Fitness Friday

I DID IT! I finally worked up to running on the treadmill at 6.0 mph for thirty minutes! I started working on the Couch to 5K back in the spring. I never "officially" finished the Couch to 5K program. I got to about week 6 or 7 - when you have the 27 minute run - and then we went to Nashville for a week and I got off track. In June I started with 30 minutes at 5.0 mph and with each run I have increased my speed by .1 mph. I did good with getting lots of runs in during June, but we started going to the gym more often in July and August and I do not run at the gym.

For my run yesterday I listened to DJ Steveboy's Podrunner Podcast Running Out of Summer. It is a tempo of 149 bpm which was just perfect for 6.0 mph. Having the steady beat really helped keep in a rhythm and made the run easier.

I've had a slight challenge at work this week. We are doing the Weight Watchers at Work program. This week the office manager sent her assistant to the Weight Watchers office to buy Weight Watchers snacks for people to buy. They have all ending up in my office (because I have a door that locks to keep the cleaning people from taking them). I have not had ANY of them. They contain high fructose corn syrup and dozens of other ingredients that I can't pronounce (or spell). I have an established habit of bring snacks to work and what I bring is ALWAYS better than any of those WW snacks.

Keeping a Tidy Bathroom

When I wash my face at night, I use a washcloth to dry my face instead of a hand towel. This keeps my hand towels from getting bits of makeup and mascara on them when I don't get my face quite clean. I then leave that washcloth on the counter. In the morning I use it to dry my hands when I am getting ready and that gives it just enough dampness to swipe down the counter top, sink, faucet, the pulls on the drawers, the windowsill, and the back of the commode. Because of the humidity and hair products used in the bathroom, everything would be covered in a sticky, dusty mess if I didn't stay on top of it daily. This only adds a few seconds to my daily routine.

I have another bathroom tidiness tip. I apologize if this is TMI. When I am going to "go #2," I put a kleenex in the bottom of the toilet bowl first. This keeps any "marks" from being left behind in the bowl when it is flushed.

C.S. Lewis on Romance Novels (or Why I don't watch soap operas anymore)

People get from books the idea that if you have married the right person you may expect to go on ‘being in love’ for ever. As a result, when they find they are not, they think this proves they have made a mistake and are entitled to a change—not realizing that, when they have changed, the glamour will presently go out of the new love just as it went out of the old one. In this department of life, as in every other thrills come at the beginning and do not last. The sort of thrill a boy has at the first idea of flying will not go on when he has joined the R.A.F. and is really learning to fly. The thrill you feel on first seeing some delightful place dies away when you really go to live there. Another notion we get from novels and plays is that ‘falling in love’ is something quite irresistible; something that just happens to one, like measles. And because they believe this, some married people throw up the sponge and give in when they find themselves attracted by a new acquaintance. But I am inclined to think that these irresistible passions are much rarer in real life than in books, at any rate when one is grown up. When we meet someone beautiful and clever and sympathetic, of course we ought, in one sense, to admire and love these good qualities. But is it not very largely in our own choice whether this love shall, or shall not, turn into what we call ‘being in love’? No doubt, if our minds are full of novels and plays and sentimental songs, and our bodies full of alcohol, we shall turn any love we feel into that kind of love: just as if you have a rut in your path all the rainwater will run into that rut, and if you wear blue spectacles everything you see will turn blue. But that will be our own fault. — from Mere Christianity

I used to be addicted to Days of Our Lives. I would come home for lunch every day to watch it and would record it if I missed it. The problem with soap operas is they give us an unrealistic expectations of what relationships (and life) should be like. I found myself mad at my dear husband because he wasn't as romantic as the characters and didn't plan big romantic get-aways and evenings for us. I had unrealistic expectations that came from watching television (and I was expected my husband to fill all the empty places in my heart that only God can fill). I gave up Days of Our Lives years ago and I've been much happier since.

