tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45676310713365652082024-03-13T10:08:37.140-05:00Pen & HivePen and Hive by beekeeper and gardener Michelle Short is a blog for Christian women who want encouragement and inspiration for living their most creative life. Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.comBlogger450125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-58491823607024522382024-02-11T07:28:00.000-06:002024-02-11T07:28:00.849-06:00Redirecting Memories for Positivity<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl1KeWeCYtdpes1HGxJCUolZUmphyphenhyphenyLmwk_hyphenhyphenZ4ZU06ujIcfe9zNnaSI8NNtLEhfmqkj8PR_A3AjoIcyk2EBM42u2-S-7E4U6PGH7bYj7nd_KzpwqkSR_fzo5XknWXxMoO0hdVvH3dZzHSAPqt5vU_xH2bybVW36-fUKmlBLDnB4PWJKpK6epCAxcxwM/s4032/IMG_6842.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSl1KeWeCYtdpes1HGxJCUolZUmphyphenhyphenyLmwk_hyphenhyphenZ4ZU06ujIcfe9zNnaSI8NNtLEhfmqkj8PR_A3AjoIcyk2EBM42u2-S-7E4U6PGH7bYj7nd_KzpwqkSR_fzo5XknWXxMoO0hdVvH3dZzHSAPqt5vU_xH2bybVW36-fUKmlBLDnB4PWJKpK6epCAxcxwM/s320/IMG_6842.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Sitting on the swing this morning I was overcome with gratitude. It started, oddly enough, when remembering a minor confrontation I had with a stranger the other day. I kept dwelling on it and being irritated and angry whenever I thought of it. I spent an inordinate amount of mental energy formulating perfect responses I could have thrown out in the moment.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"> I began to wonder why something trivial and obnoxious takes up so much time in our minds and is so readily remembered and focused on. I thought of other similarly small events, many from years and years ago that I could still easily recall. I've had a pretty nice life and had some extraordinary experiences, why do they not come to mind as quickly? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">Why is a hurtful word uttered by someone a decade ago called to memory so immediately while so many pleasant memories lay uncovered? So I devised a plan of thinking. Whenever an unpleasant memory comes to me I will give it no quarter but think of some pleasant memory from my life. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">I tried this out yesterday morning and it worked pretty well. But today when I woke up more and more memories were available. I thought of my parents and how good they were even with all their faults. I thought about houses we lived in and schools we went to, Sunday school teachers and pastors, kind neighbors and teachers. Clothes, meals, bikes, toys, pleasant surroundings always and on top of that good health, medicine, and doctor visits. As I thought of all these things and how frequently I focus on what was omitted from my childhood or how my mother's personality revealed itself as I was an adult I felt ashamed. The goodness and blessings of living in this country and growing up in the second half of the 20th century are miracles compared to any previous time in history and even now in many places around the world. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>Phillipians 4:8-9</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i>Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy think about such things and the peace of God will be with you. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">We hear this verse taught in regard to our thinking but I've never thought of applying it to our memories. <i>On a side note, recent research is revealing how unreliable our memories are, how easily they are assigned to us, or are partially or completely inaccurate. </i>Energy follows focus so if we are looking to be the most productive and helpful people possible we can use this Biblical version of reframing to help us focus on and prioritize what is good while keeping thinking negativity at bay. What follows naturally is gratitude and peace. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /></span></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-58489111822696523862023-03-27T06:01:00.001-05:002024-02-11T07:01:28.622-06:00Are We Richer Than Solomon?<p>Let me start by giving you some advice. Don't read Ecclesiastes if you are depressed. I'm reading through the Bible this year and knocked out this book a few days ago in my quiet time unaware that later in the day I'd receive some sad news. Of course I had no way of knowing that, but I'm just saying, maybe skip it. I'll sum it up for you. There's a season to everything but overall there's nothing new under the sun, everything is pointless, then you die and other people get your stuff. </p><p>Also a summation of every estate sale you've ever been to. </p><p>If you haven't read it in a while you might remember it being beautiful and poetic, uplifting even. That's probably because in the sixties the Byrds took the coolest part of the book and made it into a song. </p><p>Turn, Turn, Turn. </p><p><i>You can hear it now, right?</i></p><p>Solomon, who as you will recall was on a lifelong quest for wisdom which he asked God for, comes up with advice on how to live a worthwhile life. His conclusion for how to live is to fear God and keep his commands and be happy in your work. Not bad advice but everyone up to him had been saying the same thing without the vocational recommendation. </p><p>His more practical advice for living is found in Proverbs.</p><p>How much richer are we than Solomon that we live in the light of the grace of Jesus and as Christians we have the Holy Spirit living in us? We have the Gospels and all the writings of the New Testament. While the things Solomon says are true he lived his entire life without knowing the fullest truth of God's plan for the salvation of mankind. </p><p>When you read Ecclesiastes you can almost hear him saying, "This is it?" </p><p>For the full context of his final conclusions about the meaning of life you'll need to read the accounts of all he accomplished. (1 Kings 4-9 and 2 Chronicles 3-9)</p><p> It's far more than you or I could hope to achieve in our wildest dreams. </p><p>Even so...</p><p>Maybe the best way to approach Ecclesiastes is to read it with sympathy for the man who achieved such incredible things in his lifetime, a man who's name is still remembered and associated with great wisdom and building the Temple. But for all of that he did, he didn't have access to the completed plan of God. He lived and died with the greatest event in history hundreds of years in the future and never having heard the greatest news of all. </p><p>So for all his vast wealth, reputation, and wisdom you and I are in a better position to have hope for the future than Solomon. We live in the light of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We have the gift of grace and the assurance of our own resurrection and eternity with God. </p><p>Solomon in all his wisdom could not have imagined such a thing. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-37430578608480527252023-03-13T17:23:00.002-05:002024-02-11T07:02:38.748-06:00 Seasons of Home: Spring Cleaning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fZCg42q0HCqf4kGaL72T-N-1sGBg-vw-VA-GfrCWrjRWncWDTfgc2D_C0RBJlWcNxnq4W2RtiEY1VEJPTGXya-7J1Mp8wMOfBIeO0vzIUOFr4iC6xBoVSXGX-3G8skB5li8dwJwDFKQiV2N9XI63d9CFM5JLf_wNOzxc3Kn_kQhCz7_UACqNxHlI/s1300/Scandinavian%20inspired%20bedroom%20in%20blue%20and%20white.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1300" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fZCg42q0HCqf4kGaL72T-N-1sGBg-vw-VA-GfrCWrjRWncWDTfgc2D_C0RBJlWcNxnq4W2RtiEY1VEJPTGXya-7J1Mp8wMOfBIeO0vzIUOFr4iC6xBoVSXGX-3G8skB5li8dwJwDFKQiV2N9XI63d9CFM5JLf_wNOzxc3Kn_kQhCz7_UACqNxHlI/s320/Scandinavian%20inspired%20bedroom%20in%20blue%20and%20white.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The approach of spring, which if you follow this blog, you would imagine fills me with joy and anticipation had the opposite effect on me this year. I laid on the couch recovering from food poisoning in a dirty house and looked out the window at a garden in such bad shape I just wanted to rip it out and sod the whole thing. </p><p>Have you been there? </p><p>And as a beekeeper spring means even more work and the clock is ticking and doesn't stop because I'm over all the things. While I was wasting time and procrastinating, because that's what we do when we don't have a plan, I found a bunch of cleaning videos on YouTube. I have to say watching someone else clean has an almost magical effect. </p><p>I thought, "I can at least clean the sink and wipe down my counters."</p><p>Three hours later I had deep cleaned my entire kitchen including cleaning the oven and the refrigerator. </p><p>If you are stuck I highly recommend any of the "clean with me" videos on YouTube that appeal to you. The attitude adjustment is almost instant. </p><p>A week later I had finished my setting the house in order and doing it reminded me of my mom, who believed spring cleaning was a team sport. </p><p>She'd pick a day and put on a stack of records or turn up the radio and set us to work taking apart our rooms or helping her in the kitchen or living room and clean the things that didn't get done in our regular daily or weekly chore list. This included things like moving furniture to sweep behind it and dusting pleated lampshades with a paint brush. No one ever wanted to do any of this but once we got started we began looking for things to clean and to see dirt that had been invisible to us only the day before. </p><p>She made it feel like an event with open windows and music. After a few hours of work she'd yell, "Break time!" We'd all sit down and eat some terrible corporate mid century junk food like Ruffles and French onion dip or rip open a bag of Chips Ahoy. Then it was back to work fueled by Coke and and chemicals. At the end of the day we were all exhausted but satisfied and the house sparkled. The air even felt cleaner. </p><p>My mother never read any books by admirals about making your bed or the power of atomic habits but she did understand the power of getting started and of making something that could have been drudgery into an event. </p><p>Maybe it's that same upbeat commraderie makes the Millenial mommies' YouTube videos fun and inspiring to watch.</p><p>What's your favorite way to motivate yourself when you don't feel like doing anything?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-44713782463867957312023-02-27T07:38:00.001-06:002024-02-11T07:04:40.630-06:00A Light to See By<p> I have an ornate ceramic lamp from the sixties that I inherited. It's quite old and the switch might give out any day. Since it's in the upstairs hallway and only needs to be on in the mornings and evenings I have it on a timer to save wear and tear on the switch. </p><p>It comes on at 5:15 in the morning. If I wake up and light is seeping in around my closed door I know it's time to get up. I can step out into a bright cheerful space instead of fumbling around in the dark for the switch. </p><p>Depending on how tired I am or how hard I've slept I may lay there a while with my eyes closed. This morning I was doing this in that early morning brain fog and wondering if the light was on or if it was the middle of the night. Finally I had the thought "I could open my eyes and find out." </p><p>I wiped the sleep away to see that the hallway was brightly lit. </p><p> The lamp could have been on for hours but how would I know if I didn't open my eyes? It could have been on forever but unless I chose to see it that wouldn't matter. It's possible that I could have stayed in bed in the dark, maybe even cursing the darkness, because I refused to see. </p><p>Our spiritual view of the world is like this. In our postmodern culture it's considered enlightened to think if there is a light it's one that comes from within. We are our own little gods, our own personal centers of the universe, and of course we all conveniently have our own truth. What we really do have is the choice to open our eyes and see the light that is shining</p><p>It lights our way and keeps us from stumbling in the night. Imagine being in a store or restaurant and seeing people willfully keeping their eyes closed not only putting themselves in danger but creating chaos in a public space. We'd shake them and demand that they simply open their eyes and look around. But we see many surrounded by brightness clenching their eyes shut as hard as possible, the bright truth glowing all around them as they grope and trip along their way through life. </p><p>What is needed is a great awakening. As the days grow darker the Light of God's love and the person of Jesus is shining ever brighter. Let's pray that they will "open their eyes to their true condition that they would turn from darkness to light." </p><p>Many are standing at the edge of a great precipice unaware that they are in danger feeling perfectly safe in their chosen darkness. The blind take others by the hand, "don't look at the light," they say. "shut your eyes and ignore all that you've been taught by the church or your parents. No one ever knew anything until now. After thousands of years we finally have arrived at truth." While they stumble and fall down scrambling to make their way in their chosen darkness anyone may come and take their hand and lead them into ever increasing danger and they will follow them as long as they too curse the light. </p><p>It's in this world that we are called as Christians to be salt and light. There is hope for the world and for mankind, his name is Jesus. In his name delusions are broken and people can be released from mental and spiritual bondage. Love and pray for the willfully blind. </p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-68102594252787712592023-02-13T05:30:00.001-06:002024-02-11T07:06:13.174-06:00Swerve and Keep Going<p> </p><p>Isn't it strange how things you see every day become invisible? Like that important piece of paper you tack on the bulletin board and then fail to see when you actually need it. It's so common for us to overlook things unless there is some kind of change involved. Our human brains need to create a lot of shortcuts for thinking in order to keep functioning in our ever increasingly complex world, we tune out a lot of information we've already seen. </p><p>This truth struck me recently. During a blast of winter weather while walking with one of our dogs I noticed a "swerve right" or "keep right" sign that I've seen hundreds of thousands of times over the past 30 years. </p><p>Later by the fire with a cup of tea and a now warm dog on the sofa next to me I was struck with the thought that this sign which technically means "keep right" seemed to be saying <i>swerve and move on.</i> <i>Avoid the obstacle and keep going</i>. And even if you take the literal meaning, <i>keep right</i> isn't bad advice either based on the definition of right: <i>what is good, proper, and just.