Resolution for the New Year

 

 

 DAY 2 ~ Photo A Day @ #theidearoom

You can see "resolution" is listed as our photo topic for today, January 2. 2013. 

 Join in the fun at The Idea Room

I do this at the start of each new year, make a resolution, even though I know I will fail at some point. (You know the old regulars like *lose weight * get in better shape * exercise more.....). Many folks scoff at the idea of making "New Year's Resolutions" but I know you agree with me about the importance of us all having goals of some sort.  I mean, that is one of the things I find so exciting about a new year - turning the page! It's the feeling of a new beginning!

See these beautiful little ones in the photos below?

My resolution for 2013 is to spend more time with these kiddos! 

At our church, I am the Children's Church teacher. I enjoy preparing the lessons and snacks for each week. The children are sweet and very loving in my class - (most of the time) *smiles*. However, with the recent realization of just how fast they're growing up and how the world is vying for their attention already, it has recently laid heavy on my heart that I need to reach out and try to become more involved with them during the week. An hour or so at church on Sunday morning and a snack from a loving teacher just isnt' enough. That's not going to cut it in giving them the spiritual strength, knowledge, and tools they need to stand up to the many hurtful temptations in this fallen world. I ask you to pray with me for the precious young lives I am a part of. I've lived with a chronic illness since the age of 27. 
for the past two months, my disease has been in a very active mode. I see a new specialist soon. I need to feel better physically in order to follow through with what the Lord has laid on my heart, so I'd appreciate your prayers in the specific area of my health.
 


I know they will most likely make some poor decisions in the future, but I have been there, done that. If/When that happens, I hope to be there with unconditional love for them;  to help dust them off and get them going on the right track again.



Things I have in mind for the year as my health allows:

*Invite the child's family to our home for a meal; include a short devotion.

*Invite one child at a time to spend a Sunday afternoon with us.

*Let children take turns helping Shane and I pass out food & water bottles to the homeless.

*Deep clean the classroom together on a Saturday. Pizza party afterwards.

*If you have any suggestions on ways I can disciple these children more frequently, I'd love to hear them. The logistics will be interesting since the children and I live in scattered towns.

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN....

....when we think about new beginnings and the many things we want to accomplish. I know some of my goals include making our lives healthier, happier, and more rewarding. We have lots of living to do in 2008 and I'm going to try and remember that anything is achievable when you start with small, baby steps! Apart from my regular goals of reading my Bible more and spending more time in prayer, below are a few things I want to focus on in 2008:

1)Control portions at the family table, while consuming more high-nutrient foods. For instance, a standard 3 oz. size portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. We're so accustomed to "SUPER SIZING" at our house.

2)Make a family commitment to reduce waste. We're not "tree-huggers" but as Christians, we are aware that the scriptures teach us to be good stewards with all God has provided for us. That includes our time and money, the earth, and the environment. I've been inspired lately by http://lotsforless.blogspot.com/ ('Pen of Jen') to think creatively about ways to reduce trash and cost, and ways to recycle.

3)Freshen up my home! I've re-arranged some furniture and have added more color to my home. In sunny Florida, we don't have many dreary, wintry days. However, for those of you living in climates that may include dark, winter days, try revitalizing your 'nest' with accessories. Try cheery colored afghans and tablecloths in energizing reds, yellows, or golds. I've placed a few rugs with patterns in jewel tones over our neutral colored carpet.

Due to my poor health over the past couple of years, I've kept my new home in a somewhat sterile condition. Less, stuff means less maintenance! I'm continuing to keep clutter out, however, I'm now enjoying much improvement in health and my creative side is crying to be released! I'm having fun finally putting into action some of the ideas that have been rolling around in this brain of mine for the two years we have lived in this home! It's amazing how simply re-arranging some furniture pieces and bringing in some soft, comfortable fabrics such as cushions, and scarves on tables have warmed up our living spaces and helped create a more welcoming gathering place!

4)Take in more cultural events which are aplenty in the Tampa Bay area. (i.e. The Florida Orchestra, The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, etc.)

5)Enjoy more educational excursions with Shane. (i.e. Museum of Science and Insdustry, The Florida Aquarium, Great Explorations-Hands On Museum, Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens - yes, the park includes many educational values, and many other places.

6)Travel more. I'd like to visit relatives in West Virginia, Indiana, and California.

So there you have it, a look at some of my goals for 2008. I think they are all do-able as long as my health continues to improve! I'm anxious to see what exciting gifts the Lord has in store for my family and I over the next 12 months! Right now I'm off now to attain my goal of setting up my new printer!

Normal, Whatever That Is!

My Special New Year's Visitors!

