Joy comes in the morning!

On Monday my big boys started school. Fulton is now a 2nd grader and Sam is a 5th grader!

Unbelievable!!!

The night before school starts is always filled with great anticipation. We sat around the table eating our ice cream sundaes and I asked each boy what their hope was for the new school year. Their answers were the obvious... do well, make more friends, have fun, get extra recess, etc.

Sam had been feeling a little more apprehensive about the start of the new school year. The last few days he had been talking a lot about it being his last year of elementary school and asking what middle school will be like. He's in those really awkward years - stuck between wanting to feel grown up and still wanting to be a little boy. I remember like it was yesterday having the same feeling. It's so hard!

On Sunday night as I was preparing to tuck everyone in, Sam came into Oliver's room and asked if I'd snuggle with him a little longer. When I got into his room he hopped up on the bed with the picture book "Pickles to Pittsburgh" by Judi Barrett {the sequel to "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"}. He said, "mom, will you read me this book tonight?"

I was a little surprised as Sam hasn't wanted me to read ANYTHING to him in about 2 or 3 years. He's been a very independent reader for a while. I said, "sure, but wouldn't you rather read it to me?"

He tearfully answered, "No, I want you to because this is what I love about being a kid... I have so many good memories of our time together and I'm afraid to grow up!"

Needless to say, I was in a flood of tears as I reassured him that growing up is good! And just because you grow up doesn't mean you won't have good memories.

His concern is that those "memories will be so far away" as he gets older. Again, I know exactly what he means. It seems like childhood was just a blip on the radar. We settled down, I read his book - holding back more tears, said our prayers, and I tucked him in.

I am so thankful that he asked me to read that book to him, that he shared his heart with me, and that we have created good memories for him. But at the same time I got so incredibly sad that he really is growing up in the blink of an eye. I was emotionally drained by the time I finally went to sleep.

Even after all that...Sam jumped up and was ready for school in record time. Fulton was his usual skippy morning-person self. Oliver was bummed that he has to wait until next week to start school. And the whole family was up and running bright and early! We all felt excited and refreshed.

Sam - 5th grade, Fulton - 2nd grade and Superman in pajamas starts All-day 4k next week {Lawd Help!}



It was a delightful reminder of Psalm 30:5(b)- Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

'Tis true, folks. 'Tis true! Life can be an emotional roller coaster, but we are always restored by His promises. 

So for now, I'll continue hanging on to their childhood for dear life, making memories... even if it means I have to read picture books to each one of them every.single.night for the rest of their lives!

My FULL heart

I was bombarded with emotion this weekend...my hubby in the last year of his 30's, summer ending, school starting! Time is flying by and I just wish I could freeze certain moments. I'm always a tad melancholy at the start of a new school year. But my heart feels a little fuller than usual this time.

Last week we celebrated Shan's 39th birthday. This week his brother celebrates his 44th. So each year we celebrate both of their birthdays with Shan's family on the weekend in between.

Birthday boys!

 



We met for dinner on Saturday night. The wait was particularly long! I was dreading the hour wait with my hungry and bored little peeps, but they were extremely well-behaved. As we sat, the loud pop music was playing in the background and - ironically enough - the song "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs came on. It happens to be one of their favorites. Sam started singing, then Fulton. Oliver even chimed in on the chorus.

My music-lovin' boys were spot-on! Harmony and pitch-perfect!! All the people sitting around us were smiling and tapping their feet along. How could they not? Coming from a musical family, I couldn't have been more proud.

I can't explain how blessed I felt at that moment - with those 3 blond heads happy, healthy, smiling, singing and sharing a passion of mine.

There are days that I think, "what in the world was God thinking when he gave me THREE boys to raise? I CANNOT do this!!!" But I AM doing this, with His help. They are my precious gifts and they fill my heart! Thanks be to God!

At A Loss

I don't even know where to start. I didn't think I would return from a 3 month break with this kind of update.

The month has been so VERY hard for us. It's bad enough when you lose one person, not to mention, two. On February 27th we lost my mom's oldest sister Elaine {"Laynie"} and 2 weeks later we lost my precious 98 year-old great-aunt Nita. It's all been quite overwhelming.

It's been exactly one month since I said good-bye to one of my favorite people on this earth. My Aunt Laynie was one of the most beautiful women - inside and out - that I have been blessed to have in my life.

