Waiting an hour to move an air conditioner

My notebook is filled to the brim.

It is broken into different categories, because my life is a giant mess of totally different departments that do not in any way mesh together.

There are times when I stop and think...what can I eliminate?
What in my life am I able to take out?

And the answer?

Nothing.

Really!

The four biggest categories in my notebook are:

Homeschooling.

My photography business.

My writing.

My not for profit.

It's actually annoying to even glance up at that little tiny list of a few words, because it does not even come close to showing what all of it entails.
It's like when you stub your toe so hard, and there's not even a mark to get any sympathy for it! 

I could literally spend hours a day on any one of the categories I listed, and those are only the biggest categories...there are many other categories as well.
(and yes, I know that I just used categories three times in one sentence. I never claimed to be a perfectionist or a grammar fanatic.)

So what is my point?

I know. We all have busy crazy lives.
We all have different categories.
We all have different roles.

I guess my point is that I need to collaborate with more people.
Stop trying to be a one-man-show.
And I think I am probably right when I say that you may have to do the same thing.

Two are better than one.
Iron sharpens iron.
Stir one another up to love and good works.
These are just a few verses in the Bible that remind us how working together is the best!

This is why I am so excited about ways that I am starting to get better at this.
It is so not a good quality to have, where you think you can just do everything yourself.
Honestly, I fall back on that a lot.
If something needs to get done, I just do it.
I don't ask for help, I just try and figure it out.
Could explain all the back problems I have! ha!

This is me: Well Adam, you weren't going to be home for another hour, and I really wanted all the air conditioners out of the windows. So..I just took them all out and brought them down to the basement by myself. No big deal.

Seriously. That's how I live my life.
I blame it on the "Townsend" in me. Thanks mom. ha!

My point.
Things may get done. But they will not get done as well as they could if I decided to delegate.
To collaborate.
To network.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

We are better together!

I hate that I don't just get that automatically!
I hate that I can't just wait the one hour, and have Adam take the air conditioners out of the windows!

So together... I have some plans coming up.
A better website for Epping Lighthouse - Thank you Carla
A written Bible Study - Thank you Crystal
A community service project - Thank you Anna

And it's just better.
Better working together.

What do you have to delegate?
Maybe you need to just stop thinking you can do everything by yourself.
And maybe you really, truly can do everything by yourself?
But think how much better it will be if you work with other people!

I think a big, huge, stupid, deceitful plan satan has, is to get us thinking we are all alone.
Sadly, we fall for it a lot.
But guess what?

We are not alone.

We are better together, and we need to start acting like that.
So I will try to wait an hour to move an air conditioner.
I will try to take some of the burdens I have been carrying by myself and include others in my life.
I will try dreaming with other people who have the same desires and passions I do.

You should try it too.

And although these pictures have nothing to do with this post, but because I think everyone in the world should see how adorable my nieces are, here is Emmi (shot in 2012) and Maelyn (shot this weekend).
You're welcome.

Mommy Monday ~ Helping your child sit still in church

When our family is sitting together at church, there is very little that makes my heart feel so content.

I absolutely love having my boys sit with me...but at this point, they are 11 and 12 years old, and they are sitting with me while taking notes of the sermon. This makes for a whole different experience than what we used to do when we had a 2 and a 4 year old with us!

I know a lot of you are in that stage right now and I wanted to give some tips on helping your child sit still in church.

1. Be prepared.

I used to take snacks (that are not in loud packaging!) and different kinds of quiet toys to services with me. I actually had my mom make me a book that was made of felt, and had felt animals that would stick to the book! It is also a good idea to only bring out these specific toys on Sunday. It makes them a little more special so your child won't get bored with the toys as fast. Coloring is a great quiet activity and you can easily grab a couple new coloring books at the dollar store and bring them out just on Sunday! Being overly prepared makes for way less stress on you!

While I am not saying it's totally wrong to bring electronic devices to keep them quiet during church (I never had those things when my kids were toddlers) I don't really think it's a good idea. When do you pick the "age" that it stops being ok? There is nothing more frustrating than seeing kids old enough to be paying attention, with their face buried in an iPod. We are teaching them that church is boring. That church is for adults. That church is all about them and what makes them happy. That they need to just keep occupied until the service is over. 

Yikes. That is road you don't even want to start to go down. 

2. Trial run during the week.

This is a great idea for many, many circumstances in your kids lives.

Set up a little church place in your living room, and explain what happens during a service.