Josh, Josh, Jewel, Jayde

MY "GROOVY" SON STRIKES A POSE!
Well folks, I think things are just about to get back to normal around "La Casa de Rios"!! Whatever normal is. Actually, I've heard it is highly over rated! LOL

I (we), had a fun visit with our two nieces over New Year's. They came over New Year's Eve and spent two night with us. I was so blessed to have them here, even if it was for a short while. Jewel was a wonderful nurse to me after the house cleared out around 3 a.m. on New Year's morning. I had overdone it and had a terrible flare up with my RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). Jewel rubbed my wrists, knees, ankles with an arthritis rub, brought me meds and water, helped me change into my gown, and spoke soothing words the entire time; saying things such as, "Everything looked so pretty!" or " You did a good job Aunt Pam. The food was really good. Everyone had a good time". She was a real encouragement to me. What a sweetie! She tries to act tough and tomboyish at times, but deep down - she is a comforter. (Sorry to let your little known secret out Jewel!) She plans on becoming a nurse. After my experience with her on that early Tuesday morning, I can see she will be a swell one!

My younger niece, Jayde, kept Shane entertained all the next day as I rested in bed most of it. Those two get along so well! I love seeing them together! Even though Shane is younger and a boy, Jayde is so very patient with him. She is always teaching him new things.

I was also happy to see my nephew Josh and his new fiance, Naomy, for a couple of hours. It was the first time I had been able to see them since he had popped the big question right before Christmas!

Then my favorite visitor of all was my Groovy son, Josh!

I've gotten almost all of my Christmas decorations down and boxed up. Today that should get finished. I love Christmas! I feel I wasn't able to share much of our festivities with you this year due to my computer giving up the ghost and dying right around the first week of Dec. But I must have been on Santa's good list this year, for he brought me a new laptop and an all in one printer. I still need to set that one up! I can't wait to play around with it! In all seriousness though, I'm so thankful for God's bountiful blessings upon us this past year. I know all good things come from HIM!

Post Christmas Notes

Our Tree - One More Time!

Some of My Favorite Gifts-Perfume from my Hubby, Earrings from Shane!

Closer View of Earrings from Shane - Garnet in Silver!

Wild Game of Uno - Christmas Eve!

Thank You Dear, Sweet Pat for my Paula Deen Cookbooks!!!
(My husband actually had a funny remark about me recieving cookbooks. I may share it at another time!)

Hope you had a sweet, memorable Christmas! I can barely believe, after all the excitement and anticipation, that the big day is behind us already.

We had a lovely family celebration at our home. Everything went smoothly and we spent lots of time relaxing and just enjoying each other. We did have lots of occasions for entertaining and loved every minute of it.

Shane is having a ball with his new presents, especially the Smithsonian Lab Set that Santa brought him. Josh will be enjoying all his gift cards to area restaurants; but seemed the most pleased with his gift card to his favorite jewelry store!

I noticed that several of our neighbors have already put their trees out at the curbside, ready for brush pickup. That's just another reason we're considering purchasing a good quality, artificial tree for next year and it must be pre-lit! I enjoy leaving my tree up for a week or two into January so I can continue to keep our home festive for a little bit longer. I love having the time now, after the holiday rush, to sip my hot chocolate in front of my lit tree and reflect on the past month and the days to come. I think it is so sweet to wake up each morning and see the tree lights already on as testimony to the fact that my hubby enjoys doing his morning Bible reading by the lit tree.

However, here are a few things I've been doing today:
New Year's Day , 2007. . .

a) Posted my New Year's Resolutions. I've chosen several things I want to do in the new year and I've posted this list near my computer. This way, I can see the list daily and be sure to contribute something to ensure my resolutions are kept each day throughout the year.

b) Avoiding the supermarket. Before buying any new food (besides some staples such as milk and bread), we eat up all of our holiday leftovers. It's great because it saves me quite a few days of cooking. It saves us money because we always ensure everything is eaten before it goes bad. Plus, it helps us clean out the fridge for all the healthy food we want to get in there for the new year.

c) Stored all the Christmas wrap. I've been organizing and storing all of our holiday wrap, bows, tissue paper, gift bags and ribbon for next year. I've invested in several clear, plastic storage boxes which will stack in our garage. This way I can see what is in each box and be able to easily purchase what I need, if anything, next Christmas.

d) Made returns. We received two gifts this year that needs to be exchanged for another size. I already filled out the exchange form, applied the return sticker, and called UPS to come pick it up this week! (They were items I had ordered through a catalog company as gifts for my family.)

e) Wrote out Thank You's. I'll be writing out a thank you card each day for those people who were kind enough to give or send us gifts. I plan to have them all in the mail within the next week.

f) Journaling/Blogging. Over the next few days, I'll journal things I want to remember for next year. I do this in my special Christmas Journal that was purchased for me as a gift by my Mother several years ago. I've already indicated what I purchased or made for my gift recipients. I'll also indicate what we wore, what table linens we used, what dishes we had, what people seemed to especially like and more notes like this that we can reference for future holiday celebrations. I'll be blogging more about these things and my resolutions in the coming days I'm sure!

The beat is on for the new year!