Lara Casey's Blog, page 9
October 14, 2020
Thank you
Thank you.
In a challenging and unexpected year, you kept this small business alive. We took that gift and ran with it—for you, every woman in this community, and beyond.
When I started this company years ago, I never imagined working alongside a team of women to do work for a greater purpose, or how much it would be needed in a year like this. I created a product that I needed myself, and soon my garage was packed with PowerSheets. (There’s still a sign above the door that says “shipping department.”)
More than a decade later, we remain a small but mighty business—one that appreciates your support more than ever. This year, your purchases have employed 13 women (and supported their families), and, by extension, dozens of our small business partners.
You’ve helped women find hope in a year when they really needed it, just by continuing to dream. (Oh, the stories you’ve sent us of new paths, generosity multiplied, and lives changed!) THANK YOU for cultivating what matters right where you are. In a hard year, you’ve made it through so much and you’ve been a part of something good.
And so, we got you a trophy. (We’re keeping it safe in our office for you!) today, on Launch Day, we’re celebrating YOU.
We’ll work our hardest to remind women that change is possible—that their little-by-little efforts can change generations. We’ll be the anchor that secures you to what matters and helps you live it out, no matter how the world spins around you. And we’ll plant seeds of hope and joy wherever we go, sprinkling them around like confetti.
And then, we’ll go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again—because this work is not done. There are more women who need this hope you and I have.
Thank you. Thank you for supporting our small business. Thank you for being a part of this work alongside us.
And, against all odds, thank you for choosing hope—because every time you take a step forward on a goal that matters to you, it starts a ripple effect. It helps other women choose hope, too.
With gratitude,
Lara
P.S. Buy your 2021 PowerSheets NOW! Let’s DO this!
The post Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.
In a challenging and unexpected year, you kept this small business alive. We took that gift and ran with it—for you, every woman in this community, and beyond.
When I started this company years ago, I never imagined working alongside a team of women to do work for a greater purpose, or how much it would be needed in a year like this. I created a product that I needed myself, and soon my garage was packed with PowerSheets. (There’s still a sign above the door that says “shipping department.”)
More than a decade later, we remain a small but mighty business—one that appreciates your support more than ever. This year, your purchases have employed 13 women (and supported their families), and, by extension, dozens of our small business partners.
You’ve helped women find hope in a year when they really needed it, just by continuing to dream. (Oh, the stories you’ve sent us of new paths, generosity multiplied, and lives changed!) THANK YOU for cultivating what matters right where you are. In a hard year, you’ve made it through so much and you’ve been a part of something good.
And so, we got you a trophy. (We’re keeping it safe in our office for you!) today, on Launch Day, we’re celebrating YOU.
We’ll work our hardest to remind women that change is possible—that their little-by-little efforts can change generations. We’ll be the anchor that secures you to what matters and helps you live it out, no matter how the world spins around you. And we’ll plant seeds of hope and joy wherever we go, sprinkling them around like confetti.
And then, we’ll go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again—because this work is not done. There are more women who need this hope you and I have.
Thank you. Thank you for supporting our small business. Thank you for being a part of this work alongside us.
And, against all odds, thank you for choosing hope—because every time you take a step forward on a goal that matters to you, it starts a ripple effect. It helps other women choose hope, too.
With gratitude,
Lara
P.S. Buy your 2021 PowerSheets NOW! Let’s DO this!
The post Thank you
October 9, 2020
Our Barn Quilt Climbing Wall
Being home more than ever this year has forced us to get creative, hasn’t it? We’ve adapted and made things work and made the most of what we have, right where we are. Our kids, too! When all the parks were closed, they literally started climbing the walls in our house. As in, scaling door frames and climbing windowsills. My little monkeys were a bit stir-crazy. 
October 4, 2020
September Progress and October PowerSheets Goals
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Hello, October! The leaves on our sugar maples are turning brilliant crimson and it’s a big month around here as we launch the 2021 PowerSheets Collection in 8 days.
It has been quite a year at Cultivate and I have to tell you how proud I am of our team. More than ever before, we’ve seen challenges as opportunities. We’ve gotten creative in the face of these opportunities—supply chain barriers, the economy, kids at home, moving to a new warehouse right as the pandemic began, and safety logistics (how in the world do we shoot product with people??). My team has worked heartily through homeschooling and trying new things to thrive in 2020! We zeroed in on rest. We took an extra week of vacation in August as a needed mental health break. We’ve prayed together and worked in faith and made things work. Many times, we made them better.
