Presenting.....

OK I don't do this often.  I don't want to turn this blog into Grandmother's Brag Book.  But I have waited a month and I'm not going to wait any longer to share our Christmas Gift with you.

On December 25, 2013, Mary Alice Alligood arrived.  As you can see, she is perfect.  Just like her brother Jonathan.  I'm not stupid - if she weren't gorgeous, I would be able to recognize that fact.  But clearly she is.  Absolutely gorgeous.  Her aunt Mary says it's the name......

I had no idea the blessings I would experience to see my child become a mother and then to watch her in action. Treasures.  That's all I know to say.  Treasures.

Look very closely and you can see several adults wrapped around that tiny pinkie.

Oh, and please try and not be jealous when you see how perfectly adorable she is.  :)

This is her big brother .  He is also clearly perfect.  Just sayin......

The main thing

I deliberately saved this tip for last.  It could've been the first one, because it really is the most important.  Without this tip, none of the others matter at all.

Yesterday I shared a couple of things I learned during my years at the Chick-fil-A office.  Today, I have another one.

Truett used to say "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." 

What's your main thing?  Are you keeping it the main thing?

For me, that means  a commitment to regular time with the Lord.  This is what guides me, transforms me, equips me.  I can have all organizational tools known to man.  I can have every corner of my house...and life...in perfect order. I can complete impressive and extensive to do lists. And I can try and meet everyone else's expectations of me.  But if I don't follow the plan He has for me, everything else is meaningless.

When I have time with Him, I am able to hear Him throughout the day, directing my steps, leading me to where He wants me to be.   Some days, it might be to teach a Bible study to scores of women or to get all my Christmas shopping done in July. Other days, it might be to rock my baby for hours so that she might sleep when she has an earache.  It could be to visit the inmates in the county jail or take my Mom to the grocery store.  Other days, it might be to listen to a friend whose world is falling apart all around her or to bake chocolate chip pies for the freezer. Sometimes it's to accompany my husband to a ball game or to get some rest so I can get up early the next day. Or it might be to sing some hymns as I sit in wonder at His feet, amazed at His power and wisdom and grace and love.

And sometimes, time with the Lord means pouring out my heart that I messed up the plan.  Failed again to hear Him or to follow the directions that I did hear.  You know what I find at these times?  Grace.  Amazing grace.  Enough to cover all my failures.  All my mistakes.  All my selfishness and laziness and stubbornness and inadequacies.  Forever. And enough grace to pick me up and give me courage to try again. Trying to keep the main thing...the main thing.

Thanks for joining me on the quest to be organized.  I hope you have found some tips that will help you live well the life He's called you to .
But just in case you mess up, remember that the main thing isn't a tidy linen closet.  Nor dinner in the freezer.  Nor a crossed off list of things done. The main thing isn't what you think you need to get done and it's not what everybody else things you ought to do.

The main thing is Him.  And what He wants you to do.  And there is always enough time to do everything He's called you to do.  Every day.

Always.

Just do it

I had the great privilege of working for several years for Chick-fil-A Inc .   It was a wonderful opportunity for many reasons, not the least of which are the lessons I learned from founder Truett Cathy and then President Jimmy Collins.  Today's tip comes from a couple of those such lessons.

I recall hearing Jimmy often say - "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." By watching his example, I learned to always have a plan.  When circumstances change, that plan can be adjusted but it always helps for a plan to be in place.  I am not suggesting rigidity nor am I naïve enough to think that simply having a plan can always prevent disaster.  But, not having a plan, well, that's a recipe for failure.  Apply this to everything from finances to social schedule to housekeeping.  A plan.

The other lesson comes from Truett.  I heard him speak to many different groups and his message often included these three points:
The formula for success is simple -
1.  You gotta have the "want to"
2.  You gotta get the "know how"
3.  Then, you just gotta "do it".

Over this past month, I have shared with you my coping mechanisms to survive my natural bent towards being unorganized.  If you suffer from a similar ailment, then I encourage you to take a tip or two and develop it into a habit.  Make a plan.  Learn how to do something that you aren't succeeding at right now.  Maybe it's meal planning or being on time or taking care of laundry.  You hold the key to the "want to".  There's plenty of "know how" out there if you want it.

Now just "do it".

Good luck!  I'm cheering for you !

Pick up lines

Nope, I am definitely not organized but I've developed enough habits that help me survive.  Without too much collateral damage in the process.

Today's Tip:

Pick up after yourself.  Yep, that's it.  Simple, yes, but amazing at how much this habit keeps clutter and chaos and incapacitation at bay.  I like breaking tasks down into manageable steps instead of attacking a mountain all at once. 

When I come in the door - purse goes on the coat hook, shoes in the basket by the door.  And kids do the same.
When I am cooking, I put things away as soon as I use them.
I urge (ok - insist??) that things be returned to their proper room after use.  School books, games (although of course I allow the world's longest running game of Risk to remain at the dining room table until world domination is achieved, even if that takes several days!)
Meal clean up happens as soon as we finish.  And since I cleaned up as I cooked, the eating phase clean up is easier.

Decluttering is nullified if we don't maintain the environment.  Simply picking up after ourselves - cleaning as we go - is easier than letting it build up. 

Even if your kids say otherwise!

Declutter. Repeatedly

The buzz word is "declutter".  Fancy for "get rid of stuff". 

Although I think I have done this successfully, somehow "stuff" multiplies and/or my house possesses a magnetic field that attracts clutter in the dead of night.  I need to consistently go through drawers and cabinets and toss "stuff". 

Having less stuff to keep track of makes organization easier.  And "decluttering" doesn't have to be a daunting task.  I like to tackle 15 minutes worth at a time.  Just 15 minutes can clean out a linen closet or several drawers.  A quarter of an hour every day for a week will result in an entire room spiffed up.

Today's suggestion - start somewhere easy, like the laundry room (or laundry closet, like I had for most years of my married life!) or hall closet.  Attack it for 15 minutes.  Toss the trash, donate the surplus, and straighten up the rest. The payoff of an organized corner of your house far exceeds the investment of some 15 minute blocks!!