Show them the kind of "voice" they need to talk in when someone else is talking and the church is quiet. Tell them that after the singing time, they can sit on the floor and play with these special toys. Giving them a play by play is going to help you out, and you can refer to it during the service. "remember the kind of voice we practiced this week?" or "remember that as soon as the singing is done, you get to color?" Helping your child know what to expect is going to make them feel like they have a little more control too.

3. Set reasonable expectations.

I am not a fan at all of giving excuses for my kids behavior. If they miss a nap and are tired, they are still expected to obey. But at the same time, I have to be aware of what my child is capable of doing. Know what their limits are! I would have my older toddler participate in the singing part, and then be allowed to play with their toys during the preaching part. For the 2 year old, they could do different toys and snacks the entire hour.

Because every child is different, you are going to have to really know what they can and can not do.  AJ could literally sit still for a half hour straight and not even flinch. Riley? Without practice, could sit still for a half a second. That does not mean that he is incapable of sitting still longer! We need to discipline our bodies, training them to do what they should! (I Corinthians 9:27...a great verse to have them memorize so you can whisper it to them during the service!) This can take some discipline and work, but it goes back to #2. Work at home. Set a timer for 30 seconds and see if they can sit still and not move for that long. Then add to the time the next day, and see how long they can go.

Show them you are being reasonable. I still allow Riley to have a little toy or something in his hands during the service because it helps him to sit still. (if we're being honest here, I do the same thing for myself. haha!)

4. Be willing to follow through.

You have to be consistent and actually follow through with what you say the consequences are going to be! My kids knew what the consequences were. Giving empty threats doesn't help anyone.

Don't threaten them with a spanking. Don't threaten to take something away. 

Give them a second chance, yes. But be in control and do what you say you are going to do.

You can see the difference between..."Stop being so loud! Stop! I am going to spank you if you don't stop. Do you want a spanking? I said stop. Do you understand me? Stop it!"

and

"mommy told you to stop hitting your car agains the pew. If you hit it one more time, I am going to take you in the bathroom and give you a spanking".

A huge key to your child being in control, is you being in control! 

I had many occasions of trying to quietly taking one of my boys out into the bathroom and have them start screaming...don't spank me!! 

Knowing ahead of time that you are going to give 2 chances, and then take them out to discipline them if they don't obey, keeps you calm. It keeps you less frazzled. It is almost as if you are going exactly by the plan you had set out. Be confident in your expectations and be willing to follow through.

5. Don't assume people are judging you.

I know. Sometimes you can feel like everyone is staring, and that quite possibly they are thinking 

"I have never seen such a rotten child."

Maybe they are.

But most likely? They are not. Either way, it does not affect how you should be handling your child. It ends up causing more stress on you, and you start feeling all kinds of emotions that you don't need to be feeling.

Just let it go.

Lastly, your child picks up on your attitudes, and your facial expressions.

Talking excitedly about church all week, and being excited yourself about going, sets a stage.

It shows your kids that you love being at church and that you are happy to be there.

It shows them you are obeying what God says, and you are obeying without complaining.

If they hear you complaining, and whining about it, it will send all kinds of mixed messages that will affect them later. 

Don't make things harder for yourself than they have to be.

Next week I will be talking about your older children and what going to church should look like for them.

Seven pounds two ounces

I can not believe that it was 11 years ago today that I was holding my precious, black haired newborn baby boy.

This boy.

He has made this family complete.

He has always been mischievous. 

And his absolutely adorable little voice and sweet face has kept him out of a lot of trouble!

little boy sick of shopping from ajchase1 on GodTube.

He makes me smile.
He makes everyone laugh.
He has been to 3 different countries on missions trips

He has broken his collar bone
Gotten severe burns on his little fingers

I could literally sit here all day long and list the things that I love about this boy.
He is so sweet and caring, but very straightforward and direct.
He can talk his way out of anything.

 He is crazy athletic

He loves and adores his big brother

He would rather spend time with his cousins and aunts and uncles more than anyone else

He is sensitive to the needs of others
He reads his Bible every morning, and his wisdom can blow my mind.
He is a big dreamer and has already started talking about ministry ideas he has

I just love this boy so much.
I am so grateful that God chose to put him in our family and can literally not even imagine my life without him.
His voice is incredible and I can not wait to see how God is going to use that in his life!

Riley Joel.
Leroy.
Lloyd.
Roy.

Ry.

Ry Ry.
He will answer to any of those names.
And he is my baby.
Will always be my baby boy.
I love you Riley Joel.

You were seven pounds two ounces when you came into this family. And we will never be the same because of it. You made our family complete.
You are my sunshine on a rainy day.
Happy 11th Birthday!

Making a pretty DIY mantle when you are not crafty!