</i></p><p> Do you want to be in accordance with what is bad, improper, and unjust? I'm guessing no. </p><p>Beehives that are doing well are known as queen right. <i>I know you were up all night wondering about that. </i></p><p> There are times to stick to our guns but lots of situations call for us to be able to wisely maneuver instead of plowing ahead. Very often we can swerve to avoid disaster. We can adjust the sail to chart a new course. Charting a new course when things have gone sideways is a valuable life skill. One thing we have learned in the three years is that moving forward no matter how haltingly you are doing it is important. Two steps forward and one step back is still progress. </p><p>Knowing when to hold on tight and barrel through and when to pivot and recalculate takes wisdom, not knowledge. Fortunately, we can ask for that. </p><p><i>James 1:5</i></p><p><i>If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. </i></p><p><i> </i></p><p><i> </i><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-66453414271377716192023-02-06T05:30:00.004-06:002024-02-11T07:08:37.838-06:00The Simulation<p>People who don't want to believe in God, sometimes only because it's what their parents and the church taught them, will believe anything else. They'll believe that something can come from nothing even though it's a scientific principle that is impossible. They'll believe in life forces and affirmations and magic rocks and a myriad of other things which come without a standard of behavior. Not having any higher authority to tell them where they have gone wrong seems to be the main point of searching for something else. The latest version of this thinking is <i>The Simulation. <br /></i></p><p>I listen to a lot of different podcasts from a wide variety of people with divergent thoughts and ideas and this theory is becoming prevalent. It goes roughly like this: </p><p>We're in the matrix. Or <i>a </i>matrix or computer game or some other version of a simulated world. In this world there's an intelligent being running things. We can affect things about our own lives by choices we make in the simulation though the jury is out on whether or not free will exists. Sometimes something coincidental or strange happens. "That's the simulation winking at us." They say. Whoever is running the whole thing is wildly and unimaginably intelligent and we are nothing by comparison. </p><p>Let's translate. We live in a created world. A mind with infinitely superior knowledge created this world and us. This intelligence orders events and affects things in this created world. This being influences us and tries to communicate. Compared to the creator we are inferior to the point of total dependence. </p><p>That sounds vaguely familiar. Almost like we live in a created world that God created. He also created us and desires to know us and have a relationship with us. He speaks directly to us through His word, nature, our conscience, and if we are believers through the Holy Spirit. We cannot live or exist or have our being without him. </p><p><i>A belief in the Christian God comes with an added benefit. The God of the universe loves each us and wants what's best for us. Our lives have purpose in a cosmic battle of good and evil. There's redemption. </i></p><p>Let's set aside actual belief in God for a moment. You just can't bring yourself to believe for whatever reason. That's fine. But compare these two ways of framing reality. If you wanted to choose a lens to filter your life through which one would bring the most comfort? Which one would alleviate your deepest fears in the middle of a dark and lonely night? Which one would give you hope that your life is not just a meaningless bundle of experiences? </p><p><i>Which one touches your heart and soul?</i></p><p><i> </i>Even if all we are doing is choosing a way of looking at the world belief in the Christian God comes with the added benefit of feeling loved and cared for by a creator. It's also the only one that comes with a self sacrificing hero who showed up to save us all. It comes complete with a set of rules for living. It offers the hope that even the worst things can be used in the grand scheme and good can come out of our despair. It says there is evil in the world but it will be overcome with good. </p><p><i>It says you have a Father and a Friend. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-82668295044135583052023-01-30T03:00:00.113-06:002024-02-11T07:14:38.183-06:00What Standard Are We Navigating By?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N5UvBTg2p_FSuPnLprsOWcFjS332vNkOC07OvVV31BEW-It6gFl9DBcpc0Nc0FIqSb6D8GxtxHvAI8F47aNCj7PYS9wxQkKkAYls6SRNz71Ep05nCSXpuNFOvnD2qqqm5hkcC1bCQD_oHuT0_8koYnXvyvK60ytYWHfAGz7nkv7c0yofF6dpeUMS/s1021/613-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1021" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N5UvBTg2p_FSuPnLprsOWcFjS332vNkOC07OvVV31BEW-It6gFl9DBcpc0Nc0FIqSb6D8GxtxHvAI8F47aNCj7PYS9wxQkKkAYls6SRNz71Ep05nCSXpuNFOvnD2qqqm5hkcC1bCQD_oHuT0_8koYnXvyvK60ytYWHfAGz7nkv7c0yofF6dpeUMS/s320/613-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>A few days ago I took a walk after dark with the dog. The moon was
full and the weather was unusually pleasant for this time of year though
windy. The thing about walking the dog is that there's a lot of
stopping and waiting, looking around. He thinks his job is to prevent
cardio of any kind. Whatever, dog. </p><p>I love to look at the night
sky and while I was scanning it during one of our many stops, through the clouds I noticed a
light that looked like a star. But it seemed to be moving so I thought
maybe it was an airplane but it was far too distant to be a jet. A satellite
maybe? Whatever it was it was moving rapidly. I stared at it for a long time trying to reckon its strange velocity in my mind.
The ghostly gray clouds were drifting across the sky. I fixed my eyes on
the light to see what direction it was moving. It <i>was</i> moving, right? </p><p>It
suddenly dawned on me. The light was stationary and the clouds were
being blown by the wind and I'd been using them as my reference point.
The light was a star that likely hadn't moved much in thousands of years. </p><p>How
often do we do this? We look around at events, or culture, or our own
emotions and make judgments based on shifting vapors. But the plumb line of truth remains unmoved and unwavering. We try to adjust the
standard to the shifting thinking and beliefs of our day. In our culture truth has become a dirty word, something to mock and question instead of something to rally to. Many rail
against the fixed point holding its place outside of time, civilizations, and
empires. A fruitless battle that leads to nothing and nowhere. A fight
that leads to exhausted delusion and eventually the inability to even
see that the shifting is a vaporous lie confused for truth. </p><p>We cannot navigate by clouds. They are too easily tossed about by swirling winds and the change of season. Our hearts and minds are created to search for that which is decidedly fixed. We are imprinted with the desire for what is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But our world is corrupted and fallen and easily led astray and we are often invited to step onto the shifting sand of popular opinion. </p><p>It's
when the furious swirling is at its most intense that we should take a
reading of where we are in relation to the unchangeable truths of life. While many people delight in confusion and take daily readings of the situation to
determine who they are and what they think. Let us fix our beliefs,
behavior, and values to the unchanged and stand firm whatever the
clouds may do.</p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-60414647036189335872023-01-23T04:56:00.002-06:002024-02-11T07:10:58.219-06:00Planting in the Harsh Winter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKMLqWe6mR8ppqcV7GGZaEPOsf6tJeCD8eXoZS9yidNGe7BbHlTV3Upn9ccwW3qZ2i9T0dzz3TmljYz57Vkr0NRbOPd23m1EA38PlyYme_Y4xD45ss_ZKtF5q1AtNmzDENWAddHURW02HRcGJ8YmRUaUiOlqrC1YDYliKUNG0MmdJmFYWtLT8Aj7a/s2048/IMG_1215.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilKMLqWe6mR8ppqcV7GGZaEPOsf6tJeCD8eXoZS9yidNGe7BbHlTV3Upn9ccwW3qZ2i9T0dzz3TmljYz57Vkr0NRbOPd23m1EA38PlyYme_Y4xD45ss_ZKtF5q1AtNmzDENWAddHURW02HRcGJ8YmRUaUiOlqrC1YDYliKUNG0MmdJmFYWtLT8Aj7a/s320/IMG_1215.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />When we think about spring some pretty cheerful ideas come to mind especially for gardeners but all the planting doesn't take place on beautiful spring days. That works if you want cucumbers and zinnias in July but if you want a lovely spring garden you must plant it months ahead in the fall of the previous year. I hardly ever get around to it because that's when I'm usually busy finishing up the honey chores. So for me the tulip and daffodil bulbs are often planted in the worst weather. This isn't ideal and they should be planted a few weeks sooner though living in the south gives me a bit more leeway. Still I've been out in a sleeting snow before trying to get them in the ground before Christmas. Somehow I always seem to end up planting them in the freezing cold with a wind blowing, my nose running and the cold seeping through my clothes. <p></p><p>Isn't that just like life? The future beautiful harvest that will be a joy to you is often planted in a merciless cold season. Perhaps you are raising children and struggling with finances or relationships. It could be you are helping a friend when you are feeling depleted and as if you need help yourself. In the harshest seasons of life hopelessness lurks around the door and you lay awake nights wondering what to do.</p><p>I encourage you not to despair because it might just be that hanging on through whatever dark and cold season you are in is going to result in a beautiful harvest you haven't had the glimmer of hope to imagine yet. Persistence, courage, and faith are fruits that seem to be planted in the harshest winters. </p><p>Something happens in the cold. There are plants who need a season of cold to become their most beautiful when it's time to bloom. We all crave comfortable circumstances and easy lives, but there is little growth there. Growth is a forceful determined thing, a struggle. The relentlessness of growth is what leads to the beautiful blooms that brighten the world and cheer the heart. If you are struggling through a cold season do not give up. The breakthrough you're waiting for may need a quiet time in the dark for nourishment you don't understand yet. Often further down the road the purpose of the bleak periods is made clear and it always gives you the ability to encourage someone who is in their own dark night. How are we going to know how much someone needs warmth and shelter if we've never felt a cold wind? <br /></p><p>Let's pray that our growth is relentless no matter the circumstances. Remember the blossom of your beautiful endurance will give hope to others. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-39934034216594683412023-01-16T09:12:00.004-06:002024-02-11T07:13:34.383-06:00New Year, New Direction<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzgpLblu_ufFU4-vlcdJ7XPXYg5mzthNt74USdXyam7Zv7FH4brOO6KoUXJHrxxoxXB7-p2uImBbqiWwzaeB_2eINfhuC7GBReuvIecFU5h71TWjR_zZYY2N8aP-aMUu2CgMMP8s0Rv8_4JGolrfaLuqzTsSBFLP6ls7eZdof5stEA2jUv6h0h5fv/s3024/IMG_7448.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzgpLblu_ufFU4-vlcdJ7XPXYg5mzthNt74USdXyam7Zv7FH4brOO6KoUXJHrxxoxXB7-p2uImBbqiWwzaeB_2eINfhuC7GBReuvIecFU5h71TWjR_zZYY2N8aP-aMUu2CgMMP8s0Rv8_4JGolrfaLuqzTsSBFLP6ls7eZdof5stEA2jUv6h0h5fv/s320/IMG_7448.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Have you seen people posting New Year, New Me! If only. Right? </p><p>Some people go the opposite direction, New Year same me. Well that's defeatist as well as impossible. Also, do any of us really think we're all that great the way we are? </p><p>New Year, new direction. That might be the Goldilocks resolution. </p><p>We can't make over our entire personalities in one year or ever for that matter yet lots of people behave as if they can Cinderella the change at midnight. Staying the same isn't possible either. It's equally impossible. Life is about change. Everything alive is changing all the time. Every leaf. Every animal. Every human being. Even every cell. </p><p>We are at all times either going forward or backward. There is no standing still so we might want to develop some kind of plan for that. </p><p>Here's a hopeful goal. </p><p>We can change direction. We can stop going along the same old road in ruts put down by habit or the influence of others and go a different way. </p><p>Imagine yourself as a car. You don't magically become a Lamborghini because you pass a particular mile marker. But we can note the marker and ask ourselves how long have we been driving mindlessly on this road? How long have we been in low gear? How did all this trash get into the car? </p><p>We can take notes and correct. We can choose another road going slowly at once because it's unfamiliar then gaining speed as we move along. Did we get lost somewhere along the way? Do we need to consult the GPS? We can always decide to wake up and pay attention, work on driving the car better and marking our progress. </p><p>This is where I find myself at the start of this new year. Changing my focus and looking around to see where I am. I'm taking a new road. God is at work in unfathomable ways and as he loves doing new things.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-13852239486157907642022-01-10T07:43:00.001-06:002024-02-11T07:35:19.254-06:00Gaining Clarity in the Midst of Chaos<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xsLvAA6v8QI/YPRLX5Uo_1I/AAAAAAAAWDQ/w3tBpStqnhMXVAX_OfDGiVrJ9FfsaVAbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_0737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xsLvAA6v8QI/YPRLX5Uo_1I/AAAAAAAAWDQ/w3tBpStqnhMXVAX_OfDGiVrJ9FfsaVAbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0737.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /><p></p><p> I have a confession to make. It's bizarre. in November of 2019, while I was standing in the guest cottage I was struck out of nowhere by the thought,<i> "how could I get out of doing all the things I've gotten myself into?"</i> Just like that. In a flash. </p><p>You might assume that I'd gotten myself into a lot of terrible things like I'd accidentally joined a Mexican drug cartel or I'd become addicted to gambling and owed a ton of money to loan sharks or something else equally nefarious. </p><p><i>Nope. </i></p><p>I was questioning how I could untangle myself from a pretty great bunch of things I'd said yes to over the past few years. A few years ago my motto for the year was "Let the opportunity reveal the path." In that year and to some extent since then, I have been working on saying yes to new or challenging things. My introverted nature is to say no and I was working to overcome that. </p><p>Old things that I had prioritized like serious reading and spending time each day in deep thought were edged out of my schedule by all the new things I was doing, all of which were challenging and enjoyable. I was having a lot of fun and hanging out with really cool and interesting people. At the same time, I was feeling ever more scattered and disconnected. While doing any activity I felt like there were 5 other things I should be doing. I was busier than I've ever been and definitely more social. I was having the time of my life but also wondering why I couldn't gain any clarity and constantly felt so restless. </p><p>Sometimes my husband would say "You're doing too much." To which I would reply that I <i>was not</i> and reaffirm to myself that all I needed was to be more organized or something and go on to the next task. I loved every single thing I was doing! But as an introvert part of what makes life bearable is the time to process what's happening. I'd come to a point where one activity, many that involved other people flowed into the next and it felt like a pressure relief valve was clogged somewhere. But the fun kept me going and who wants to quit doing the fun stuff? </p><p><i>Not this girl, that's for sure! </i></p><p>Cue the pandemic: Within the first couple of weeks I knocked out every project I'd been trying to get to for a while. I was in a rush because<i> "15 days to flatten the curve"</i> right? </p><p>Projects completed and lockdown extended <i>(but hey only six weeks!)