I keep thinking it's all a bad dream. But it's not. And the reality of it is extremely hard to accept. It seems like everywhere I look in my house there is something that triggers a memory of her or a desire to talk to her.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity the day before she passed to sit by her bedside and tell her how much I loved her and thank her for all she had ever done for me and my boys. I prayed with her and held onto her hand so tightly, dreading the moment I'd have to let go. It was painful to leave her room. I prayed for peace and the wisdom to know when I had told her all that was on my heart. I didn't want to leave out one.single.thing.

My cousin Emily, her granddaughter, delivered the most beautiful eulogy. When she was compiling all the necessary details, she asked us to describe her "Mimi". I said in one word, "selfless", which sums her up completely. But as I use this little blog to archive these times in my life, I just have to document and share who she was to me in more than a word. She was "My Laynie" {A little possessive, ya think?}, a true inspiration.

She was born  May 23,1938 and her name at birth was Claudia Elaine. When I was born my parents gave me her first name and I have always been honored to have it. My whole life we've had an extra special bond. At birth she called me "Rosebud", but as I grew up Rosebud turned into "Blossom". I can still hear her voice in my head. "How's my sweet Blossom?", she'd always ask.

Her only daughter Renee - who's more or less a big sister to me -  is about 17 years older than me. So while she was off at college, my Aunt Laynie and Uncle Russ - an equally amazing man who passed away when I was 15 -  borrowed me for their entertainment. I spent many nights at their house and enjoyed being spoiled! My weekends at their house were made up of special dinners out at Steak & Ale, Shoney's for all-you-can-eat shrimp night - where she taught me to peel boiled shrimp, animal pancakes for breakfast, coffee-milk on the porch, crafts, and fishing. I flash back to those days frequently and without fail I get the most warm and fuzzy feeling all over. I am so thankful for those memories. She had me so rotten that sometimes, as a child, when I was upset or feeling bad, I would call out for her, "I want my Laynie!" I'm sure it made my poor momma feel great! ;-)

On top of all that, she never missed a dance recital, graduation, sacrament, or birthday of mine. On my last birthday, even though she wasn't feeling well, my mom made sure she had a card to sign for me. I am so thankful my mom knew how important it was for me to have "just one more card". I cried as I read her simple birthday message, knowing it would be the last. I will cherish it forever.

Her kind deeds were countless! I recall one of the coolest outfits a preteen could have owned was MINE because of one of our shopping trips to Tapp's. It was an ESPRIT eggplant-colored flared skirt with an off-white top donning tiny Aborigines in beautiful jewel tones that I wore with my eggplant-colored suede flats. It. Was. Awesome! I remember her bending over backwards to help my mom on my wedding day. And then there was the time that a very swollen, pregnant girl's washing machine broke while she was supposed to be on bed rest. The laundry was piled to the ceiling. The poor pregnant girl came home to find that the Laundry Elves {mom and Laynie} had visited and left her a new washing machine and folded stacks of clean baby clothes. She was so, so good to me.

Her goodness will never be forgotten by those who knew her. In her life and in her suffering, her inspiration never ceased.

Before her diagnosis, Aunt Laynie shared her life-verse with me. I'm not sure why, but I'm forever grateful that she did. She lived every aspect of her life through this verse and it now has an extra special meaning to those of us touched as a result of her service to her family and to the Lord.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14

After 2 years of battling lung cancer, God saw that her body was growing tired. Even though I selfishly want her here with me - healthy, laughing, and baking her famous Cocoon cookies - HE no longer wanted her to suffer and wanted her to be reunited with my Uncle Russ for eternity. It's that cardinal reminder that we belong to HIM and as much as I hated to let "MY Laynie" go, the good Lord called for "HIS Laynie" to come home.

Aunt Laynie and Uncle Russ - The love of her life.

My heart aches everyday for my mom and her siblings, my cousin Renee and her girls, and all those she touched. We are going to miss her so very, very much!

October 2005 - My mom's siblings with Aunt Nita: Uncle Robert, Aunt Laynie, Aunt Judy, Momma, Great Aunt Nita, Uncle Phil

May 2008 - Laynie's 70th Birthday: Aunt Laynie, Emily (one of her 2 granddaughters), Renee
 

October 2011

 

 

November 2011

I love you, Laynie...and miss you so incredibly much!

{You} have fought the good fight, {you} have finished the race, {you} have kept the faith.
-2 Timothy 4:7

Devoholic

Hi! My name is "The Manager" and I'm a Devoholic!

Wow! That feels good.

