This Blog is Moving On…

Hello, blog readers! You may have noticed my writing has slowed a bit (ahem!) lately. That’s due to a lot of factors, but it’s mainly because I’m moving over to a new blog, called Living Sacrifices.

Goodwill trips

I started Give Away Seven a Day to chronicle my decluttering efforts, and I was thrilled that so many people felt inspired by the project. I still need to work on the clutter — it never ends! — but this blog has grown beyond just decluttering. It started to feel like the “Give Away” name didn’t fit anymore.

Living Sacrifices will be a family-sized blog, with articles from my whole family… about home schooling, life in a parsonage, grief, parenting, crafts, and, yes, even decluttering. I hope you’ll come over and check it out!

I’ve enjoyed writing and I’ve really loved reading your comments. If you have a favorite post that you’d like me to move over to the new blog, please let me know. I’ll be happy to click my mouse a few times and share the old news with fresh readers!

See you over there!

Heidi

7 Months to Chaos

How long does it take to get from Nearly Decluttered to Complete Chaos? Well, my curious friends, wonder no longer.

It takes seven months.

And it happened to my house. It’s definitely time to get back to the Give Away Seven a Day routine. But first, a good healthy dose of humble pie. Read on for my recipe:

First, stop decluttering because obviously a year is long enough for such a habit.
Next, travel several times during the summer. If your kids can be involved in various camps at the same time, that’s helpful. Long trips aren’t necessary.Anything to break up your normal routine will do.
Now, have a thunderstorm that knocks out your power. This will result in the death of your refrigerator, further dashing your hopes for establishing daily habits.
Before the fridge is replaced, be involved in a week of Vacation Bible School. Be very involved. Let the house go… in fact, if your dining room rug could be moved to the church for decoration, even better.
Finally, prepare for a week-long family camping trip two days after VBS.
But wait! Wouldn’t this be a good time to have the house painted??

Yes, friends. That was my ultimate embarrassment: to show my extreme mess to the world’s nicest painter. Ugh. I was stressed out, as you can imagine, and now I’m recommitting to getting rid of ALL of my clutter.

Care to join me? I know from experience that it’s better than chaos.

Olympic Equipment That Would Never Exist

In honor of the summer Olympics, I offer you this list of sporty inventions that never would have happened if everyone was wimpy/non-athletic/chicken as I am:

• Balance Beam. Less than 4 inches wide? 4 feet off the ground? I don’t think so.
  

  Braver feet than mine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

• Diving Board. Or, scarier still, the Platform. I can’t even watch.
• Hurdles. Occasionally I jump. Rarely do I run. Never, never would I combine the two.

And to the list of Olympic equipment, we can add:

• Skateboards
• Surfboards
• Hang gliders
• Parachutes
• Bungee cords
• Rockets, Space Shuttles, and all things NASA

And in a unique, non-sporty category:

• Alcoholic beverages in camouflage. Long Island “iced tea”, for example. If I want iced tea, I’ll drink iced tea. There’s no non-alcoholic version of wine, so if I want wine, I’ll drink that. Preferably Malbec. But let’s not confuse the two.

 

What about you? What inventions would never be if YOU were in charge? I’d love to know!

Veggie Meets Dip, Child Falls in Love

Veggies and dip: it’s the perfect appetizer. It’s the perfect match for the excellent produce of high summer. It’s also a great way to help kids enjoy eating vegetables.

Here’s how we love to make a quick, inexpensive, tasty dip:

Take mayo, sour cream, plain yogurt, or a combination of those. Add herbs and spices until it tastes good. (Obviously, I’m a Super Chef.)

Really, the possibilities are endless, so let your kids decide what they love best. We’re on a curry kick at the moment… especially delicious with carrots or cabbage.

Try it yourself! I’d love to hear the delicious combos you discover, so please leave a comment!

Change People’s Lives

This sweet girl challenged me today. “Mom, you should write a blog post that changes people’s lives.”

“OK. What should it say?”

“Tell them Jesus loves them,” is her request.

So…

Jesus loves you. A lot. And He’s ready for you to know Him better. You’re always welcome.

Defying Death

You’re afraid of death.

You’re afraid of death, so you listen to lies about it. Lies like:

• Death is just a natural part of the “circle” of life.
• Grieving parents need time to find a “new normal”.
• It’s best not to talk about it in front of the kids.
• You can skip the funeral since your going won’t change anything.
• Those orphaned children will be ok, right? Right?
• A widow will learn to move on without her husband.

Lies.

Someone needs to say NO.

This isn’t ok… we won’t be “fine”.
Death is so very wrong.
This is not the way it’s supposed to be.

We don’t have to repeat the lies until we believe them.

You’re afraid of death, but death doesn’t get the last word.
Here is truth:

There is One death that changes everything.
There is a grave that is now empty.
When Jesus rose from that grave, He became death’s master.
He conquered death completely… for you.
He lives and reigns…
He clings to you.
For your death, He promises life.
For your fear, He promises peace.

He is why you can protest the lies and shout, “Death, I defy you!”

Share Your Share

How was your CSA share this week?

We’ve been on the road lately and missed two deliveries. I was so sad to miss out on all the goodness…

But it gave me a chance to use my next Get Through Your Box Tip:

Share! Go spread the CSA cheer: bring a salad to a neighbor, lower someone’s grocery bill, or feed a friend’s rabbit. If you know you won’t be around for a delivery, arrange for someone else to get your box. You could even go all out and throw a party!

And be sure to share a comment about your sharing experience…