</i> I turned my attention to the collection of books that lay around unread. I started with Marcus Aurelius and a few pages in I could feel my mind calm. I moved on to Churchill's History of English Speaking Peoples-The Birth of Britain. Thoughtful reading takes time to settle into and I couldn't do that while flitting from one thing to another. </p><p>I also stopped writing on the blog and slowly extricated myself from social media. Instead of writing about, photographing, and sharing the garden on social media I was<i> tending</i> it and what's more, just <i>being</i> in it. I worked in the garden because it needed tending not because something would make a beautiful photo. The joy of gardening returned. And beekeeping. And learning things quietly by myself. </p><p><i>My extroverts are getting nervous just reading about it, I know. Stay with me. </i></p><p>New projects are happening. But priorities have shifted, and many things that were valued in the past have been replaced with a sense of purposeful joy. </p><p>More about that in a future post. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-70697450392195625472021-01-31T08:26:00.000-06:002021-01-31T08:26:43.875-06:00What I'm Reading Now<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xP6H8NwdZcQ/YBa6KewF6NI/AAAAAAAAV6g/UhKUMaUz1gIjiVwo3um7q6xD0nG9X0obACLcBGAsYHQ/s940/Black%2Band%2BWhite%2BBordered%2BCoffee%2BFacebook%2BPost%2B%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xP6H8NwdZcQ/YBa6KewF6NI/AAAAAAAAV6g/UhKUMaUz1gIjiVwo3um7q6xD0nG9X0obACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Black%2Band%2BWhite%2BBordered%2BCoffee%2BFacebook%2BPost%2B%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The past few years have been fun and a bit out of character for me. I've done less reading and deep thinking and more projects and getting to know new people. All of those are good things but as there are only so many hours in the day everything is a trade-off. I had a teacher in high school who told us that one day in class and it might be the truest thing anyone ever said in a classroom.<i> </i></p><p><i>Everything you choose to do comes at the cost of some other thing. </i></p><p>So while working and meeting new people wasn't much of an option in 2020 and I had time to finish the main projects I'd been putting off, The desire to read along with the time to absorb and connect with what I was reading returned. I can only tolerate enthralling fiction. My preferred reading material has always been non-fiction. In particular personal development but also, history and biographies. </p><p><b>2020</b> </p><p>I revisited <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius">Marcus Aurelius</a> and began Churchill's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/History-English-Speaking-Peoples-Vol-Britain/dp/B004FF2S74/ref=sr_1_6?crid=J3DH2TBH075J&dchild=1&keywords=birth+of+britain+churchill&qid=1611841291&s=books&sprefix=birth+of+brita%2Cstripbooks%2C184&sr=1-6">History of English Speaking Peoples: The Birth of Britain </a>which I'm still working on. It's a book that I often put down to do online research about a place or person mentioned because Churchill assumed a lot of knowledge about English history on the part of his reader. Jordan Peterson's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021">12 Rules for Life</a> was a game-changer when it came to getting myself in order and sorting out what my priorities should be. Candace Owen's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blackout-America-Second-Democrat-Plantation/dp/1982133279/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QQKQ7873VE9O&dchild=1&keywords=candace+owen+blackout&qid=1611841476&s=books&sprefix=candance+%2Cstripbooks%2C204&sr=1-1">Blackout</a> was enlightening. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+day+in+the+life+of+ivan+denisovich&i=stripbooks&crid=3QTD9OTPUCS96&sprefix=a+day+in+the+%2Cstripbooks%2C194&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_13">A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich</a> made me grateful for even the simplest pleasure. Reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Turning-American-Prophecy-Rendezvous/dp/0767900464/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1I47RZUV6ZXRU&dchild=1&keywords=the+fourth+turning&qid=1611841561&s=books&sprefix=the+fourth+t%2Cstripbooks%2C199&sr=1-1">The Fourth Turning</a> gave me a fresh new view of history and changed my perspective about what looks like chaos. </p><p><b>2021 </b></p><p><i>The first quarter of this year is dedicated to reclaiming mental and physical strength and energy. My current reading list reflects that. </i></p><p><b> January: </b></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ITEYGAIUVUAC&dchild=1&keywords=atomic+habits&qid=1611841608&s=books&sprefix=atomic+%2Cstripbooks%2C192&sr=1-1">Atomic Habits</a> might be the best book on improving habits and hacking your own brain I've ever read and trust me, I've read a ton of these kinds of books. Backed up with plenty of science and research, heavily footnoted, and easy to read you can use this book to change your behavior and your life. I'll be keeping it around as a reference tool and rereading it as well. </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Bulletproof-Influence-Situations-Fearlessly/dp/1982103752/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Z1PL4BZZG6F3&dchild=1&keywords=becoming+bulletproof&qid=1611841656&s=books&sprefix=becoming+bull%2Cstripbooks%2C185&sr=1-1">Becoming Bulletproof </a>is about how to overcome fear, learn to read people, and gain situational awareness. Written by Evy Pompouras a former Secret Service agent it's full of practical tips and things everyone should know. The lessons she teaches, if put into practice, can help you feel more powerful and less likely to be a potential victim. </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=loserthink&i=stripbooks&crid=P25NYD1MUGIX&sprefix=loserthink%2Cstripbooks%2C181&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_10">Loserthink.</a> I like everything Scott Adams does. This book is no exception though his best book is actually <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Fail-Almost-Everything-Still/dp/1591847745/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PZGYMHM5EHZ0&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+fail+at+everything+and+still+win+big&qid=1612101940&sprefix=how+to+fail+%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1" target="_blank">How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.</a> In Loserthink he's working on getting the reader to look for flaws in their own thinking and to see how little credence we should really give our thoughts and opinions and those of others until we evaluate them. </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Essentialism-Disciplined-Pursuit-Greg-McKeown/dp/0804137404/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Z130DBYED3NH&dchild=1&keywords=essentialism&qid=1611841738&s=books&sprefix=essential%2Cstripbooks%2C219&sr=1-1">Essentialism</a> is exactly what it sounds like. A book about determining what's essential and how to let the rest of it go. The author, Greg McKeown, has written this helpful book so that it's beneficial whether you are using it to make career decisions or use it to evaluate and enhance your personal life. For instance, what's the most important thing <i>now?</i> </p><p>For something other than personal development I'm reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+world+beneath+the+sands+by+toby+wilkinson&crid=38LJQRM1C7HQ6&sprefix=beneath+sand%2Caps%2C226&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_12" target="_blank">A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology</a>. It's a subject I'm interested in, my vision board has quite a few pictures of Egypt on it. This book is a detailed account that starts with Napoleon and ends with Carter. The pages in between are filled with people who changed Egypt and Egyptology that you've never heard of. </p><p>I'm currently building the list for February. You'll notice that I've linked to Amazon so you can see the books and get more information about them, <i>but please purchase from your independent local bookseller. </i></p><p>What's on your reading list right now? </p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-67189527450167648422021-01-19T08:50:00.019-06:002021-01-21T08:35:37.661-06:00Who I'm Listening To Right Now<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iLg76GFHxcA/YAblLoeSrUI/AAAAAAAAV5I/F6aXUjQITDQ-iY0FScinXNrfrpXZIVEhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s940/Black%2Band%2BWhite%2BBordered%2BCoffee%2BFacebook%2BPost.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iLg76GFHxcA/YAblLoeSrUI/AAAAAAAAV5I/F6aXUjQITDQ-iY0FScinXNrfrpXZIVEhQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Black%2Band%2BWhite%2BBordered%2BCoffee%2BFacebook%2BPost.png" width="320" /></a></div> <br /><p></p><p>In the midst of the chaos of 2020, I went searching for depth. Around June when I awakened from my Netflix stupor I began with Marcus Aurelius. But I'm weird that way. Don't do that. Unless you know, you are a big fan of reading ancient common sense from brilliant dead Romans. </p><p><i>To be completely honest I did my share of arguing and trolling on social media last fall. It's how I learned that if you are debating communists or college kids who think they're communists, they'll always tell you whatever failed state you want to name with death tolls in the millions weren't "real communism." It's their universal answer. They also think having tax-funded roads we all use is the same thing as socialism. </i></p><p>In my quest over the past few months to put all that is happening in perspective and gain a better understanding, I discovered a lot of helpful resources. It may be worth noting that what I consider helpful is generally going to be rational and not given to being over-emotional or one-sided. Overall this list has a liberal, scientific, and/or academic slant. When emotions are so ramped up choosing the calmest voice in the storm seems like the best option. </p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">News</span></b></p><p> <b>Scott Adams.</b> Don't know that name right off? How about Dilbert? So yes, at the moment the majority of news I'm consuming is from a cartoonist. But a cartoonist who also happens to have a degree in economics and is a trained hypnotist and expert in persuasion. There's no better way to get your information than from a guy who can point out all the ways the media is using brainwashing techniques instead of reporting the news. He's also a liberal which means that even though he was a Trump supporter you are getting a very unbiased, not to mention entertaining, view of what's happening. His daily (even on Christmas!) Youtube live stream is like having coffee with a really smart friend and discussing the events of the day. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpnY5NnBl-8L7SvICuYkYQ" target="_blank">Real Coffee with Scott Adams</a></p><p><b>Tim Pool:</b> Another classical liberal, Tim made a name for himself covering the Occupy Wallstreet Protests. He gives the news citing several different sources including social media and his commentary is especially interesting because he's a Millenial. I like to see things from that perspective. He posts multiple times a day and has a live podcast in the evenings generally with other Millenials as his guests. <br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/Timcast/playlists" target="_blank">Timcast News</a></p><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Podcasts/Youtube</span></b></p><p><b><a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/" target="_blank">Jordan Peterson:</a></b> Dr. Peterson is a clinical psychologist with decades of practical experience. He's a professor at the University of Toronto. He's the author of 12 Rules for Life and the upcoming sequel, 12 More Rules for Life. He has over 500 hours of lectures available on Youtube. More than anyone else I'd say Peterson has helped me to gain some clarity recently and get myself in order. </p><p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5N_uAqApEUIlg32QzkPlg" target="_blank">Bret Weinstein:</a></b> Dr. Weinstein is a biologist and evolutionary theorist. He gained notoriety during the Evergreen State College protests in 2017. Among other subjects, he talks about the current war against free speech on college campuses. More recently I've discovered his brother, <b><a href="https://ericweinstein.org/" target="_blank">Eric Weinstein,</a> </b>the head of Thiel Capital, and physicist. This pair of brothers coined the term intellectual dark web. </p><p><b><a href="https://www.gadsaad.com/" target="_blank">Gad Saad:</a></b> Professor Saad is an behavioral scientist and author. His podcast, The Saad Truth has the best title of any podcast. He's the author of The Consuming Effect and The Parasitic Mind. </p><p><b><a href="https://jonathanhaidt.com/" target="_blank">Jonathan Haidt:</a></b> Author of The Coddling of the American Mind, The Righteous Mind, and The Happiness Hypothesis. He's a professor at New York University. He's challenging us all to overcome our confirmation bias and listen in a deep way we might not have done before. He researches the effects of overprotective parenting and social media access on kids. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/joerogan/videos" target="_blank"><b>Joe Rogan:</b> </a>The number one rated podcast in the world. He's interviewed pretty much everyone at this point and his podcast is a fantastic resource for being introduced to free thinkers and influencers you may not have heard about. </p><p>My friends on the right are going to think this looks like a list of mostly atheistic professors and people who occasionally use some pretty bad language and are too far left. My friends on the left are going to think these people are dangerous with their words that could hurt people's feelings and contain a seeming lack of sensitivity. </p><p><i>Yes. </i></p><p>It's called the rational center and it's a place that <i>if the majority of citizens had time</i> to give ideas deep thought and were willing to escape from their information silos and echo chambers we could all meet to construct solutions that work and change that would be worth the effort instead of just a campaign slogan. </p><p><i>Remember when there was news (who, what, when, where, why) instead of a narrative? </i></p><p><b>What do all these people have in common?