Tuesday Treasury

So I have created a theme for Tuesday's here on Inside My Head. Tuesday Treasury will become a mainstay starting this week! That is, if my crazy busy life with three boys allows me to keep up. So, what is Tuesday Treasury? Tuesday Treasury is a list I have personally compiled from Etsy.com with a given theme of my choosing for the week. Knowing me, I will be drawing much of my inspiriation from my favorite fairytales, books, music, and life experiences. I hope you all will visit me every Tuesday to see what inspired me this week and check out all the talented artists, collectors, crafters, and various Etsy venders that are featured each week by following the links to the treasury. I also hope you will leave me a little note telling me what inspires you. You never know, you may be my next inspiration!

I hope you enjoy this Tuesday's first Treasury list inspired by one of my all time favorite stories by C.S. Lewis, The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and named Journey Through The Wardrobe.

Tuesday's  Treasury

To see the rest of this collection follow the direct link by clicking HERE.

Back To School

Walking to School On The First Day

 Well, the first full week of school is officially under our belts. I would say that this first week was measured only with success for both the Garrett family and Cole Elementary. The boys seem to be adapting to their new teachers and classrooms in a positive way. I personally enjoyed this week's open house meet and greet on Tuesday and Thursday. I left the school both afternoons feeling good about not only the boys amazing teachers, but the whole organization and operation of the school.

Cole Elementary has a student body of 854 students this year and 97 well equipped staff members. The students, faculty, and volunteers are the framework to which the school sets it's high standards. Those standards are what makes this elementary school team celebrated by my family. I appreciate that Cole Elementary believes in every student's ability to achieve big things not only in school, but in their lives, and they are not afraid of holding the children to those standards.

I am expecting a challenging school year for my 1st and 4th grader. However, I feel confident that under Cole Faculty's vision for education and lots of parental involvement both of my students will make first-class gains in their academic achievements, while developing skills they will carry with them for a lifetime. I really do believe in and love this school. I am truly convinced that Cole Elementary's staff, in it's entirety, care about my children's education and dreams almost as much as I do!

Thankful Heart

I recently began to use a couple of new journaling styles making each of my journals a little more focused on one particular subject. I have been writing in journals for as long as I can remember, so I jumped at the suggestion to keep a prayer journal. The suggestion came from my pastor’s wife. I also thought it was brilliant that she keeps a table of contents at the beginning of each of her journals, so she will know just how to reference and use them at a later date.

 

My Maxjournal Collection on the Ipad

Along with my prayer journal and day to day journal, I also decided to keep a gratitude journal. This is the journal of subject today. I titled mine “Thankful Heart”. I truly believe that a thankful heart breeds joy in our lives, and when you are joyful, the action of love naturally comes into play. We all know that love is the glue that holds us together or at least love is what holds me together. I am not talking about the warm and fuzzy emotion of love, I am talking big love. I am talking about action love. I am talking about Jesus love. The kind of love that: never fails, forgives quickly, that’s not self seeking, and speaks the truth (Corinthians 13). So, why not keep a recorded of what makes your heart thankful? Why not let that thanksgiving turn into an overflowing amount of joy. Why not turn our focus away from the negatives, the trials, the tribulations that we face in our lives, and lift our hearts up by focusing on our blessings and joy.

In my own journal, “Thankful Heart”, Everyday I choose to write down five things for which I am thankful. They range anywhere from a nurse making my son's shot day a little less painful, to a beautiful rose that has bloomed in my garden. Nothing is too small or too big to be thankful for. Blessings are all around us everyday. They come in so many shapes and sizes. What is your heart thankful for today?

 

Inside the Maxjournal App for the ipad

 

A Hero Born

Tornado’s blew though my neighboring state of Alabama on Wednesday April 27^th causing heartbreaking loss of life and wide spread devastation to many neighborhoods.

As the state begins to pick up the pieces and rebuild their neighborhoods, something inspiring happens. Out of all the tragedy, heroes are born. People who dig in and become leaders of the rebuilding process. Not just the rebuilding of structures and homes, but the process of ministering to the people, the building back up of hope in a time that can seem dark and hopeless. Rebuilding the spirits of people, and reaching out with love.

One such hero is Melvin Allen. Melvin is a youth director at Harvest Youth Club. My husband came in contact with Mr. Allen while volunteering with a group of his co-workers for a day of clean up. My husband described Melvin Allen as, "the real deal". The kind of man you make a movie about and actor Denzel Washington would play the role. A fact that has probably never crossed the mind of the charismatic youth director from Alabama, as he digs into the lives of the people around him without hesitation wielding only a heart to serve and help those in need. There were about 103 homes in Melvin’s neighborhood and only about a dozen are considered liveable in Harvest, Alabama. Melvin Allen gets the fact that loving on people comes first. In this case loving on people in-tells helping them rebuild their homes, cleaning up their streets, providing them with basic supplies. Hard work is involved, but the task is not too great. It's worth every bit of time, sweat, and tears that it costs as long as it will rebuild hope and chase away despair. Considering the devastation that has occurred, ministering into the lives of these people takes a big love, a Jesus kind of love.

Rebuilding homes is an emotional process of healing lives, restoring roots, and pouring an unmeasurable amount of love into the people living in these communities. Through all of this arises the opportunity to show just what Christian love is supposed to look like... giving without the need of recognition or compensation. We are carrying out Christ's work, as his vessels, allowing him to love on others through us. That is just what Melvin Allen and his Harvest Youth Club team are achieving on the fields of the aftermath of these unfortunate tornado's. Melvin is being a light of hope and love in his community.

To find out how you can help visit http://www.harvestyouthclub.com/

Even though news coverage may have stopped, these people still need your help.