Perfectly Complete

Today's Scripture
“Be confident of this. He who began a good work in you will continue to perform it until it’s perfectly complete” (Philippians 1:6).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Do you have dreams that have not yet come to pass? Are there promises that you are standing on in your health, finances, or relationships? Know this: God is a god of completion. He wants to finish what He’s started in your life. No matter how long you’ve been praying, don’t let the enemy tempt you into thinking that it’s never going to happen. Be encouraged today because God is called the Author and the Finisher of your faith. That means He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Anything He begins, any dream He puts in your heart, He is well-able to finish. Stand strong on this promise. Be confident even when it looks like it’s not going to happen. No matter how long it takes, stay in faith and keep your hopes up because God has promised to finish the good work He’s started in your life!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise to complete what you’ve started in my life. Thank you for your faithfulness and for showing me your goodness. Give me strength to stand strong so that I can experience your fulfillment in my life today. I love you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Only doing what I should

When you do everything you have been told to do, you must say, 'We are not any special servants. We have done only what we should have done.' ~ Luke 17:10

Last time I went to the grocery store the checkout lines were long. In the line next the the one I was in, there was a couple buying ice cream and fried pies. When I finally got to the front of the line, they were still waiting, so I asked the cashier to check them out first. The cashier made a really big deal about it, but I was only doing what I should have done.

Painting

I painted my first room all by myself. Sugar Pop usually does the painting and I sometimes help. This time I painted - by myself. I even opened the paint cans and poured the paint myself. Of course the "room" I painted wasn't really a room. It is the closet for the washer and dryer. Once they get put back along with the cleaning supplies, towels, and lightbulbs, most of the paint job will be covered up. That made it a good room for me to start with because I didn't have to worry about everything being perfect.

In a few days, when everything is pu back in place, I will post a before and after picture.

Dying

What sort of a lover am I to think so much about my affliction and so much less about hers? Even the insane call, 'Come back,' is all for my own sake. I never even raised the question whether such a return, if it were possible, would be good for her. I want her back as an ingredient in the restoration of my past. Could I have wished her anything worse? Having got once through death, to come back and then, at some later date, have all her dying to do over again? They call Stephen the first martyr. Hadn't Lazarus the rawer deal? ~ from A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

In the past 5 years, I have had three people very close to me pass away. My mom, my dad, and my nephew/godson. I miss them all terribly. However, they all had much suffering to endure before their deaths.

Mom had ovarian cancer and underwent surgery and had three chemotherapy treatments. It was the chemo that contributed to her death. She contracted a blood infection due to her immune system being compromised.

Dad was ill for a very long time. We never really had a diagnosis of what was wrong with him. He had various ailments and was on dialysis and oxygen. A year before his death he fell and broke his hip and was never able to go back home and had to use a walker or wheel chair from that point on. He was very sensitive to medications, except for pain medicine which he took a lot of, and had a lot of side effects. (I am also sensitive to medicines, except for pain medicine - I take half doses of cold/allergy medicines, but take double does of ibuprofen for headaches.)

My nephew suffered from cystic fibrosis which was not diagnosed until he was about 15. Somehow he managed to avoid antibiotics and hospitals until he was 19. He had two trips to the hospital this spring. He was on oxygen, very sensitive to chemicals/allergens, took numerous enzymes/supplements with every meal to help with his digestion, and endured lots of breathing treatments. In the end, he refused to go to the hospital again and passed away at home.

So, even though I miss them and wish they were still here, I would not want them to have to endure that suffering again.

Fitness Friday

I am deep into weight maintenance this week. I've been right in the middle of my weight range (130-134) all week. I added another 2 points to my daily target this week, so I am now at 26 points a day. Those extra points make a difference. When I am in weight loss mode and eating 20 points a day, it takes every point to get in all my healthy guidelines. At 26 points I easily get them all in and have to be careful I don't eat junk with the extra points because I've already had all my dairy, produce, healthy oils, whole grains, and nuts for the day.

