To The New Year - Home Modifications (Part 3 of 7)

Over the past few days all the furniture and appliances from the kitchen and dinning room currently gracing the living room with their presence. They don't seem too upset about being evicted from their cosy habitations. After all, we tore out the near half century old multi-layered linoleum…and scraped off the nasty glue. Now Momma is laying lament wood flooring. It's looking lovely!!! It should be done this week.

So here are some ideas you may like to work on this year!


Home Renovations

- Toss out Junk -
I'm not suggesting a minimalistic lifestyle, although that can be good for you for a season. But I am suggesting that if you look around your home, there are probably a lot of items that you posses but do not use. Extra clothing, unused toys, duplicate tools, spare lap top, and your sport's collection from high school are probably not things you use often, and probably not even annually, they simply take up space.
Try going though your closet, and toss unworn things, and things you've not worn in 2013, and toss things that don't fit.
Try doing that process in other areas of your house!

- Organizing Your Entire House -
So to organize the whole house is a project that is not going to happen in an hour.

As such, something that may help make it more doable, is to list out the rooms in your home and tackle one per month of 2014!

Kitchen,
Dining Room,
Living Room,
Hallway(s)/Stairs,
Basement,
Garage,
Bedroom,
Guest Room,
Office,
Bathroom(s),
Den/Man Cave/Great Room,
Attic,

And commit to first removing things you don't need in that room, then make a plan to neaten that room. Does that room need any items? Better lighting? Pictures for the walls?
Obviously, the best resource would be to get these items from rooms you've not yet organized! (Because that way….you know, it's free stuff!…and begins to prep that area for it's own reorganization!)

Please let me know how your rooms turn out!

- Revamping the Desk -
So, if you are like me, your desk is more than a desk, it is where you spend a significant amount of time every day. I have a desk that I share with my sister. I use my dresser top as my "Standing Desk". I also use the kitchen table as a desk when my sis uses our desk. So, I think desks are rather important! How your organize your's will either help to streamline your work, or create a never ending headache for progress.

Maybe you can make it your New Year's Resolution to take care of your desk, to keep it neat and clean. Maybe make it your goal to reorganize it, paying attention to what balances efficiency with comfort.
Having a wood stool counts as a chair. But after 10 hours sitting on it you may rethink your "going green" idea. So, for a nice chair, I suggest getting one that is comfortable and fits you well…even though that is something that will cost more than a basic office chair.
Use your wall space to your advantage! You can hang up schedules, calendars, pictures, memos, sticky notes, invoices, spreadsheets, and just about anything up on your wall! It gets those things OFF your desk. Just be sure to remember to keep your walls neat too. If you are surrounded by cluttered and busy surroundings then your quality and quantity of work will go down.

If you were to have a pencil/pen sort of organizer would that be more helpful? Or a drawer?
What helps you organize better a day planner or giving your calendar the sticky note disease?
Are you utilizing your shelves and drawers to their fullest potential?

Let me know of your ideas! I'd love to hear about your personal way of organizing your desk!


Remember that the outside is a reflection of the inside, you should care to order your home, because it glorifies God. It tells those who enter "this person's home is peaceful, and it matches this person's peaceful constant soul".

I Peter 1:22-23

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;"

Christmas Time

So, it's Christmas again.
December 25, 2013.

So, most people that I know are probably sat in their living room floor, eating out of oversized hosiery, with relatives packed in about a dead evergreen tree (or even a plastic replica of a dead plant).

Most of my friends removed decorated paper from cardboard boxes, boxes filled with random items, typically purchased within the last month.

So, it's the same here at Grammy and Poppy's house.

Our tree is fake.
There is wrapping paper everywhere.
Many faces wear smiles…or laughter.
Dogs and a cat are everywhere. Dog hair everywhere…
Tissue papers and boxes are being the new residence of the bird.
The house smells like pie (pumpkin and cherry pie mostly).
And the people are wearing new outfits.


I now have some fun new things!!

This summer I went to Dominican Republic, and I've been working to learn Spanish since. Part of that, is looking up Bible verses friends sent to me, and trying to translate them into English, then looking them up in my (English) Bible. So, this Christmas, my parents wanted to get me a Spanish/English Bible, but it was hard to find, so they employed the help of my Aunt Elaine, who searched her city for the Book, but found it not. Finally, a copy was discovered online and it was ordered. She got it only the day before she drove up for Christmas.
I opened it and kinda stared for a moment in shock…then picked it up and hugged it. When I put it on the table to watch others open their gifts, I just put my chin on the Bible.
I am so glad to have this Bible, the English in it is ESV, and the Spanish version is RV. I'm so happy!!!!

But is this the purpose of Christmas? To get gifts? Or is it to give gifts? Or is it about spending money to support small businesses? Or is it to be with family?

Why do we have Christmas?

God the Father GAVE Jesus the Son to us!

Through Jesus Christ we RECEIVE salvation!

Since before the world, this was God's plan. This was His intention, His purpose, His design. This is not a secondary back up measure. This is not man's plan B, but this is God's precious mercy and grace.

I Peter 1:20-21

"He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

So, this was God's plan all along. But just how would He fulfill all the prophecies?

How would the King of kings and Lord of lords come to conquer the world?

How would the Prince of peace overcome death?

The Mighty God would come in the form of a human, humbled to be a baby, birthed in a stable, and laid in a manger.


His mother would be Mary, a virgin, betrothed (engaged) to a carpenter. Thus this was not a family of high esteem or rank. And this child was the God of the universe! He had come, to ransom His people.

Matthew 1:22-23

"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel."

(which means, God with us)."

He is the Saviour of the world! I'm so glad He came into our dark world.

John 8:12

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the wold. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Jesus was and is the Christ, the Son of God, and completely equal with God.

John 10:30

"I and the Father are one."

So, here we are, Jesus, completely man and completely God.

John 1:29

"The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of god, who takes away the sin of the world!""

Jesus Christ came to this world, born as a vulnerable baby, so that we as weak sinners might be ransomed. He became the weak to save the weak, He became the shamed and despised so that we might be accepted and beloved.


He accomplished this by taking all my sin and being crushed by the Father for my sin, so that I might be spared that fate. He was crucified so that I might live.

Isaiah 53:5

"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed."

PRAISE HIM! THE SAVIOUR IS BORN!!! JESUS IS COME


…and He is coming again.

II Peter 3:10

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed."