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My Struggle to Find Focus — Biblical Truth for a Blogger

By livingabovethenoise

I’ll be honest with you — I’ve been struggling with my blog focus lately.  I’ve wondered if my content is relevant to your needs.  Am I only adding to all the noise on this crazy internet!  Should I write more? Less. Should I quit?!

Times Change – 

A lot has changed since I began blogging nine years ago!  It used to be that bloggers shared their hearts and lives when the mood struck.  Now blogging gurus tell us to post religiously, send newsletters weekly, add to that daily Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram — basically invade every bit of your world! 

I find that pretty annoying. When bloggers I follow won’t stay out of my inbox for more than a few days, and I’m guessing you do too.  I get tired of being told I need some amazing, incredible, easy, or fast — trick, gadget, schedule, book, or course – in order to be a better person, blogger, mom, wife, plus be instantly rich.  I’m sure you get my drift!  So I won’t add to the racket and I’ll be blogging the way you and I like it!

Ahhhh…. 😊

With 500 million blogs out there — really! 😯 — it’s hard for a blogger to make sure their reader can even find them.

All the to-dos and shoulds of blogging make my follow-the-rules personality a bit crazy! And I just stop writing. But then I remember how much I enjoy making friends on the internet. I know you want to live above the noise And to do that you need to realize your value before God. Then you can love your family well. And actually enjoy being a mom! And I want to help you do just that!

Biblical Truth for a Blogger –

While sorting through my conflicting thoughts, praying, reading, and seeking counsel, I read the book of Titus. I was again reminded that I am the “older woman” Paul speaks of.  Now, I’m not completely thrilled to have earned this title 😊 but it’s where I am in life!  And because of my age and experience, I have a clear calling to meet the Titus 2 commands. 


According to Scripture, older women are to encourage / teach / train younger women to:

– Love their husbands  — love isn’t always easy and we need ideas and help to do this well
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– Love their children  — it can be really hard being a momma!
– Manage / keep their homes — it’s a tough job but it has to be done.

All of this so “that the Word of God may not be dishonored.”


I’m accepting God’s call me for this journey.  I’ll use my gift of writing — my decades spent journaling to capture and chew on thoughts and ideas — to help “younger” women (that’s you!) love the life they’ve been given.   And that includes all the emotional and spiritual digging-in-the-dirt details of how that actually looks in real life. 

I also like this to be a place where “older” women feel comfortable having conversations about life in middle age:  menopause, empty nest, relationships in marriage after the kids are gone, finding purpose, and more.  This season of life can be quite unsettling to navigate.  We all need friends to help smooth the bumps in the road.

Miscellany – 

  • Expect to see me in your inbox a few times a month, more or less as the mood or Spirit strikes. 
  • I’ll link to a few products I think you’ll find useful.  But only things I use and value and hopefully create soon.
  • But mostly — I’m offering you some hard-won wisdom and discernment in the realm of wife-dom, mothering, personal and spiritual encouragement, along with home management and care.

Please reach out if there’s anything I can help with. Anything you’d like to get a conversation started on.  Shoot me an email with encouraging happenings in your life. I’d love to hear from you! Honestly, blogging can be lonely.

Another thing, I’d love it if you’d share my posts with women you care about. 

Thanks for your time.
Blessings and prayers as you seek to live above the noise!

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PS – Check out a few of my favorite finds below!

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:3-5




Encouragement from Emily Freeman!
If you haven’t discovered her podcasts, you’re in for a treat. 
She’s calm and balanced and just what I need to center me in God’s will!  Enjoy!

How To Organize A Brain Dump
Are you tired of holding your whole to-do list in your head!?
Well, here’s a great post on brainstorming I think you’ll find helpful.

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Finding Love in a Storm

By livingabovethenoise

As I sit here, watching the storm blow in, I can’t help but remember my childhood at the lake.  Sitting on the huge, padded porch swing tucked under the upper level of my grandparents’ cottage, my cousins and I would swing and talk and plan our next excursion for our summer vacation.   We’d gather there in storms just like the one today, feeling oh, so safe amidst the pounding rain and the thundering bellow of the clouds.  And I realize something.

There is nothing so wonderful and calming and peaceful as feeling safe.  Of knowing we are loved.

Those days at the cottage were some of my siblings’ favorite memories of childhood.  “Why?” I wonder.  I imagine it’s because we gathered as families, loved by parents who cared about giving us little gifts like this — our yearly family vacation.  Possibly it was because there, like the adults, we had no cares in the world.  They, like us, had left the hustle of work and chores to get away and breathe.

