Live Brave: May 2015

I spent some time this weekend watching Ali Edwards new Story Kit sub video - Little Things. One of the layouts that she shared with us was around her gratitude of the small things in her life. Last year I was all about documenting my life lived with gratitude but this year.....not so much.

Living a life with gratitude is still really important to me but I have slacked in the documenting of it so far this year. While watching Ali's video, I thought it would be a good idea to capture 33 little things that I am grateful for right now. A random selection of big and small things, every day items, people, memories, thoughts and feelings. A real mishmash of items and a little window into my life right now.

1. I'm thankful for eight days off work.

2. I'm thankful for morning snuggles and face smooshing with Smidge.

3. I'm thankful for sweet potato and avocado.

4. I'm thankful for a favorable evaluation on my house for my re-mortgage.

5. I'm thankful for my IPhone and all its brilliant apps.

6. I'm thankful for stumbling across lavender essential oils and my diffuser.

7. I'm thankful for all the little adventures that I have taken so far this year and those that are still to come.

8. I'm thankful for the flexibility that my current job gives me. Being able to work from home and arrange my own diary provides opportunities for thankfulness on almost a daily basis.

9. I'm thankful for my love of reading. Books open my world and challenge me like no other.

10. I'm thankful for my great grans chair that sits in my lounge and reminds me of her each time I look over at it.

11. I'm thankful for hot bubble baths.

12. I'm thankful for people who share their story and challenge me on my own.

13. I'm thankful for friends who love me exactly as I am.

14. I'm thankful for my past experiences and how they shaped me into who I am today and I'm even more thankful that my past is not my future.

15. I'm thankful for fresh pineapple fingers.

16. I'm thankful for the delicious and healthy granola that I make for breakfast most mornings.

17. I'm thankful for telephone calls with my gran in South Africa.

18. I'm thankful for my huge selection of nail polishes.

19. I'm thankful for my dedicated scrapbooking space.

20. I'm thankful for retired neighbors who are home when I am out working and who are kind enough to take in my parcels from the postman so that I don't have to make special trips to the local sorting office.

21. I'm thankful for getting to start over again each and every day.

22. I'm thankful for pajama and dressing gown days.

23. I'm thankful for makeup and mostly mascara.

24. I'm thankful for a garden so that I can hang my laundry outside to dry.

25. I'm thankful for fun days out and camera phones to capture the memories.

26. I'm thankful for easy D.I.Y fixes saving me money and potentially headaches.

27. I'm thankful for the opportunity to own my house.

28. I'm thankful for the way my dad calls me Ninny....even though I am a grown 33 year old women.

29. I'm thankful for a heart that loves and cares for people.

30. I'm thankful for a mom who cooks dinner for me on a Saturday evening almost every week.

31. I'm thankful for growing up in South Africa with all that it entails.

32. I'm thankful for my bed.

33. I'm thankful for a Heavenly Daddy who loves me and has a good plan for my life.

What things are you currently grateful for?

A couple weekends ago my Mom and I went to our first Hillsongs Colour Conference down in London. It was an amazing weekend and two weeks on I am still leaning in to what we discussed, still letting my soul seep in the words and the worship. I felt connected and part of something bigger than myself. I felt loved, cared about and exulted. It is a weekend that I wont be forgetting any time soon.

We had God's word brought to us by Bobbie Houston, Dawn Chere and Beth Moore. Bobbie I had heard of but never heard her speak, Beth Moore I knew from some of her books that I had read and Dawn Chere was a total first for me. I loved them all. They had such different approaches but all such big hearts.

And then we had Joyce Meyer's speak. In 2010, my mom and I took a trip to the States to go to Joyce's Women's Conferences. She was amazing then and amazing this time. She speaks such truth and this conference was no different.

In addition to the great teachings we also had so much fun. We jumped and danced. We sang and shouted. We waved flags and cheered. We celebrated and enjoyed confetti. We watched movie clips and shared stories. We stood in lines to get coffee and did a lot of walking. We searched our hearts and opened our souls.

If you ever get an opportunity to attend Colour Conference, grab it with both hands. We have booked for the 2016 conference and I am already excited and expectant for what is to come.

2015 is turning out to be one of my favorite years. Its definitely a combination of things but one of the main driving factors has been my One Little Word ~ OPEN. My word feels exciting and freeing and full of possibility but some days, its difficult and exhausting to be challenging my normal.

Four months focusing on my word, making it visible in my day to day life, and this is where I am with it. This is the impact that it is having on me and I am so very grateful for the road it is taking me down. While these nine statements are not the only areas that I have been open in this year, they certainly are some of the larger, more exciting and sometimes more difficult areas.

Open | to laughing more.

Open | to working on restoring some relationships that are in need of love, focus and work.

Open | to new thoughts, dreams, ideas and goals.

Open | to growing and challenging myself.

Open | to loving my body as I am now.

Open | to finding the magic in the simple things of life every day.

Open | to taking the path less travelled.

Open | to a new way of nourishing my body.

Open | to savoring my season while waiting on God's timing.

Its both exciting and scary but I am grateful that I am taking the journey with an open heart and open mind.

April has felt like a bit of a funny month for me. Perhaps it is just where I am today but I don't feel like I have made much progress so far this year. On the one hand I feel like I have done a lot of this month but on the other hand it doesn't feel like all those actions are taking me towards where I want to be.

This being said, I have made a list of the things that I did achieve during April and focused on reassessing my May goals. Hopefully this reassessment will help me move forward.

Here were my goals at the beginning of April:

1. Enjoy a mother/daughter weekend | Achieved

2. Finish decorating and preparing the back garden | Achieved but 1 box to complete in the front

3. Read one book and start a second | Achieved

4. Wake up by 6:30 each morning | Achieved probably 60% of the month.

In addition to the above, this month I helped my parents move house. I started bible journaling. I went out with friends for dinner. I worked out. I took action on improving my health and sought outside help for this. I acquired some family heirloom furniture. I spent a ton of money on scrapbooking supplies and other non budgeted item. I have had great days with my eating and some really poor days. I travelled for work. I started a new bible study. I spent a fortune on Smidge and watched a load of YouTube videos.

Here are my May monthly goals:

1. De clutter my shed.

2. Brainstorm a strenghtsfinder action plan.

3. Finish off the garden.

4. Set a monthly budget

5. Prayerfully start dating.

6. No scrapbooking supplies to be purchased.

7. Finish reading one book.

My powersheet is filled out and hanging up in my kitchen and I have set daily and weekly goals that will hopefully help me make the much needed progress I am after. Here is to a better month!

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