Happy Fourth of July everyone!

It is beautiful, sunny, and a perfect day for a picnic. Remember your sunscreen, drink a lot of water,
and make memories.

I plan to spend most of the day at home reading a good book catching up on things to do,
and enjoying time with our daughter
who is home for 24 hours from college.

​I shared of the following poem, Jesus on the Fourth of July, written by Marilyn Ferguson, on this morning’s podcast, click here to listen,
​
I encourage you to read this beautiful poem and let her know how great it is.
I included her email and if you click on the title of the poem, there is a direct link to her page.

Thank you Marilyn for sharing your gift of writing with all of us and reminding us that the Fourth of July is about so many freedoms, even greater than those we can see today.

wrapped up the afte Noon.Day two in Florida and Day One of summer vacation, a fun and memorable day. We walked the “Lake Tradition Loop” with Ed’s brother and his nephews two boys. It was great! In addition to getting some exercise, God showered us and even offered wind and sideways rain as if we were on a water ride. The boys laughed, we laughed, and enjoyed the puddle jumping. We postponed the rest of the day’s plans so we could go back to the house and change in to dry clothes.

After drying off, eating lunch, and letting the baby nap a bit...we went for ice cream. Yes, again! Hubby’s sugar was higher than it’s been in a month so we scheduled ice cream for earlier in the day. A trip to Target to spoil the nephews wrapped up the afternoon.

We enjoyed the central air, kid’s songs and dancing, and wore the kiddos out. Our nephews beautiful and fabulous wife finally took a nap and let us take care of their oldest boy. While she napped, I made dinner. It felt good to “earn my keep”, lol, seriously they are spoiling us and it was a joy to do something to show our appreciation.

the perfect ending to the day...baseball!!

This trip has been a "discussion" for years and last fall became more of a focused thought. We started saving money, just in case. A few months ago, this became a reality and the planning, saving, and anticipation were in full swing. It was the first graduation I've missed in years and worth it. 

Hubby and I have fun stories to tell about the journey from New York to Florida and have made so many memories in just a couple days, we are ever so grateful and blessed. We will enjoy time with family in Florida until the wee hours of Wednesday morning and then we start our trek to Indiana to visit more family. We decided this was the perfect way to celebrate twenty-five years of marriage (not until the end of August but with our calendars, this was the only time we could go together, lol). 

Without family we wouldn't be the couple we are. We are grateful for the hospitality, love, and laughter we are enjoying while away from home. The only thing missing is our girl but times are a changing and she's growing up. We are grateful for her drive and determination to work and take summer classes, we are hoping to plan a get-away with her this summer, even if only for a day or two.

I just wanted to say Hi and let you know we are okay, just taking some much needed time to recharge. While I might not be blogging everyday, you can catch me on the airwaves, via my podcast. Hubby and I made one together Friday night/early Saturday morning when we couldn't find a hotel room. Too funny. See you soon!

I know some of you are shaking your heads at me and think I have finally lost it, for real this time BUT I haven't. It must be a good idea because Pastor Brandon did an entire series on how we are each "perfectly imperfect". I simply borrowed his phrase and tied it into the messages I've shared this week on my podcast and here on the blog. 

Typically people think about setting goals and making plans at the end of December and early in January but this has never worked for me, especially becoming an educator. I do much better when I set goals in June so I have the summer to create new habits, meet with my accountability buddies, and focus on improving, educating, and rejuvenating myself. This isn't in a selfish way, it's one with health and wellness in mind.

Educators spend 80 - 90% of their year giving back to educate and inspire their students. Regardless of what some think, the teachers touching a child's heart and making a difference are working at least this much, if not more. It's worth every minute! On the flip side, our own self care is often set aside so we can care for our families when we aren't taking care of our students. 

Summer is a time of refreshment, recharging, and rejuvenation for me! I still wear my teacher hat, as I'll always be a teacher BUT the priority isn't others so much in the summer, it's more about sharpening my saw and returning to school in September relaxed and ready for the new year's adventure in New York State education and the positive impact I hope to make on the students I work with.

I'm perfectly imperfect and proud of it! I have goals set and a plan to meet them. What about you?

Good morning everyone! Today we are looking at dreams versus goals, all because of the crazy dream I had last night. In my dream I was at the grocery store, cleaning the shelves with cleaning wipes while shopping with my family. My friend and fellow podcaster, Patrick, from We Live On A Planet, found me more wipes so I could keep cleaning while my family left (probably embarrassed) while I finished cleaning the bakery. LOL

This dream made me think of the difference between a dream and a goal. A goal is written down and specific. You need to write down what you are going to do and when you will do it by. As I thought more about this I put a weight loss goal into writing and am sharing it with all of you. Feeling brave today I guess, lol. 

If you need help writing a goal, check out my book, "Goal Setting for a renewed you, Because you deserve it" and this will baby step you through the process. Goal setting is important and keeps our focus on the goal at the end of the tunnel. What goal can you see? How will you reach it? Will you share in a comment below?

On this beautiful and midweek Wednesday, it's a good time to think of ways we can be a positive change and encouragement to the people we interact with.

If we apply Albert Einstein's thought process then we have the ability to change the world, or at least the tiny area we live in, right? This quote encourages me and I hope it encourages you. Rather than complaining or talking down the change happening in our world, we need to adjust our attitude, our thinking if you will. In order to be a catalyst for something different or better, we need to think different and with a better attitude.

