Dear [as Jules is going] Once Daily Digest Email Subscribers

January 5, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

I am so excited that you have chosen to subscribe to my blog. {eek!} I knew people could subscribe via Feedburner but to be honest, I didn't know I had the "follow plugin" {which is what Your emails are being routed through}.

Regretfully and at the risk of some of you not transferring over, I am asking if you signed up for updates on anything but Feedburner, that you subscribe through Feedburner. {I'll add the link at the bottom}

I am going to Try & deactivate this plugin. This is a decision I've come to have some resent nasty emails I've received from someone who subscribe through this plugin, verified that she wanted the updates, and is now upset saying she didn't sign up & I'm spamming her. After hours of research, questioning my techie friends to no end, and lots of attempts to correspond to the upset subscriber, I found this plugin and removed her from the list. One bad apple spoils it for the bunch. Plus, I think the format of this subscription is sketchy. It was sends entirely too many annoying notification.Sorry again for the inconvenience!

I've already send a direct email to all those using the weird plugin, I just wanted to make sure they knew I was shutting it down this afternoon.

THANKS so much for being here!

Filed Under: The ones about the Rothacher Home

One Word 365: purposeful

January 4, 2013 by Jules 6 Comments

I may sound like a broken record but this past year has been a world-wind.
Ups, downs, limbo. Lots Of Limbo.

One thing God has given me this year is HERE. You. Or at least the idea of you. People. Someone out there reading my ramblings. Being allowed to pen my thoughts. To try to get these wide array of emotions out to be sorted, organized, and put away again.

During this last year as I grew as a blogger. A writer. I read more than ever before. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of these awesome hard backs packed with brilliant info and snatch up every Free or ridiculously cheap book that has application to y life but who has the time? Blogs. I read blogs. They're likae little devotionals for the busy mom. Some are pin-able with great ideas for kid-friendly meals or DIY projects on the cheap but some are just to pin in your gut. They resonate. They heal aches inside. They catalyst you into the next day. And most of all, they're respecters of time. With short, easy-to-read blips, I can read and move on with life. I don't like starting something I can't finish. A blog post I can finish between cleaning up breakfast and refereeing the next fight.

One thing that seemed to be found in several different circles I puts around in was this thing called "One Word". This was where someone, in my case who I was reading was usually a wife, mom, DIYing women, who would choose a word to focus on for that year. I liked this idea. No more silly resolutions you had to document so you could even remember what they were. No more daily list of what craziness I need to accomplish that day. Just a single word. A word that would hopefully define the year for that person. One Word for 365 days.

As the year closed, I sat catching my breath. Feeling like I'd missed something. I know I lived it. I have a few more wrinkles to prove it. Maybe I missed Christmas. I hadn't preped for it like years before. I was literally shopping the week before Christmas. Maybe it was Thanksgiving. I'd been so caught up in my woes that my heart slipped past the bubbling effect of true gratefulness. Maybe it was the real presence of being a birthday parties. Maybe it was real food. Maybe it was organization. Maybe it was the past year. Maybe it was purpose.

As others posted their words to focus on, strive for, and live by I was determined not to miss this year!

This year my word will be purposefully! Life is too important and is over too fast to live any other way. With launching a new church plant this Easter, my oldest starting kindergarten, my middle child starting preschool, and my youngest hopefully potty training. I don't want regrets. There are too many people in this world to love on! I don't want to just carry on half-hearted small talk, shake some hands, give shallow complements. I don't want to fill out some school papers with the right answers.

I intentionally haven't capitalized the word purposefully. I want this year to pass slower. Calmer. I want to walk with intent not run haphazardly. I don't want to make a statement. I don't need to put on a fancy show. I want things to be meaningful. I just want it to be on purpose!

I want to have purpose. I want to touch people's lives on purpose. I want to live a life of love purposefully! Be purposeful.

Do you do a word of the year? Do you want to start this year with a word? Share!

Filed Under: The ones about the Rothacher Home

Organizing Christmas Clean-Up {Thoughtful Thursday}

January 3, 2013 by Jules 2 Comments

Welcome to the 1st Thoughtful Thursday of 2013!

Each Thursday I attempt to be thoughtful by share something helpful. It could be a fun new project I tried, organizational idea/system, yummy family friendly recipe, gadget I like, bla bla bla. You get the idea. I started this as a link-up but that's a lot of work and I didn't have a whole lot of interest. I would still LOVE to have you share your thoughtfulness in the comment section. Maybe someday I'll do a link-up again. Glad you're HERE!

Two years ago, Matt and I decided to dress up our house in Christmas decor early, we're talking the weekend Before Thanksgiving.

