Change.

I'm getting back in the mood for blogging! Starting with some changes to my layout. Hoping to 'launch' new blog sometime around my birthday...May 13th for those wishing to send gifts.

Maybe I'll throw a LAUNCH PARTY like this guy! Be sure to check out his very sweet website while you're there.

My Purpose

Tonight I watched this video podcast of Rick Warren at the TED Conference in 2006. He is the author of the book, The Purpose Driven Life. At the conference, he was reflecting on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book's wild success. He explains his belief that God's intention is for each of us to use our talents and influence to do good.

I really enjoyed listening to Rick's talk. I am a big fan of the book and recommend it often. I've even given a couple as gifts (although Kevin still hasn't read it). Tonight, I was encouraged by Rick's talk. Just like the book always does, this talk sparked something in me that I'm determined to pursue.

At one point he brought up the story of God turning Moses' staff into a snake. [Exodus 4:2]

1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"

2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?". "A staff," he replied.

3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers...has appeared to you."

God asked Moses, "What is in your hand?". A simple, wooden staff. Part of Moses' everyday life. Right?

With that staff Moses defeated the magicians of Egypt, stripped Pharaoh of his power, humiliated Egypt's gods and brought Israel out from slavery to freedom*.

Rick went on to ask the audience: What is in your hand?

At that moment, I was holding Mia. She was in my hands.

Q: What do I have that God has given me?
A: My children

And what am I going to do with what God has given me? I don't have the perfect answer for this. But I know that I will work every day to influence my babies by example, by education, by discipline, by unfaltering love...I will influence my babies to make this world a better place. To love the Lord with their whole body so that they might be used by him to be a light in this world.

My children aren't mine just like this world is not mine. But I've been given the great pleasure of helping guide them thru life. They. Are. In. My. hands.

What has God given you? What are you going to do about it?

I'm going to re-read The Purpose Driven Life with this new perspective. I've always read the book with an 'all about me' slant. And that is exactly how I needed to read it at those times in my life. I'm excited about what God will reveal this time? My babies are my passion and part of my purpose in life.

What can do with what has been given to me. I'll keep you posted.

* sentence copied from here

Inspired!

After a long hiatus I think I'm ready to get back into the blogging world. I was reading Elizabeth Kartchner's blog. She is this year's Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year. She said that she made one goal: to be published. She accomplished her goal and went on to win this title. How rad! Scrolling thru her blog reminded me of how much fun it was to blog and how important it is to make and keep goals.

So, I'm gonna start blogging again. And maybe some creating here and there.

Composting My Thoughts

Kevin's Aunt and Uncle were green way before it was the v. cool thing it has become. They have this massive garden in their back yard that they fertilize with compost. Until we visited them last summer I had no idea what composting was...I was secretly shocked to discover that they scrape food into a bowl beneath their sink rather than throw it down the disposal or trash can like 'normal' people. But ever since that trip I can't get the idea out of my head. We throw so much usable food away! And when I found out that paper products (including paper towels and napkins) could be added to the compost heap...well, I'm literally intrigued. Poor Kevin. He knows he's fighting a losing battle here. Eventually we will have a compost bin and there's a good chance that he'll be the one managing it - but I promise to try!

I know that this green thing has become very popular and trendy as of late. But it's better than other fads (think tie-dying and neon colors), right? Hopefully this fad sticks. I'm sure everyone has changed their light bulbs already but if you haven't yet go by Costco and get the mega-pack of florescent bulbs and replace regular bulbs as many as you can. The savings on your electric bill should be immediate. We're also biking as much as possible - our cars usually sit parked all weekend long. We try to eat locally whenever possible. Completely unplugging appliances from the outlet when we're not using them. Recycling, of course. We use our own bags at the grocery stores and limit the bags we take from department stores when shopping. Trader Joe's Super Amazing Kitchen Cloth (like the Method microfibers) are awesome and our wicked cool new dryer balls are genius. I mean, we're never going to be 100% green - you'll never separate me from my TV and we will not be changing our shower heads anytime soon but we do what we can. Every little bit helps. Until we have the space and time to whip up some biofuel in our garage or have the finances to outfit our roof with solar panels, these things are going to have to do.