The Gift of a Storm

Then God gives the gift of a storm.  The quiet of the rain softly pattering on the roof.  The mist brushing our cheeks as we swing on the porch.  The slow rumble of the thunder echoing it’s way across the sky.  And we have peace  — peace amidst the storm.

As I pause and ponder, yes, for the first time in what feels like months, I realize how very important it is to give one another that sense of peace and love.  That feeling of being wrapped in a parent’s arms in the storm, knowing we are safe.  And loved.

Seek out your children or grandchildren today.  Let them know they are loved and safe with you.  Let them know you will be by their side.  No. Matter. What.

Of course, remember this doesn’t pertain only to children.  There are spouses who need that same affirmation.  And friends.  Even enemies.

If that makes you nervous, go to God, the source of all Love and Peace, and ask Him how to love like this.  He’s the expert!  His love never fails.

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Love never fails.  1 Corinthians 13:8





Simple Steps To Gain Sanity Through Planning

By livingabovethenoise

First Things First—Be Willing To Do the Work!

This post has the potential to bring order to your busy life.  You really can gain sanity through planning.  But you have to be prepared to do the work! 

Yikes, maybe that’s not the best start to a post with the word “Simple” in its title!  But, it’s true and I’m not going to fool you.  You and I need to be willing to get past the lazy troll who lives within us and do the tough stuff.  I’m sorry, but it’s just reality!  If you’re new to this topic, you can find my post on why you need a plan in the first place, here.  Now let’s get started!

We all know the chaos that reigns as we get busier and busier in life.  There is just so much to do and not enough time to do it!  But by following these steps, you will see clarity in getting things done — along with what’s really important to you and what’s just fluff on your to-do list.  We get so generic in what we put on our to-do lists that we miss what’s really necessary.  Read through this post, then read it again from your own life perspective in order to really see the picture from a 40,000-foot view of your life.

Remember, the steps are simple, it’s the work that’s hard—but oh, the reward is sweet!

The “How To’s” Of Developing Planning Habits

So here are the simple steps I promised you.  Remember—as we repeat these steps, they’ll get easier, plus we’ll be forming habits to increase our productivity.  And guess what?  You can start this process before you get your planner! 

  1.  Categorize
  2.  Brainstorm
  3.  Add Sub-Tasks
  4.  Ask Questions and Add Details
  5.  Set Due Dates

A lot of people recommend starting with a brainstorm session.  Personally, I find categorizing my areas of responsibility first helps me hone in on the most important areas of my life, rather than lumping them all into one pile.

#1 — Categorize

This is pretty simple.  Categorize your main areas of responsibility:

Home — Family — Work — Self — Finances — Relationships — etc.

#2  Brainstorm

(This section and the next Subtask section go hand-in-hand but the importance of doing both is often missed in most planning tutorials.)  KEY – this isn’t the place to start writing down your specific to-do’s!  Hang in there. 

Under each category heading, brainstorm all areas that need your attention — the ones that drive you crazy and/or are simply your responsibility.  Keep them basic (see example below).  List out any projects, rooms to keep up, events, etc.  **If you over-think and write down all your tasks and to-do’s, it makes it much more difficult when it comes time to decide which task is more important then another.  (Believe me, I’ve done this wrong for years and wondered why my big stuff never got done!)

A lightbulb went off for me when I listened to a webinar by Sue Hollowell, a project manager turned life-coach.  Under each category of responsibility, she recommends using Nouns to describe the things that need your attention.  Think of these as the place or the thing needing attention, not the actual activity or task.  This keeps you focused on the main goal, not getting sidetracked on the details before you have a plan!

Examples:  (remember—use nouns!)

Home:  Bathroom Remodel — Chores — Garden — Clutter — Garage —  etc.

Family:  Homeschool — Birthdays — Vacations — Clothing — etc. 

You can add a “Miscellaneous” heading under each category.  It’s good to have a place to keep track of your less important tasks without taking up prime space under your main categories.

#3  Add Subtasks

Now you’ll add specific tasks under each project and responsibility.  So, start with the project, then add the subtasks to get the job done.   Jeff Goins, author, explains it this way —

“Anytime a task on your to-do list has more than one item on it (requires multiple tasks to get it done), you will get bogged down.” 