I were prego with our third baby who was due in January. We wanted to enjoy our the festiveness yet get it all clean up right after Christmas. Being in the "nesting" phase of pregnancy, I needed to clean the entire house, cook way too many freezer meals, and move our entire bedroom downstairs because I'd be coming home with our handsome Benjamin after my 3rd c-section and wouldn't be allowed to climb the stairs. Wow, that's a long explanation of why this has become a habit since Christmas 2010.

I LOVE the Christmas season. The thoughtful shopping. The family hang-outs. The charming decorations. but...when the birthday party has passed, I like to clean up Right way. Wash the dishes. Pack away decorations. Reorganize the fun new gifts to function in our house. In shorts... I need order. When my Christmas awesomeness is covering my home it feels like vacation. We lounge and enjoy one another like we're on a true school holiday. Anybody? When all this relaxing is going on things get a little too lacks. Nothing gets accomplished. Soooo, my poor hubs, who loves Christmas and everything that it entails, got until December 30 with our fun decorations this year.

5 ways to packed up Christmas stuff this year in case any of you have waited until this weekend to put yours to rest for another year.

Cut empty paper towel tubes into rings and wiggle them down around smaller rolls of wrapping paper OR cut toilet paper tubes length-wise to fit around larger tubes of wrapping paper to keep them rolled together and from getting ripped or crumbled up.
For stray bows I didn't want getting crushed before next year, I used a old animal cracker container.
Use punch cups to sort ornaments, keeping them from getting tangled together while eliminating giant boxes so they'll all fit in a smaller tub. Lay cardboard, cut to the size of your tube, to layer several layers of ornaments. I got 3 layers in this giant tub.
I even left a few ornaments in their original boxes if they were super sentimental or fragile. I also had room for our tree toppers and again with the old animal cracker container, this time full of tiny ball and shape ornaments for the kids tree.
Label tubs with index cards, detailed contents with sharpie, and slap that bad boy on with some fancy dancy packing tape on one of the long sides and one of the shorts sides so no matter which way you store it {length or width} you can read a label.

What are some of your favorite ways to clean up Christmas and get an organized start to a new year?

Looking for more thoughtfulness? Follow my Pinterest Boards!

Filed Under: Cleaning, Decorating, Holidays, Organizing, The ones about the Rothacher Home, Thoughtful Thursdays

The Office is Closed for the Holiday

January 1, 2013 by Jules Leave a Comment

Hello! You've reached as Jules is going.

Sorry, no one's in the office today due to the holiday. As we see it, if Jules daddy, the mail carrier, can take the day off so can we. We are super glad you're here!!! If you'd like to leave a message ~~after the beep~~ in the comment section, we'll get back to you when we return to the office tomorrow. I you want to start 2013 out by getting Jules updates in your inbox, go ahead and subscribe HERE.

Since Facebook is being fickle about who, what, when, where, and how much you see our stuff, we'll probably be posting a little less in the community page this year. To make sure you get everything fresh off the press, just snag the email updates. In case Facebook changes their terms on links in the status or if you just want to participate in our funky lil community, head on over and we'll keep ya entertained with randomness from our family. Thanks again for stopping by!!!

BEEEEEEEP

Filed Under: The ones about the Rothacher Home

Top 10 Count Down of 2012

December 31, 2012 by Jules Leave a Comment

2012 has been...Crazy full. I'm thinking my one word for next year needs to be "simplify".

I started setting up this site in January of last year and then launched it on February 1st 2012. I had only started blogging about 7 months before that and fell in love with it right way. I had forgotten how much I loved writing. Some days my poor mamma brain doesn't have enough juices flowing to write anything but a "Thoughtful Thursday" but even giving how-tos gives me a smile. Half the time I'm reading a blog it's for a how-to. I love when I find out those I'm reading love Jesus.

You may have noticed I don't have a category or tab about "christian __" or "God ____" or anything of the sort. I believe just like I've found on these other blogs that when you love Jesus it will ooze out into everything you write. When you become a Christ-follower that doesn't mean the personality God gave you goes away. You should have to only read things about specific Bible verses. Everything you own doesn't have to have some cheesy scripture reference on it. You don't have to sing The Wheels on the CHURCH Bus Go Round and Round to teach your children God's love. That's why here on my tiny slice of the net I'm trying to share Christ as I am going.

We've gone through different themes on the 'old site' and even some major visual changes here. You put up with my typos and bad spelling. God has blessed me so much through this little community. You guys {well...prolly mostly ladies} have been such an encouragement as I've tried to share the realness of my life here. THANKS!

