Bad Labs calls for Healthy Diet

Life has been busy - I recently had my annual labs drawn and the results opened my eyes to how poorly I have been eating over the last six months.  Yes, I am a vegetarian but an unhealthy vegetarian.  According to my labs I am anemic and pre-diabetic.

Now the pre-diabetic stuff is the extra 10 pounds I have gained in six months and the 10 pounds I need to loose before the extra 10.

So I started looking at healthy recipes that I could make quickly.  I found this awesome recipe for
Turnip and Butternut Squash Soup.  I love turnips and butternut squash so I had to try it - but, I made my veggie style.

Turnip and Butternut Squash Soup

2c Turnips, cubed
2c Butternut squash, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1 quart Vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 tbs honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat veggies with butter and olive oil over medium heat until browned and a little soft. About ten minutes. Add vegetable chicken broth and honey. Let simmer for about 20 mins until veggies are tender. Serve hot. Season to taste.

What is your favorite healthy soup?
Connie 

Focusing on fall - Mums

Friday is football in the south. Tonight we drove to Jackson,MO. to watch our grand some play football. There is an awesome vegetable stand that sells gorgeous fall Mums.

The Big Man stopped today so I could just look, well just looking got me 6 mums for the front yard. 

Fall mums are a tradition. We had several that would come up every year. Last year. I had my grandson weed my flower bed and mums looked like weeds. 

Thanks to the Big Man we will be replacing the "weeds" with Fall Mums.

Do you grow Mums?

Connie 

Staring Fall with Focus - Simple Living

I have decided at the last minute to join a 31 Day-Writing Challenge. My focus for the 31-days of October is simple living. Every day of October you should check back to see how I am learning to live simple and focus on the moment. 

To help me remember and learn to enjoy the simple life, I will be reading Simply Tuesday with Bloom (in)courage book club.  

Ya'll know how I try and try to stay organized with my busy life, always looking for ways to stay find more time, to slow down.  I love my iPhone and my planner.  But, I often do not have them with me, especially when I am seeing patients.

So the Big Man bought me an Apple Watch. Today is day one with the watch, so I am undecided if the watch will be an organizational tool or a toy.  

Staring Fall with focus.
Connie 

Finding Time For Me, In a Busy Season

This post has several links to great books - I am not a paid spokesman for any product. I simply want to share my thoughts on these great books and websites with you.

Yesterday was the first day of fall, a new season.  A season is defined by changes in the weather, ecology, and environment.  We often refer to times in our lives as seasons.  I have been in a extremely busy season for almost a year.  I have opened my own family practice as a new nurse practitioner, built and opened a boarding kennel with my husband, moved my 87 year old father in with me and tried to be a good Christian, wife, mother, and mom to my four-legged family.  I have not been very good to myself. I have quit running, quit practicing yoga, added fast food to my vegetarian diet, fallen behind on scrapbooking, missed Sunday morning church and rushed my time with God, I seem to be doing all the talking and very little listening. .In all the hustle and bustle, I feel like I am alone. In my business,  my family has become my sole support system, I have lost my sense of being in a community.

In a busy season we often overlook taking care of ourselves. Several months ago I picked Jessica Tuner's book The Fringe Hours.  I read when I can not sleep.  As I was reading, I realized I miss being creative. I tell my patients that they have to have balance in their lives, but I have lost my balance.

This week I started reading Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World, by Emily Freeman.  Yesterday, I stumbled upon an online book club, Bloom (in)courage. I am supper excited to find that the book club is reading Simply Tuesday.  So, I have made a decision. I am going to join Bloom (in)courage book club and spend some online time with a community of like-minded women.
Why an online book club?
I can read and post comments on my own schedule.
People I interact with come from a wider variety of places and backgrounds.
I will be involved with people who want to read the same genre

Have you ever participated in an online book club?
Want to join me? Go to Bloom Book club (in)courage and sign up today.