Getting the office atrium filled with new products! 
September 2, 2020
August Progress and September PowerSheets Goals
Ah, September. I’m glad you’re here.
The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.
– “September” by John Updike
As the weather cools and the tea warms up, I’ll be memorizing this poem with the kids this month to kick off our new homeschool year! (More to come on that soon!) Here’s a quick recap of my August progress, and my September goals are below, too.
August Monthly Goals:
— Finish fall homeschool planning – Friends. It’s DONE! I spent 457,290,347 hours on this and I’m so excited about our plan for the fall. Separate post coming.
— Plan my fall schedule – I start back to homeschooling two mornings a week starting next week. I did a thorough time analysis to see where I’m spending my time at work currently and had to make some cuts to make this happen. We can’t do it all and do it well, but we can choose to cultivate what matters most in each season! Thus, the podcast is on hold so I can focus on teaching this fall. Sometimes we even have to lay down good things to make room for what’s needed in each season.
— Print my What Fires Me Up list from the Making Things Happen Conference – While I didn’t type it up, I did put my hand-written list out on my desk. I’m calling this a win and done. Done is better than perfect.
— Do the Write the Word Challenge. For the first month this year, I wasn’t as consistent with writing the Word and I felt it. There were some nights I felt like I just needed to stare at the ceiling in bed to let my mind unravel and so that’s what I did. But, I’m back to it and SO happy to have started the new Confidence journal.
— Have a planning party for upcoming birthdays and our waterfalls hiking trip – Josh’s birthday, my dad’s 85th birthday, and our waterfalls trip were wonderful. My little dude is 5! We had a great time hiking through Brevard with the kiddos last week—we did about 5 to 7 miles per day. The kids were awesome and Josh’s little bear, Beary, came along for all the hikes. It was so cute.
August Weekly Goals:
— Shabbat – We’re about to dive into a Hebrew for Homeschoolers course together as a family on Saturdays. Naturally, Ari is leading us through this and I’m looking forward to learning alongside the kiddos.
— Lift weights – I did this 5 times in August and I’m happy with that small progress.
— Memorize my goals – Continuing this in September, as it’s been very helpful!
— Enjoy the garden + birds – We finished the My Side of the Mountain trilogy on our trip and it was so good. We laughed, cried (okay, just me), and couldn’t get enough of these books. We are now fascinated with not just songbirds, but peregrine falcons. Highly recommend these beautifully-written and delightful books. We can’t wait to read all three again.
— Write in our Legacy Journal
August Daily Goals:
— Bible reading
— Write the Word
— 10k steps every day
— Digital fast
In case you missed these!
— Are you ready for a fresh start? 2021 PowerSheets® are coming!
— Have you found yourself homeschooling this year? Plan it with joy and clarity.
— Gracie’s Garden launched. Order now and join Gracie, Sarah, Joshua, and me in the garden (and Nutty, too!).
— Read about one big lesson I learned in my garden
— Here are 10 things you can teach your kiddos in the garden!
— Let me guide you page-by-page to do your September PowerSheets (complete with music and a trip out into the garden) in the September PowerSheets PrepCast.
On to September. I have 2 goals for 2020 (each with 4 mini goals under them) that are focused on growing something that matters to me in the big picture. Here’s what’s on my Tending List for the month ahead:
September Monthly Goals:
— Start the homeschool year with ease and joy (expect a big post with more soon!)
— Write the big list for Q3/4
— Word + Worship
September Weekly Goals:
— Wonder in God’s creation
— Listen to the birds
— Shabbat
— Memorize my goals
September Daily Goals:
— Bible reading
— Physical Bible time (instead of digital)
— Write the Word
— Move it!
— Digital fast
Prepare for September with me! Listen to the September PowerSheets PrepCast below. Be guided step-by-step to prepare for the month ahead—with great music and time out in the garden:
Your turn! How are you doing? Anyone else feel like their brains need more rest than they imagined? I’d love to hear!
The post August Progress and September PowerSheets Goals appeared first on Lara Casey.