Y'all might remember my post on my "Devo-Bin". I have a bin full, shelf full, and Iphone full of inspirational and devotional books, blogs, and apps. You can't have too many, I don't think. I like them all for different reasons. I think it is so interesting that whichever one(s) I choose to pick up or click on they some how speak to me that day. (It's probably because I'm so screwed up and need so much help that ANYTHING could speak to me...even if a dog wrote it.) Seriously. It's almost as if I'm led to the WORD at the right moments. I LOVE THAT! Sometimes, even if I can't apply it to a current issue, I can reflect on it at a later date. I LOVE THAT TOO.

There are so many talented people who have the ability to minister through these devotionals and inspirational texts and websites. I admire the way they can reach out and touch so many hearts...hearts looking for direction, hearts looking to minister, hearts looking to heal, hearts looking to forgive. It really is an awesome gift, divinely granted.

I thought I'd share my faves.

About Children:
Book- Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Web (also available in print)- 31 Biblical Virtues to pray for Your Children

For Children:
Book- Veggie Tales 365 Very Veggie Devos for Kids
Web- Keys for Kids (register to have them come to your email inbox)

For Couples (together):
Book- Moments Together for Couples by Barbara and Dennis Rainey, The Love Dare
Web- Crosswalk Moments Together Daily Devotional

For Marriage:
Book- Power of a Praying Husband, Power of a Praying Wife both by Stormie Omartian

For Organization/Inspiration:
Book- More Hours in My Day by Emilie Barnes, The One Year Devotions for Women by Jill Briscoe
Web- Proverbs 31 Ministry

For Peace:
Book- Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

General:
App- (iphone) You Version Bible App, iTalk to God (free for iphone), Logos Bible (for iphone)
Book- The Essential Bible Guide by Whitney Kuniholm

Any who...thought I'd share!
Let me know if I'm missing out on any really good ones. I'm up for studies or daily devos!

Mama's lost her Mojo

Mojo! Mooooooooojooooooo! Has anyone seen my mojo?

Remember in my summer catch up post the other day I mentioned my quest to lose more weight?

No?

Oh well, you can go back and read it later.

Any whooooo...

I have completely lost my mojo. Back in May I started logging and paying attention to everything I put in my mouth. I adopted the motto "it can't possibly taste as good as being healthier feels." I was eating a very clean 1200-1500 calories a day and was never hungry, had very few cravings, and didn't feel guilty for splurges because I was in "my zone". I was going to the gym (Zumba, particularly) 5 times a week. By mid-June I was down 16 pounds. I am still down 16 pounds, which is good, I know. It came off slowly and I am obviously doing enough to keep it off for the past 3 months, BUT I just wish I could get my mojo-vation back. I was on a roll! But I have felt super lazy recently.

I feel like if I publicly put "IT" out there then I just might get it back.
I need to start logging again. I personally LOVE sparkpeople.com and their iphone app for counting calories. I also need to get back in the gym at least 5 times a week, again. I enrolled in a 10-session small group personal training with a friend of mine who is a trainer. I love it but it's only 2x/week and I am being kinda slack only adding an additional day or two to that in the gym. I have not been paying great attention to my eating habits and I REALLY want to. I have heard the breakdown is 80% what you eat, 10% exercise, and 10% genetics. I truly believe that.

I have a couple goals in mind...
Lose 25 more pounds and run a 5k (that's it) with a few precious girlfriends who have the same goal (one of them is right here). None of us have any intentions of being marathoners. We just wanna check it off our bucket lists. I also secretly want to do a triathalon, but I need to get through these other things first.

Before: April 2011

(this picture was my mojo-vation in the first place)

Now: September 2011

Ok. So that's a little better. But I gotsa looooooong way to go!

Now. If someone, anyone has seen my mojo, please tell it to come back!

Oh and prayers are also welcome. Thanks, y'all!

Circle of Life

Sunday, Shan and I took the boys and a couple of their friends to see the re-release of  The Lion King. I never actually realized that it is one of the few Disney movies the boys have not seen start to finish. I have a fondness for that movie and couldn't wait for my boys to see it. So, we treated them to a movie date.

It is definitely one of my favorite animated movies of all time. The first time I saw it was back in 1994. Shannon and I had been dating a little over a year. (Wow!) We both loved it and for some reason still feel a sentimental connection to the movie. In fact, I loved that movie so much that I named 2 of my beloved college pets after the characters. My one and only cat , Simba (1994-2005), and my beautiful parakeet, Zazu, who I loved for several years during and after college.

