until I was about in 3rd grade.  

I have a lot of good memories with Leah and Jenny when we all lived in the this neighborhood.  We spent a lot of time at each other's houses.  I remember playing "teacher" at Jenny's house.  How about that time that I rode the skateboard barefoot in your driveway, Leah?  I think I lost a toenail over that one.

 Can't see the imprint below very well, but it is my name and my 3 year old handprints on the front porch.  And the next one with it is Mary Claire putting her hands in my imprints.  Lots of happy memories in Forest Place.

The Wonder Years

Remember "The Wonder Years"?  Kevin and Winnie?  Ran from 1988 - 1993, but was set in the late 60's-early 70's.  I loved that show.  The reruns are back on t.v. now on some network called the HUB.  I recently visited my childhood homes and had my own Wonder Years moment.  For your reading pleasure, I'm going to document it over the next couple posts.  :)

"...things never turn out exactly the way you planned. Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers; next day you're gone.  But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. 

I remember a place... a town... a house like a lot of other houses... A yard like a lot of other yards... on a street like a lot of other streets.

And the thing is... after all these years, I still look back... with wonder. "