Welcome to my weekly Sunday post, Daybook Online Journal. This is a weekly post where I keep a record of what’s going on in my day to day. If you blog and post something like a Daybook Online Journal, please add your link in the comments. If you don’t blog, please post your own Daybook in the comments. This edition of my Daybook is the Simplified Organization edition.
Daybook Online Journal: Simplified Organization
Thanking God for…
::health
::making a HUGE roaster full of pinto beans this weekend
::children and Chris keeping the fireplace roaring all day long
::Mystic Chai Spiced Tea Mix 
::the desire to make some changes around the house so it will run more smoothly
::the course, Simplified Organization, to cause some light bulbs to go off when speaking of home organization–it’s not just about picking things up and throwing things out.
Praying for…
::My friend Shelby getting ready to battle cancer.
::Our friend Joe–who is actually more father/grandfather than friend. He will be having some heart procedure done the beginning of February. It amazes me that on a Friday, someone will actually be physically touching his heart and all things considered well, he will be flying back to Florida on Sunday…Amazing!
::Chris and his continued faithful service and spiritual leadership in our family
::our little homeschool–we need to work hard and be able to finish strong
::me–to be what He created me to be
Pondering…
[Tweet “Organization is a matter of discipline and discipline is self control, a fruit of the Spirit–Mystie Winkler”]
Listening to…
My Amazon Prime
Reading…
Praying the Scriptures for a Change
Writing in the Margins: Connecting with God on the Pages of Your Bible
Light and Peace: Instructions for Devout Souls to Dispel Their Doubts
Bible Journaling…
I don’t think I read the Old Testament reading yesterday from our Bible Reading plan?? I have not read today’s readings. I honestly don’t know if I will tonight before I go to bed. I could consider myself behind, or I just pick up tomorrow morning and start where I’m at. On another note, Hobby Lobby had some pretty stickers on sale this weekend and I had a little Christmas money/birthday money so I bought a couple sheets. I really am enjoying the time I have been spending Bible journaling. It just seems to engage a different side of my brain in the Scriptures.
Around the House…
Each week I repeat here something along the lines of decluttering, getting back on track, purging stuff, etc. I am getting nowhere and the feeling of chaos keeps piling higher and higher around me. I need an intervention and I found one in the Simplified Organization course from Mystie Winkler. I totally underestimated this course as some type of accountability/task list. Oh my gracious it is so much more!
In the first module Mystie encourages us to speak truth to ourselves…how about some Daily Affirmations! The very first item listed in the “Habit Formation” section is to keep a gratitude journal. For real? In a course on organization? Absolutely. Mystie does an excellent job on marrying these two ideas of gratitude and organization. Mystie makes the connections between organization and virtue. And she does it extremely well I might add.
In the Kitchen…
The kids have been begging for smoothies so when I grocery shopped I went to Sam’s and picked up some big bags of frozen fruit and a large container of spinach. This week we’ll have Frito Chili Pie, Tacos, Spaghetti, something with boiled chicken and Ranch Bean Salad.
Our Domestic Church…
The 13th is the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord so we need to do something fun for that. I’ll let you know if not here than on Instagram.
Saving Money…
Allrighty, Chris figured up at our current rate we are 15 months away from paying off our house. Our original goal was 5 years; now it looks like it might be 6 years 3 months–still great! But we are challenging ourselves to pay it off in 12 months–December 31st of this year; that would be 5 years 10 months. I have been monitizing The Littlest Way and any monies from it will go toward the house. It already pays our monthly internet fee and has for two years. It also manages to pay for toner for our laser printer and printer cartridges for out little printer. My family and I appreciate any affiliate link you click and make a purchase from.
Here’s how I saved money this week:
::I used a gift card from Christmas/birthday to purchase a few “not necessary” items for myself but helpful for our Bible journaling. And, I bought said items at 50% off. I saved $8.75 off those purchases without taking money from our budget.
::I made a huge roaster of pinto beans–9 cups dry. We ate Frito Chili Pie Saturday night and then Sunday we had beans with chips and cheese. I will freeze some and we can still eat at least another meal from it.