</b> They are advocates for free speech and are loudly sounding the alarm about the very real danger we are in of the First Amendment as we know it becoming a thing of the past. There's plenty to agree and disagree with from all of them, but isn't only listening to people we agree with all the time kind of how we got here? </p><p><br /></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-10707259579827042532021-01-13T08:35:00.008-06:002021-01-13T08:57:32.652-06:002021:Daring to Make a Vision Board <p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Henh6qpUm6g/X_7wcotFbMI/AAAAAAAAV4I/ZpzmoLzsl1Ion4OObtdXkuwY_PqneFbRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Henh6qpUm6g/X_7wcotFbMI/AAAAAAAAV4I/ZpzmoLzsl1Ion4OObtdXkuwY_PqneFbRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2638.jpg" /></a></p><p>Did your vision board for last year end up in the trash? I'll be honest there was one day in particular when I wanted to take mine out to the yard and set fire to it. My 2020 vision board was so powerful it caused a global pandemic and nationwide lockdown so I could stay at home and get all my projects done. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qccSpB3suzM/X_Tn_jP3hZI/AAAAAAAAV3U/eKywGY6u_44djwOUJP-cT7r5GWmxoKO8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/88409927_1541935315956446_95446297597963317_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qccSpB3suzM/X_Tn_jP3hZI/AAAAAAAAV3U/eKywGY6u_44djwOUJP-cT7r5GWmxoKO8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/88409927_1541935315956446_95446297597963317_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i>Sorry world. I didn't know my own strength. </i></p><p>My word of the year was Fika, a Swedish word meaning to slow down and enjoy the good things in life and I wanted to "make time for wellness." </p><p>It had a picture on it of a woman with beautiful gray hair but I didn't plan on stopping coloring mine until I was 60 because there's always a trip planned or an event to attend. </p><p><i>If only no one would see me while it grew out, I'd do it, I thought. </i></p><p>You can see why I put extra thought into my action board for 2021. You can feel safe in knowing that there is nothing on this year's board about staying at home or slowing down. </p><p>Now, you might be saying, "Michelle, what about all that's going on right now? How do we make a plan with so much uncertainty?" To which I say, any certainty we ever have in this life is an illusion. Especially when it concerns other people. </p><p>But what we have is control over <i>ourselves.</i></p><p><span face="nunito, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #3f3743; text-indent: -8px; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Strengthen the individual. Start with yourself. Take care with yourself. Define who you are. Refine your personality. Choose your destination and articulate your Being. As the great nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche so brilliantly noted, ‘He whose life has a why can bear almost any how.‘”</span></p><p><span face="nunito, sans-serif" style="background-color: #fcff01; color: #3f3743; text-indent: -8px; white-space: pre-wrap;">~Jordan Peterson</span></p><p>With that in mind, I gave a lot of thought to what should be on my vision board when I made it over the holidays. To be honest, as I've covered in a previous post, I let 2020 be an excuse to become soft and weak and slovenly. I gained extra weight. I spent too much time on social media. I read less and watched more television than I have in years. I wasn't my best self in the past 12 months. </p><p><a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2021/01/straight-talk-for-new-year.html">Read my post Straight Talk for the New Year. </a></p><p>Setting ourselves in order doesn't get any more basic than getting our bodies in shape. So I've started there. In fact, that is the only real aim of the first 75 days of 2021. The overarching priority of the year is family. We aren't best serving our families if we are tired and unmotivated. Following closely behind is a return to serious reading, something that was at the center of my day for a quarter of a century but was edged out in the past few years by other things.</p><p>Here's how it looks applied to a vision or as I prefer to call it most of the time an ACTION board. You'll notice the entire bottom half is dedicated to travel. We have to have hope, right? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-miq5jgwA9oQ/X_7ukDhOEdI/AAAAAAAAV3w/cJCiHVFr5-YUWPK4HHAZt9faXEKR0rMEACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2635.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="565" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-miq5jgwA9oQ/X_7ukDhOEdI/AAAAAAAAV3w/cJCiHVFr5-YUWPK4HHAZt9faXEKR0rMEACLcBGAsYHQ/w424-h565/IMG_2635.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Half of the board is about health and habits. In future posts I'll be sharing more about my actual plan. </div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zB-Jabsg3Bg/X_7u4DMRhKI/AAAAAAAAV34/WB7ou2bjPHwHIwAjigaemm9-YMyWazuagCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2636.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="427" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zB-Jabsg3Bg/X_7u4DMRhKI/AAAAAAAAV34/WB7ou2bjPHwHIwAjigaemm9-YMyWazuagCLcBGAsYHQ/w427-h427/IMG_2636.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The other half of the board is dedicated to family, community, and embracing this particular part of life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last year's board was filled with beekeeping and gardening and home projects. You can see that there are casual nods to them this year because they are built into life and don't need special concentrated effort. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7DEDhh7pbs/X_7vohgMCAI/AAAAAAAAV4A/yruvX_EAxrwtW7P60Sg2Intjyy2oqdxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2637.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="445" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7DEDhh7pbs/X_7vohgMCAI/AAAAAAAAV4A/yruvX_EAxrwtW7P60Sg2Intjyy2oqdxyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w445-h445/IMG_2637.jpg" width="445" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We need some hope, right? Make sure you put some on your board! </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oG3esTsTId4/X_7w-qtSj4I/AAAAAAAAV4Q/Xy5S2rJTLyUXH4eUolsUlh98hWt1NLABACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2639.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oG3esTsTId4/X_7w-qtSj4I/AAAAAAAAV4Q/Xy5S2rJTLyUXH4eUolsUlh98hWt1NLABACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_2639.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div>And after a year in which millions of people have lived in fear, struggled with depression and lack of motivation, and all the (insert your favorite expletive here) rest of it we need to focus on living beyond fear and focusing on our mental health. Again, getting ourselves in order. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ey622hCzvKQ/X_7x3tAGHdI/AAAAAAAAV4Y/4GsrhhSnzwQlOLDsIOOZCKMU27GKHMgnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_2641.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ey622hCzvKQ/X_7x3tAGHdI/AAAAAAAAV4Y/4GsrhhSnzwQlOLDsIOOZCKMU27GKHMgnQCLcBGAsYHQ/w363-h320/IMG_2641.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">How are you going about planning your year? What was your biggest struggle in 2020? What did you learn about yourself and how is that going to affect how you live in this fledgling new year? </div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-83875416397523577552021-01-03T11:39:00.005-06:002024-02-11T07:40:06.968-06:00Straight Talk for the New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SnDq4wgfl8c/X_H67vZdPGI/AAAAAAAAV3A/DHYm28qAInEMeAIfmHd2IYU76CyTnI_0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/old%2Bpeople%2Basleep%2Bon%2Bbeach.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="960" height="245" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SnDq4wgfl8c/X_H67vZdPGI/AAAAAAAAV3A/DHYm28qAInEMeAIfmHd2IYU76CyTnI_0QCLcBGAsYHQ/w373-h245/old%2Bpeople%2Basleep%2Bon%2Bbeach.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><br /><p>I hope you don't know the people in this photo. I took it at the beach a few years back but I couldn't find anything else that better represented how 2020 made me feel. </p><p> Let me start by saying that this post is mostly about me and where I am and what I think<i> I </i>need to change. But there's a pretty good chance coming out of 2020 that someone else needs to hear this.</p><p><b><span style="color: red;">This post is not for you if:</span></b> you are the caregiver for another person. God bless you, you probably aren't even asking for all the help you really need. If you are sick or getting over an illness. I'm a big fan of proper rest. Especially if you are recovering from Covid. Our experience was that the fatigue lasted far longer and was more powerful than anyone was talking about. Today's post isn't for you if you know deep down you are at your limit and are doing your best or if you feel at all like you are just hanging on. If any of that sounds like you, then please take care of yourself in the best way you know how. It isn't for you if you are depressed, have lost your business, or are grieving. </p><p>But...</p><p>The rest of us need a little straight talk. </p><p>I love the self help world of vision boards and affirmations. It's comforting. <i>It was especially comforting when I've been watching Netflix like it was my full time job and eating cookies on the sofa since March. </i>You can want things to change, but the underlying attitude is that you should just accept yourself and keep telling yourself you're awesome. Lots of people need this message. If you have low self-esteem or have spent years or even decades beating yourself up. We need those voices. </p><p>But do we need them <i>endlessly? </i></p><p>A lot of the messaging is so supportive, empathetic, and focused on self-love that it can fairly easily slide into a lack of discipline. A pass for every weakness. An excuse for every failure. I know this because I've fallen pretty deep into this trap myself in 2020. </p><p><i>Yes, Netflix. I'm still watching. What's your point? </i></p><p>In the self-help/motivational arena the pendulum has swung too far toward the overly compassionate self-care biased view of what's good for people. We're starting to see repercussions of it in society. </p><div>We've been lounging around making vision boards and saying affirmations when we should have been at local town halls, prying ourselves off the couch to go for a walk, and skipping junk food. We've been expecting so little of ourselves <i>because, you know, the struggle is real and all</i>, that we've become ineffective and slothful. <i>Feckless: my anti word for the year. </i>Our quest for happiness and bliss has caused us to steer away from telling ourselves the truth. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>I'm pretty mad to learn that the 2020 calories ended up counting.</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>On social media, I've been watching a blowback campaign against a celebrity who posted that she was doing a cleanse to focus on her health. She's being called all kinds of names and accused of being intolerant of fat people. We have entered territory where instead of rude people cruelly fat-shaming, other rude people are now shaming people who are taking responsibility for their own health. We are watching the human crabs pull their own back down into the bucket. <i> </i></div><p>The best way to fight against all of this is to get our own house in order. Be responsible for ourselves. Tend our own health and wellbeing. Stop acting like life is hard. Read a history book. We are living the easiest, most luxurious, safest lives in the history of mankind, all the while whining about the struggle. </p><p>I still made a vision board for 2021 (It's awesome) and I still think affirmations are great. But I also recognize I've been coddling myself. <i>Anyone else lost touch with their inner adult?</i> I've said "But we're in a pandemic!" for the last time. I'm turning off the TV and brushing the crumbs off my shirt. </p><p>I'm getting myself in order. Who's with me? </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-83827637601726352032020-12-14T08:00:00.002-06:002020-12-15T08:14:54.223-06:00Why I Stopped Posting About Politics<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8D3WgCxCgo/X80TUzfqsBI/AAAAAAAAV2E/trm6S3EVIuw5jIBBGDK0kBfKhkXZm9bEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_1454.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x8D3WgCxCgo/X80TUzfqsBI/AAAAAAAAV2E/trm6S3EVIuw5jIBBGDK0kBfKhkXZm9bEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/IMG_1454.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Out of the ten years I've been blogging I spent the first five discussing culture, politics, books, wellbeing and a host of other serious topics with a friend. It was called The Professor and the Housewife. We posted twice a week for five years. Our discussions were wordy and weedy. We were pretty boring and no one read it. But the exercise of doing it clarified my thinking on a lot of issues. </p><p> Here's a tip: If you want to know what you really think about something write about it. <i>Writing is thinking.</i> It was a great challenge. All during 2020, I have missed it because this would have been the best year ever for that particular project. </p><p>Eventually, the blog died a natural death which was sad at first but then felt like a relief as I focused more on writing about bees, gardening, and decorating. I've spent the last five years focusing on health and personal happiness. I've loved encouraging people, teaching, and giving tips. </p><p>But the real reason I stopped writing about the big stuff was that the more research I did the more I realized how little any of us really understand what is going on in the world or in our own minds. We live in the most complex and interconnected period in history. We see a sliver of what is happening, and that sliver is chosen for us. </p><p><i><b>Today's food for thought:</b> Has that last sentence always been true? </i></p><p>And much of that lack of understanding has to do with our own brains and how they are hardwired to focus on some things and not focus on others. If you don't know about the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo" target="_blank">dancing gorilla experiment</a> done by Daniel Simons you might not know how easily your brain's attention can be manipulated (the social media companies do though). That video alone will make you question everything you think you know about how your mind works. Beyond that, ongoing research seems to prove that no matter how hard we try to be rational humans our irrational emotional brains are hard to tame. </p><p>Yale did a study that seemed to show conservatives would flip to more liberal ideas if you could convince them they were <i>completely safe</i>. