For 2 years now I've been trying to focus on being a good steward of my God given assets, and that is how I intend to define my own personal priorities now that I'm ready to get back to goals and growing.
Therefore I have my own version of the 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days, it's my 40 Stewardship Steps for 2011. And here they are:
Stewardship of My Finances
His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! -- Matthew 25:21
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. -- 1 Corinthians 4:2
1. Before buying anything new first consider reusing/recycling something we already have.
2. Smarter money management, putting money towards highest interest $ (both paying off and savings).
3. Give more tithe than we already give.
4. Cap my Stampin’ Up! expenses to 50% of 2010 expenditures.
Stewardship of My Home
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies....She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family.....She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks..... She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Psalm 31:10-27
5. Schedule a small Fly Lady tactic every day, to maintain a tidy & welcoming home without a LOT of effort.
6. Establish a list of at least 60 staple recipes and rotate in a 12 month menu, to make homemade meals easier, hubbies favorites more frequent, but with room to try new food.
7. Make as much food from scratch as possible to avoid unnecessary preservatives & packaging (i.e. broth, bread, soup, mac n’ cheese, pizza, ‘canning’). I feel the reason is best said by Mennonite Girls Can Cook "It is about taking God's Bounty, and co-creating the goodness from God's creation into something that we can bless our family and friends with, to help sustain our health and energy." (NTKOG)
8. Improve yard, and make more room for hosting, by installing brick patio, add BBQ pit & replace broken sidewalk.
9. Finish improvements to upstairs bathroom, making it more welcoming & user friendly.
Stewardship of My Body
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
10. Create a list of weekly weight loss motivators/challenges to last through year.
11. Lose 20lbs and maintain that weight.
12. Try a Zumba class to make being active enjoyable again.
13. Create/maintain a better daily hygiene routine, my body is not just percent of fat.
Stewardship of My Earth
Then God said, "Look! I have given you .... green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” Genesis 1:29-30
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Romans 8:20-21
14. Assist composting with making room in yard for bigger pile and get a kitchen caddy to store compost inside.
15. Grow my own vegetables, fruit, herbs or purchase from Farmer’s Market.
16. Have a 100 mile meal once a month.
17. Use organic/natural herbicides & pesticides.
18. Find 3 more ‘One Million Acts of Green’ I can try
Stewardship of My Talents/Purpose
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! -- Matthew 25:21
19. Blog truth insights I receive.
20. Start focusing on developing my other creative tendancies other than papercrafts (poems, jewellery, decor, crochet), making an attempt at one every other month.
21. Capture memories in scrapbooks (those already started) and photobooks (for those not already started), finishing at least one of each.
22. Continue at least one entry per journal per month (creative, gratitude, wisdom).
Stewardship of My Communities
Jesus went on through towns and villages...and the Twelve were with Him, and also some women .... who ministered to and provided for Him and them out of their property and personal belongings. Luke 8:1-3
He poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5
23. Set aside at least 2 hrs per week for quality time with Sean, not including date nights.
24. Donate blood at least once.
25. Volunteer to help someone with something they can’t do for themselves at least twice per year.
26. Babysit one or some of my nieces/nephew(s) at least once.
27. Organize/host at least one gathering of friends every other month.
28. Invite at least two couples from Church into our home for a meal.
29. Volunteer in mentorship opportunities at Church.
Stewardship of My Growth
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful..... No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. John 15:2-4
30. Step out of my comfort zone, and any time I get a case of ‘that’s not me’s’, attempt to try whatever it is anyway. (NTKOG)
31. Learn to play guitar. (NTKOG)
32. Read all non-fiction books on my shelf (6).
33. Improve my photography skills.
34. Media fast one day per month.
35. Keep up prayer journal and bible study blog.
Stewardship of Living My Life
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens...a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.... Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
36. Read to relax and be entertained in a healthy way.
37. Take a trip with hubby to Las Vegas, maximum fun for minimum bucks :).
38. Go to at least one Folklorama pavilion.
39. Go out on the town by myself (art gallery, symphony, ballet, spa, film) 3 times. (NTKOG)
40. Take at least 4 hours per month to pamper myself in some way (paint nails, bath, shop).
Showing posts with label NTKOG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NTKOG. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Monday, June 7, 2010
More One-Oh-One's Done
Here are some more scratches off my 101 to do list, all food related!