I thought it would be fun to share the "Top 10" post {according to my stat counter} of 2012. Without further ado:

Top 10 Count Down of 2012

Tied for 10th place are That day and 5 Days of Organizing & Cleaning TOYS into Centers: Selecting

It felt really good to write out "That Day" and the 2nd two post about my journey through depression. I learned more than a few of my friends are going through the same things and simply putting it into words was therapeutic even before the positive feedback. It totally lead me being gutsy enough to publish more realness. There are too many Pinterest-esk blogs out there that make us all hate ourselves.

5 Days of Organizing was really cool to see at the top of the chart as well. Since this past year, the trend seems to have been, I write a post about some kind of system or organization I'm starting and the next month it flops because of lack of energy on my part. The toy "Centers" in our house may not flow like a preschool with the Velcro names I made and are now missing but at least everything still has it's place and the kids can find things super easy! There may be a follow-up on this post, How-To Create "Centers" in a SMALL home, if we ever get to move ;o)

9th place So...my husband went back to prison yesterday...

This was a fun post to write trying to see the positives of handing over my hubs to the AR Department of Corrections for 3 months. That's how I roll. I can totally be serious when necessary but some times you can do nothing but joke about something to get through it!

8th place DIY Address Plaque {Thoughtful Thursday}

I laughed when I saw this one climbing. If you are a Facebook friend of mine, you KNOW I am slightly obsessed with taking pictures...of everything! I happen to be making an address plaque for our home before we listed it for sale and decided to share it since it didn't turn out terrible. Thank you Pinterest for pinners liking a simple project, even if mine is a little off centered ;o)

7th Place The night I Almost got Scammed by the "US Military"

Again with the have-to-laugh just to get through a retarded situation. I think I lost my lil mom-brain for 1/2 a second on this one. Matt was gone to camp, our jeep just exploded and we were in need of a car. I LOVE deals of any kind and I almost got scammed in the process. Apparently sharing this escapade has helped several people not get scammed by the same people. Your welcome scammers ;o)

6th Place The New Adventure

I've enjoyed sharing updates on our life. THIS was a huge life change and I think lots of our friends were surprised to hear we were heading out on a new {slightly off base for us} adventure after 2 short years in a new town as youth ministers. I was {and still am} excited to talk about this New Adventure God is taking us on BUT this was just a 'teaser' to send everyone to my hubby's blog where he shared the news.

5 Golden RIIIIINGS! Ooops, I mean 5th place Who are the dechurched?

I probably owe a lot of this popularity to a lil blog called the Bohemian Bowmans who guest posted for me. Knowing that a large portion of Vilonia {the town we're moving to start our new adventure} is made up of the "De-Churched" I knew I wanted to share about that on here. Since I'm technically not de-churched, I wanted a perspective from someone who was and had shared about it often. I stepped out on a ledge and took a chance by asking a blogger I read weekly to guest post on this topic. Jessica agreed and I think it helped my readers, friends, and potential new 'church members' understand our heart at The Valley. It also got my name out there and landed me an interview with Vivienne McNeny {download HERE}. God is GOOD! He wants His gospel out there even more than we do! duh

4th Place My Laundry Room Smells Like Poop {Thoughtful Thursday}

Slap stick comedy works in blog titles, too. I amuse myself by trying to come up with catchy titles that will draw people. Hopefully after they're hear, have read the title and the possibly alluring intro, they are too disappointed with the rest of what's offered. B'wahahaha In my defense, an uncleaned front loader really does smell like poop!

3rd Place DIY Organic Bloom Fram(Sugar & Spice Baby Shower) {Thoughtful Thursday}

I had fun writing this and almost feel bad it made it on the top 10...it's a contributing post for the Homemaker's Challenge. Most of the traffic is coming from search engines. I hope everyone isn't too made that the article isn't here, are clicking over to that site and giving them as many hits. I love contributing there!!!

2nd Place Tutu Table Skirt (Sugar & Spice Baby Shower) {Thoughtful Thursday}

Thanks Ash-bee for having your beautiful Amelia!!! I got to help throw a baby shower for our little princess complete with tutus! This was so fun and easy to make I couldn't keep it to myself! Thanks Christi from P is for Party for the inspirational picture!

aaaand {drum roll please}....the 1st place, most read/view blog post of 2012 iiiiis:

How-To Make Preschool "Centers" at HOME

This is the original, forever-long, thrown-together post I published about my kids toys shortly after we got our new flooring last year. I had a boost of energy with the clean new feel and went to town organizing the kids already organized toys. This post was later turned into the 5 day extended version with even more detail as to why we have the toys we have.

Some of my all time favorites have been more story-like posts but I think I like the idea of having that documentation for when I'm old and more senile.