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/11/25/study-having-daughters-makes-parents-more-likely-to-be-republican/" target="_blank">Another study</a> showed that parents who have a daughter are more likely to vote Republican. According to Science Direct, both l<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: NexusSerif, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif;">iberals and conservatives are similarly motivated to avoid crosscutting information</span><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #2e2e2e; font-family: NexusSerif, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif; font-size: 18px;">. </span>A study at Rice University indicated Conservatives generally pay more attention to a broad array of threats. Did you know that feeling "safe and endowed with strength" causes people to lean left? A survey by the thinktank More In Common revealed that the higher education level a person has the less likely they are to accurately understand the motives and views of the opposing side and it was true of Democrats and Republicans. There's an endless supply of these studies just so cherry-pick the one that proves the point you want to make. </p><p><i>My point is this: </i></p><p>We all believe that we have our opinions because we have studied or done our own independent research and have reached our conclusions after much thought and analysis. </p><p>That simply isn't the case. Instead, we are seeing the world through our personal filters. What is really happening is that our opinions are handed to us. Handed to us by our families, churches, communities, advertisers, organizations, political parties, the school system, the media we consume, and institutions of higher learning. Or we identify with some particular group and we adopt their beliefs wholeheartedly (literally) without doing any deep and challenging thinking. </p><p>More recently the corporatization of the media and the rise of big-tech have worked to take these opinion assignments and make them global. They are more deep-seated. Corporate media and big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google have colluded to make sure that finding factual information requires extra effort that an overworked, over-scheduled, over distracted populace isn't going to do.</p><p><i>If you aren't constantly questioning your own thinking, sources of information, assumptions, and occasionally coming to conclusions that you were hoping were wrong, you are a low informed voter and citizen no matter how much media you consume.</i> </p><p>Given that we can't trust our own primitive brains which are concerned overwhelmingly with survival (not being cast out of the tribe is a big part of that) and given that we often only <i>think </i>we are thinking I began to focus more on what I could actually influence. What could I teach? How could I help? Who could I encourage? Because what's the point of discussing things that we can't change? And let's face it if you know any humans you know you are not likely to change their thinking with facts and data. I'll bet you've tried and you've only been frustrated. That's because while we all like to think we are super intellectual, informed, and aware, in fact, all of us are making decisions based on emotion then using confirmation bias to bolster in a way that <i>seems like reasoning</i> our emotionally held beliefs. </p><p><i>I'll bet you're thinking "No wonder no one read their blog." Well, anyway this is I stopped writing about politics and started posting pretty pictures of bees and flowers instead. </i></p><p><br /></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-6316648895762237832020-12-11T08:36:00.001-06:002020-12-12T07:44:28.028-06:00It's Never Too Late to Start Over Even in 2020<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1NV5ZvIhGY/X8vHH2WRy6I/AAAAAAAAV1s/0TAwyQnCjvYDk1ltGkv8wBam42iwfM61QCLcBGAsYHQ/s509/farm%2Bwife%2Bretro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="509" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f1NV5ZvIhGY/X8vHH2WRy6I/AAAAAAAAV1s/0TAwyQnCjvYDk1ltGkv8wBam42iwfM61QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/farm%2Bwife%2Bretro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Remember when there were goals for 2020? Remember #2020vision ? I know. I'm laughing too. But I'm also realizing a lot of the goals I had were...off. A topic for another post. Today let's tackle <i>today. Only today</i>. Wondering how to get back on track as we near 2021? How to have hope for the future? How to go back out in the world and be around people? How to get back in shape? How to start writing again after taking 8 months off like me? <i>This was the year I was going to write a book. </i></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">If you've been winning 2020 this post is not for you, it's for those who are struggling. </span></b></i></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I've been reading my own blog posts about getting things done. I've written a lot about it. </span>I started the year with <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/fresh-start-field-guide-31-simple-steps.html">31 Simple Steps</a> and they're pretty helpful if you need to begin at the beginning. </p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For many of us the main problem of the past few months has been that every day has mostly been the same and there is little to look forward to. Motivation to get anything done is lacking, there's no sense of urgency. Tomorrow will be like today.</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> It can be overwhelming and depressing. There's little to do and yet somehow it all seems like too much. How to move forward? If you are struggling with finding any enthusiasm for the day in our isolated, and anxious world right now, I feel you. <i>But enough is enough. </i>I'm starting to feel like I've been too kind to myself the past few months and that we've come to the time for some tough love. I'm starting slow. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">One must begin. So let's do that. </em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></em></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">1. Get up. Done.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">2. Vitamins and water. Done. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">3. Stretching. Done. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">After that, it's painfully obvious that I'm out of shape. That perhaps should be the thing and maybe the <i>only thing that I focus on for the foreseeable future.</i> Without mental and physical health nothing else much matters. Climbing the stairs should not make my heart race and this morning it did. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">4. Writing. Okay, we're in the process, so that's something. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">5. What next? Often when we don't know what to do or don't feel inspired or motivated by anything the thing to do is to put something in order. Hang up some clothes piled in a chair. Load the dishwasher. Sort the mail. Empty the trash. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">6. Eat the most nutritious thing that can be found in the house. There's something about knowing your body, at least temporarily has the things it needs to function on a cellular level that causes you to lurch forward a bit and gain momentum. Drink some more water. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">7. Sit in the sun. No need to do anything but just sit there except perhaps think about soaking up Vitamin C and D and acknowledge the release of serotonin in the brain which makes everything better. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">8. Read some inspiring non-fiction. Something by someone who is either further along the journey or has accomplished something worthwhile, or a biography of someone who lived an admirable life. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">9. Don't think about the big goals. Think about putting a system in place for today that can be replicated tomorrow and the next day and so on. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">10. Go to bed at a reasonable hour. <i>Haven't we all watched enough Netflix already? </i></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Our lives have been disrupted in big and small ways we couldn't have imagined one short year ago. You may have to string a few of these days together to be in a place to demand more of yourself. That's okay. I'm amused that at the beginning of 2020 when I wrote about a Gentle January I had no idea how much more useful the concept would be a year later. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But here we are. </span></p>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-88119236001386746622020-06-24T08:56:00.000-05:002020-06-24T08:56:28.195-05:00What to Do if You Find a Bumblebee Nest Around Your House or Garden<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ngvj70frnQw/WvmkzwoUi_I/AAAAAAAARAk/9cGJd8WvjoM11oXzxrClz-LET7uFacQAQCLcBGAs/s1600/pollen%2Bcovered%2Bbumblebee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #eb316e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="607" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ngvj70frnQw/WvmkzwoUi_I/AAAAAAAARAk/9cGJd8WvjoM11oXzxrClz-LET7uFacQAQCLcBGAs/s400/pollen%2Bcovered%2Bbumblebee.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="252" /></a></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Last week I rescued a bumblebee nest from the front porch of someone's home. I thought it might be a good time to revisit this topic. </span><div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">I have a bumblebee nest in my potting shed. As a beekeeper, I'm pretty knowledgeable about honeybees but I had to read up on bumblebees, their behavior, and nesting habits. First, let me tell you that bumblebees, unlike honey bees are native to North America. So they are vital to the environment along with carpenter bees and the 4,000 other species of natives. Honeybees brought here by the Europeans were introduced to provide the colonists with honey and beeswax. They are vital to our food supply but actually compete with native bees for resources.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUUYX20FwqE/WvmS-9TMrhI/AAAAAAAARAU/CIczg-boZXAmpf62Qsn_mhWcnyCALsqjQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #eb316e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="750" height="311" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUUYX20FwqE/WvmS-9TMrhI/AAAAAAAARAU/CIczg-boZXAmpf62Qsn_mhWcnyCALsqjQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_2696.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Bumblebees are amazing pollinators so be kind to them when you come upon them in the garden!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Here's a video of the nest. You can see the queen bringing pollen into the nest to prepare for laying eggs. Once her offspring hatch, which takes about 21 days, she'll no longer leave the nest but stay inside laying eggs. Good thing I caught her on this video!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-6bed19bb29756107-10325" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzRz2kr78IB6c1pLHMtvpfCwcoet7crsM67FNYCf5yF9QvWunoPKb_Hhzgm0LAN4mGSIdioGDT0_OGLQsNW8OUSJZ23nabyPskSqHD0fsRssAACFMgnGPfjCUWlnurYLJaa48M2" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Unlike honeybees bumblebees nest under the ground usually but one particular species, Bombus hypnorum or Tree bumblebee, nests in birdhouses so I'm fairly sure that's what we have here. After hiving my very first bees I hung the swarm box up in the </span><a href="http://www.penandhive.com/2016/05/the-recycled-garden.html" style="background-color: white; color: #eb316e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;">potting shed</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;"> where it's been for 6 years. This box is about 5 or 6 feet off the ground and contains an abandoned Carolina wren nest. This box is how bees are shipped through the mail. Let's just say when it contains 10K bees the postal workers are most eager for you to arrive and retrieve your package!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-5965d350a42be500-1527" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwYvc9Vn31UIYi6u1hOzTBMeOre1BDdTaZuCbyJAffX1bK9L7LFPghDZmvEguAmwxtAqjqSuqJOYofgivc5X-a9T5Lwr2BboVmDTAG6x5K5G4R14pYIxEPV-IgfQ-G9Kgn0bmE" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Compared to the 60K-100K residents a honeybee hive might contain a Bumblebee nest is made up of around 50 to 400 bees. Since this nest is in a high traffic area during summer I'm hoping things stay on the smaller side. While male honeybees cannot sting and the females are far less defensive than honeybees or wasps they can sting if the next is threatened so I'll be giving these bees as much space as I can despite the fact that they have made themselves at home in a busy spot this time of year. Being careful not to get too close or breathe on them seems to be important.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">I'm moving a few garden tools out of the way today so as not to disturb them. Read about other residents of the potting shed in </span><a href="http://www.penandhive.com/2014/08/all-things-great-and-small-love-potting.html" style="background-color: white; color: #eb316e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;">All Things Great and Small Love a Potting Shed.</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="b-hbp-video b-uploaded" frameborder="0" height="266" id="BLOGGER-video-b625896f296203db-5778" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzf1HzouUhrjqb4DcCbg_B7Qnqp2VoTHArEpsQW8ufeKjpwD5Ecieq_Lqb-MAfdjZyXvLpqxwTRfcbQKiiuHjLQlf_yF6duOVqvyeChuHfQ2bxR6PY8O8cRYyEtnyNlgGpXuxk" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="320"></iframe></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Everything about this nest meets the requirements I read about for the Tree Bumblebee: an old birdbox or nest, 5 or 6 feet off the ground, a shady corner out of the day's heat and direct sunlight.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">I have to say I'm very excited about having bluebirds and bumblebees in the same year!</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">I'll keep you posted on what happens with them but if you'd like to know more check out </span><a href="https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/BBCT021_-_Nest_Leaflet_-_04.16.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #eb316e; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-decoration-line: none;">Bumbleebee Conservation. Org</a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">What to do if you have a bumblebee nest:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Quite a few of you have contacted me with questions about how to deal with the nests at your homes.