I have seen it so many times, but the last time I saw it I was not a mother. I don't think I was even married. The parts of the story by which I was moved the most were very different from what they are now. Originally, I watched it and processed it as a child. I put myself in Simba's place, thinking of how sad it would be to lose your father and carry the blame. This time I processed it as a wife and mother; thinking about how awful it would be to lose your husband and have your child runaway, feeling guilty, and having the weight of the world on his shoulders. That would probably be the deepest of pain for a mama. On the lighter side Pumba and Timon offered the same comic relief as they did the first time around. They truly signify the importance of loyalty in a friendship. Adorable!

I loved hearing the boys's critique! Of course they LOVED the music. Who doesn't?!?! The soundtrack is crazy good! My favorite is the opening song, Circle of Life, it brings me to tears and covers me in goose bumps EVERYTIME! Everything about it is so beautiful, majestic, and peaceful. It's kinda funny that a cartoon can make you appreciate the wonder of the earth. Hakuna Matata is as precious as always. And the scene with Can You Feel the Love Tonight is so sappy, cheesie, sweet! I just love it! When I asked Sam and Fulton what they thought of the movie, naturally, they thought it was great. But it was very interesting to hear Sam express those same feelings from the perspective of a child as I had when I first saw it. I told him I felt the same way before I became a mama, but now I feel differently. He said, "yeah that would be sad for your child to be gone for so long. I bet she missed him a lot."

Any who... I guess the "circle of life" does go on. I was glad to be able to share a long-time favorite movie of mine with my boys. Hopefully, they will tuck it away as one of their faves too.

Here goes...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! It's time to start all over again!

I have a love/hate relationship with the new year. Every year. I love the idea of being able to start fresh. Even though today (1-1-11) is really no different from yesterday, it just feels different. Fresh. Ya know? I hate it because I will once again be holding myself to a list of goals. Some I accomplish. Some I don't. It's the ones that I don't that bring me down. Soooo...This year I'm going to try to set realistic goals for myself from which my family and I may benefit. I started pondering my goals for 2011 about 12 months ago because I very quickly bombed on last year's and decided to start over this year.

As I posted earlier, 2010 was a bit on the yuck side for us and I feel there is definitely room for improvement. When reading these, you may think "gosh, she doesn't already do that!" And NO! I don't. Or I used to and have just REALLY fallen off the wagon in some areas!!! So here goes...

My friend Bevy over at It's a Golden Day has a great method to her madness of goal setting. Mine is quite similar and taken from one of my favorite organizational books More Hours in My Day by Emilie Barnes and Sheri Torelli. Their chapter on goal setting is right up my alley. They suggest choosing a mission statement or theme verse for you/your family and writing your goals according to categories, prioritizing, and making them measurable.

Our family theme verse for 2011: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. - Colossians 3:23-24
My Goals:

Spiritual-
a. Attend church more regularly (at least 2x/month)
b. Be more consistent with daily devotionals (Shan- 5x/week, The boys- 3x/week)
c. Pray nightly with my boys
Health/Beauty-
a. Schedule routine check-ups (which I have been avoiding/making excuses for) by January 31, 2011
b. Go to the gym/exercise at least 200x this year
c. Eat 5 fruits and veggies a day
d. Start taking a multi vitamin daily (again)
e. Treat myself monthly to something cosmetic (hair, nails, massage, new make up item...I am better than the back burner!)
Family/Household-
a. Make a weekly menu plan (again)
b. Make weekly trips to the grocery store (again)
c. Have a family game/activity night 2x/month
d. Schedule a date night in 1x/month and date night out 1x/month
e. Arrange visits to in-laws and grandad 1x/month
f. Visit with mom at least 1x/week
g. Invite mom and dad over at least 1x/month
Financial-
a. Have a weekly "Dave Ramsey" budget meeting with Shannon
b. Increase our emergency fund $x,000 by June 1, 2011
Professional-
a. Register for and complete 2 courses towards SC teaching certification by June 1, 2011
b. Change business name and update website by April 1, 2011
c. Establish accounts with at least 2 local businesses to rep my designs
Mental Health/Personal-
a. Repeat notes to self to daily: "Act the way I want to feel" - Gretchen Rubin The Happiness Project; "Energy begets energy" -Bob Green; "Worry less, act more."- Zig Ziglar
b. Read at least 6 fiction books this year (sad, I know.)
Social-
a. Send cards and/or gifts/make phone calls to family and close friends on birthdays/special occasions
b. Have play dates/sleep-overs for my boys at least 1x/month
c. Schedule dinner (in or out) with friends at least 1x/month
Community Service-
a. Get involved with an out reach mission at our church this year
b. Send boys to collect for Harvest Hope at least 2x this year

And there you have it!