Happy fall, ya'll
Connie

Finding Time For Me

I have been MIA for several weeks - life has been busy.  I was on call for 17 days. Being on call  means seeing 30+ patients a day, hospital rounds, and answering after hours call.  I found myself

working 16 hour days.  In my spare time I was trying to grade papers, keep my classroom discussions going, run the kennel, make sure Pops was taken care of and relying on the Big Man to take care of the house and our rescue dogs.  In the end - I was tired, miserable, and grumpy.

About 13 days into this crazy schedule the Big Man showed up in my office and announced we were going on a mini vacation - aka, I am taking you somewhere so you can sleep and not be disturbed.  Pick a place ??? Just in time a drug rep showed up in my office and suggested we go to Branson Missouri.  So, we made reservations, and decided we would travel without an schedule.

This mini vacation, also meant, I had to find someone to stay with my Dad, keep my dogs, and cancel borders.  What are a few more task...but on Thursday of last week, it all cam together,  we set off on our mini vacation. Branson Missouri bound - of course I slept most of the drive.

We had dinner the first night at the Dixie Stampede

We played Put-Put Golf

We rode the Branson Scenic Railway

I slept
We visited the Top of the Rock

I slept

It wasn't until Saturday morning when we started home that I begin to feel like I would be healthy again. 

Healthy means  - I wasn't going to fall asleep every time my bottom hit a chair, cry at the silliest things, or eat every piece of junk food I could find. 

I tell my patients everyday that stress is bad for you, stress can lead to chronic disease, stress can kill you...but, I wasn't listening.  So, today is a new day.  I spent Sunday at home, distressing.  I spent most of the day cleaning my studio, playing with dogs, a little cooking and a little scrapbooking (watch later this week for the scrapbook stuff0.

Our mini vacations is just what I needed to hit the reset button.
I am back - focusing on controlling my stress and finding ways to be healthy.
What do you do to be healthy?
~ Connie ~

When you Coummnity is Made to Look Bad

I live in a small town in Northeast Arkansas. I have lived her for 26 years. I truly believe that my little town is a great place to live - but lately the media has been focusing on the bad things that occur in our community.   Now don't get me wrong - we do have crime, I am not trying to cover up what has happened in our community. Every town / community in America has crime, but crime should not define a community -the people of the community define the community.

My favorite way to describe Blytheville is: "Blytheville may not have a lot of commercial things to offer, but Blytheville has a big heart."  I could list example after example of how the community has rallied to help out another member of the community. From simple bake sales to auctions to building a free clinic.

It is not just the local residents that care for each other, the local businesses and industry are active parts of our community.  Like Nucor-Yamoto Steel, Nurcor Steel Tenaris  and Lowes, who give both of time and resources. They are a huge part of our community. 

The community members know that Blytheville has has a period of decline, but they also know that Blytheville can over come anything.  Community member's big and small are working to revitalize Main Street Blytheville.  The Blytheville Ministerial Alliance works diligently to solve social issues and help build a stronger community.


So why is their crime in Blytheville? Like other communities in America, big or small, there is a segment of our community that feels hopeless and helpless. These members of our community lack the imagination to see a better life or the solid foundation to recognize that life is precious.  They often act out of anger, greed, or mental health issues (mental health is a whole other blog and then some - out mental health system is broken).

How do you change the image of Blytheville? How do you focus the media on the good and not the bad?  How long will it take to see a change?

Adding more police officers might keep residents safer, but the addition of police officers will have little impact on fixing the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.  Lately our local elected officials seem to think that prayer is the answer.  I do believe that prayer can fix anything, but like the joke about God sending multiple rescuers to get a man off the roof - God has given us the intelligence, resources and tools to start fixing the issue, to rescue those need hope and help. We need to be active - this activity has start in homes and schools.

