My Personal Goals

So as I've previously shared in a post about 'helping your children set goals', as promised, I'm going to share with you the goals that I've set for myself. I've decided that I'll give myself this term to complete them, so that's until the big Christmas holiday break at the end of the year! Goodness, I better get a move on, that's not too far away!

People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.

 -Earl Nightingale.

I'm not putting myself under any stress to complete these goals, but I am trying to consistently achieve them. Which can be tricky because as wives and mothers, we tend to put our 'things' on hold until the 'need to do stuff' gets done. I believe we can still develop and grow as individuals while still being keepers of our homes and families, it may just take a bit of juggling and discipline. 

My Personal Goals ... 

1. Complete three Craftsy art lessons - Coloured Pencil Drawing, Charcoal Portraits and                                                                     Portraiture.
2. Fill my blue diary with quotes and snippets that I love from favourite books.
3. Read all of the Jane Austen novels
4. Finish reading 'Simply Tuesdays', and 'A Million Little Ways'
5. Read all of the New Testament
6. Post on both of my blogs fairly regularly.
7. Wear more skirts this summer (purely because I wear pants all. the. time)
8. Go on more walks around our neighbourhood (at least 2/week)
9. Create different, healthy meals in the kitchen for my family.
10. Learn more about essential oils, gardening, natural living etc.

I've tried to cover most areas of my life; talents, family, health and spiritual, so that hopefully, I can see some steady progress in these areas. I believe learning is life, it's not just confined to the time frame between primary school and high school. We can develop and grow all of our lives, not to glorify ourselves and our abilities, but to be useful in any way we can to glorify God, and be a testament to Him. 

What goals have you set for yourself lately? I'd love to know if yours are similar to mine, or if you've got others as well! 

Have a beautiful week!

Potato In A Pan - Cooking With Coconut Oil

Lately I have been looking into the benefits and uses for pure coconut oil. It is amazing the amount of health benefits that it has for our bodies, both internally and externally. I am really enjoying what I am learning. It's been my desire for a while now to begin using pure and natural ingredients in my home for cleaning, cooking and medical purposes. 

I borrowed out a stack of books from our local library about coconut oil, herbs, essential oils, organic gardening etc, and I'm very eager to see these changes starting in my home. I would like to think it would be a quick transition, but I think I'll be a little limited at first due to budget. That's fine though, better late than never, as they say!

I've been using more coconut oil in my cooking and the other day, I made 'potato in a pan' as my kids call it! It was delicious!

My Potato in a Pan! ... 

Grate enough peeled potatoes to fill the bottom of your pan.
I use an oven proof pan as later, I put the whole dish in the oven.

Flatten the potato in the pan with two tablespoons of pure coconut
oil in the bottom of the pan, and add salt and pepper.
I also added herb and garlic seasoning.
Cook the dish like this with the lid on for about 12-15 mins
so that the potato is soft.

After the 12-15 mins add grated cheese to taste, then put lid on to melt it.

Put the whole pan in the oven at 200degC just long

enough for the cheese to brown.

The potato forms a delicious crunchy golden crust on the bottom of the pan from the coconut oil and it has a delicious cheesy crust on top and the potato is soft and fluffy! It's so good! I've cooked it as a side dish to scrambled eggs, and just for a lunch dish sometimes. It's a really yummy way to use the humble potato, it's cheap and is a great way to add coconut oil to your diet. My family devours this dish and have asked me to cook it again for them! 

I'd love to here from you all with any recipes that you have using coconut oil so that I can build up my stash of yummy dishes! There's probably many of you who've been using coconut oil for years and are next to masters in using it! I'd love to glean from your experience! 

I hope you're all having a lovely week!


(Linking up with A Bountiful Love)

Op-Shop Clothing Bargains!

I'm sure that it's no secret by now that I love op-shopping. The past couple of weeks, I've been visiting our local op shops with specific purchases in mind. Kids clothing. My eldest daughter is growing so fast her clothes can't keep up with her! While my children are in the season of turbo growth spurts, I'm not really wanting to spend a huge amount of money on clothes only worn for a while! Anyone else agree with me on this?!

And so therein lies my addiction enjoyment for op-shopping!

I personally don't believe that clothes are the be all and end all in a females life! I don't believe I/we have to have the latest and greatest brands names to look nice when I/we go out. But I do want us to look nice and dress appropriately. These things I teach my children too, particularly my daughters. They love coming with me to the op-shops and grabbing a beautiful summer dress, or a nice skirt or pants.

Another reason op-shopping is so exciting is because I'm providing what my family needs without spending hundreds of dollars of my husbands hard earned money. Most times we put together beautiful outfits for under $10.00! I do have a few 'rules', so to speak, that I keep in mind while rummaging around for a bargain!