Why?  Because that “one task” seems monumental to accomplish!  It’s not clear enough to let you know what it will take to get the job done.  You’ll keep passing over it due to lack of clarity on what should come first.   So you’ll avoid it!  Instead, avoid the overwhelm.  Detail out each responsibility and the job becomes clear!

Here’s another way to picture it.  What if you wrote down, “Sort through closets.”  You’ll think of this job as pretty time intensive.  It will seem overwhelming due to its sheer size.  If you’re like me, you’ll put it off because it’s so foggy in details.

Before you can really plan for a project, each task needs to be broken down into the sub-tasks required to accomplish it.  These are the things you place on your to-do list, NOT the bigger picture projects.  Those stay on the brainstorm list.

Specify each area of responsibility and all the details needed for you to gain the “order” you desire.  Examples:

  • Garage:  buy doormats, sort boxes, sweep, wipe off shelves…
  • Clutter:  put sweaters in totes, go through closets and give away anything that doesn’t fit, organize shoes, dust shelves…
  • Chores:  dust 1/month, vacuum 2x/week, wash windows 2/year…
  • Garden:  water weekly, buy fertilizer, fertilize every other week, weed 1/month, have Bruce get mulch and add 3″ to beds, plant roses…

Do you see how this highlights the time and tools and people needed for a job?  This makes planning so much easier!

#4  Ask Questions And Add Details

Now is the time to ask lots of questions.  The answers will add the necessary details to your list.  Instead of having a foggy idea, you’ll know exactly what it will take to reach your goal.  You may even discover that purchasing a simple tool or not knowing a step is all that’s holding you back!

  • Where do I start?  How much time do I plan for?  (Clean garage 3 hrs. on Saturday – all family needed)
  • In what order does each task need to be done?  List out each step.  (Sweep.  Pressure wash.  Throw out old tools/toys.  Straighten totes on shelves.)
  • When will you need a tool or a person to help?  (Buy new cleaning rags, doormats.  Bruce get pressure washer set up.)

#5  Set Due Dates

Set the desired end date for each goal, project, or activity.  Consider when you want or need to accomplish a goal and choose a due date.  Work around events already on your calendar.  Then work backward from that date on your calendar, portioning out your time and tasks right back to today!

#6  Next & Last Step —  Add Tasks To Your Planner Calendar!

Just do it!  Start adding tasks to those little boxes on your planner.  This seems like such a basic step yet it can feel so difficult to commit to.  We don’t want to put it on the “wrong” day.  We worry something else will come up or  we won’t have enough time to do it.  This century demands busy schedules.  We get mired in the chaos and forget to make a plan.  But we really need a strategy!  Again, just do it!

Begin adding tasks to your weekly schedule.  Choose to treat these tasks like actual appointments you make with yourself.  Act like you would at work — like you’re getting paid for your time and your projects.  Be the CEO of your life!  Once you do, you’ll see this process take a complicated list of tasks and responsibilities and bring order and sanity into your life!

Whew!  We covered a lot!  Read these steps again, picturing your life and responsibilities.  It will begin to make sense.  Then follow the steps in a few areas you want to work on.  But, most importantly —

Don’t Quit!* — You can do this!

*And I really mean don’t quit!  I had to remind myself of this the other day.  I had a plan — a really good one.  But my day was filled with unexpected events.  Think: dog gets hurt and may need a vet visit; son needs to make a last-minute birthday gift order; mother-in-law needs emergency doctor appointment.  You get the picture!

This is life.  Full of unexpected events.  It evolves and changes even though we have a plan. 

Please don’t let that stop you from gaining order.   Adjust as necessary.

And don’t let it stop you from reaching for your goals.  One day at a time!

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The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.  Proverbs 21:5
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School’s Starting! – You Need To Plan For the Perfect Day

By livingabovethenoise

It’s that time of year again!  Where did summer go?!  No more vacay — it’s time to get organized!

This time last year I decided to start REALLY using my planner — not just for recording lists and what I did for the day.  But to REALLY plan my life, my year, my days!

I turned my journey into a Year-Long-Planner Challenge and encouraged my readers to share it with me.  The accountability of going public pushed me (and you) to succeed!  If you’re up for a challenge this year — to get your life in order and stop procrastinating on dreams, goals, and responsibilities — please join me again this year!