::I purchased 10 avocados using a price match. Walmart price was .98 an avocado (9.80). The price match was .29 an avocado (2.90). I saved $6.90.
::Chris needed a small heater for work. Since we started using Ibotta the end of September, we’ve saved/earned $45.75. Since we’ve been using Walmart Savings Catcher we’ve saved almost $18. Chris was able to purchase a small heater using our Walmart Savings Catcher money we transferred to a gift card. We saved $16.06.
Captured…
I know that I am writing this a long time after it was posted, but that is just how good your daybook is. Even if a person reads it much later, they can gain so much. You are a real inspiration to me because you give specific suggestions.
Aww, thank you so much! I appreciate the time you took to let me know ♥
Thank you for being thankful for your health. As someone with health problems it’s frustrating to see health not appreciated. Thanks for linking up with Motivational Mondays.
Always! And yes, it is so taken for granted.
Happy New Year to you, Jenny! What a great way to share your updates with us! Thanks for being a part of Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy. Just followed you on Instagram and look forward to connecting with you there!
I just started a new party/community for book lovers called the Book Nook at Create With Joy – I hope you’ll join us there as well! 🙂
Congratulations on making progress on paying your mortgage off! What a blessing to be able to pay down debt. It takes hard work (and a lot of beans for supper), but it’s worth it :).
It has been hard work. We are rewarding ourselves with a trip to the beach! We’ve never been and it’s a good incentive to keep at it.
What a cool way to get a glimpse into what’s happening for you right now!
I’m decluttering like a maniac right now. It must be the new year bug.
I’ll pray for your friend Shelby too– thanks for sharing so I can focus my prayers on her.
It sounds like so much is going on in your life. Enjoy the process and Happy New Year!
xoxo
Jennifer, thank you so much for adding Shelby into your prayers. I will update as appropiate.
Sending healing thoughts to your sick friends!
Thank you Amanda. I know she appreciates them.
These posts are always so fun. It’s fun to get to know you amidst your daily life. And I’ve always been a margin writer… may have to look into that book and step it up a notch!
Let me know if you get it and what you think.
This is such a neat post. I love that you keep track of all of stuff too.
Jenny, I so enjoyed reading about your week. That organization course sounds like one I might benefit from and I have never heard about ibotta and Walmart’s Savings Catcher! I want to try them both! Dittoing the person who wanted the bean recipe. I love a big pot of beans! Have a great week!
Hi Theresa. The Savings Catcher and Ibotta are so easy and convenient, my 13 year daughter is typically the one to keep track of them! I took a picture of the beans tonight–I’m a blogger–and I will try to get the recipe up very soon. Oh and the course…amazing!
The yummy bean recipe is on the blog today.
I love Frito pie and how awesome that your home will be paid off so soon! I would love to hear any tips you have about monetizing your blog.
Hi Natalie. My first tip is consistent posting, lol…I have not gotten my post up for today yet. Do you know of Learn to Blog? Crystal and Kelli are very knowledgeable and share that information freely. They also provide a well-worth-it blogging class.
I’m so glad the course has been an “intervention” for you, meeting you where you need it. 🙂 I’d love it if you’d join our G+ community (the link is on the sidebar of the course) – we do accountability and trouble-shooting and “talk shop” there. 🙂
What we want when we long for organization is really virtue – to do the right thing, to love the right thing, to know the right thing. That’s what the course is grounded in.
The timing of this course is perfect! Perfect! Thanks for the hard work you put into it.
I love that you keep tract of all this We started buying our house this summer and will pay 5 years on it as well if we keep on path. Looking forward to that day as I am sure you are
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Good luck to you all! It can be done, you just have to be prepared to say “No…we choose not to eat out tonight. No, we choose to skip that awesome sale because even though it’s a sale,w e still don’t need anything. No, instead of buying that new book I can check it out from the library.”
I’d love to see your recipe for the roaster full of beans!
I’ll try to get it up here soon! They are so yummy!
It’s on the blog today Jamie. Let me know if you make them.