How long will it take to fix the social issues that lead to crime, a lifetime. Until then, pray that our elected officials use their knowledge and tools to help save those in our community that feel helpless and hopeless. Me, I plan to continue to focus on my community as having a "Big Heart" by continuing my work with the free health clinic and the local humane society and urging others quit talking about the issues and put your "Big Heart" to work, making Blytheville a better place to live and letting the world know - Blytheville is a good place to live.
~ Connie ~

My Newest Obsession - Coop Dreams

A few weeks ago I was visiting the Chicken Chick I found  her post about a new reality TV show -
Coop Dreams.  Being a new chicken farmer (I guess that is what you call someone who owns backyard chickens) I set a reminder in my calender so I could watch the first show.

Getting home for work at midnight I decided to find the channel and set up the TV to record the first episode.  I had no clue the show would air at 5 AM...thank goodness for the technology to record TV shows.

So, first thing the next morning before my feet hit the floor I had to watch the first episode of Coop Dreams.   The Big Man watched it with me...the show was awesome.

We are struggling with where and how to build our feathered girls and boys a new coop.

As we try to incorporate the extra acres we purchased a year ago, into the land our home sits on we have encountered some water issues.  Deciding where to place our new coop, has been challenging.  Every time we decide on a location, we get rain, and we realize that location holds water or is all clay and the spot will not work.
We have finally decided on a location - no trees but we will build some shade into the structure.
This weekend my guys built me a bridge joining the two pieces of property - as you can see from the picture we had drainage put in a few weeks ago, that has resulted in me having to walk out to the road and back up the drive to the kennel to keep form walking in the mud.  I am so proud of the Big Man and the boys they built the bridge without out any plans, just their imagination.
If you notice the first telephone pole behind the bridge, that is the new location of the chicken coop.  We are going to have dirt hauled in before we start building so the girls will be out of the water, but we have a location!!!!! I am so excited. I can't wait to get the coop built - I also have a new swing that The Big Man is going to set up near the coop so I can have my coffee in the morning and watch the feathered children play.

We are also finishing up the youngest son's apartment.  That is the building you see in the background.  Stay tuned for the next couple of weeks as we work hard to build our little urban farm.
Do you ever wonder what to do with your land or your yard? For those that have chickens, any hints you want to share about building a chicken coop?
Connie

 

Keeping it Simple with Water

This past week I had an opportunity to write a guest article for our local newspaper, the Blytheville Courier News.   I opted to write about the simple steps of hydration. I am still trying to find some balance in life and in my role of nurse practitioner, nursing educator, entrepreneur by keeping things simple are important to me.
Drinking water is simple, easy and inexpensive. Yet, so many people I see in my practice drink sweet tea, soda or energy drinks instead of water.
Every cell in your body needs water. That is why it is important to drink enough fluid.  Did you know that muscle consist of 75% water, your brain consists of 90% water, bone consist of 22% water, and blood consist of 83% water. If you do not supply your body with enough water your brain cannot function well, this can even cause a headache or a migraine.
As we approach summer and temperatures above ninety degrees, you should be aware of the symptoms of dehydration such as, dark urine, dry skin, thirst, hunger, and fatigue.

Dehydration can make you feel tired, become constipated, have muscle cramps, a headache, irregular blood pressure and even kidney problems.  Becoming more than twenty percent dehydrated can put you at risk for death. 

We lose water through sweating, exhaling, and urination. In hot weather, you tend to lose more water through sweating, in cold conditions, you tend to urinate more.  When you are ill, like with flu and diarrhea you tend to loose fluid.

How much water should you drink in a day to avoid dehydration?  We have all heard we need to drink eight glasses of water a day, but in reality there is no clear-cut answer to how much water to drink per day.  Water intake depends on several factors like your health condition, your activity status, the climatic conditions, physical size, your weight, and your environment.  

Here is your challenge using the formula below on an average day determine if you are drinking enough water to be healthy. 

Your weight is 150 lbs.  Divide you weight by 2 – the result is the amount of water in ounces you should drink every day. 150 ÷ 2 = 75 (you should drink 75 ounces of water per day). 

