What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. ~ Martin Luther

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Lists of 30

 

May 15th is my birthday and this year is a big one.  In just 13 days I will be thirty.  The big 3-0.  

I have less than two weeks to enjoy the last of my twenties and then I will officially be....old.  ;-)  

As a diversionary tactic, I have been busy doing what I do best----- making lists!  Specifically, lists of 30 THINGS, which I will be posting here each day all the way up until my birthday.   (I realize that making lists for entertainment makes me a nerd and I am okay with that.)  I can't promise they will be every day (I am done 10 lists and plum out of ideas at this point!) but they will at least be an excuse for more regular blog activity then I have been giving you (which doesn't say much, does it?)


And at the end of this charade--- there will be a GIVEAWAY!  (Of COURSE!  Celebrating always calls for presents!)

To kick off the list of 30's....here are 30 things I have learned the older I get.

About Myself:
  •  I am a firm believer that if it makes you happy-then do it, whether you are good at it or not.  If  you love to paint-do it!  Whether you never show a single soul what you've painted or whether it is worthy of an award is no matter at all.
  •  I can raise animals, butcher them, cook them and eat them- something I thought I would never be able to actually do.
  • For me, creative outlets are an actual, bonafide need
  • I can teach children how to read after all.  And pretty successfully, I might add.
  • It is easier to purge my childrens' things than my own.
  • Winter gets longer every year.
  • Giving birth to children creates a level of empathy that is very nearly painful when watching people give birth in movies or hearing people tell of their birthing experiences.  I feel it.  And it ain't cozy.   
  • An easy way to tell I am upset is whether or not I am singing, humming or otherwise making music.
  • The only way I would ever feel firsthand that odd, evasive feeling called "Boredom" is if I were DEAD.
  • Sleeping with pajamas is akin to nails on a chalkboard for me.  Maybe worse.
  • I am much more a non-fiction girl than fiction.
  • I really enjoy reading about how women managed with so little and such independence during the years of the Great Depression and those decades preceding it.  I also really enjoying taking part in some such activities because I want to, not because I need to.  Those idealized women really had it tough. And as prepared as I sometimes feel, I wonder if I could actually do as well if placed in their circumstances, as they did.  I really kinda doubt it.
  • I am officially out of the "season" of polished fingernails and do not know when/if it will ever return.
  • I will always, however, wear toenail polish.  It is an absolute MUST.
About Others:
  • The older I get the less I care for the opinions of the world.
  • If someone is gossiping about someone else to you, you can bet they gossip to others about you.
  • No matter what you do, no matter how hard you will try---not everyone will like you.  And that doesn't mean you need to change.  
  • Most of the time~ people don't need you to have the perfect words.  They just need you to be there.
  • I can not stand lazy.
  • I have no patience at all for disrespectful children and teenagers.
  • People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers.

About Life:
  • Roasted vegetables are amazingly delicious.  And they warm the house up in winter.  SCORE!
  • Children have a bonafide need for dirt in their lives.
  • Time is the most precious commodity.  Use it well.
  • A few good friends mean more to me than lots of  "friends".  (And this, my friends, is why I will always detest FACEBOOK.)
  • That money is a lousy way to keep score.
  • Everything around us has bias.  Yes.  Even the supposedly "unbiased" news.  In fact, those who claim the title "unbiased" are the ones you should watch out for most of all.
  • Homemade pizza is pizzeria-worthy when baked at 475 degrees, on the bottom rack and one at a time.  (It took me years to realize this.)
  • That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
  • The best way to share your faith is not by words but by living.
 

18 comments:

Joel Engelsma said...

Great post. I turn 30 this in 9 months but I don't consider that old yet. :-)
Question: I've finally found a good pizza crust that my family enjoys, but haven't been able to hit on a good sauce recipe. What do you use? Thanks!

Mary said...

Rebecca~ 30 is just another number & definatly not old!

I like lists also, they are a necessity for me! You are no nerd!

Continue being the wonderful woman God made you to be! I am so happy to know you!

Mary said...

It should be "definitely' and yes,I homeschool my kiddos!lol

Dee@StartDreaming said...