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Here's the buzz on that. (sorry I can't help myself)</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">1. Remember that bumblebee nests don't last long, unlike honeybee colonies. The bumblebees all die before autumn, with the exception of the queen.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">2. It is likely that if you don't disturb them they won't bother you at all.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">3. Remember that while bumblebees can sting they are far less likely to do so than ground hornets or wasps.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">4. If you can see where the nest is avoid spraying chemicals near it or mowing over it. You don't want to disturb the next but you also don't want to stir them up.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">5. If they are in a truly undesirable location you can place a board or other object like a plastic container cut in two to redirect their traffic.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">6. If it's absolutely necessary you can attempt to move the nest, at night, while wearing protective gloves and long sleeves. Only half of bumblebee nests are successful so this is, or course, a last resort.</span></div></div>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-85190001280495912962020-04-11T08:46:00.000-05:002020-04-11T08:46:31.656-05:00How to Make Soap at Home<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1WwqwICE5U/Wy5VJGoLkLI/AAAAAAAARIs/87E1R1XpNx46b_mGOMt0KooBVsVAKVSkwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3257.JPG" style="color: #f6ee1c; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="homemade soap" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1WwqwICE5U/Wy5VJGoLkLI/AAAAAAAARIs/87E1R1XpNx46b_mGOMt0KooBVsVAKVSkwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_3257.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" title="beeswax soap" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.4px;">If you have never paid much attention to soap I'm sure it has your attention now! While we're in a global hand washing frenzy and have a little extra time on our hands I thought I'd reshare the recipe I use to make my own soap. If you want to make the simplest version of soap possible you can start with melt and pour. <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2015/11/goats-milk-honey-soap-recipe.html">For that read Goats Milk and Honey Soap. </a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;">If you want to make the most cost effective from scratch recipe like grandma used to make, <i>well she was probably using tallow instead of these fancy fats, </i>here's how to do that. </span><br />
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Often people see lye in the ingredients and ask if this is a harsh soap. Well, this is the only soap we use and my husband whose skin used to be so irritated by commercial soap loves it. I use it on my face. What makes commercial soap so harsh and drying isn't the lye which is necessary to make soap its all the detergents and other things added to it. As you'll see the fats and oils added to this recipe are very soothing.<br />
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Now let's get started!<br />
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But first...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"></span>
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<span style="color: red;"><b> SAFETY. SAFETY. SAFETY. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><b>Lye is an extremely dangerous thing to work with. Especially when it is mixed with water. Always wear eye protection, rubber gloves, long sleeves, pants, and shoes for your protection. Do not make soap in the presence of children or pets! </b></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Now that I've scared you silly, let's have some fun. </span><span style="text-align: center;">You can use a lot of things for molds. Boxes, milk cartons, and silicone ice cube trays.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzJVVlS4YAY/VebXrs6jfgI/AAAAAAAANg0/4E36NqTav2A/s1600/bee%2Bs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="goats milk guest soap" border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzJVVlS4YAY/VebXrs6jfgI/AAAAAAAANg0/4E36NqTav2A/s400/bee%2Bs.jpg" style="background-color: transparent;" /></a></div>
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Some of my most popular soap is the little honeycomb ones. It's made in a silicone cake pan available on Amazon. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-brtc9164fkY/Wy5VZRwZp5I/AAAAAAAARI0/JZLdjtAjScs2EX8kFDS3LQ4-uu4O3onpACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2539.JPG" style="color: #eb316e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="home made soap" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-brtc9164fkY/Wy5VZRwZp5I/AAAAAAAARI0/JZLdjtAjScs2EX8kFDS3LQ4-uu4O3onpACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_2539.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" title="essential oils" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients: </b></div>
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distilled water</div>
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lye</div>
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coconut oil</div>
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olive oil</div>
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shea butter</div>
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stearic acid</div>
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<b>Equipment: </b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Eye protection</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;">Rubber gloves</span></b></div>
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Digital scale</div>
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stainless steel thermometer</div>
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large glass container </div>
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large stainless steel pot </div>
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non-reactive spoon or spatula</div>
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stick blender</div>
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mold</div>
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oils or scents</div>
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color</div>
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<b>The Process:</b></div>
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<b>Lye + water + oil/fat = soap</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Lye (sodium hydroxide) is a salt. When the lye is combined with the oils/fats a the process that takes place is called<i> saponification.</i> Though lye is caustic in its original form once the saponification process is complete, no lye will be left in the finished product. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvO2HnfQqqI/Wy5Vj9aS2vI/AAAAAAAARI4/6bWuNB1XiYY3Hw4Jk2fC5QIrOguiTYDmwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4355.JPG" style="color: #eb316e; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="soapmaking" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hvO2HnfQqqI/Wy5Vj9aS2vI/AAAAAAAARI4/6bWuNB1XiYY3Hw4Jk2fC5QIrOguiTYDmwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_4355.JPG" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" title="lye soap" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Measuring: </b></div>
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Because a chemical reaction is taking place is it important that you carefully measure all the ingredients. It's best not to use kitchen measuring cups or spoons for this but a digital scale. </div>
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The measurements I use for this recipe are: </div>
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16 oz. coconut oil</div>
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2 oz. olive oil </div>
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2 oz. shea butter</div>
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1 oz. stearic acid</div>
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3.4 oz. lye</div>
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7.1 oz. distilled water</div>
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<b>Making the soap: </b></div>
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Carefully and slowly add the lye to the water<span style="color: red;"> (never the water to the lye!!!)</span> and stir. Let cool. </div>
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Melt the oils and fats together in a glass container in the microwave. I add the shea butter last because it can get a little grainy if overheated. </div>
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Measure the temperature of the lye mixture and the oil mixture until they have cooled to 10 degrees of each other and are both below 130 degrees. </div>
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Pour the melted oils/fats into a large stainless steel pot. Carefully <span style="color: red;">(are you wearing your goggles and gloves?) </span>pour the lye mixture into the pot and stir. Next, insert the stick blender and begin blending your soap mixture. Gently, not vigorously. You don't want to introduce air bubbles. Continue blending until you achieve <i>"trace." </i></div>
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Trace is when you can see a trail where you have dragged the blender through or when you drip some soap on the surface and it doesn't immediately disappear. Add colors and scents at this point and give a quick blend then pour into your mold. If you want to put anything in it that will remain solid now is the time to do that. I like to encrust my soap with herbs or flowers. </div>
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Cover with a towel and either let cool at room temperature of pop in the fridge. Overnight. </div>
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The next day pop it out of the mold and cut if necessary. Place in a cool dry place with good air circulation for 3-6 weeks. The process of making soap isn't finished until it has fully cured. </div>
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After that enjoy your luxurious homemade soap!</div>
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Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-70529638363189449952020-03-27T08:54:00.001-05:002020-03-27T08:54:38.581-05:00Home Schooling Encouragement for the Reluctant, Unprepared, and Overwhelmed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's post is for the mom or dad who was happily sending their kids off to elementary school every day and now find themselves in the challenging position of being responsible for their child's education while either coping with the stress of not having a job to go to or working from home. I taught both my kids at home from preschool through the 8th grade.<br />
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I'm seeing some of your Facebook posts and a few of you are disheartened at home school moms acting like it's no big deal. Let's get that out of the way first. If you had no desire to be your child's sole educator, it's a really big deal. Add to that the fact that you can't take your kids out to do any of the normal things that parents regularly rely on like museums, group activities, sports, or co-ops and the challenge is heightened. Let's throw in the fact that you had no time to prepare or wrap your brain around it. If you are also trying to work from home or figure out how to pay your bills then God bless you.<br />
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<i>This feels like a very big deal.</i><br />
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It seemed like fun the first week, right? But I'm guessing this week feels different and now that many schools are saying this is it for the school year, you may be super discouraged and worried that your child's education is going to suffer.<br />
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The truth is that this event isn't going to affect your child's ACT score or keep them out of the college they hope to go to. So take a breath. <i>It's going to be fine. </i><br />
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<b>Main Priority</b><br />
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We are having the ultimate teachable moment about being a good citizen of the planet, country, and community. Now is the time to reinforce the idea that when bad things happen people pull together and that good things still happen. Sometimes we have to sacrifice. We can do hard things.<br />
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If that was the only lesson your child learned during this time, one of grit and being able to pivot in a crisis, that alone would be a priceless life lesson.<br />
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You are probably already instilling the concept that all work is important a lesson we're all learning together.<br />
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Point out to your child that mom and dad are learning new skills and new ways to get their work done. This is a great time to show your child that learning and educating yourself is something that never ends. We want to create life long learners. This is a great opportunity.<br />
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<i>We want our kids to have positive memories of this time. </i><br />
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<b>Schedule </b><br />
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If mom or dad are working at home it's going to be a challenge. But here's the thing, please do not try to recreate the school schedule at home. Every family has a different energy level in their home and then every family member has a different personality type. All kids have different learning styles.<br />
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Set aside an hour. Yes. ONE hour for formal learning, workbooks, etc. If you and your kids want to do more, of course, do that, but this isn't a time for raising the bar too high.<br />
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Parents working from home need to prioritize work, but I would say the sooner in the day that the schoolwork gets completed the easier the day will go. <i>Win the morning and win the day. </i><br />
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You can give them extra screen time (thus making it easier to get your work done) for completing their work early. This probably isn't the time to be too hard on yourself about how much screen time they have. Remember, we're in survival mode here.<br />
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<b>Don't be afraid to get creative. </b><br />
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I said one hour for school work that has been sent home, of course, some kids will be completers who feel the need to do it all and others may struggle a lot. Trust your instincts about how much is enough.<br />