Resources To Help You Get Organized

I’ve tried lots of planners over the years and I finally narrowed them down to what actually works for me.  Read this post to find out the benefits of using a planner — and this post to see several different planner styles and how they might fit your needs and personality.

The key? — Find the planner style to work for your personality! 

The sky’s the limit online — hundreds of creative ideas for organizing your dreams and goals. If you subscribe to my posts and newsletters, you’ll get tips and tricks from experts in goal setting and planning, plus a lot of encouragement!

I did a ton of planner research a few years ago, and here’s a few more favs:

The Big Happy Planner

A favorite with my daughters and me is the Big Happy Planner*. I especially prefer the long columns to plan out the day, along with sections for to-do lists, meal planning, etc.  It has a monthly page for birthdays, goals, important dates, and a fun area to jot down activities you’re currently spending time on.  The feature that makes it stand out from the rest — it’s disc binding which gives you the ability to move pages around or even add your own!

 

The Living Well Planner

I considered Ruth Soukup’s Living Well Planner for a few years but hesitated due to the cost.  Good news!  She has a great sales a few times a year plus a new design that includes bonus planning sheets. I’m a sucker for a good deal — plus I love taking charge of my days.  I like this planner so much, I’m willing to help promote it (thus my affiliate clause at the end of this post) because I know it will encourage busy women to get organized!

Another reason I love Ruth’s planner* is the multitude of detailed videos and guides she offers to learn how to use a planner well.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Brainstorm your responsibilities and to-do’s
  • Choose Big Goals
  • Develop an Action Plan by breaking those big goals into bite-sized steps
  • Plan each week and day to get MORE accomplished with less time WASTED

You can find Ruth’s planning posts here and detailed pics of each planner page here.  I can’t recommend these posts enough for motivating you to take action!

  • Are you ready to take back your days?
  • Get that to-do list checked off?
  • Start your planner challenge?

Accountability is KEY!      Let’s do this — together!  

*** If you’re serious, leave a comment, message me on Facebook, or jot me an email. ***

Start Here To Reach Your Goals

Planner Challenge To-Do List:

  • Research and decide which planner style you prefer.  You can find my planner research in these posts:  Goals of A Planner – A Necessary Part of Success here and Choosing A Planner – So Many Options here.
  • Listen to Ruth Soukup’s podcast on “How To Break Down Your Big Goals into a Plan That Works” here.
  • Read Ruth’s Goal Planning and The Magic of Thinking Big posts. They’re really helpful and I highly recommend them if you want to gain order in your life!

Let’s learn and grow together!

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Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.   Proverbs 6:6-8
*This asteric indicates that I may earn some compensation for these items IF you purchase through my website.  I only share products I love and use personally!  Thanks!
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Hi, I’m Terry!

Hi, I’m Terry!

I'm here to help you live above the noise in your life! You know that clamor of life and family and self.

I believe when you realize your unique value before God, you unleash the confidence to live above that noise!

You’ll gain the confidence to:
- think for yourself
- sort through the conflicting options out there
- find the freedom to bring love, joy, and order to your home and family.

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Make a plan to take back your year with this planner!!

Make a plan to take back your year with this planner!!

Start now with one of my favorite planners — The Living Well Planner. Learn how to make your planner work for you in my Planners/Planning section (under the House & Home tab).

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Featured Posts:

Lessons from the Garden Can Make You A Better Parent

Like plants, strong, capable kids don’t just “happen” without a healthy pot of rich soil. Where roots grow long and healthy. Parents need to give kids a safe place to grow and learn and broaden their ever-expanding minds.

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My Struggle to Find Focus — Biblical Truth for a Blogger

I’ll be honest with you — I’ve been struggling with my blog focus lately.  I’ve wondered if my content is relevant to your needs.  Am I only adding to all the noise on this crazy internet!  Should I write more? Less. Should I quit?! Times Change –  A lot has changed since I began blogging […]

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Finding Love in a Storm

As I sit here, watching the storm blow in, I can’t help but remember my childhood at the lake.  Sitting on the huge, padded porch swing tucked under the upper level of my grandparents’ cottage, my cousins and I would swing and talk and plan our next excursion for our summer vacation.   We’d gather there […]

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Fear Of Planning — It’s A Real Thing!

Guess what?!  There really is such a thing as the fear of planning!  You know that feeling — you want to fill out the next week in your planner but you’re gripped with panic from not knowing what to put on your to-do list.  You feel the apprehension of putting something on a wrong day and risking […]

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