The warm days make me crave the coming summer. Nights spent in tents, smores over fire, and toes touching warm sand.
Then I realize this is one of the last summers. One of the last times all four of our little Clan members will celebrate fireworks for our nation’s birthday. One of the last times we will have this influence over their hearts.
I used to see their growth charts and milestones. Now I see their possibilities.
Perspective.
I am definitely reaching my goal with women’s events this month. The first weekend was a retreat, last weekend was a baby shower.
21 Days of Prayer for Sons
While I have been praying (it is hard not to with two teenagers), I am behind on reading this book. Despite using my Kindle for almost everything reading related, I think I need to just print the ebook out and keep it by the bed.
21 Workouts
I got three more workouts in last week but the weather was so beautiful I didn’t go to the gym. I’ve got to make sure I’m doing more strength training so this upcoming week will definitely include more gym time.
Plan, Host or Attend Key Women’s Events
Saturday was party time here at the SkipperClan house. I co-hosted the shower with a friend and we used Pinterest to collect ideas. We had fun doing most of the ideas and recipes. We had someone make the cake and cupcakes which were organic and delish.
We used tablecloths and balloons for ceiling decorations…I highly recommend push pins over tape. Tape will mean they keep falling down all through the party. You’ll have to ask your guests to move so you can stand on a barstool to put them back on the ceiling. It will be awkward. Use push pins.
We picked out flowers and submerged them in water for additional decorations.
We made fruit tarts, pretzel-rolo bites, and a veggie tray among other goodies.
It was a beautiful afternoon with about a dozen beautiful ladies. Now we are all anxiously awaiting the little girl’s arrival!
Have you ever hosted a baby shower? What was your favorite thing about your own shower?
If you stopped by from the blog hop with Household6Diva and RC of Riding the Roller Coaster, I’m happy to meet you. If you are a regular reader, here’s the scoop: today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and a few of us thought we would introduce ourselves to you and each other.
SkipperClan is a name my Air Force man nicknamed our little family when he was researching our family genealogy. SkipperClan is a place where we share our family stories, strategies, and skills so you can find ways to enjoy family life even more. Whether or not you face the challenges of the military lifestyle, we believe we share common ground in the areas of parenting, living simply, and reaching our dreams. We love to review products that help families succeed in these areas. What we love more than anything is to hear what you think about what you read here, so make sure to leave a comment or contact us.
My name is Tammy and I’m the one putting keyboard to screen around here most of the time. I have been around the world as an Air Force spouse but we are currently living in the Pacific Northwest. I am happily married to my high school sweetheart, and together we are navigating the teenage years with our two kids. I hold a Bachelor’s in Business Management and Leadership and am self employed as a Beauty Consultant. I enjoy reading, photography and whatever adventure SkipperClan {the man} wants to try next. My goal at SkipperClan is to encourage and empower women with practical strategies for life. You can find me on almost every form of social media that exists, just check out the sidebar for links.
One of my favorite things to share is encouragement, this post for young moms really struck a cord with readers. I also like to share practical suggestions like the weekly cleaning routine I use. This year I’m tracking my goals with the 3 in 30 bloggers too.
Last year brought huge financial challenges for us. We sold our house at a significant loss. Less than two weeks later, back problems meant the only appointments I held each week were with a physical therapist. I am so grateful to each and every customer who chose to continue working with me despite my move and challenges! We needed to make more changes, however, and I thought this format was the simplest way to share what we’re doing. Becoming more disciplined with money is an ongoing journey for us, but a budget is the starting point.
A budget is just a tool to make your life better.
Those who know me might expect that budgeting comes easy for me. I work easily with numbers, utilize systems, and plan ahead for almost everything. Unfortunately, none of those skills gave me a superpower when it came to budgeting. In fact, when it comes to finances, the bratty little girl inside seems to win out. You know, the one who says, “I don’t wanna make a budget and stick to it!”
That meant whatever system I used needed to be fun.
Despite my love for technology, this is one area I have gone back to pen and paper. Jen from iHeartOrganizing has a great little etsy shop for her printables. I snagged a bunch last year when she offered them free through her blog. If you need a little motivation and color, I think $3 is a small price to pay. You will find countless options if you do a simple search for free budget forms as well. Here is what I did to setup our budget system this year after we agreed to work through Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps.
I became more consistent with these steps during the first couple months of this year. For instance, February was very busy and has almost no record of our actual amounts spent in each category. If When something unexpected arises, I can pull out the notebook to see what adjustments we can make to meet the need. We can see as a couple where our money is going and make corrections to help us meet our goal.
We are far from perfect but we want to be in a strong position financially when SkipperClan is ready to retire from the Air Force. Reaching our goals will be a great reward for the sacrifices we feel right now. {At least, that is what we are telling ourselves!}
What is your biggest challenge or success in using a budget?
Here is this week’s update on my 3 in 30 goals, including details of our retreat weekend.
