here-i-come

Howdy and Happy 2011 Sugar Pie Darlin’s! My oh my! I sure do love the beginning of a New Year!! It’s so refreshing! The slate is scrubbed clean like clothes washed with homemade soap on an old washboard! It’s our chance for a fresh start…new adventures…new opportunities to pursue the things that have been dancing in our heart!

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My Planner is from Franklin-Covey.

It’s always like a breath of fresh air after I’ve taken down and put away all of the glittery Christmas goodness. I actually welcome the “plain Jane”  look. It’s uncluttered, simple and farm fresh. When my home is clutter-free  neat and tidy, I can actually think clearer. To the contrary, when my house is in a jumble I’m faced with a long list of things waiting impatiently for my attention and it’s hard to think of anything else!  I so look forward to the moment that I can sit down in a calm and serene atmosphere to take an intentional look at the new year ahead. This is where I think about my goals and dreams and what I’m going to do to achieve them. It’s where I  plan for a harvest of goodness in the year to come.

Here are my tips for getting the year off to a fruitful start :

~ Gather: your calendar, a favorite pen, and a notebook.

~ Create a happy thinking spot. This could be at the kitchen table or in a comfy chair or even at your computer. Fix  something yummy to drink in a pretty cup (I like to bring yummy-ness and  beauty into everything that I do…even down to lighting a votive candle in a jelly jar and sipping from my pink and brown polka-dot cup that I got from Starbucks at half price a few years ago. It doesn’t cost anything to make your everyday moments lovelier.)

~ Add music: something instrumental…classical, bluegrass…or whatever makes you feel perky and happy.

~Pray. In everything I do I want to seek God first. It’s crucial that we pray and ask God for His wisdom and direction.  His plans for us are so much better than our own, better than we can even imagine!  He created us so He knows us best!  I have found that whatever I feel passionate about it’s usually something He has put in my heart to pursue.  But to make sure I always pray first. Whatever it is that I decide to invest my time in, I have to be careful that it doesn’t take away from my time with God nor my time taking care of my home and family.  For example, I get a lot of requests to post more often on my blog (which I am truly grateful for, thanks sugar darlin’s!). You see, as much as I LOVE  writing my blog I just wouldn’t have the time that I need to nurture my family and home if I posted more often. I think it’s mainly due  to the fact that my posts are long (they take me a couple days to write) and there are so many images to download (my computer is slow). I could make them shorter but the thing is I have so much to say! What’s a gal to do?;)

“…seek (aim at and strive after), first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right),and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” Matthew 6:33

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~Write: with pen in hand or on the computer, make a list of things you want to strive for physically, spiritually, at home, in your relationships and any other area (such as your blog, creative projects and ideas).  Write down your dreams and ideas. It’s the writing of your ideas and dreams that is so important. They are more likely to become a reality if you write them down. If we don’t write an idea down I find that it becomes more of a good intention rather than an attainable goal, and we run the risk of forgetting it altogether (oopsie daisy, that’s happened to me!)  When we see our ideas, goals and dreams on paper it gets our creative juices bubbling like a fizzy glass of soda pop. Then more ideas start to bubble up! It’s also important to keep that list visible so you can review it at least once a week. (Remember that old saying “out of sight, out of mind” !)

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Writing down our goals and dreams is like planting a seed.

A good farmgirl sits down and plots her field or garden. She draws a map of her land and decides what she wants to harvest at the end of the season.  Then in view of that, she buys the seeds needed to meet that goal. It’s good to look at the end result of what you want to accomplish. This will inspire you to do what it takes to get it done. Also, imagine the joy of completing it and the blessing it may bring to others.

What do you want to harvest this year? What ideas do you want to plant and see grow?

~ Maybe you have a book you want to write: Start writing! Commit to 15 to 30 minutes a day, or pick one day a week to devote to writing. Make a date and write it on your calendar/planner. Gather research into a binder and start growing that book. Find related images on the internet or magazines to inspire you and put them in your binder. Get educated; read books on how to write fiction or non-fiction. Search the internet for useful information. The main thing is to get started.

~ Maybe you want to re-decorate a room in your home: gather pictures from the internet or magazines with the look that makes your heart leap. Keep these inspiring images in a notebook. Collect paint chips from Home Depot. Keep your eye out for good deals on home accessories. Think of new uses and placement for things you already have.  When the funds become available you’ll be ready!