So, have you had enough water today? 

~ Connie ~

Ending My Unproductive Time on Social Media

This week has been another challenging week.  I have struggled all week to minimize my sleep debt, find some time for me and keep the rest of my life balanced.  

I have been focusing on identifying ways to minimize wasted time in my day.

In thinking about how to improve my productivity I found some interesting statistics.The average employee will spend 12% of the working day using unproductive applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. This amounts to 65 hours a month, which have not been used productively, according to data analyzed by Desk Time

According to other research, people in the U.S. check their Facebook, Twitter, and other social media account 17 times a day, meaning at least once every waking hour, if not more 
I am no exception - when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I grab my phone and check Facebook or twitter. 

Why do I use diversion to support procrastination?  Maybe it is human nature to avoid things we don't want to do??? Maybe I am lazy? Maybe it is just that I am more interested in social media than the things I need to do? 

Either way - social media is impacting how I use my time. 

Work!

So - I am making an effort to limit my time on Facebook by not opening the app at work except at lunch. I am not grabbing my phone first thing in the morning.

I would love to know how you handle social media. Do you find social media taking up productive time? How do you limit your time on social media?
Connie

On a Journey with My Best Friend

I am married to my best friend - and we have been on a journey for 20 years.  This journey hasn't always been easy - we have raised 5 kids, bought and completed rebuild a home, faced retirement and health issues, rescued a few dogs, opened a business and loved each other unconditionally.

The Big Man spent 25 years as a police officer, he is now the City of Blytheville Building Inspector and is the Justice of the Peace for Mississippi County District 8. Besides me, he loves his guns, hunting, food, our children, dogs (he is allergic to cats). 

He literally walked into my life.  We meet at the park running. He doesn't know it but, I almost quit running that night.  Being competitive I thought I had to keep up with him - all 6'3 inches of him with my 5'2' frame.

He loves my children as his own, accepted my houseful of dogs, learned how to trout fish, bought me a tractor and chickens.  Has supported me during my 18 years of formal education.  Helped me loose weight, meet the military weight and physical fitness standards and supported me during my time in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps Reserves.  He has been my biggest cheerleader as I struggled to open a free health clinic and my own family nurse practitioner office.  He has shielded me from mice and even used a live trap to trap the mice and relocate them rather than kill them so - I would not cry and feel guilty about killing the mice.  He is beside me everyday on this horrible journey of dementia my dad is taking us down. He has laughed at me, made me laugh and cried with me. He has prayed with me and for me... he is my everything.
We never go to bed mad - we always say I love when leaving each other or ending a phone call.  I can't imagine this journey through life without him....I am so glad you stopped by my blog today to meet my best friend. I would love to hear about your best friend.
~ Connie ~

Dementia Sucks

Living with a family member that has dementia is difficult, there I said it!  

Dementia sucks!

In August of last year my then 86 year-old father came to live with us.  He was beginning to have some memory issues.  The issues were starting to impact his life - he was a risk when driving, he was starting to have anger issues, he did not always remember to eat or to take his medication.  He had started having difficulty managing his finances.

 Ready or not we drove to Texas and brought him to our home in Northeast AR. This was a big move for a man who was born and raised in Texas and never had any plans of moving out of Texas.

The first few months we adjusted.  The Big Man and our youngest son pitched in and we established a routine for providing care for Pops.

Routines are important for people with dementia.  Structure helps keep things constant which minimizes the confusing that occurs with dementia.

But, we were not prepared for the feelings that come with watching a vibrant independent person loose their ability to be able to recall dates, memories of their life, or complete simple daily task.

Life will never be the same - it is like loosing someone you love, yet they are still standing right in front of you.

Next week we are headed to the geriatric specialist - I know there is nothing we can do to stop this demon called dementia, but maybe we can slow the process down?? maybe we can find a way to accept what the next months or years may hold??? maybe we can find ways to make Pop's life less forgetful???