I'm also feeling really guilty about diapers right now. We're working on getting B out of diapers altogether now but in 2.5 years, we've added a bunch of dirty nappies to the ever increasing pile of poo-filled packages filling our land fills every year. And what's worse - I put dirty dipes in plastic grocery bags. UGH! Yes, I've heard of cloth diapers and no, they are not the solution I'm looking for! Next time around, I'll give the organic disposable dipes a try. I'll go broke doing it but at least I'll be doing my part. Are you?

Really loving this blog right now: http://dannyseo.typepad.com/
And this one has changed my life: http://thesecomefromtrees.blogspot.com/
For cool reviews and ideas check out: http://organicpicks.com/

AMEX (Red)

Check out what Amex is doing in the UK: http://www.americanexpress.com/pes/uk/benefits/red/microsite/index.shtml

The principle of the card is that every time money is spent with it, at least 1% of the amount is sent to a fund called Global Fund, created in 2002 to fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. And check out their very cool ad which I saw in Eve Magazine [which is a really great mag, by the way!].

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday. When Brody woke up at about 7:45am I went to get him (Saturday's are usually Kevin's) and we brought Daddy breakfast in bed: a bagel egg sandwich with cheese and extra Miracle Whip and fresh cut strawberries and a glass of orange juice. We had to rush b/c Kevin's gift was a full body massage at 9am!

The rest of the morning was spent playing around. We went to one of our favorite parks in town and enjoyed being one of only a couple of families there. I fall deeper in love with Kevin every time I witness him playing with B. Kevin is such an amazing father. When he and Brody are playing it is full throttle (which why there are often times where B ends up wailing because he feel down, bonked his head, scraped his knee, etc.). Even still, I am so thankful that Brody has these times with his dad. When Daddy gets home it's 'run-around-wrestle-play-ball-chase-flip-upside-down' time mixed in with a lot of hugs and kisses. Brody and I look forward to Daddy getting home all day! You should see the excited sparkle in B's eyes when he hears the garage door go up. So precious.

For dinner we rode our bikes to a local beach-side restaurant and I was watching Kevin and Brody run around on sand I realized once again how blessed my life is and how I absolutely do not deserve this man, child, life. God expects more from me and I owe it to my family to raise my standard for myself. There is so much to do. So much to offer. My husband inspires me to be a better parent and partner. My son inspires me to be a better mother. My God inspires me to be a better human. "For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48

Happy Father's Day, my love. What an amazing father you are. Thank you for all that you do to provide for and lead our family. I love you so much.

FEED Bag

I was so excited to spot this very special bag highlighted on Daily Candy! The UN World Food Program feeds a child for an entire school year off of the proceeds of this bag (designed by Lauren Bush). To find out more about WFP go here. And to purchase this bag and read about Lauren's involvement with WFP check go here.

I recieved my bag a few weeks ago (it took about 3 weeks to arrive) and LOVE IT! I intended for it to be an occasional bag (beach, groceries, travel, etc.) but I've actually been carrying it as my every day Purse Etc. Bag! It's huge. It's reversible. It's organic. It's fabulous and it supports an amazing organization. Order one today!!!! Or I'll kill you. [What if I really said that? Wouldn't that have been weird?]

Wireless Amber Alerts

My dear (pretend) friend Elisabeth Hasselback turned me onto this site today: https://www.wirelessamberalerts.org/index.jsp

It's a free service and you will not be charged by your cell provider. When signing up for the service you enter upto 5 zip codes. When a child is missing from any of these areas a text message will be sent to subscribers. Studies show that the first 36 hours are the most crucial in finding a missing child. The more people reached, the better the chances of recovering the child!!

Vanity Fair Covers

I'm blown away! I know that charity is the 'in' thing these days but I just love the upcoming Special Africa Issue issue. There are 20 covers showing various celebries engaging in a 'visual chain letter' photographed by Annie Lebowitz. Check out the covers plus brief bio and list of charities supported at Vanity Fair's website.

Cover subjects include Oprah Winfrey, George W. Bush, Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Condolezzie Rice, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Goerge Clooney, Iman, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Brad Pitt. I'm so excited to read this issue which is stock full Africa articles!!

On an important side note, my pastor recently informed us that Africa is actually sending Christian missionaries to the US to evangelize!! It's exciting and depressing at the same time. God is moving in a HUGE way in Africa - how rad! With Christianity growing so rapidly in Africa, missionaries are coming to share faith with Americans! According to oh, gosh...a lot of websites Islam is allegedly the fastest growing religion in the world and somewhere among the top 5 fast growing in the US. Praise God that other countries are burdened for the salvation of Americans! And what an awesome inspiration for us to concentrate on our neighbors hearts and lives.