With your support, I can be held accountable. With your prayers, I will hopefully be successful.

XO

A Magical Night

Doesn't Christmas Eve seem magical?


It seems surreal and magical to me when I think about...

• An event which took place over two-thousand years ago that changed the world forever
• The amount of faith the parents of this precious baby must have had on their journey
• The feeling of being humbled when I listen to the Gospel at church (Luke 2)
• The lyrics to the hymns we sing in church- ESPECIALLY, Hark the Herald and Away in a Manger
• The beautiful glow and coziness of our sweet church
• The quietness of the usually bustling streets
• The overwhelming feeling of gratitude I have for the things that really matter
• The AMAZING behavior of my children, which makes me wish every day was December 24th
• How no matter what my level of anxiety is, the second I walk into my parents home I feel like a care-free child again on Christmas Eve
• How giddy my boys get when I read "South Carolina Night before Christmas"
• How paralyzed with anticipation they get when I read "T'was the Night before Christmas"
• How awe-struck and solemn they become when I read the The Christmas Story from their children's Bible
• How blessed I feel to be sharing the Santa experience with my best friend of 18 years
• The bizarre feeling of comfort I get from hearing the voice of James Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life
• The feelings of relief and appreciation I have when I look under the tree and see that we were blessed enough to be able to provide for our loved ones yet another Christmas

I'm so thankful that we had a relaxing evening and yummy dinner at mom's tonight after church. I'm looking forward to spending Christmas day with my boys in the morning and my mom's side of the family at mom and dad's tomorrow for dinner. And we had a great night at the lake with Shannon's family last night. But most of all, I absolutely cannot wait to see the excitement on my boys' faces tomorrow morning, as they experience some of the same magic!!!
So, here's to wishing your Christmas is as magical as it should be!
Christmas Eve dinner with Muzzy and Boppa (and the reindeer???)
At the lake with the Baker cousins

Service

Before we say "goodnight", The Shan and I take about 5-10 minutes to do a devotional for couples. The one for last night was on living by a "non-negotiable list" and praying on how to apply each one. This is the list posted on the devotional:

1. Seek God, not sin.

2. Fear God, not man.

3. Love God, not the world.

4. Believe God, not the deceiver.

5. Obey God, not your appetites.

6. Serve God, not self.

7. Worship God, not comfort.

I haven't blogged in several days because it seems that the "volunteer bus" ran slam over me!!! Soooo, when I read this last night, the one that slapped me in the face the most was #6 -Serve God, not self.

I love volunteering and helping others, BUT-----I feel like sometimes when I sign up to "help", I'm not really serving God or others. I say yes to the task because I worry that I will hurt someone's feelings or they will think ill of me if I say no. So, ultimately I am serving myself and trying to justify myself!

When I agree to voulnteer, I quickly forget all the strain it puts on the other aspects of my life; scheduled meetings which take me away from my family, busy-work during the day which causes me to neglect my home and spend less time with my children. I wind up feeling out-of-sorts, guilty, and not so justified, afterall. And all of this because I didn't want to let someone down (...which in a nutshell, is where I am and how I've been for a couple of months now.)

Don't get me wrong! I LOVE a good cause, contributing to my church, and lending a helping hand to my children's school, but none of those things really justify or define who I am in God's sight. I am not justified or serving God at all just because my daily agenda is maxed. It only means I'm over-committed from trying to serve myself and have others justify me.

I have been thinking a lot recently about what defines me and how I am justified. And really, I should look no further for justification than our Lord! I am quite good enough for Him and that is what truly matters. Nothing else should matter. I am now commited to only serving others when I feel I am also serving God. I have no intentions to put all my current commitments to rest. I will gladly finish all that I have started. I will continue to participate in the ones that don't leave me to be justified by someone/thing else. However, in the future, I will NOT say yes immediately, nor will I justify myself by being the girl who always says "yes" and I will only "serve" if it means I'll be serving God!

Practical Tip- (see #6 list above)
Practically Put- But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:15

Practically Yours,

DAY 7

This week while wallowing in sinus infection and stomach bug grossness, I didn't feel much like physically organizing anything. I took a few days off from projects and cleaning to pretend to rest and take care of myself and to care for a vomitous MM3...love his heart! He kindly shared his sinus infection with me, but thankfully for the rest of us, he kept his stomach virus to himself. So as I was being as inactive as possible, I decide it was a good time to get spiritually organized.