Dementia sucks!  Over the next few weeks I will be sharing information on dementia on my business blog - Connie's Family Practice  stop by and check out what I learn as Pops and my family fight the demon Dementia. 

~Connie~

Sleep Debt?

Another week and I am still not where I want to be - I am still working hard on being mindful of the moment - but it is really difficult.  I have almost finished reading Lara Casey's book "Make it Happen."  I highly recommend the book - it is a great starting point for prioritizing and remembering.

 

I have come to realize this week that one of my issues is rest.  I work 12-16 hour days Monday - Friday. Saturday I try to catch up spending time with my family and dogs. Then Sunday I am exhausted - all I want to do is sleep, eat, and watch TV. 

Coco Chanel Sleeping In

Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank. Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid. We don't seem to adapt to getting less sleep than we need, while we may get used to a sleep-depriving schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still impaired.

Meme and Coco Sleeping Buddies

So - Sunday has become my day to repay my sleep debt.  But, I feel like I can not give up a whole day - I feel like I am wasting a whole day.  There are so many things I want to do on Sundays - run, yoga, quilt, scrapbook, and I get nothing done.

Oreo Getting Ready for Bed

My goal next week, starting tonight is to be in bed by 10 PM, no TV maybe a little reading.  Up at 6 AM.  No hitting the snooze button.  This will allow me to have some me time. 

 

Have you ever suffered from sleep debt? If so, how did you keep from getting back into debt?

~ Connie ~

Finding Balance When Life Throws a Curve Ball

If you have been following my blog you know, I have been on a journey to find balance.  Last weekend I had a total meltdown, a far cry from finding balance.  The Big Man (aka the Love of My Life) sustained a fracture to his foot.   My backup is out of commission.

In the first few months of our marriage I quickly realized that as a police officer The Big Man loved his job but he had taken a vow of poverty.  We had five children at home and a very tight budget.  One day I happened to see his paycheck from a part-time job.  Immediately I realized we were never going to financially make ends meet by simply adding his part time job.

The Big Man 

So, we sat down and had a conversation about money.  I offered him the deal of a lifetime. If he would assume some of the  household responsibilities I would pickup a part-time job.  As a registered nurse, I could work an 8 hour shift and make three times what he made in eight hours of part-time work.   He agreed, we had to do what was best for everyone. Feeding growing boys cost a fortune and with the children quickly approaching the age where they would have financial needs (camps, cars, graduation, and college) this swap in household duties was a viable option.

The Big Man and the Girls

So - The Big Man and the kids picked up laundry duty, grocery shopping, meal preparation and general household cleaning duties.  I worked - often six twelve hour shifts.   But, we paid off $30,000 in credit card debt that The Big Man had from his first marriage, we bought a home  and we provided for the kids. The children each participated in band, sports, summer camps, etc.  They had everything they needed and sometimes a little extra.

My Stinky Boys Christmas 2014

At this same time I was pursing a Bachelor's Degree (eventually a Master's and a Post-Masters Degree) and serving in the Army Nurse Reserves.  The household duties all somehow shifted to the Big Man. He cooked dinner every night, made sure the laundry was done, the kids got to school and their events, and the house was clean.
Over the years this arrangement has made me very dependent on the Big Man.

Duck Hunting - I Pray for the duck's safety while he hunts

After my melt down this weekend, I have regrouped, prayed a lot and come to the realization that life could be a whole lot worst, three was a time last year when the specialist thought the Big Man had lung cancer. So, I get up a couple of hours earlier and I go to bed a little later.  I have our new house helper work a little more and the Big Man's foot heals.  In six weeks the walking boot comes off and life goes back to normal.  Till then - responsibilities change a little and I find a new point of balance. In the greater scheme of life - I still have the Big Man and life goes on.