21 Days of Prayer for Sons
I played catch up a little this weekend on actually reading this book, but I have been praying daily for our son this month. He is driving independently which is a great reminder to pray, but he also took his SAT tests and has been working on achievements in Boy Scouts. I am constantly reminded that his time at home is quickly coming to an end.
21 Workouts
I ran twice last week and made it to the gym a couple times. I am now doing strength training before my cardio at the gym. I opted out of a hike at this weekend’s retreat but the weather is supposed to be beautiful all week. Hopefully that means daily walks even on days I go to the gym. I have officially finished four of my twenty-one workouts for the month. Based on the way my inner thighs feel after our four hour motorcycle ride, I should be able to count that as a workout, but I won’t.
Plan, Host or Attend Key Women’s Events
This weekend was our annual spring retreat with our local PWOC group. We truly went on retreat as there was no cell phone coverage or internet access. It was glorious. (They are in the process of installing wifi but it is almost a shame!) Nestled in the foothills of the Olympic mountain range was our weekend home at The Refuge…
The mission of The Refuge
With God’s help, we are committed to providing a place of refuge where ministry to individuals, couples, families and small groups can take place in a retreat setting of natural beauty, apart from the distractions of the secular world, and with a focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.
The facilities include various bedrooms able to sleep 4-10 in each room, handicap accessible main floor and lodging, as well as various meeting rooms. The kitchen is state of the art and easy to work in even if everyone gathers there (which they did). If you can get them to move to the dining room, there is seating for at least 40 people. Floor to ceiling windows in the great room allow you to enjoy the great outdoors even if you just want to curl up with a book. The director’s wife has hand painted furniture and accessories throughout the lodge. Wood burning fireplaces abound, but there is also radiant floor heating in the basement level where you may choose to host presentations with a pull down screen. You can walk from the lodge down to the nearby river or drive a few miles up the road to hike to one of several local waterfalls. There is a treehouse on the grounds and plenty of room for kids to play if you have families in attendance. It is just over an hour drive from Olympia, WA along the gorgeous Hood Canal.
More than just the location, it was such a blessing to get to know some amazing women for the first time and others on a deeper level. I took advantage of the personal reflection time scheduled after each session, as well as the free time on Saturday to read, journal, and pray about the different things God put on my heart. There is power in being vulnerable with women who see you for who you really are: a daughter of the King.
How are your May goals coming along? Have you stayed at a beautiful location for a retreat?
Confession time.
I did not accomplish what I had planned for April.
I missed the mark on my 3 in 30 goals as well as other goals that I have been continuing from earlier this year. My tendency is to think of all the excuses or try to gloss over it.
But if there was only one lesson I learned from the amazing speakers and women I have met in blogging, it is that being real is the way we bless most.
So I am being real. I watched television, had a three hour lunch with a friend, and sat outside on sunny days. I didn’t do half the spring cleaning I had planned, my contact lists are improved but not finalized, and I only made it half way through the blogging book.
And I am okay with all of it.
Our pastor shared a great message yesterday about families and I realized {again} how blessed we are. I wouldn’t change one minute of it all just to have these three items crossed off my list as the final sunset goes down this month.
Tomorrow I start fresh. I am not going to carry over any of the goals, although I’m sure I will actually finish them in May.
So here they are, the goals I have for May. I pray that I will be diligent to work to their completion, but even more so that God would take me a completely different direction if it is His plan…because ultimately these goals are about being who He designed me to be, to serve those He has placed in my life.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations
21 Days of Prayer for Sons
I will be reading this book and praying for our son for 21 days in May. We are so grateful that our kids are both healthy, hard working, and love God. We also know they face challenges even greater than what we did just a few short years ago when we were in high school. I cannot think of a better goal for the month we celebrate Mother’s Day.
21 Workouts
I have been working out fairly consistently this year but I want to ramp up that activity. I really wanted to set a goal to workout 31 days this month but I tend to assume ideal conditions which are never gonna happen rare. I plan to include a variety of activities to reach this goal including running outdoors, spin class, and more weight training.
Plan, Host or Attend Key Women’s Events
A friend and I are finalizing plans for a baby shower we are going to host this month, our PWOC Group is holding our annual Spring Retreat, and I am hoping to host an event in my home for moms and their teen daughters. God is still working out the details of the last idea in my heart and mind, but I am excited to be a part of encouraging women in so many different ways this month.
What is on your calendar in May? Do you have specific goals set?
Have you ever opened Pinterest, blinked, then realized thirty minutes had passed? Woosh! That was your life going by while you were browsing. I have challenged myself to use the ideas I save on my boards. In the Creative Giving Challenge, you can join me. On the 25th, I’ll post my completed project with the DIY details and invite you to link up. What will we create this month?
I completely ditched the project I originally planned and, in case you didn’t notice, it’s not the 25th! At least I had fun with this month’s project and I am posting before the end of the month…even if only by a few hours.