As busy moms, we often don't have that 30 minutes of spiritual alone time that so many professionals recommend. Frequently, I find myself spending my personal time with the Lord in the shower, car, and just as I am drifting off to sleep. I even fall asleep in the middle of my nightly prayers!!! Does God really have a clue what I'm trying to say???? "Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the blessings of this day and for... ZzZzZzZzZ... and I pray that you will help me... ZzZzZzZzZ..." Yes, he actually does know the desires of my heart because of my 30 second snippets throughout the day and bedtime prayers with my boys and I think he appreciates my intentions. However, I am attempting to rework my "spiritual style" so that I can take full advantage of my personal time with the Lord. Along with my 30 second snippets, I would also like to incorporate AT LEAST 15-20 minutes each night to reflect and talk to God. I read my devotionals, sometimes with the Yard Man and sometimes alone. I try to remember all the prayer requests I've received throughout the day/week and I try to give thanks and talk to Him about my heart's desires. Sometimes I am just so tired and I can't seem to squeeze it all in. I know "God hears amen where ever we are" but I'd like to devote a little more time and energy to Him and not always give Him my left-overs! I'm not that person who is going to get up 30 minutes earlier each day...NOPE I am not. So this is my PLAN!!!

• 
  
  Carry my pocket Prayer Journal in my pocketbook for handy note taking and jotting down prayer requests, sermon notes, bible study notes, etc.
• 
  
  Head to bed 5-10 minutes earlier each night
• 
  
  Begin nightly devotions with prayer and thanksgiving FIRST, so as to not fall asleep before I'm finished talking to God
• 
  
  Spend 20 minutes doing our couples devotional, personal devotional, or bible study
• 
  
  Keep all devotional materials handy in my newly organized DEVO-BIN on my bedside table!

Which brings me to the DEVO-BIN. One of my books suggests a basket in which to store all your spiritual references. Thankfully, this chapter spoke loud and clear to me, as all my books, notes, pens and highlighters regularly stay in a jumbled mess on my bedside table. I didn't have a basket, nor would a basket fit on my bedside table, so I used this smaller metal bin I had on hand. It worked perfectly!

My DEVO-BIN includes some of my favorite and most frequently used spiritual guides

• 
  
  My Bible
• 
  
  Moments Together for Couples by Barbara and Dennis Rainey
• 
  
  The Yard Man's copy of The Power of a Praying Husband By Stormie and Michael Omartian (Lord knows I need all I can get!)
• 
  
  The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian (I did this one in a Bible study when MM1 was a baby and still refer to it weekly...love, love, love it!)
• 
  
  Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (Given to me by a dear friend who frequently offers great spiritual insight on her blog.)
• 
  
  Where to Find It in the Bible: A to Z resource guide
• 
  
  My Prayer Journal (which will travel with me but have a "home" in the DEVO-BIN)...pictoral details below
• 
  
  Pens, Pencils, and Highlighters
• 
  
  Special keepsake prayer cards issued at our women's retreat

Any who...I am very pleased with how functional and PRACTICAL it turned out. I love my DEVO-BIN!!!!

So...on to the Prayer Journal! This particular org book also suggested a small spiral notebook with dividers to serve as a Prayer Journal. I found mine at the dollar store and it worked perfectly. The author has hers laid out differently but thinks the reader should personalize hers according to her lifestyle and needs.

Prayer Journal

4 subject spiral pocket notebook

Tab #1- Desires of the Heart- this is an area for me to jot down my personal requests for God; my ambitions, goals, requests for forgiveness and worries

Tab #2- Sermon/Bible Study Notes- for the obvious

Tab #3- Prayer Requests- I finally have a designated place to write down all the prayer requests I receive from email, facebook, bible study, church, friends and family. I always feel so bad when I realize the next day that I left someone out! Hopefully, that won't happen anymore!

Tab #4- Notes- this section is to record thougts and feelings about answered prayers and waiting on the unanswered prayers

Note Cards clipped to the back cover for writing notes offering words of encouragement to others and those on the prayer request list.

Practical Tip- Just as God allows us to come as we are and fills us with purpose, go find that unused basket or bin, dust it off and wipe it out and make your own DEVO-BIN. Set the stage for regular well-deserved moments with our Lord and Savior!

Practically Put- But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. -Matthew 6:33

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28-30

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13

Practically Yours,