What happens when you find yourself with new responsibilities? How do you find balance when life throws you a curve ball?
~ Connie~

Doing Less and Living More

I am a woman who does to much - I run a family practice, I manage a volunteer free health clinic, I teach nursing online, I own a boarding kennel, I am doggie mom to 14 rescue dogs, five adult children, 5 awesome grandsons, my 87 year old father who has dementia has moved in with  us, I volunteer with the humane society (currently we are boarding 2 puppies and 2 adult dogs that need homes), I accepted a position on the county Republican committee, and now my husband is on crutches. For some reason the crutches feel like the last straw. 

 I am feeling stressed and out of balance- probably there are a few of you out there that are just as stressed as I am. Feeling stressed  is not proportionate to the number of task on your to-do-list or the amount of things you are involved in, it is a feeling, it is a mental status - a state of mental tension and worry.

My husband's crutches are not the cause of my stress.  The cause of my stress is having a full schedule and knowing the one person I depend on the most is not able to help me. 

Having a full schedule is my own doing. I have filled my schedule to over-flowing. I've accepted too much to-do.  Other people and outside forces do not cause my stress I do. So with God's help and a fresh outlook, I will be weeding down my to-do-list.  Learning to say no.  

The first step is to scale down volunteer activities - I totally believe in everything I am involved in but the Humane Society and the Republican committee obligations have to go.  Attending meetings and organizing fund raisers takes time - time I need to focus on me and my family.

The second step -  go back to a paper planner. I have been randomly writing out to-do-list and trying to use my iPhone.  I hate to admit it but I am a old fashion paper and pencil kind of girl, but I am.

So, out comes the old fashion planner.

The third step - finding time for me.  Using my paper planner I am going to schedule time for me to do some of the things I want to do and some down time.  I realized today when I was to tired to get off the couch - I actually slept for 3 hours curled up in the den while all the other members of my house moved about the den, watched TV, and the dogs barked.

I know I will stumble as I try to implement these three steps, but stumbling is part of God's plan for us.  I honestly do not believe that God's plan is for me to be running around like a crazy person trying to be everything to everyone. Learning to listen and follow his plan is hard.  This is a journey - the final destination is not perfection - but rather living the abundant life that God has planned for me.

So - what have you done to address stress in your life?  or what steps have you taken to do less and live more?

~ Connie ~

Urban Farming and Chicken Mites

This past weekend my Dad who is 87 years old and in the middle stages of vascular dementia comes in and announces, your chickens have mites... Yikes!!! I tell myself ok stay calm you were president of the 4-H club, you fetched your own eggs as a child for breakfast, damn you can run a code and save a human life...surely you can save six little hens from mites.

Umm  what is a mite? where did my chickens pick up these little bugs, they haven't been out of their yard...it isn't like your children is exposed to day care issues.

Off to Google I go - wow there are a million links to read on chicken mites.  But I settled on one, The Chicken Chick - "Poultry Lice and Mites Identification and Treatment by Kathy Shea Mormino "

I quickly felt more in control - I made a note card and added the link to Evernote.  Off to Tractor Supply I went.  It is amazing what I can find at Tractor Supply.
Picked up Garden & Poultry Dust with Permethrin and some Sevin Dust 5%.  I also picked up some scratch - because I have been feeding them wild bird feed when I wanted them to have something extra. I also picked up a bag of mealworms.   I can't wait to see what they do with these. The doggies also got treats and fly spray. 

I am not sure what we did on Sunday afternoons before Tractor Supply came to town.

So, I am feeling pretty good about being able to handle the mites - I can't wait to see what other adventure occurs in my little urban farm.
Happy Thursday
~ Connie ~ 

The Hype about Green Smoothies

What is all the hype about Green Smoothies?
I am in a season in my life where I realize I need to take better care of myself.  As I started looking for simple ways to add healthy food to my vegetarian diet, I found green smoothies.  According to several websites related to green smoothies people who add green smoothies to their diet have better digestion and elimination, lose weight, and have more energy. As I continued to research the benefits of green smoothie I found a couple of websites that suggest the antioxidant properties of green smoothies improve you overall health.