I attended the in{RL} meetup this Saturday where Melissa showed me how she made fabric pins. I loved the edging created by using pinking shears and the simplicity of the project. I think all the little girls on our Christmas list will be getting these pins. The brighter colored one I made Saturday is going to our sponsored child in India.
I started with some fabric I had on hand and cut out a few circles. It’s easier to cut a small piece, then fold it in half and cut a half-circle, so that when you unfold it, it’s (more) even.
Then I started layering the circles. If you have a thicker fabric for the base, that is helpful, I just used what I had. You can make it with as many layers as you like, but I recommend at least three layers. The first layer I left flat. The second layer, I folded the fabric in half and laid two circles side by side at the center.
For the third layer, I folded the fabric circles in half twice. You can roll these, fold them in half, then in thirds, or whatever variation you like. I like this tutorial too. At this point, I just layered these and held them in place with my fingers. You might choose to tack each layer down or use hot glue as a temporary hold.
The main thing to remember is to overlap these layers at least a little if you don’t sew them down individually. At this point, I began putting a few stitches through to hold everything together.
Once the fabric layers were relatively secure, I sewed a safety pin to the back. For the one I made Saturday, I simply attached a clip with hot glue. Finally, before I put the thread away, I sewed a button to the center.
These can be made into pins or clips, attached to bags or headbands, and many more uses. You could make these for a team, at a ladies’ retreat or to match custom fabrics.
Now it’s your turn! Have you created something this year that would make a great gift? Grab the Creative Giving Challenge Button from the sidebar and linkup. Let’s inspire each other this year.
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
Here is this week’s 3 in 30 progress for my Finish Year goals. {Yes, I realize I failed to share details on our Space Needle trip – something a super saavy blogger would have posted for the 50th anniversary this weekend!}
Spring Cleaning
Now I can reveal the real reason I did not complete a lot of major tasks earlier in the month: I was waiting until SkipperClan was out of town! He surprised his dad a few days ago by flying down to Florida for a huge surprise party his mom had planned. It was a huge success. Why did that matter? It is SO much easier for me to do the deep cleaning when he’s out of town. One year I completely purged the kids’ rooms when he was working 24 hour shifts. We removed everything from their rooms except the furniture, cleaned, and only put back what they wanted. I took carloads to Goodwill that week! I don’t expect to clean on that level this year but the principle applies: I can handle the temporary chaos a lot better than he can. I will be working from top to bottom in the house, and in each room using checklists and tips I have found on Pinterest and have in my family binder.
My Dad (not the Birthday Dad), SkipperClanJr, & SkipperClan
Updating Contacts
I got some mailings ordered for my business and entered some new customer info, but this coming week will be the final merge…not really looking forward to this part. Do you know of any tips/tools for merging Outlook and gmail?
Simple Blogging
Once again, this reading seems to be on my Sunday night agenda. Starting next week, one of my goals is to post my 3 in 30 Updates on Saturday, with Sunday being blog-free.
Have you accomplished Spring Cleaning or Blogging goals this month?
I sat at the table listening to a young mom share how she encourages her young children to pray thankfulness before their feet hit the floor. They yell to her from their rooms, “Mo-om! I told Jesus thanks for today!”
I listened to another mom, through her tears, tell us about the conviction she felt from God about trusting her pre-teen daughter’s spirituality to Sunday School classes and conferences. He was asking her, “But what are you doing to train and encourage your daughter?” She told us of her response, of becoming part of a group of moms and daughters who were not just hearing the Word, but being doers of the Word.
I felt the compassion of another daughter of the King who gave thanks for the friendships God placed in her life for this deployment. For the focus God was giving her and her husband to train up their children in the best way possible given their circumstances. She knows her marriage and her children will not be better if she only hopes and prays for it, but by being intentional and seeking the support she needs to accomplish that.
{I miss this lady...and having short hair}
We are in this together. This wife-thing, mother-thing, child-of-God thing we call life. The God who created us for relationship with Him, gives us the chance to work out relationship with each other. For the women who have been on this journey with me so far, thank you. For those I’ve yet to meet, I look forward to it.
Who can you get together with today? Let’s not wait for a better time.
Have you ever opened Pinterest, blinked, then realized thirty minutes had passed? Woosh! That was your life going by while you were browsing. I have challenged myself to use the ideas I save on my boards. In the Creative Giving Challenge, you can join me. On the 25th, I’ll post my completed project with the DIY details and invite you to link up. What will we create this month?
So far in 2012, I have made photo canvas art, note cards, and a menu board. I have enjoyed getting my hands messy again and rediscovered my love of crafting. Ultimately, this goal is about making a financial impact on our Christmas budget this year, so April brings another challenge to my calendar.
I already made the cash budgeting envelopes and started the egg carton floral lights this month, but I think I will focus on the travel towel for the official challenge this month.
Would you like to receive any of these as gifts? Are you making Pinterest projects or just spending time browsing?