I am not crafty.
Really.
I am just not gifted when it comes to that kind of thing!
But I do love the thought of it!
Since I have this amazing fireplace and gorgeous mantle in my house, I can't help myself when it comes to ideas on making it look pretty!
You can check my Christmas mantle here
And here is my Valentine's Day mantle!
I made the banner with some twine, and some scrap fabric I found at walmart for a total of $4.00.
IIIIIII know!!! I even sewed!

Then I bought an old song book at a thrift store for a dollar and ripped out the pages, rolled them up and put some red ribbon from walmart ($1.97)
I grabbed a draw from an old table we had in the barn and voila!

I know, I know. It's noting fancy.
It's not gonna win an award or anything, but I love it.
And I was actually crafty for once.
Do you have any easy, cheap crafty ideas for my mantle for the next holiday?

New Hampshire, Haiti and Bob on a big plate of spaghetti

Those of you who know me well, know that I am a big, giant plate of spaghetti...
Meaning: My mind is constantly going a million miles an hour and I am thinking of at least 12 things all at the same time. None of which have any relation to each other.

Some big things that I alluded to in my post about my bhag are on my mind big time, and I am starting to just get really excited thinking about what God is going to be doing.

I have changed the look and style of my photography website and I absolutely love it all.

But now I have to order new business cards, new packaging and that all takes more time than you even realize!

I am in the process of changing our entire Epping Lighthouse website, and have just recently had someone join my team in helping me with that aspect of it! I could not be more excited!

Along with that, comes more web design, more ordering of business cards, implementing a store into our site. And along with that comes shirts, hoodies, hats and all kinds of other design work!
Also, in our new site will be added an entire new ministry.
It has a lot to do with my dreams and thoughts that involve New Hampshire.

Missions, which involves many countries, including Haiti

And Bob.

Bob is my grandfather.
We call him Bik.

His heart for missions is unlike anyone I know.
He has been to many countries, and inspires me and my family to share the Gospel to the entire world.
He has big dreams.
I want to help those dreams continue on.
That involves adding more to the website. It involves planning more missions trips.
It involves finding ways to become the one... and inspire others to be the ones who

Turn the world upside down for Christ.

We need to be world turners.
Acts 17:6 refers to a few men as "these who have turned the world upside down."
I love that.
I would love to have that reputation.

And so.
Here I am.
One person.
In a little, tiny town in New Hampshire.
With big, huge dreams on how to change the world...one person at a time.

Sometimes it starts with my photography business and the clients I invest my time into.
Then other times it happens down at The Porch when I tell one of the girls she matters.
Maybe it can be something that I write on my blog that challenges someone to be different.
And it can also be during the trips to the Dominican, and Haiti, and the next country we will visit.

But then it can also be investing into the lives of my very own boys, and watching them start to get excited about their own dreams and plans!

My life is full.
No doubt about that.
But I love it.
I love that I am a big plate of spaghetti.
I love that I live in NH, and am able to serve here, but still have a heart for Haiti and other countries that need to hear about the love of God.
I love that I have a grandfather who is passing on his love for the Gospel all the way down to his great-grandkids.
I love that I don't have time to sit still or laze around.

There is my New Hampshire, Haiti, and Bob on a big plate of spaghetti.

My life is full.
It is a big, huge plate of spaghetti.

And I am going to do my best to make every minute count for Christ.
I have no guarantee of tomorrow.
So my today?
I am going to make that count.

Be on the lookout for new and exciting things coming up.
And if you want to be a part of any of them? By all means...join me.

You get nothing.

I just wrote an entire post. 

Saved it. 

Hit publish.

Nothing. Seriously.

Lost the whole. Entire. thing. 

You have got to be kidding me right now!

Aaahhhhhhhh.

So tonight. You get nothing.

I have had a pretty long day, so the thought of starting all over again is just...ya. 

No.

Time for some chocolate ice cream.

Yay for February! 

Rachelle Chase Photography ~ Engagement Photography ~ Strawberry Banke

I have known Christopher for many years, and we consider him to be part of our family.
When he told me he was going to propose to Karen, I was thrilled!
They are both amazing people and I am so excited for them to be getting married.

They decided they wanted their engagement pictures to be at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, since that is where he proposed.
It was a beautiful 30 degree day with a nice cool breeze.
(Which could also be described as absolutely FREEZING with a bone chilling wind. either way.)

Besides the fact that we were all pretty much numb by the time the shoot was over, it was a great time.

Here are a few of my favorites from the day!

Congratulations Christopher and Karen. I could not be more happy for you!
Love you both so much.