O- Owl be loving you!

Some caffeinated randomness today around the owl theme!

I love owls.  I tend to think of them as dignified and wise animals.  This picture always cracks me up though.  It combines my love of coffee and owls.  Win win!

I've bought owls for my grandpa for years and years.  I'm not sure he wanted to collect owls but he does now.  There is an arts and crafts owl I made when I was little in his study.  It's a square of burlap with a half shell walnut glued to it.  I can't remember how the head was made...but it forms an owl.  I think it's sitting on a twig.  It's cute, and I love that he's saved it all these years.

When I was in high school I got to dissect an owl pellet.  It was fun and so interesting.  I deliberately chose a guy to be my lab partner.  I said something sweet like, "Look, I'm not interested in dating you or anything but I just want a good lab partner."  We ended up at the same college years later and I roomed with his future wife.  He enjoyed teasing me about the unflattering request I'd made for a good grade.  I just couldn't abide another dramatic female partner.  Too much squealing and no learning.  Ha!

I feel like I saw more owls in NY growing up than I do living in IN.  I remember learning that a group of crows in called a murder after I watched an owl murder.  My grandma told me that they gang up and fly after the owl and peck it to death.  She assumed it was because the owls ate their young or disturbed their nests.

Sometimes, I make owls out of scraps of clothing (pockets) for baby plushies with the quilts I make.  Owl be loving you...always!

N- Not sustainable schedule

Although I'm very happy I have taken this challenge I am also very aware that blogging every day is just NOT a sustainable schedule.

(To be perfectly honest, much of the time I have been writing ahead and post scheduling to accomplish posting each day.  I don't know if that's cheating, or disqualifies me, but there it is.)  

This has been a good exercise in thoughtfulness.  Thinking in 'blog'...looking at life with fresh interest.  I should probably regularly evaluate my whole life's schedule.  Does it contain enough margin.  If I am going to challenge myself in some area...how will I need to adjust other areas to accomplish that goal.

In future...after we all survive to Z...I will probably try to blog three times a week.  It will still allow me the cathartic exercise of writing and help me to organize my thoughts.

M-Marriage

Originally, I had thought to write about my own marriage and how it has changed over the years.  I thought I'd write about our challenges and how we're growing.  But, I decided sharing some of these articles that have helped us might be more beneficial.  I may write that blog someday...but not today.

Nine Words for Every Marriage-  I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me.

Restore the Sweetness to Your Marriage- This article talks about our tendency to view our spouse as a partner of productivity.  Life is busy.  The author gives practical ways to slow down and restore the sweetness to marriage.

Life Her Chin with Love-  My husband appreciated this article.  It helped me articulate some of my insecurity so that he could be a better encourager to me.

Tips for Teaching Kids About Marriage-  "Children need to understand that marriage isn’t what we think it should be. Marriage is what God says it is."

L- Low Carb Llamas

I have recently begun collecting (and by this I mostly mean pins on Pinterest) ideas and pictures about Low Carb recipes and Llamas.

The low carb recipes search stems from a desire to be healthier and knowing that is one way that my body loses weight well.  It is also hard to think of new ideas so new recipes are welcome.  I struggle most with substituting what I call "vehicles" for the food.  For example, what will you use in place of bread you are subtracting?

And before anyone says anything, gluten free bread is awful.  It taste like sand was added.  If I want a sandy sandwich I'll take a picnic to the beach.  

So, I've found romaine lettuce leaves to be the easiest vehicle so far.  There are other recipes where I've substituted for noodles or rice.  I like spaghetti squash spaghetti and ground cauliflower "rice" Spanish rice.  I like to use the word Faux...makes it sounds fancier.

Faux Spanish Rice.  Faux Spaghetti.

The llamas search stems from having some stressful situations in my life and a friend who told me, and rightly so, to save my drama for my llama.  I've come across a myriad of other sayings that equally crack me up.  So, now when I'm tempted to give into the drama of life...I look at some llama pins and try to breathe deeply.

 

K- Kites

J- Journaling

I posted an article on Bullet Journaling aka Exhausting Inspiration years ago, regarding my qualms with the bullet journaling fad.  I still agree with many of the points I made in that article.  I want lists to be efficient more than I want them to be pretty.  I have to make sure making lists doesn't keep me from getting my priorities accomplished.  

So, around October of 2018 I decided I was going to create my own calendar.  I wasn't thrilled with any setups currently available and some ideas of lists that I'd pinned to Pinterest were intriguing to me.  So, here's a general update on what's going well and what's not!  

I love how cute these balloons turned out for birthdays (and anniversaries) that I will probably create something similar for next year.  (Yes, it's going well enough that I'm pretty sure I will do this next year too).  I haven't forgotten any birthdays so far this year.  

I liked the idea of this next one...but have found it is not realistic to have pages where you are going to need to check off on something daily unless it's already a part of your daily/weekly calendar.  I do have a weekly calendar section.  I'm not sharing any of those layouts cuz they contain too much personal info. (I've been trying a different type each month to narrow down which one I like best for next year).  SO, unless I can figure out how to make this kind of health challenge a part of the weekly layout I probably won't do it next year.

Again, I love this idea of daily, weekly, bi-weekly, etc. cleaning schedules.  It was good for me to think through them...but it is not practical to check these things off.  I quickly got behind (so did my housecleaning) and I am pretty much not using this neat list I took so long to create and draw out.

This one is truly "bondage," as my dear friend Diana would say.  I have loved the idea of doing a temperature scarf/blanket forever.  I decided to do it this year.  And honestly, because I started it I'm stubbornly going to FINISH it!  I may go crazy but I'm going to finish it.  I'm definitely NOT doing anything like this next year, though. (NOTE I'm almost a month behind in recording temperatures and two months behind in knitting them).

I also have one that looks like bookshelves...with color coding for books read, re read, and to read.  Being a rather eclectic reader I'm not open to sharing all of those books with you but I will say it's not a very efficient way to keep a list.  I guess, annually, it does give me a good accounting of what I'm reading.  It has kept me more accountable to all the books I already own and haven't read....and all the books I want to read that I should probably get out of the library because...see list of all that I already own.

Do you use a bullet journal or have favorite lists you use for every day life?  I'd love to hear all about it.  Please let me know!

I- In consideration of Inconsideration

Spring has finally come to Indiana...at least for this week.  The running joke around here is that if you don't like the weather just wait a day...it'll change.  So, it was beautiful when I got out of the gym yesterday...so I rolled my windows down and was enjoying the breeze, when suddenly, I almost choked to death as I came to a stoplight parallel to a driver adding their own smoky fog to the beautiful day.  Just like the joke above I was indignant at their inconsideration.  

And then, I began to ponder...in consideration of inconsideration.  My response when I am treated poorly...or even thoughtlessly...reveals my heart.  It shows that I think the other person is not considering or thinking about me...and exactly how much I matter to myself.

Do I glare at the person...or see them as an image bearer of my Jesus?
Gen. 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

Am I selfish about my time...or do I stop to consider them and their unknown struggles?
Phil. 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Do I care more about my comfort and ease...or do I care about the opportunity to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit?

Please don't read that I am never annoyed or irritated with the people around me...Boy, is that not true.  But, I do recognize that I am called to love like Jesus.  I hope will consider these things too.  So often, I think the roots of bitterness are fertilized in the soil of thoughtless comments, offended feelings and inconsideration of our rights.