Cherished

Today I'm having a go for the first time at "Five Minute Friday", with Lisa-Jo Baker, and it's freaking me out a little! The idea is to write for just five minutes flat, with no editing or thinking too much about it. "why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing." (from her website). Today's word was Cherished - so here we go!

GO

Little blinking eyes, squinting at the world. Head turning left, right, left, right, clunking it's way around my body - shoulder, chin, shoulder. Popping up like a meercat, then down again to nuzzle into my chest.

Baby girl with long, curled up fingers. A little brown birthmark over the left shoulder. Toes so long that they curl around your pinky. Slender legs with chubby skin on top.

A smile that starts from the eyes. It almost looks like she's pretending to wink. Then her mouth opens, the edges of it curl, and it turns into a full-blown, mega-watt, heart-melting grin - eyes twinkling, mouth wide open, utter joy.

Each day, each week will bring new changes. I can see her in gumboots, splashing through puddles, waddling around all crazy-like as she learns to walk. Sitting in the sand pit, exploring this new thing with her hands and then eating it, wrinkling up her face. Running after her brother and sister, screaming, giggling, bellowing. I wonder if you'll be as loud as them, my dear, cherished baby girl.

STOP

xx Sarah

My One Word for 2013

Around the internet in Christian Blogging particularly, there is a movement (for lack of a better word) that encourages people to choose one word for their year. More than a new years resolution, it's something to focus on for the year, something to let shape you and your decisions.

The One Word 365 website says it well: "Forget New Years resolutions. Scrap that long list of goals you won't remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word. One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long."

I've wanted to do this for 2013 but have been praying and pondering for two weeks now, and the only word that I have in my mind seems... well... "wussy". For anyone who doesn't know that word (and didn't go to primary school in New Zealand), that means that I think my word is a cop-out. Chicken. A bit sort of unimpressive and lazy. But I think that it is right for me, for where myself and my family find ourselves, and it is something I need to learn.

Rest. Yep. Spectacular huh?

I'm resigned to it now, and here's what I think it means for me.

I need to learn to rest, physically. To stop, spend time being quiet, reading the bible, looking around me, and not worrying about what I need to do next.

I need to rest from my obsessive need to be involved in thing, to be "in the know". I wrote last year about resting from my own expectations. I'm still learning that.

To rest with my children. Instead of being so busy that I hardly have time to look at them, I want to look into their eyes, play with them, and talk to them.

As a family I want us to schedule life around rest, instead of scheduling our rest around our life (and therefore never resting). I want to take weekends away with friends. Have people over to share food with and chat. To see my husband getting active rest - he rests by being physical. To make time for him to be able to do things he loves and that are restful for him. And when he does the same for me, to choose wisely and to actually rest, not rush around "doing" stuff.

How this fits with all my high and lofty intentions to read lots of books, write more, and re-do my house, I have no idea. But I'll keep you posted.

Has anyone else chosen their one word?

If you'd like to know more, check out these websites and blogs:

The One Word 365 website.

Sarah Bessey shares her One Word.

SheLoves Magazine writes about the One Word movement.

Nish at Nish Happens shares hers.

xx Sarah.

Read those books!

 As it is January, I am in my usual annual Goal-Making zone. This usually fizzles out by mid February. So I had better make the most of it now!

I have a few things that I am going to write about in the weeks to come, but thought I'd start with sharing about this. I am a chronic book buyer. I like to think I'm a chronic book reader, but alas, that has not been the case for a while. I even have "book devourer" on my Pinterest bio! A bit of false marketing there I feel...

This year I'd like to put that right. I want to read all the books that I bought last year and the year before (some of them may pre-date that, but not many), and not buy more. At least until I'm most of the way through the list. Or unless it's something really amazing... Anyway.

Here's the list. After I finish each book I'm going to share here what I thought about it - a review of sorts. I must stress that the reason these books are unread, or only halfway read, is not because they are bad books, but because I am slack. And addicted to buying books. I'll note beside each book whether they are unread or half finished.

Interrupted: Jen Hatmaker. Unread, but leant out to others who said it was great.
Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible: Liz Curtis Higgs. Am a few chapters in.
Grace Based Parenting: Tim Kimmell. Unread, bought most recently.
How to be Pentecostal without speaking in Tongues: Tony Campolo. Unread.
Lioness Arising: Lisa Bevere. Half finished.
Boundaries: Cloud & Townsend. A few chapters in.
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Philip Yancey and Paul Brand. Unread.
Spirit-led Parenting: Tietz & Oyer. This was bought for someone else, I sneakily read about half of it before giving it to her - she has leant it back to me to read.
The Story of God, the Story of Us: Sean Gladding. Unread.
Velvet Elvis: Rob Bell. Unread.
The Practice of Love: various writers. Half finished.
Life Interrupted: Priscilla Shirer. Unread.
Loving our Kids on Purpose: Danny Silk. Currently reading.
Joyce Meyer: Battlefield of the Mind. Unread.
You are not what you weigh: Lisa Bevere. A few chapters in.

So there we go, slightly embarrassing but oh well.

I've started with Danny Silk's "Loving our Kids on Purpose", and it's fantastic. I got that one and the Tim Kimmell book on Sarah Bessey's recommendation, from her list of "Books that influenced her parenting". It's so good to have books recommended to you by someone you respect so much.

In line with this post and the previous one, I'm changing the tone of this blog a bit from now on. It has tended to be somewhere to go when I want to write a big long preacher-like rant, and I've felt a bit boxed in by that. So from now on I'm going to try to write about books, life stuff, and interior design - following along with our home renovations. In time I might feel like I have to split the blog into two, but I'd have to be writing a whole lot to get to that I think. I like sharing and writing, but struggle with how much or how little to share. So I'll just figure that out as I go. 

Has anyone else got some book recommendations, or unfinished books waiting to be read that they would ike to share?

xx Sarah

It's a new year!

It's the first of January 2013 and I have been doing a lot of thinking about blogging and what I want to share and do. I'm also thinking I needed to be more organised and go to the supermarket yesterday, when it wasn't a public holiday! Ah well, it's toast and peanut butter for our family today!

I have a few things in mind for goals, or resolutions - which I am always useless at sticking to (which is why I am not officially making any this time!) - for this year. 2012 was consumed by growing a baby and then having her. Beautiful Yvonne is 6 weeks old tomorrow and she's a lovely wee thing. I'm not attempting to do anything too majestic with a wee baby, so I think perhaps these things on my mind aren't goals as such - just lifestyle changes. There are so many things I love to do, yet instead of doing them I spend a lot of time browsing the net, looking at other peoples interesting lives! As lovely as pretty interior design sites and Pinterest and amazing blogs are, they can be a bit of a trap, and an escape place from my own life.

Photo of Yvonne's precious feet by Jo Conroy Photography

So this year I'll be attempting to write on my own blog a bit more, about the life I am living offline, and hope that I'll spend less time observing everyone else. Or at least that I can put healthy limits around activities that aren't in line with how I want to live.

It should be interesting!

So watch this space for hopefully more posts from me where I'll be sharing more of these "lifestyle changes" and letting you know how I'm getting on with them.

Happy 2013!

Does anyone else have any goals/resolutions/lifestyle changes you want to tell me? So that I can feel inspired!

xx Sarah