August 5, 2020
July Progress and August PowerSheets Goals
Feel like your brain is on overdrive lately? As my friend Jennie shared, a lot of everyday decisions have turned into weighty decisions. We’ve had a lot on our minds this year—more than I think we realize. It’s no wonder we’re tired from decision fatigue!
Maybe it’s a good time to reset our expectations. Consider this: would you make better decisions if you did life at 75% right now instead of trying to stay at 100% (or 150%) all the time? Would you actually be more productive in the right things with time to see clearly what those things are?
Extraordinary times invite us to change, to reset our expectation of how much rest we really need, to give more grace, and to go after the things that matter. I think we need more time to think than we think we need 
July 14, 2020
July 2, 2020
Mid-Year Review and July PowerSheets Goals
This year has been one of peaks and valleys. In uncharted land (all of 2020, right?!), neither peaks nor valleys are entirely relaxing, though. Peaks take energy to climb and there is usually thick vegetation in valleys and water to cross. But, as hard as traversing mountainous land can be, climbing through peaks and valleys does do something good: it builds your endurance. Your strength. Your navigating skills. Your perspective of the land. Your confidence. Your humility. Your reliance on God for strength and your awe of Him for providing it.
We went hiking all last week. The mountain air and hard work of hiking let our minds and bodies unravel a little from the last 6 months. We hiked over 20 miles with the kids through Tennessee and North Carolina over 5 days. We crossed creeks and played in rivers. We climbed tall peaks and ate a lot of snacks.
June 24, 2020
Cultivate Your Life Podcast Episode 037: The Mid-Year Refresh
Friend, you’ve been through a crazy year so far. Hard things keep happening, and it feels like your supply of hope is running low. There’s so much on your mind, so many new circumstances and new ways of understanding the world that you’re trying to fit together into a complete picture.
You’re ready for a refresh—a breath of fresh air, some new hope, and a chance to look back and look forward—and to put the new perspective you’ve gained from this year to good use. Today I’m going to lead you through three simple step to refresh your life right now, right where you are. Let’s talk!
In this episode:
— Things are growing in the garden! (Hallelujah!) This feels like such a blessing after last year, amidst the tumult of this year.
— We chat about step one in The Mid-Year Refresh: refreshing your mind. Our minds have been filled to the brim more than ever this year, and it’s hard to make good decisions or live them out with a mind in need of refreshment. So, let’s pause, and before we make any plans for the second half of this year, intentionally quiet our environment and give our minds a chance to be restored. Simple ideas for this here. (I share the three ways I’m refreshing my mind this week with you, too!)
— We move on to step two: refreshing your big picture. After the year of twists and turns we’ve had, it can feel impossible to plan for the future. When we focus on the big picture instead of rigid plans, though, we can live out what matters with flexibility—no matter the circumstances. All progress is imperfect progress, and it all adds up! I share a piece of the big picture I wrote down with you on my worksheet.
— We discuss step three: refreshing your focus. We’re all used to being pulled in a million directions—in this season of upheaval, especially. But when you choose the one thing that’s most important to you, your steps will become clear, and you’ll actually do something about it. Since they’re all pointed in the same direction, your small steps will add up—and you’ll be surprised how much more enjoyable little-by-little progress becomes!
— We finish with a little sunflower math. Our Tending Lists are like open garden space, ripe with possibility. As you consider your focus for the next few months, Team Cultivate wants to point you toward the work of racial justice, reconciliation, and understanding. Your small steps can have a huge ripple effect!
Interested in some of the things I mentioned throughout this episode? Here you go!
— Head to MidYearRefresh.com to download your worksheet and see all the resources.
— Get your Write the Word | Blank Bible Journal now. There are so many creative ways to use it! (We also just launched Write the Word | Confidence!)
— The Word of the Year is Delight.
— Here are some Tending List action steps for racial justice, understanding, and reconciliation.
— Gracie’s Garden is available for preorder! You’ve seen it on my Tending List for months
June 17, 2020
Introducing Gracie’s Garden
Well, friends, after years of dreaming about this book, it actually happened! The story of this book’s creation mirrors the heart of the book itself: good things grow over time from small seeds—and God has a plan!
You probably saw “write the children’s book” on my Tending List several years ago, but the timing was never quite right. Last February, I got an email from a PowerSheets user who happened to also be an editor at B&H Kids. Would I be interested in writing a children’s book about gardening?
Why, yes! Yes, I would!