I love fruits and vegetables, but I do not eat enough. The thought of eating a big plate of plain, raw, kale, collards, spinach, or celery is impossible with my busy schedule and sometimes not very appealing.  I often eat a couple of pieces of fruit or a few slices of cheese for lunch.  So finding a way to add spinach or kale to my diet everyday would is bonus.

So today I made my first green smoothie -  and I loved it. I see more in my future.

I used the following recipe:

Beginner's Luck Green Smoothie
Ingredients

2 cups spinach, fresh (tightly packed)

2 cups of water
1 cup of mango
1 cup of pineapple

2 bananas

 

Directions:
Tightly pack your leafy greens into a measuring cup and toss into the blender. Add water and blend together until all leafy chunks are gone. Next add in mango, pineapples and bananas and blend again.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on green smoothies
~ Connie ~ 



Hashtag #urbanfarmer

I had the clinic block my Friday afternoon schedule last week, so I could come home early - it has been a really long week with a couple of nights consisting of four hours of sleep and I am on call tonight and Saturday.  So how does a girl in Northeast Arkansas spend time on a Friday afternoon - of course, enjoying her yard and sitting in the chicken yard, admiring her girls and teaching them to eat scratch out of a cup.

I was sitting there I got to thinking about sharing some awesome pictures of my chickens with my social media friends.  This thought then lead to me thinking about hashtags.  I  recently started using hashtags on facebook, twitter, and intsagram.  A hashtag is a type of label or metadata tag used on social network and microblogging services which makes it easier for users to find messages with a specific theme or content.

I almost always use the hasttage #scrapbookwife, which is easy to understand.  I enjoy spending time preserving our families life in scrapbooks.  Recently I started using the hashtag #urbanfarmer. 
As I was thinking about using the hashtag #urbanfarmer I started to questions myself  - am I really an urban framer?  What is an urban farmer?  

I do own a tractor and almost 3 acres of land???

I googled the term urban farm and found there isn't a consistent definition of an urban farm. So I will define my own little urban farm - Connie's space to grow fresh vegetables and house a few fathered and furry friends.  
All of this to say - I feel better about using the hashtag #urbanfarmer  
Do you ever have trouble defining who you are? Are adequately stating what you are doing?
~ Connie ~

Make It Happen - Giving God and My Family More Than Leftovers

This past week has been crazy - with work (family practice), two grandsons playing baseball (8 PM games), boarding picking up in the kennels, starting a new eight week session of teaching, and one night of free clinic, and taking care of my Dad (aka Pops) - oh and did I mention I have been on call.

I have been feeling overwhelmed.  I am still working hard on being mindful of the moment - but it is really difficult.  In my spare time (don't laugh), I have been reading Lara Casey's book "Make it Happen."

As I was reading Lara's Book I came to the realization, my life is overflowing with activity.  The only time I have in prayer is when I lay my head on the pillow - I ask God every night to take it all - let me not worry or dwell on the events of the day. I have done the best I can do. 

What I say isn't a prayer - it is giving God the leftovers.

Sadly - I often give my family the left overs. 

When I drag in at 10 PM and they watch me eat dinner, fall asleep watching a movie or when I step away from a ballgame to answer my phone - my family gets left out.

As I was reading Lara's book I realized I do not want to say I should of been a better wife, mother, daughter, nana, sister.

Like many overwhelmed people - finding a starting point to make a change is difficult.

What do I cut out of my life? 

Can I find a day - a whole day to disconnect from the world and spend time with my family? 

Can I find 30 minutes a day to listen to God, instead of giving him the leftovers at the end of the day?
What I do know - is I am the only one that can make a change.

Have you changed your busy life?
How do you give God and your family the first bite instead of the leftovers?

As for me - I will be rereading Lara Casey's Book and thinking more about unplugging and listening to God.

~ Connie ~