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Plant some seeds.<br />
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Have them act out their favorite story, make sets, costumes, etc. <i>(THEM. Not you) </i>Share.<i> </i>This is a way they can communicate with and entertain older relatives who are stuck at home.<br />
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Let them take apart an old appliance if they're old enough.<br />
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Teach them to read a map. A new concept if they've only ever seen you use GPS.<br />
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Give them a tape measurer and let them measure things to get a sense of the size of things related to a number.<br />
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This is a great time to read that classic novel you've always wanted to read but never got around to. Read it aloud to your child. Don't underestimate your child's ability to understand complex sentence structure and unusual vocabulary. They can draw, color, or play with Legos while you read.<br />
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Use classic movies for discussion starters. If you have a favorite childhood movie they haven't seen yet. Now's the time!<br />
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All the helping activities they could be doing right now, like writing notes to people in nursing homes, or thinking of how they can help people are useful.<br />
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Have them journal about what's happening now for the future.<br />
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<b>Unit Study</b><br />
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One of our favorite ways to learn was a unit study. This means that everything being learned relates to something that the child chooses to learn about. For example if they are interested in dinosaurs, then all the books, vocabulary, writing activities, geography, etc. would relate to that. Letting them do a deep dive into something they select themselves helps keep their attention longer and makes teaching easier.<br />
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Don't forget what they are already learning during this crisis. The importance of good hygiene and a clean environment. There are so many new vocabulary words. There's also the idea of invisible microscopic organisms. It's a great time to talk about where our food comes from and transportation.<br />
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This style of learning provides an endless supply of areas of interest and activities that will hold a child's attention and give them a feeling of ownership over their education.<br />
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<b>You are more than qualified to do this! </b><br />
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As a parent, you are your child's first teacher. You know them better than anyone and have knowledge of everything they are doing, watching, reading. That information allows you to casually teach vocabulary or geography which you are likely already doing but underestimating the importance of.<br />
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Hang in there! You are doing great! Has anyone told you that?<br />
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<i>Please feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer them. </i><br />
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<br />Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-91864479754867397632020-03-14T10:01:00.000-05:002020-03-14T10:40:50.699-05:00Is This Helping? A Question for Uncertain Times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Wow. Y'all. I mean. Wow. </i><br />
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A few years ago I was sitting in a hot tub sailing on a cruise ship off the coast of Scotland with a professor of epidemiology from Brazil and his wife while he outlined the next pandemic, and explained that we are way overdue for one. The picture he painted was dismal. At the time I thought he sounded alarmist but here we are.<br />
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This post isn't about things we can't control but the things we can. What we can control right now is what we say, post, like, share, and comment on in real-life interactions and on social media. Now that we are all about to have a lot of time on our hands we're seeing more and more blaming those in charge of decision making. Of course, the president is a favorite target for some but so is the CDC, WHO, the medical establishment, vaccine makers, scientists, capitalism, previous administrations, the media, and the financial sector. Pick who or what people already demonize in their normal lives and that's who or what they're angry at right now.<br />
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Guess what. There's going to plenty of time for that. <i>Now is not the time. </i><br />
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There is going to be plenty of time to Monday morning quarterback this event and every decision being made for the next hundred years. And politically there's going to be plenty of time for both sides to slam each other and point out who did what before November. And the elaborate conspiracy theories about what's "really" going on? Those will be conceived forever after.<br />
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Now. is. not. the. time.<br />
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So what can we do? I have two suggestions.<br />
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1. Before you post an article, share, like, comment, or even say anything in real person to person conversation, ask yourself this question:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Is this helping? </span></div>
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If it's a negative news item or anything not from an official source you might ask: </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>How</i> is this helping? </span></div>
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An intellectually honest adult should be able to tell the difference. Here's a clue: <i>being right doesn't mean you are helping. </i></div>
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Please share funny memes, make fun of our dismal situation, check on people, share hacks you've got, or the best book, movie, or series we can all binge on while we're at home. Share pictures of your clean closets and organized garages! Make some art and share it. Post some old family photos on Facebook. Give us a tour of your garden. Do those projects around the house you've been putting off. Start your novel. Tip the delivery guy extra. You know what helped this week? Videos of people in Italy singing from their balconies while quarantined. </div>
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One more thing. </div>
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When you see the people in charge trying to make these massive gut-wrenching decisions remind yourself that they are doing the best they can. Even if you don't like them. Even if you normally don't trust them. Even if you can outline all the mistakes that have already been made. Believing those in charge are doing the best they can will make <i>you </i>feel better if nothing else. </div>
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Everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have and remember even the people with the <i>most </i>information, don't have<i> all the information. </i></div>
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<i>Now let's all go wash our hands. </i></div>
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<i>XOXO y'all</i></div>
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<br />Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-28913896502072308122020-03-02T08:20:00.000-06:002020-03-02T08:20:58.704-06:00March Madness: A Month of Personal Challenges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did a dry December. I've had a Fix-it February. I've walked 90 miles in November and written a blog post every day in January. I like little challenges to work on to improve my health or productivity.<br />
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So what's March Madness 2020? Doing several challenges at once. Here's what's on the agenda.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Zero spending.</span> I probably have enough right? I mean we all do. So this month there won't be any new clothing items (even from Goodwill) or shoes. Nothing new for the house. No new books, or magazines, or makeup or perfume.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2. Use up what I already have. </span>This goes with #1. If I'm not buying anything new I'll be forced to use up what I already own. And looking around I can see I could go a long time without buying any books, makeup, or craft supplies.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Finish projects.</span> I have some projects I've been talking about for a couple of <i>years </i>like painting the kitchen cabinets, and redoing a piece of fun art over my stove that got ruined. At the end of the month I should be a lot happier with the house.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">4. Cash only.</span> If I do have to purchase anything (like something I need to finish up a project because <i>finishing my house goals is a bigger priority for me than zero spending</i> ) I'll be paying cash for it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">5. Do some things I've been putting off </span>like changing cell phone plans to cut my monthly cost and scheduling a colonoscopy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">6. Not accumulating stuff</span> even if it's free. I'm not downloading any more free books or getting library books <i>(Look at this list, y'all, when am I going to have time to read?)</i> because my Kindle is full of books I haven't opened yet.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">7. Organize</span> closets and cabinets.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">8. Walk every day.</span> No specific length of time or distance just building the habit again after a rainy winter.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">9. No alcohol. </span><i>Because a dry March just sounds so catchy, right? </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">10. Zero sugary treats. </span><br />
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If you didn't understand why I was calling it March Madness, now you know! Want to join me? Make a list or just choose a couple of things you want to work on this month. No sitting down to watch TV unless you know exactly what you'll be watching or no drive-through food. Journaling every day or doing a morning stretch. Just pick something and let's get started!<br />
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It's almost spring y'all and that's a great time to have a jumpstart if your resolutions bit the dust somewhere in February.<br />
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What could we have accomplished 30 days from now?<br />
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<br />Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-66776661964287563032020-02-18T10:18:00.001-06:002020-02-18T10:18:20.248-06:00Bathroom Reveal: Tackling the Ugliest Room in the House. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you have one room in your house that just doesn't have anything going for it? For me, it was an upstairs bathroom that hasn't gotten much use since the kids left home. Well, except for the cat. His litter box is kept in the bathtub. </div>
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When the kids moved out I painted this room white and haven't really bothered with it otherwise for five years. </div>
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But you know how it is. Whenever you walk by your problem room you have that nagging feeling you could do something, anything to improve it. It can especially be a problem if it's a room no one sees but you. The cat wasn't complaining.<br />
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I decided I wanted to tackle it but then spent several months trying to figure out what to do and finding the time to do it. I finally decided that since no one else really sees it I would do something fun and playful using bright colors. The color palette in the rest of the house is fairly muted and since you can't see this room from anywhere else I decided to do something super whimsical.<br />
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All the products needed to complete this project are available locally at <a href="https://mrsjonespaintedfinishes.com/">Me and Mrs. Jones. </a><br />
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I love blue and white but don't have a good place for that bold choice in the rest of the house so I knew I wanted to go with that combo. I chose the Mediterranean Tile Set stencil from <a href="https://www.royaldesignstudio.com/">Royal Design Studio. </a>I used <a href="https://joliehome.com/">Jolie's</a> Gentleman's Blue and Palace White for the pattern.<br />
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Stencils are fun but I like taking them one step further to achieve more of a trompe l'oeil effect. I used Jolie's Swedish Grey to paint in grout lines and dealt with the angled ceiling by painting faux broken plaster. Had I chosen a stencil that had an all-over pattern I would have done the ceiling. </div>
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This also gave the benefit of breaking up the pattern and giving the eye a break from all the business in such a small space. Plus, remember, whimsical and over the top was my goal.<br />
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Since I wanted to break up the pattern I thought a plain white shower curtain with blue tassels would be perfect but when I put it up it looked so...blah.<br />
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I was happier with it when I stenciled a simplified pattern on it.<br />
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This little side piece that I use for storage and where the cat's food dish is to keep the beagle from getting in it was given a little perk up with new knobs that mimic the tile. Bonus: they were free!<br />
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I'm loving having this hidden little happy room tucked away by itself.<br />
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This is our forever home so I don't have to worry about judgemental house hunters coming through with their negative comments.<br />
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This is the second use for that brick stencil. If you missed the cottage floor then read, <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2019/09/how-to-stencil-concrete-floor.html">How To Stencil a Concrete Floor.</a><br />