~ Maybe you’re interested in photography and would like a better camera: even if the funds for a new camera aren’t available now, start doing some research for the kind you want to get. (cameratips.com is a good place to start). Then begin saving your money!  You can even start a savings account for just that, so you’re not tempted to spend it on something else. Collect all of the loose coins at the bottom of your handbags, you’d be surprised how much change adds up. If you’re asked what you want for your birthday, request money to go toward a new camera. Little by little it will add up and soon you’ll be capturing moments of beauty with your new camera.

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~ Maybe you just want to get your house in order. You want to simplify (that’s on my list!!). Start with one drawer, or one closet. Small achievements will spur you on to do more! Oh how I love the feeling of a freshly organized closet! I go out of my way to peek in a cupboard or closet that I’ve tidied up!

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~Maybe you want to raise chickens: this is something that I want to do, but don’t have the funds yet to build a chicken coop. But I can start gathering information and reading up on owning and caring for mama hens. I can even design my chicken house and pick out the kinds of cute chickies that I want to eventually get. I can also start thinking up their darlin’ names too! (Let’s see…Minnie Pearl…Beulah…Bessie Mae…Daisy…Dolly….)

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~Roll up your sleeves: take action. Do a little something each day toward your goal or idea.

If  a good farmgirl wants a fruitful harvest she’s got to prepare the soil, plant the seed, water it,  nurture the sprout, tend the garden, feed the stocks as they grow,   remove weeds and pests, and before long she will reap the fruit of her labor. It’s called good old fashioned hard work.  If we want something enough then we’ll do what it takes to get it done. We can do it!

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Maybe you’ve had a hard year in 2010, well now darlin’, today is a new day, it’s a new year, God’s mercies are new every mornin’ and He is right at your side to help you get back on that horse!  Don’t give up, and don’t park your pony!  Instead Sugar, brush yourself off, pull yourself up by your AdOrAbLe cowgirl bootstraps! Farmgirl up!   Life is short, you’ve got a purpose to fulfil, seeds to plant and people to bless! Now Giddy-up!

Philippians 3:13 (Amplified Bible)

“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…”

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~ Be Faithful! A good farmgirl must be faithful in tending to her farm in order to reap a good harvest. She knows what needs to be done and does it…no matter how she feels. Oh boy, some days I don’t feel like doing what I’ve got to do…but that’s where being faithful steps in.

Let’s be faithful in our relationship with God. Keeping Him first. Seeking Him through reading the Word, prayer, praise and worship.

Let’s be faithful in caring for our family and home. Being a blessing to our loved ones. Serving them with a servants heart.

Let’s be faithful to raise our children to be honorable, kind, helpful and loving. A good Nation starts with a good home.

Let’s be faithful in carrying out the Golden Rule: “Do unto others what you would have them do for you.”  Matthew 7:12

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Let’s be faithful to take real good care of ourselves so we can take care of others. Eat healthier yes! But also take care of your emotional self.  I can’t even tell you how crucial it is to have a good attitude and to speak positively to others, about situations and to ourselves. The Word of God says that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,  And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21. Sugar Pies be a good friend to yourself, guard your darlin’ heart! Do you even know how precious you are? Be your own Mama Hen and don’t allow negative self-talk. Put up a sign on your heart that says “Sweet-as-Pie Words Only! (Aunt Ruthie says so!)”. In fact make it a rule in your home! corn2

A good farmgirl knows that if she wants to harvest corn she had better not leave the corn seed in the barn! There won’t be any corn cobs on the supper table come summertime! We harvest what we plant in life.

Galations 6:7  What a person plants, he will harvest. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.

Galations 6: 9  At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.

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Be a Sugar Pie Farmgirl …sow seeds of goodness…and just watch joy grow in your life!

It starts right now! I would love to hear what you would like to plant and harvest this year (in terms of your ideas, dreams or garden!)

I would like to thank you so much for your comments. They keep me inspired! I do apologize that I’ve been unable to get back to many of your questions. So I want to try answering your questions in the comment section. If you leave me a question I will leave a comment back with the answer. So check back! Let’s see if this works!

May God bless you darlin’s and keep you real good!

Aunt Ruthie

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