Some Winter Musings

This was the scene outside my window the entire week. While it is beautiful, it is not my favorite scenery. It was snowy and frigid and I stayed hunkered down in my house for most of the week. I ventured outside to take dinner to my in-laws on Monday for my father-in-law's 89th birthday and I worked at a friend's shop on Thursday, and went grocery shopping, but other than those things, I stayed home and worked from here.  I'm starting to understand why some people move south when they get older.

But despite the weather, I enjoyed my week. That is mostly because I was working on a fun project - a cookbook. I'm in the process of writing a plant-based cookbook and so did a bunch of recipe testing this past week. I also did a lot of sampling which was not good! The needle on the scale jumped up a couple of pounds which helped me realize that I need to watch it, even when eating good things.

I also will be starting a new website for all things frugal and nutritious. A friend encouraged me to delve into this untapped part of my life. I will share the links once it is up and running, but it will include frugal tips and inspiration and ways to save money. I will have some recipes there and also share how it is possible to eat nutritiously on a budget.

I will continue to write here on this blog as well. This has been a ministry for me and I will continue to encourage and share different insights the Lord has given to me. Writing has always been a way I process things so I will continue to do that in this space.

We are three weeks into January and they have been productive weeks. I am thankful that the way I've organized my goals this year, as well as being intentional each week in sitting down and planning out the coming week, has been very helpful. I generally set aside some time on Sunday and look at my overall yearly objectives to remind myself of the them. Then I write down my list of appointments for the week and plug in what I would like to accomplish that week, keeping in mind my word for the year, "connected."

So I schedule in time to connect to the Lord, connect to others around me and stay connected to the ministry that God has for me. It's been a very different way to operate my life and I see a difference already. So I want to continue to do this on a weekly basis.

And one other thing I've been doing after I write out my list for the week is to pray about it to be sure I'm staying in-tune to what the Lord wants me to do that week. I also am praying before I say "yes" to things. I have a tendency to plunge in and think afterwards or I say "yes" because I feel guilty if I don't want to do a particular thing. 

I'm learning that just because something is important to another person that I don't have to make it my priority if I'm not feeling led to do that ministry. That is a hard one for me because the approval of others has been a driving force in my life. The Lord is teaching me to listen to His nudging and it's okay to say, "no," even if that means someone may be disappointed.

I also want to do things to the best of my ability and that doesn't always happen when I'm spread too thin. I do a good job, but I often think that it would be even better if I could just stay focused.

I'm looking forward to this year and am praying that it's a year of growth and forward movement. In many ways it is going to be an exciting year, which includes our daughter's wedding. 

I'm looking forward to a year of connections.