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I used to really like the way the exposed plumbing looked under the sink but then the pipe was replaced with plastic.<br />
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I painted it with <a href="https://www.modernmasters.com/">Modern Masters</a> Warm Silver as a temporary fix while I try to decide if I want to skirt the sink or not. At any rate, it's an improvement.<br />
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Next, what to hang on the walls? I could have easily left it bare but nope!<br />
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The artwork I chose was a postcard I purchased in the Bahamas last summer just for this spot and a charmingly bright and whimsical print by <a href="https://www.debivincentart.com/">Debi Vincent. </a> My desire to use one of her pieces was a big component in using such bright colors for this room. <br />
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Remember trends will change. Doing what you want in the place you call home is always a good choice and will let you be creative while saving money by not changing when your current decor goes out of style.<br />
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Happy decorating, y'all!<br />
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<br />Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-59368512142191495022020-02-10T05:00:00.000-06:002020-02-10T07:55:52.835-06:00My 2020 One New Thing Is...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year around this time people start to ask me about my one new thing for the new year. Every year for the past 25 years or so I have taught myself to do one new thing. <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2019/12/25-things-ive-taught-myself.html">Read a list of all of them here. </a>Not to become an expert or take a course, but just a deep dive into some useful skill.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This is the year to write a book. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Notice I said, "<i>write a book.</i>" Not get published, or make the New York Times Bestseller list, get an agent or a book deal or go on a book tour, That's because just saying that I'm going to write a book is terrifying enough.<br />
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Saying you are going to write a book leads to a bazillion questions, none of which even need to be asked at all until the actual work is done. Sometimes we don't do something because we are thinking too far ahead.<i> Thinking of writing a book leads to wondering about how should it be formatted? Could it get published? Should it be an ebook? How do you find a literary agent? What if I wrote a bestseller? What would it be like to be on the Today Show? How do you put a wardrobe together for a book tour? </i><br />
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<i>You see what I mean.</i><br />
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This is part of why we don't start. We jump too far ahead.<br />
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I'm actually telling people that this year's goal is to write a terrible book. And in my mind I'm thinking <i>"Just write a crappy first draft." </i>I mean surely I can get that done!<br />
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The other thing I considered was an open mic night at a comedy club. I have wanted to do that since I was 10 years old. I remember seeing Buddy Hacket on The Dinah Shore Show <i>(google it, kids)</i> and taking notes about how to be funny.<br />
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<i>What kind of weird kid is taking notes while watching daytime talk shows? </i><br />
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I'm guessing it will be the thing for 2021. But dang it! Morse Code is <i>still</i> on my list. What if I'm taken captive and need to blink out a message to the media?<br />
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The year is still new! What are your plans for 2020?<br />
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Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-8125332196530837752020-01-31T05:00:00.000-06:002020-02-02T08:08:55.091-06:00Fresh Start Field Guide: 31 Simple Steps for Improving Simply<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes I get weary of the current terminology of success. Do we need to <i>crush </i>our goals, <i>attack</i> the new year, <i>kill </i>Monday? At the beginning of a new year and a new decade, we all hope to be our best selves but some of us don't need or want the aggressive style of success promoted in business magazines or under #bossbabes on Instagram.<br />
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<i>Does everything we love to do need to be a side hustle? If you need to explore this idea read <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2019/02/the-value-of-living-creative-life.html">The Value of Living a Creative Life Part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2019/02/the-value-of-living-creative-life-part-2.html">Part 2. </a></i><br />
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There's more than one definition of success and your version is going to have a lot to do with your personal energy, goals, and priorities. In this series, I'm offering a way to ease into a new year or new season of life with simple activities and quiet ways to contemplate what changes you need to make to live your optimized life <i>your way</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/building-your-fresh-start-toolkit.html">Read Building Your Fresh Start Tool Kit for a helpful list of things to use along the way</a><br />
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<i>Remember, there is no being behind. There is only where you are now. You can do this in any order in any month for a gentle reboot when feeling overwhelmed or out of sorts. </i><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/how-to-do-year-end-retrospective.html">1. How to do a Year-End Retrospective</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/what-if-you-dont-know-what-you-want-in.html">2. What if You Don't Know What You Want? </a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/what-if-you-dont-know-what-you-want-in.html">3. Start Journaling: Tips and Tricks for the Reluctant Writer</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/setting-intention-for-day.html">4. Setting an Intention for the Day</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/using-vision-board-to-achieve-clarity.html">5. Using a Vision Board to Achieve Clarity</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/building-your-fresh-start-toolkit.html">6. Building Your Fresh Start Tool Kit</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/coping-with-fomo.html">7. Coping With FOMO</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/create-before-you-consume.html">8. Create Before You Consume</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/breaking-our-addiction-to-busy.html">9. Breaking Our Addiction to Busy</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/5-creativity-boosts-to-try-this-weekend.html">10. 5 Creativity Boosts to Try This Weekend</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/empty-something.html">11. Empty Something</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/fill-something.html">12. Fill Something</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/building-your-morning-routine.html">13. Building Your Morning Routine</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/mastering-your-morning-mindset.html">14. Mastering Your Morning Mindset</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/how-to-use-reframing-to-control.html">15. How to Use Reframing to Control Negative Thoughts</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/building-your-bedtime-routine.html">16. Creating a Bedtime Routine</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/mastering-your-evening-mindset.html">17. Mastering Your Evening Mindset</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/coping-skills-for-mid-winter.html">18. Tips for Coping with January</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/go-outside-for-5-intentional-minutes.html">19. Take 5 Outside</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/defining-success.html">20. Defining Personal Success</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/a-news-free-tuesday.html">21. News Free Day</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/getting-to-know-yourself.html">22. Getting to Know Yourself</a><br />
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/declare-today-anti-procrastination-day.html"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/declare-today-anti-procrastination-day.html">23. Anti-Procrastination Day</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/use-something-up.html">24. Use Something Up</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/shop-your-closet.html">25. Shop Your Closet</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/create-go-to.html">26. Create a Go-To</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/10-minute-cleaning-hack.html">27. 10 Minute Cleaning Hack</a><br />
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/build-your-tribe.html"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/build-your-tribe.html">28. Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/5-steps-for-starting-anything.html">29. 5 First Steps</a><br />
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/heres-why-god-is-proud-of-you.html"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/heres-why-god-is-proud-of-you.html">30. God is Proud of You</a><br />
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/fresh-start-field-guide-31-simple-steps.html"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.penandhive.com/2020/01/fresh-start-field-guide-31-simple-steps.html">31. Fresh Start Field Guide</a>Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4567631071336565208.post-72367430830733051032020-01-30T05:00:00.000-06:002020-02-02T08:14:39.046-06:00Here's Why God is Proud of You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Several years ago I was going through a very hard time. Maybe you've been there too. When you wonder what the point is of trying so hard. Sitting in a place of darkness wondering if God has forgotten you, or worse abandoned you. I was at a silent Catholic retreat for a weekend because a friend had invited me, and one of the books I'd taken to read was Phillip Yancey's Disappointment With God. I was reading it halfheartedly practically daring God to show me that I wasn't wrong about Him when I read this passage. </div>
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<i>"By focusing myopically on what we want God to do on our behalf, we may miss the significance of what he has already done."</i></div>
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Let that sink in.<br />
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On the second day after lunch, I returned to my room. I got out the list of verses the nun leading the retreat had given us. I was familiar with them. "Nothing new here." I thought to myself. Wanting to get the most out of the experience however, I opened the Bible in my room and diligently looked up each one.<i> </i>Nothing much jumped out except that part in Psalm 139 about God marking my travels. Was he marking a map with pins? I have some great travel pics pinned on Pinterest. I haven't been on Pinterest this week. I shuffled my papers to look for "How to Deal with Distractions in Prayer."</div>
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I went on to the next verse. Psalm 139:5, <i>"You rest your hand upon me."</i></div>
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An image of me standing next to my father on a gravel driveway under a hot summer sun, flooded my mind. He rested his hand on top of my head, then on my shoulder. I thought of the thousands of times I had done that to my own children. I began to think about the meaning of that.</div>
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Focus on that for a moment. You are standing with your child having a conversation with another adult and you rest your hand on the shoulder of your son, or the head of your daughter. What does that mean? Why do parents do that?</div>
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<i>Because you are proud of them.</i></div>
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<i>Could God be proud of me?</i> Somehow that seemed a foreign concept. Perhaps a result of one too many verses of some hymn relating me to a worm when I was a child. I let that thought come around again. <i>Is God proud of me?</i> If he is it certainly cannot be because of anything I've achieved, or for some glowing example, I've been. Maybe he was saying he was proud of me because I try so hard. W<i>here would the grace be in that?</i> But as I thought about that in relation to my own children, I realized that I didn't love them more when they tried really hard. I kept following that line of thought. Why are parents proud of their children when they are so small they haven't accomplished anything yet? We are incredibly proud of babies! Why?<br />
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<i>Because they are ours. Because they belong to us.</i></div>
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This is where the tears began to flow.</div>
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I could understand that. I could rest in that. So can you. That God is proud of me just because I belong to him. Proud of you because you do. He sees how hard you are struggling. He knows you are hurt and disappointed. He knows you are tired. He knows you are wondering if you are good enough. But he wants you to know he is resting his hand on you, proud father that he is.</div>
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See what kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called the children of God, and so we are... 1 John 3:1</div>
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And I shall be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters says the Lord Almighty. 2 Corinthians 6:18</div>
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So at the end of January when most people are already disappointed in themselves for not keep ing all the resolutions they made and for breaking more promises to themselves yet again, I say, take heart. If you followed along with this little challenge you have some small wins and easy victories for building on. And if you didn't do anything you're proud of, remember that you don't have to accomplish anything for God to think you are pretty awesome.<br />
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Take that with you into the rest of your year. </div>
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Michelle @Pen and Hivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01226767475370482122noreply@blogger.com2