Make-a-change Monday~Simplify

16 July, 2012 by 4 Comments
I’m a “want-it-right-now” kinda girl. Patience is not one of my virtues. Obviously over the seven years I was sick, God was well aware of my lack of patience and was trying to teach me a thing or two.  And I’ve learned my lesson. The hard way.

Making changes that produce great results don’t come easy.
  • No matter how many times I throw away all the junk in my pantry promising myself that I will feed me and my family only healthy food. The Fudge Rounds and Lucky Charms always creep their way back in. 
  • Every time I get all of the clutter cleaned up, I swear I will not let it pile up like that again. Let the following picture tell you how that has turned out. I just took these on Instagram (6:52 pm Sunday evening)
If you read Saturday’s post: I’ve been kidnapped, you’ll 
understand why I have an air mattress in my living room…
I promise this will look like a completely different house tomorrow, but I can’t seem to keep it that way. It’s a simple concept I attempt (though obviously fail) to teach my kids… “when you get something out, put it away.” So simple, right? 

You would think.

Living with pack rats (the other four members of my family) plus three dogs and two cats…it’s a full zoo. Here’s just a small representation 😉


I wouldn’t trade my crazy zoo for anything. They all bless me. But things around here must get under control!  

I know the answer; I just don’t like what it takes to get there. I’ve had the “sign”—literally—for years:

 

I’ve followed a blog for a while called “Simple Mom” that’s all about simplifying your life. I think mine needs an overhaul. 


So my {make-a-change} this Monday was buying the following book. I’ve been trying for years to simplify…it’s obvious I need some help! The title caught my attention. One Bite at a Time sounds like it’s all about small changes. Right up my alley. 

It’s a $5.00 e-book and hopefully well worth the money. I’ll let you know how it goes in upcoming posts. Maybe I’ll share some of my changes and some pics with you on upcoming {make-a-change} Mondays and you can join along with me. Although, hopefully, you are not all as hopeless…

From my heart,
Celeste
Filed Under: Family Focused, Making Changes, Simplify Your Life Tagged With: , , , ,

Make-a-change Monday~Love One Another

27 February, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Since we made the change last week to start cleaning out the stuff we used to consider to be treasures, we will have time to lay up our treasures in Heaven. 

All my life I’ve been taught that earthly treasures mean nothing. “You can’t take it with you,” they said. 

It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 
than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. 
(Mark 10:25 ESV)

I get it. “Stuff” means nothing. Worrying about our stuff keeps us from spending time on what’s truly important.

But what are our treasures in Heaven and how can we begin to put them in place?

Souls. Souls are our treasures.

God commands us to love one another, just as He has loved us. Love one another. 

That’s how we lay up our treasures in Heaven. Love. Share the love of Christ and make it so enchanting no one can resist. 


For every fifteen minutes you spend cleaning clutter, spend another fifteen sharing what Christ has done for you. 



From my heart,

Celeste
Filed Under: Living with Purpose, Make-a-change Mondays, Making Changes, Simplify Your Life, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: , , , , ,

Make-a-change Monday~The Fifteen-Minute Clutter Cleanup

20 February, 2012 by Leave a Comment


Are you a pack rat? 
I am desperately trying to simplify my life. Learning NOT to be a pack rat is one major change I’m making, and it is not easy. 
For years I’ve read books on decorating, organizing, saving, displaying, etc. and there have been times I’ve spent more effort on moving around the “stuff” in my life than probably anything else. It’s ridiculous. It’s STUFF! 
So today’s “make a change” is short and sweet, and I’m working hard on this one myself. 
Choose one small space and spend 15 minutes cleaning out the clutter. You might choose one of these:

•   Your toothbrush drawer
•   The hot spot in the kitchen where everyone dumps things as they walk in the house
•   Your underwear drawer
•   A child’s toy box
•   Your nightstand
Now, as you go through items and deliberate what to do with them, ask yourself these questions:

•   Has it been a year since you last used/wore it?
•   Is it too big or small, or out of date? (Think of clothes and techy gadgets here)
•   Could it be easily replaced?
•   Do you spend more time moving it out of the way to get to something else than you do actually using it?
•   Do you have something similar that serves the same purpose? 

If you answered “yes” to those questions, let it go. 
Now if you’re like me, you’ll feel guilty about throwing these treasures away, so you end up spending even more time figuring out what to do with them. I’ve come up with a fairly easy solution that is working well for me. 
I went to TJ Maxx and bought some of their large, reusable shopping bags (only 99 cents and really cute) and I put two of them in each of the kid’s closets, my closet, and the laundry room. For each set of bags, one is for Good Will and the other is for consignment. 
Each time I do my fifteen-minute clutter cleanup, I have bags ready to deposit the items. When a bag is full, I take it to its destination, and then put my empty bag back in its place to fill again. 
•   No huge mess to “clean up” once I’ve “cleaned out” because I never do anything that takes more than 15 minutes. 
•   No truck full of stuff to ask my hubby to get rid of when he comes home from work. 
•   No procrastinating or dread of the huge clean out project looming over my head.
Just 15 minutes. Once a day, twice a week, whatever you can do. You won’t miss that small chunk of time, and a year from now, you’ll have lots of clean spots in our houses! 
The really cool thing is, once we can spend less time on this earthly “stuff” we accumulate so easily, we can spend more time on laying up our treasures in Heaven! (If you’re not sure exactly what those are, stay tuned. I’ll have a post on that one next Monday.)
Go do your 15-minute clutter cleanup now! 
From my heart, 
Celeste
P.S. Once you start this process, you will automatically think before you buy more “stuff.” Once you get the space clean, you won’t want to clutter it up again. 
P.P.S. For those of us who are really hardheaded, those hot spots may have to be cleaned up more than once.
P.P.P.S. A prayer over a husband and children may also be required if they are the clutter bugs! 

If you want lots of cleaning and organizing tips that make life easy, check out The FlyLady. I found her several years ago after reading her book, Sink Reflections, which is full of great tips to help you make those changes that stick!

If you want someone to walk you through a few weeks, my friend Tsh over at Simple Mom is doing Project Simplify for Spring. She has an easy plan she’ll walk you through!

Filed Under: Make-a-change Mondays, Making Changes, Simplify Your Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Tips to a Happier You in 2012~Acts of Kindness & Altruism

4 February, 2012 by 2 Comments


Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”
 (Romans 15:1-2 Msg)

The definition of altruism in the New American Oxford Dictionary reads as follows: 

altruism |ˈaltroōˌizəm|
noun
the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others 


One of the foundational truths repeated time and time again throughout the Bible is that we should practice altruism:
You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.
(Mark 12:31 ESV)

So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law of the Prophets.
(Matthew 7:12 ESV)

We are to care for and have compassion for our fellow man.

Much scientific research has been done on the effects of altruism, and it has been proven time and time again it benefits both the giver and the receiver. Acts of kindness and altruism have shown to actually increase serotonin production in both parties involved.

When we are depressed, we tend to maintain the “poor, pitiful me” status. You can only remain miserable by continuing to look inward. When we begin to help someone else, we take our focus off ourselves and begin looking outward.

In doing some research on altruism, I did find a few studies that support findings that altruism can contribute to depression. The giver can get wrapped up in the problems of the receiver and become depressed. I do understand that way of thinking, and that’s where our faith must come into play. There will always be sad situations that are ultimately out of our control. But that’s where God comes in. We are only commanded to help others, not to solve all of their problems. God has a plan and as Christians, we must trust him to carry out that plan. We are only to carry out the part of that plan as he presents it to us.


And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28 ESV)
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
(Ephesians 1:11 ESV)
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19:26 ESV)
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
(Proverbs 19:21 ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

Serving others is always an adventure. To begin an act of service is to open yourself up to blessings you never know existed.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’(Matthew 25:40 ESV)



Matthew 6:19-21 tells us not to collect treasures here on earth, but to lay up our treasures in Heaven. Have you ever wondered what that really means? Every single person on the earth has eternal significance—they all have souls worth saving—and will be our treasures in Heaven. 

I challenge you this week to look outward into the world around you and see what you can do for someone else.

From my heart,

Celeste


Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, How to be Happy, Tips to a Happier You Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,