A merry Saturday to all of you!  I hope it has been a great week filled with God’s blessings and productivity.

How many times have you heard someone say…
“I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Someday I’ll do that.”
“I could never do that.”
Or another similar phrase…

There’s obviously nothing wrong with saying any of these things, but what would your life be like if it weren’t filled with a lot of haunting “what if’s”?  When I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, every time I came through a town I would hear people say, “I’ve always dreamed of doing that.” (And also, “What’s that smell?”)  In talking with others about my work as a minister, I often hear people say, “I wish I had a job I loved.”  When I was running marathons, people would often say, “You’re CRAZY!”  Not everyone will share your dreams 🙂

What projects, ideas, or passions are rolling around in your head that you have been meaning to act on.  What holds you back?  Fear, expense, time, energy, health…  The list of obstacles could be long, but why let that hold you back.  I’ve got a number of projects and goals for myself and my family, and quite honestly writing about them, sharing them with a large number of friends and strangers, has helped me accomplish things and stay motivated to move forward.  The process of writing about goals, like drinking less soda, eating healthier and being more active (treadmill desk) have cemented in my mind the need to make changes happen.

I’ve got little projects around the house that I want to get done – start the garden, raise the chicks, an irrigation project, finally finish my workbench.  I have a big financial goal I’ve been mapping out and will share with my wife in the coming week or two…and maybe you guys too.  And I have a special project I am writing for the blog.  All these things require that I “get moving.”

How are your goals for 2013 going?  Have you accomplished them?  If you’re going strong and doing well, maybe it’s time for “Phase 2” or a new goal.  That’s where I am heading.  You should come along 🙂

DadisLearning.com roundup…

Monday – Enjoy the Small Things and a Goal Update
Tuesday – Family Devotional: Faith of Abraham Part 2
Wednesday – Backyard Chickens: Baby Chicks (Live on cam!) <<< They are still live on cam.  We lost one of the chicks and I am worried about another one, but they are still fun to watch.  We picked up a new chick at the breeder yesterday and are trying to think of a name.
Friday – Favorite Things Friday: Eureka Enviro Steam Mop

Just a few other posts from the week…

Our homemade pita chips.

SugarFreeMom.com – I really hope the nice lady (Brenda) that writes the Sugar Free Mom blog doesn’t think I am stalking her.  I have been making nearly every recipe she has posted for the last several weeks and have commented on her posts about our success as a family.  This week I made the Peanut Butter Cups that were enjoyed by all the members of the family.  They used some new ingredients for me – carob chips, Stevia and coconut oil.  They are gluten and dairy free, and diabetic friendly if that helps.  I also stole a few items from her weight-watcher friendly  weekly menu.  For the record, I have no issue with sugar.  It is just nice to learn about using some alternative sweeteners like natural honey, etc.  We also ate this Pasta Fagioli Soup and made our own hummus and pita chips.

I really enjoy the Lifehacker.com “How I Work” series.  Each week they pick someone who is doing big things and look at the tools, tips and tricks they use in their workflow.  This week was Chris Kimball, host of America’s Test Kitchen, a PBS show I enjoy watching.  His profile is worth checking out, because any man who includes a recipe for fluffy pancakes in his list of tips and tricks is a genius.  I think it is interesting that 75% or more of the people profiled use a MacBook Air as their main work computer.

MyMoneyBlog.com put up a great list of free credit report, credit score and credit monitoring links.  Always a good idea to checkup on this number and there are tons of free resources out there for doing this.

And finally, in honor of Groundhogs Day today, you can teach yourself how to easily draw a groundhog.  Over at Andertoons.com.  This guy has a great collection of simple drawing tutorials that I enjoy doing with our 5 year-old.