Hahaha! 30 is not old! I am beyond 30 and don't feel like I'm over-the-hill or one-foot-in-the-grave at all.

Besides... hanging around kids makes you young. Ever notice that? We have to keep up with the munchkins so we exercise more and build muscle. This keeps us young! Or at least that's how I look at it. :)

I love lists too. If you are a nerd for this list, I'm a triple geek for what I keep lists of. :)

Take care!
Stay young!
Dee

Terri said...

I had to laugh at the comment about not being able to stand disrespectful children and teenagers. I still can't stand disrespectful children but since all three of my children are now teenagers I had to change my thoughts on that one. You will too when yours get there! ;-)

Terri said...

I turned 50 this year and I still feel 18 so I guess I'm not officially over the hill - YET! LOL!!!

I love your lists, Rebecca.

Unknown said...

:D Great to get to "know" you just a bit better! :)

Leah said...

Hey, who you calling OLD?? :P
(Nice eyes.)

Marlene Bibby said...

I think Matt should celebrate you being 30 with 30 gifts! The 30th one can be a bow on his chest!!! See age doesn't matter. I am in my fifties and not old!! Besides look at your mom. The fifties are great!!

Mari said...

Congratulations on your birthday. My "significant" birthdays are never that bad because I was born on my sister's 10th birthday. It doesn't matter how old I get because she gets 10 years older! I consider this wonderful foresight and planning on my part; everyone else calls it dumb luck.

If you think you don't care much what people think when you turn 30, wait until you hit 50 - hah!

I have to agree with Terri on disrespectful teenagers. First, you learn to pick your battles during the teen years (rolling the eyes is one battle I WILL pick) but others I just let go, especially if it's directed at me and the teen isn't so much aiming at being disrespectful as expressing their own opinion or independence. You also start realizing that you have to be more respectful to them!

Terri said...

Okay now I feel silly because I realized you meant disrespectful children and disrespectful teenagers. I thought you were talking about teenagers in general. Disrespect is unacceptable in both. Hmmmm......maybe 50 is old after all. I'm losing my mind! tee-hee!!!

Full of Grace said...

Very Nice Reading :) My brain and thoughts would be exhausted after just a few days of writing that many things about myself- you go girl! :)

Cathy said...

May you have a very nice 30th birthday, and I heartily agree about roast vegetables, dirt, and facebook. Blessings to you.

Anonymous said...

the pictures in this post are STUNNING! how'd you do that?

-b in va

Rebecca said...

Terri~ HA! That is SO funny! No-I in fact LOVE teenagers, just not mouthy ones. ;-) I guess I should figure out a way to word that one better!

B~ Just make your camera zoom in (and put it on autofocus) turn the camera around on yourself-and snap away. Something will happen. Sometimes it is great, sometimes not so great. But if you take lots (as I usually do), you are bound to get at least one or two keepers.

As for the black and white/color situation: Picasa, my friend. Picasa. Free and Fun. ;-)

Bonnie said...

Seriously, were it not the 2 year age difference, I would swear we were separated at birth.
I always like your lists, they are fun to read, and because of our numerous similarities, sometimes scary : )

Mrs. Rebekah S. said...

I love your lists! :) And I concur with too many items to make mention of them all. I hear you regarding friends and Facebook. I maintain a rather tight circle of friends and family members with whom it is nearly the only feasible way to keep in touch. (For years now we have lived too many thousands of miles and too many time zones away for other modes of communication which would be preferable.) Sometimes people are offended by why I don't include them on my friends list, and I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, I just don't include every acquaintance I've ever made.

Also, I will forgive you for referring to 30 as "old" because six years ago, when I reached that milestone, I shared your exact same sentiments. Ha, ha! Now I know better! At times I am still surprised by my image inthe mirror with more lines on my face and the white creeping ever more through my hair. Nevertheless, I am firmly resolved to become ever more real and not old, as in The Velveteen Rabbit. ;)

May God bless your day!

Unknown said...

I've been enjoying your lists tremendously... and it's no wonder since I many things resonate with me. I think this one could have easily been written by me save for the purging. I can purge everything to a fault. Clutter drives me insane... I realized that one day when I opened the fridge and felt satisfied seeing it so neat and clean and then I realized there was barely anything in it!