My challenge to you for today, do something positive for someone else. It can be as simple as a smile, hug, or words of encouragement. Take time today to encourage another person and see  how good you feel. Let me know what you decided to do and how it changed your thinking for the day.

We are the catalyst for tomorrow!

It hasn't even been a week yet and I must admit to do a Podcast is as enjoyable, if not more fun than listening to a Podcast. My friend Patrick's podcast, "We Live on a Planet", inspired me to start my own. I'm glad our buddy Joe shared Patrick's adventure with me. They both inspired me.

Have you listened yet? If so, have you "favorited" my podcast and shared it with your friends and family?

I'm a new podcaster, with a lot to learn but I'm enjoying this new avenue to share, encourage, and inspire you and others that might not be on the blog. If you aren't on Anchor, I'll update you as my podcast becomes available on other venues.

Ways to listen to my podcast:
at anchor.fm/lisa-buske.

on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4uGc

on RadioPublic: https://play.radiopublic.com/livin-with-lisakeeping-it-real-WoA3VO

on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/livin-with-lisa-keeping-it-

It's Wednesday and another week is speeding by. It amazes me at how fast time can "seem" to move. Anyone else out there agree?  Sometimes I can hear the second hand slowly making its way clockwise and at other times I look up and three hours have passed. It's a matter of perspective, what we are doing, and how invested we are in what we are doing that makes it appear time is moving faster or slower.

My Gram reminded us often that everyone had the same amount of time and this time moved at the same speed for everyone...it's what we do with our time that makes the difference.

As you consider this notion of time, ask yourself the following question...

When is the last time you sent someone a real letter? 

You know the kind, it requires you to use your digits, a pen or pencil, access an envelope, an address book, and to pick up stamps BUT it is so worth it. There is something precious and special about receiving a hand written notes in the midst of bills and junk mail. I LOVE receiving mail. It makes my day.

I try to send letters to people when I'm thinking of them. I send my daughter a few notes every week she is away at college because I remember how much I enjoyed receiving a note from my Gram when I was in college. Time is a valuable commodity and a gift we can give others.

My challenge for you today is to send a hand written note to someone!! Make their day!

The weekend is around the corner and the weather in Upstate New York is looking promising. It's a weekend when nurseries and flower shops are busy. Many are out picking out flowers for Mom and gifts to show their appreciation to their Moms and honorary moms. For some this is a joyous weekend and for others, there is sadness because their mom isn't with them any longer.

We don't have anything special planned and I don't make a fuss out of Mother's Day, actually we don't do too much for most of the holidays. Since Heidi's kidnapping, we don't wait for one day in the year to show our appreciation but we do enjoy the additional spoil of the holidays. Mother's Day I always ask for time to do nothing, a day when someone else does the cooking, dishes, and chores. To me, Mother's Day should be a day of rest. I wonder if it being on a Sunday is a fluke since Sundays are traditionally a day of rest?

This year I have the blessing to share the Mother's Day message at church. Our pastor will be out of town at his eldest daughter's college graduation. We will miss him and my friend Cindy and I hope to encourage everyone Sunday, especially the ladies in attendance.  Pastor entrusted the Mother's Day service and congregation to us, we've spent time praying and planning, and laughing while together. Good times and a heart for Jesus, Sunday should be a beautiful day of worship. 

If you are in the area and looking for a place to spend Mother's Day, visit the Lycoming United Methodist Church located on the corner of Miner Road and County Route 29 in Lycoming, New York. If you aren't in the area or can't make it there is an option for you, tune in live on Facebook at 9:00 a.m., service starts at 9:15. You can worship in your jammies while enjoying coffee on the deck from another state or town.

Here is the link to our Facebook page so you can join us for our Mother's Day Service Sunday at 9:15 a.m.
Link to Mother's Day Service - Click Here

tLast month we planned to spruce up the Heidi Allen Remembrance Garden with the help of SUNY Oswego's Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity. We had to cancel due to SNOW and cold, who knew, well, anyone living in New York would know and understand. Rather than dwell on the snow, let's focus on the sunshine and warmer weather that has finally arrived in beautiful Oswego County. It went from the thirties to seventies in a forty-eight hour turn around. The best part of this shift in the weather, we were able to do the garden.

Our family is so thankful for APO's help with the garden. Not only did they help us, they sacrificed time studying for their finals this week. They were a fun, hard working, and caring group. After they worked pulling weeds, planting flowers, laying mulch, and raking they came to the house for dinner. We enjoyed our afternoon and evening so much. I didn't think it could be better yet it did.

Later that evening or the next morning our daughter called to say that one of the young ladies who volunteered asked if the fraternity "could" help care for the garden every year. I was speechless, if they "could. As I processed this thought I smiled thinking of how Heidi and Mom were smiling...these are a group of young people dedicated to helping others and making a difference. Thank you APO!

​I got up and went to the table housing my book writing goodies. I held up the green thumb drive, and told him, "It looks like this." Within seconds we were both on our hands and knees looking under the furniture and in our pup's favorite "chewing spots". Typically it's a bone, her Kong, or a toy but last night...it was the remnants of my green thumb drive.