19. Cut out meat, carbs, sugar and caffeine from my diet for at least one week every 3 months
Lately I've been really fed up with my lack of discipline in the food area, making little allowances here and there and just knowing that's why I've creeped back up 5-9 lbs since my 29 lb drop Sept. 2008. I've been fluctuating between those 5-9 lbs for almost 2 years, and part of it's also been exercise but I just hasn't been as important to me as when I needed to lose 40-45 lbs. So much more was at stake then, I feel better about my body now, but deep down I know I should still lose 20 more lbs. So, I decided I'm going to recondition my body's idea of real hunger and self-restraint. I put myself on a meal-replacement diet this last whole week, Monday through to Friday, no meat, no carbs, and almost no sugar, but because I had caffeine I had to have sugar :) Don't worry, it's healthy, I've been getting my protein, fibre and vitamins through the shake I've been eating every meal for 5 days, adding plenty of fruit and dairy as well. And while calories were reduced, it's mostly because I wasn't snacking not because the shake lacked calories, I got more than the minimum per day (1200/day is said to be the lowest we should go before body thinks we're starving and slows metabolism). I created my shakes to get exactly the calories I wanted per day so snacking would have to be out of the question, and I could figure out if I was really hungry or not, and learned that half the time the growls go away when I know I'm not going to give into them. And I didn't lack any energy, probably had more, I slept fine and maybe even better, I felt good about myself that I CAN have self-restraint, and I lost a few pounds! This week has really re-fuelled my desire and motivation to lose that last 20 lbs (probably less lbs now ;) and I've already come up with a bunch of things I can do to boost my fat burning, keep a healthy but calorie limited diet, and exercise more. And I happened to accomplish most of my #19 for May-July!
23. Create another homemade soup recipe
It's been so rainy and therefore chilly (A/Cs are still running because technically it feels like it's in the 20s!) so I decided to try this goal before winter. Wanted a thick, creamy soup but obviously low in calories, for some reason a soup with white beans in it seemed like a good start and searched out http://www.recipezaar.com/ for some white bean soups. Decided I liked the sounds of some pretty interesting combinations, white beans with artichokes, white beans with cauliflower, white beans with potato's and cream....came up with my own combination of the ingredients (minus the potatoes, unnecessary fibre/starch/calories) including a low-fat way to make it creamy and it's pretty good! I'm still adjusting the spices a little to make it a tad more flavorful, but I'll post the recipe for my Creamy Veggie Chowder once I've got it down pat!
19. Cut out meat, carbs, sugar and caffeine from my diet for at least one week every 3 months
Lately I've been really fed up with my lack of discipline in the food area, making little allowances here and there and just knowing that's why I've creeped back up 5-9 lbs since my 29 lb drop Sept. 2008. I've been fluctuating between those 5-9 lbs for almost 2 years, and part of it's also been exercise but I just hasn't been as important to me as when I needed to lose 40-45 lbs. So much more was at stake then, I feel better about my body now, but deep down I know I should still lose 20 more lbs. So, I decided I'm going to recondition my body's idea of real hunger and self-restraint. I put myself on a meal-replacement diet this last whole week, Monday through to Friday, no meat, no carbs, and almost no sugar, but because I had caffeine I had to have sugar :) Don't worry, it's healthy, I've been getting my protein, fibre and vitamins through the shake I've been eating every meal for 5 days, adding plenty of fruit and dairy as well. And while calories were reduced, it's mostly because I wasn't snacking not because the shake lacked calories, I got more than the minimum per day (1200/day is said to be the lowest we should go before body thinks we're starving and slows metabolism). I created my shakes to get exactly the calories I wanted per day so snacking would have to be out of the question, and I could figure out if I was really hungry or not, and learned that half the time the growls go away when I know I'm not going to give into them. And I didn't lack any energy, probably had more, I slept fine and maybe even better, I felt good about myself that I CAN have self-restraint, and I lost a few pounds! This week has really re-fuelled my desire and motivation to lose that last 20 lbs (probably less lbs now ;) and I've already come up with a bunch of things I can do to boost my fat burning, keep a healthy but calorie limited diet, and exercise more. And I happened to accomplish most of my #19 for May-July!