Again with OPRAH!

I don't care what you say - Oprah is truly inspirational. I'm watching the Building A Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. "When you change a girls life it's not just that life you effect. A family, a nation. I'm telling you...women are going to change the face of Africa." She's not the first to make this statement about women being the catalyst of change in the world and she certainly wont the be last but she is the loudest, strongest, most powerful voice in the nation right now and what she's doing in this world is absolutely historical. Our values and beliefs are often different but I find her immensely inspirational. I believe that one day I can be a part of bringing change to a life or two along the way. This is my prayer.

Easy Philanthropy

We have a plan! As a way to make some extra money that is soley for the purpose of donating to charities and causes. I've posted an ad on Craig's List for local home sellers and real estate agents. I'll photograph their listings for $25.00! If I can photograph 20 houses in a month that's $500 I could donate! So great.

Additionally, Kevin spoke to a real estate contact of his who said that he would definitely use me and possibly get me an opportunity to present to his office. I'm so excited.

Recently I've learned (it's actually soaked in!) that the people who are happiest in this world are those who are following their passions. I love photography and gosh-darn-it I'm pretty good at it. If I can actually make money by shooting photos then I would be totally fullfilled in my career. Talk about waking up happy to start the day! YES!!

So, this is the start. Making money so that I can give money. I'm stoked. Hope you are too :) OH check out www.goodsearch.com for an easy way to donate to your personal causes!

The Power of Positive Thinking

"Giving up the hope that the past could have been different"
"Nothing new can come into your life w/o the FEEL of gratitude"
"Energy flows...where Energy goes!"; "Your energy becomes what you concentrate on"
"Everything is in the PRESENT!"

Yesterday's Oprah was really powerful for me even tho it's pretty 'New Age'. It was on The Secret. The Secret is really just learning how to use, hone, believe, internalize, apply the power of positive thinking. If we focus on all the bad in our lives or the world than we will eventually drown in a preverbial ocean of negativity (my words). BUT if we REALLY believe that things are good, we are good, and that we deserve good things, and I'll add that God is in control of everything and only wants good things for us! (1 Chronicles 17:26)....just think of the possibilities.

Our FEELINGS, THOUGHTS, ACTIONS determine our success in life. FYI success and celebrity/wealth are not the same thing. Success is being fulfilled.

Here are a few of the many negative labels I've given myself:

* I'm a mean person
* I will probably never be thin
* I am not a morning person
* I'm chronically late
* I don't deserve my amazing husband
* I'm just the idea girl...
* I'm a terrible housekeeper ;)
* I'm not (book) smart

I made myself all these things. These characteristics didn't come about as a result of the environment, life circumstances, bad decisions, my family, past relationships, etc. Because I think these things...I am. You know?

I've always known about the power of positive thinking. I've seen it in my mom my whole life. She has tried so hard to not let the tragedies of her life define who she is. She taught me this principle and I'm so impressed by her. Although she has yet to achive the greatness that I know she will one day attain...she gets it. I think it's time I start choosing to believe in this so called law of attraction. Positive thinking, yo. It's a big deal.

I like it. I'm gonna get the video. Good stuff...

Brewing...

I'm thinking about something. It's somewhere back there, in the back of my brain...working it's way to the front...slowly.

I want to support causes. Autism. AIDS Awareness. Breast Cancer. Missionaries. Women. Kids. Homeless. Mexico. Africa. India! Every day I learn about a new organization offering an opportunity to better this world and I do so little. I do so little because I of course feel like I don't have enough to give. Money, that is.

Is there a way for me to earn additional money to be used specifically for charitable causes? What do I enjoy and how can I make money? I'm loving photography at the moment. Being artistic through photography is an amazing outlet. What if I started a (one-man) non-profit offering ameture photography sessions for whatever price and all of that money went to my charity of choice? I saw a cool idea on-line yesterday for offering a service to realtors to take pictures of their list homes for them. I don't know...I'll have to research a bit. I would love to be able to give $500 every month to causes. Or just to have a growing nest egg so that when something big comes up we have the resources to give. Sounds fun!