1. I never buy second hand underwear, socks etc ... for me that's just eeewww!
2. I make sure I/kids try it on first before buying. It might only be $2-$3 but if you take item after item home that doesn't fit, you will actually end up wasting a fair amount of money over time.
3. I thoroughly check the item over for damage (missing buttons, tears, rips, stains, fading, stretching etc) and only purchase if they're in very good condition.
4. When buying shoes, I only buy the ones that look like they've been worn very little. Or sometimes I can even score brand new ones, with the original shop tag still on, for only a few small dollars! 
5. I try and purchase items that can be mix/matched with other pieces so that our wardrobes stretch even further!
6. I go into the shop, most times, with a fixed amount and come out either having kept to it, or paid under my budget amount.
7. I always re-wash clothes, and spray and wipe out shoes with glen 20 (just in case!)

Not only have I been able to find my children some lovely clothes and shoes for this coming summer, I was able to find myself some too! I've also been able to find four new pairs of shoes for myself for under $20.00! For me, op-shopping is the things dreams are made of! 

Over the years I've decorated our home with beautiful art from op-shops for only a few dollars at a time; kept my family warm in winter with crotchet blankets (slightly obsessed!), lots of brilliant books, and brought kitchen odds and ends when needed (as with kids, things can sometimes get broken! When you only pay 20c, it doesn't matter!)

I am so thankful for op-shopping. I am so thankful that through them I can both provide what my family needs and use our income wisely. I know there are many people out there who are just as obsessed as I am with op-shopping! Are you?!

Some of our clothing finds ... 

Left dress $3.00, Middle dress $4.00, Right dress $4.00

Pants $5.00, Top $4.00

Left dress $3.00, Right dress $4.00

Top left $3.00, all others $4.00. Handbag, $10.00.

Shoes $4.00, Skirt $4.00

Pants $4.00, Top $4.00

Top $4.00

These cute little shoes $2.00 brand new!

All of these were only $4 each!

I do sometimes purchase things new, but only when they're on a fantastic special! 

I hope you're encouraged to see you don't have to spend lots of cash to look nice!

Morning Praises

The other Sunday morning I was up early preparing for music practise at church, as I was worship leading. I had been up most of the night unwell, and so my mind was very foggy and I was not in the mood (to be very honest) to go and lead the Church in praise. 

I knew I had to try and get out of this frame of mind before I left for Church. So, camera in hand, I headed outside. I was greeted with the most beautiful foggy morning we've had in a while. The air was fresh and clean, the birds were raising their morning songs to His glory, and I found Him in the quietness of a new day. 

Everywhere I looked were signposts to His splendour, majesty, provision and care. Even the spiders have a thin, yet strong place to call their dwelling. As the fog around me lifted, so did the fog in my mind and my heart. 

With the rising of the sun, came a new rising and stirring within my soul. He is good. He is faithful. He is worthy of every single speck of praise that we can draw out of our hearts. 

I opened my mouth to praise Him in song. 

And I was blessed.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

    for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

    for to you I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8

Helping Your Children Set Goals

Well we've started the last term of the school year and I thought it would be great to start it off by setting some new goals for this term. We sat down at the school table and each thought of some goals that we would like to see ourselves accomplish by the Christmas school holidays. 

I don't believe that goals need to be something that add pressure to our lives, but rather something that gives us focus, are achievable and something that allows us to see progress with the things that we would like to develop in.

So how do you go about helping your children set some goals?

Here are my pointers ...

•  Ask them to think about what they really really want to learn about or get better at. There's no point in setting goals if it's something you're not really interested in doing. Your just setting yourself up for failure.

• Ask them to be specific in what they want to achieve. Instead of writing just 'piano', for example, ask them to write what they want to learn about the piano. Do they want to learn three new songs, practise their scales each day, etc?

• Make sure their goals are realistic and going to be achieveable. Remember if you start smaller, then they can see that they can reach their goals, and will progress to setting bigger ones in time! Reading 50 novels by the end of term, if your child is a slower reader, is probably not going to be an achievable (or fun) goal. Finishing 1-2 might suit that child better. Small goals are better than none at all.

• Write them out and have them in a place where they're easily seen. You know the saying 'out of sight, out of mind'. I find it much easier to stay focused on something if I see a visual reminder of it daily. My kids have a copy of their goals in their room, and in the school room. They're nothing fancy, just written on a piece of paper. If you want to make yours fancier, go ahead!

• Be encouraging. None of this will work or be enjoyable for your children (or you for that matter), if you don't encourage them along the way! Whether it be verbal, physical or a reward that you offer, encouragement gets results! 

• We are helping each other. My children's goals are different from each others, but we are going to help each other with them when we can. Any opportunity to teach our children to be helpful (even if it's not their interest), is good!

How do you help your kids set goals? Do you have any other suggestions to add to this list? Add them in the comments below!

People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.

 -Earl Nightingale.

I'll share with you my goals in the coming posts!

Splendid Majesty

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1

I praise you Father. You are so beautiful, so powerful. 

My hearts swells with thankfulness when I think of Who You are. 

You are sovereign, faithful to keep your promises, never ending, never failing love. 

Creator of everything, Father you are splendid Majesty. 

I love you.