23. Create another homemade soup recipe
It's been so rainy and therefore chilly (A/Cs are still running because technically it feels like it's in the 20s!) so I decided to try this goal before winter. Wanted a thick, creamy soup but obviously low in calories, for some reason a soup with white beans in it seemed like a good start and searched out http://www.recipezaar.com/ for some white bean soups. Decided I liked the sounds of some pretty interesting combinations, white beans with artichokes, white beans with cauliflower, white beans with potato's and cream....came up with my own combination of the ingredients (minus the potatoes, unnecessary fibre/starch/calories) including a low-fat way to make it creamy and it's pretty good! I'm still adjusting the spices a little to make it a tad more flavorful, but I'll post the recipe for my Creamy Veggie Chowder once I've got it down pat!
27. Try infusing flavours into vodka for cooking (NTKOG)
Thanks to a cool Smirnoff recipe book (freebie from hubby's work) I fell in love with the idea of adding vodka to my recipes. I've never been much of a fan of wasting money on booze just to cook with it, it's probably the most expensive ingredient out there!
Thanks to a cool Smirnoff recipe book (freebie from hubby's work) I fell in love with the idea of adding vodka to my recipes. I've never been much of a fan of wasting money on booze just to cook with it, it's probably the most expensive ingredient out there!
I'm NTKOG who wastes good money on just one cooking ingredient, however, some of these recipes just were WAY too tempting not to try. Then it had a section in the back it had how to infuse flavors into vodka yourself so you don't have to buy a bottle of each flavor the recipes ask for, and I thought, brilliant! Now, that's my kind of do-it-yourself, cheaper version, I like getting into! So, I did, and I picked the flavors in most of the recipes I liked, vanilla, lemon, apple, basil, and garlic. You can see my next accomplished goal is part of the results :)
28. Try a new recipe at least once per month
Well, when hubby came home with the vodka recipe book, he already had one flagged for me to try, of course :) So dutiful wife that I am I tried a delicious pork roast with bacon, soaked in an apple vodka mix and then baked in a basil vodka mustard gravy, with a side of mashed apple sweet potato's, made with apple vodka and apples.
28. Try a new recipe at least once per month
Well, when hubby came home with the vodka recipe book, he already had one flagged for me to try, of course :) So dutiful wife that I am I tried a delicious pork roast with bacon, soaked in an apple vodka mix and then baked in a basil vodka mustard gravy, with a side of mashed apple sweet potato's, made with apple vodka and apples.
Then I used the leftover sauce from the roast and used it on another recipe I found that was similar except it called for white wine instead of vodka, so I made basa fillets wrapped around asparagus and smoked Gouda wrapped in prosciutto, in this the same mustard gravy, yummy! Here's some pics, courtesy of the recipe books, of the 3 very tasty new recipes I tried in May.
30. Find ways to eliminate buying any food with unnecessary preservatives and packaging
Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite foods, that KD yummy cheesiness! However, I do realize that cheese (and most everything) that comes in powder former is highly processed and has LOTS of preservatives, so I've been avoiding the KD. AND been trying to create a suitable substitute. I haven't come close to a clone, but I did get a pretty delish cheese sauce from mixing cheddar cheese soup with low-fat milk and low-fat mayo! Cheese from a can probably isn't a whole lot better, but I'm making improvements! I'm going to keep experimenting, but if you know any great homemade mac n' cheez recipeez feel free to share!
30. Find ways to eliminate buying any food with unnecessary preservatives and packaging
Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite foods, that KD yummy cheesiness! However, I do realize that cheese (and most everything) that comes in powder former is highly processed and has LOTS of preservatives, so I've been avoiding the KD. AND been trying to create a suitable substitute. I haven't come close to a clone, but I did get a pretty delish cheese sauce from mixing cheddar cheese soup with low-fat milk and low-fat mayo! Cheese from a can probably isn't a whole lot better, but I'm making improvements! I'm going to keep experimenting, but if you know any great homemade mac n' cheez recipeez feel free to share!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Not That Kind of Girl
"I'm afraid I'm not cut out for all that," I said."Well, who cut you out?" she said. "Cut yourself out again."- Elizabeth McMracken, The Giant's House
I've slowly been challenging my perceptions about myself. For example, I've never enjoyed physical activity other than walking, leisure bike rides and swimming. When I realized exercise was the only path to necessary weight loss I had to make peace with it and was just prepared to suffer. I thought I was not the/that kind of girl (NTKOG) who would actually use a gym membership for more than a month or two, was most definitely NTKOG who would do weights, or NTKOG who would like running and sweating. Turns out I was wrong! I actually loved being that kind of girl! And if I hadn't decided to try something despite my pre-conceived notion of being NTKOG I would never have lost 25 lbs!
When I realized how wrong I was I had a paradigm shift, sometimes I think 'I wouldn't like that', or 'I don't feel comfortable doing that', and now I second guess that first instinct and ask myself why? Or, I think 'I would love to do that but _____ (fill in the blank)'. It's not just that I've thought I'm NTKOG because of preferences but I've made assumptions that I'm NTKOG because I don't have what it takes, for whatever reason. Now, I'm not the creator of "NTKOG", I actually stumbled on a blog of THE NTKOG and although her list of NTKOG moments may not even nearly all be the same as mine, I have been thoroughly inspired! I'm now determined I'm NTKOG who determines she's NTKOG before she even tries it! And that is now the number one item on my new 101 list of things to do in the next 1001 days!
1. Step out of my comfort zone and any time I get a case of the 'that's not me's' I at least ATTEMPT to try it anyway
The rest of my list is coming soon, along with my used-to-be-NTKOG highlighted for your benefit. I hope to blog about each of those experiences because there is a story behind most of them and the experience is likely to be very interesting!
I've slowly been challenging my perceptions about myself. For example, I've never enjoyed physical activity other than walking, leisure bike rides and swimming. When I realized exercise was the only path to necessary weight loss I had to make peace with it and was just prepared to suffer. I thought I was not the/that kind of girl (NTKOG) who would actually use a gym membership for more than a month or two, was most definitely NTKOG who would do weights, or NTKOG who would like running and sweating. Turns out I was wrong! I actually loved being that kind of girl! And if I hadn't decided to try something despite my pre-conceived notion of being NTKOG I would never have lost 25 lbs!
When I realized how wrong I was I had a paradigm shift, sometimes I think 'I wouldn't like that', or 'I don't feel comfortable doing that', and now I second guess that first instinct and ask myself why? Or, I think 'I would love to do that but _____ (fill in the blank)'. It's not just that I've thought I'm NTKOG because of preferences but I've made assumptions that I'm NTKOG because I don't have what it takes, for whatever reason. Now, I'm not the creator of "NTKOG", I actually stumbled on a blog of THE NTKOG and although her list of NTKOG moments may not even nearly all be the same as mine, I have been thoroughly inspired! I'm now determined I'm NTKOG who determines she's NTKOG before she even tries it! And that is now the number one item on my new 101 list of things to do in the next 1001 days!
1. Step out of my comfort zone and any time I get a case of the 'that's not me's' I at least ATTEMPT to try it anyway
The rest of my list is coming soon, along with my used-to-be-NTKOG highlighted for your benefit. I hope to blog about each of those experiences because there is a story behind most of them and the experience is likely to be very interesting!
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