My workouts haven't been as good this week as I would have liked. It's been a busy week. I haven't done very good on my strength training. I will definitely need to spend some time doing a 30-40 minute video to be able to make the 4.5 hour monthly goal I have set for myself. I havne't done any running this week. My next run will be at 5.9 mph and the following will be 6.0 mph. I set a goal to run at 6.0 mph back in June and wanted to work up to that my July 4th. I've slacked off on my running because Sugar Pop has actually been wanting to go to the gym and I have been doing cardio there. I do not like to run at the gym - I don't want anyone to watch me and Sugar Pop only wants to stay for 30 minutes and with my warm ups and cool downs, it takes me 40 minutes when I run. Sometime this week (maybe today) I will get in the 5.9 mph run.

Pedicure

On Monday Sugar Pop did some cleaning in his studio/office. He ran across a gift certificate I had made for him long enough ago that I don't remember when it was. It was for a pedicure from me.

So, last night I gave him his pedicure. He absolutely LOVED it.

When we were dating I used to give him pedicure quite often. The first time I gave him a pedicure it was because he had these ridges and discoloration in his toenails (he probably had a fungus or something in his nails). I just buffed that all away and he was AMAZED at how much better his toenails looked. After doing that a few times, his toenails looked normal all the time.

8 Quick Time–Outs for Your Soul

This was set to me by a co-worker today:

When life seems overwhelming and you are worried or feeling frazzled, do you yearn for some kind of escape Here are some ways to get through those unquiet times. Each two-minute activity includes an inspiring passage from Scripture for you to read.

When you feel like Complaining
Read: Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34
Prayer: All too often, my focus is on what I don’t have, Lord. Please forgive me and help me to focus on and be grateful for what I do have.

When you feel that you’ve failed
Read: Each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that. ~ 1 Corinthians 7:7
Prayer: Father, I’ve been guilty of coveting the gifts You’ve given others while disparaging the ones You’ve given me. Help me know what You’ve created me to do and give me opportunities to do it.

When you’re feeling down
Read: Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful ~ 1 Kings 21:7
Prayer: I praise and celebrate You today, Lord, in spite of my aching heart.

When you’re feeling frazzled
Read: If there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ~ Philippians 4:8
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for this great idea. I remember when ________________________________________________________ (you fill in the blank)

When you’re feeling stuck in your job
Read: The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him. ~ Lamentations 3:25
Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the grace to keep doing, joyfully and patiently, what You’ve called me to do until You tell me to do something different. I believe You have a plan; please don’t let my impatience mess it up.

When you’re struggling with a problem
Read: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. ~ Proverbs 3:5
Prayer: Father, forgive me for trying to help You answer my prayers, and thank You for answering them better than I could have imagined.

When you’re thinking negative thoughts about someone
Read: Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful ~ Luke 6:36
Prayer: Lord, forgive my critical attitude toward ________________________(you fill in the blank) and help me to see the positive qualities You’ve put within him/her.

When you’re worried
Read: Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! ~ Mark 9:24
Prayer: I do want to trust You more, Lord. Please help me overcome my unbelief.

Rest

The following is from Disciplines of the Heart by Anne Ortlund via the Life Lessons in my devotional bible:

For you to rest -- that is, to live in total acceptance of God's way -- demands quiet...

To rest in God permanently means to hand over each activity, each situation of your life, to Him and to learn the habit of trusting Him to work for you.

We don't naturally rest. Naturally we are stewers, tinkerers, and fussers...

Have you too much o do? Are you pushed, rushed, harried?

Said George Fox long ago, "Come out of the bustlings you that are bustling."

To guard your inner life, you must guard your outer life. How's your pace? Are you too busy?...

Does your pace allow you to keep in touch with yourself -- with your inner needs and feelings and longings? Does it allow you time to think, plan, make changes? Does it allow you time to observe carefully the dear ones around you and care for their needs -- physical and emotional? Do you have time to really live?...

Asian theologian Kosuke Koyama says that in human affairs God moves at something like three miles an hour, the pace at which a person walks, not runs! Are you synchronized to your world, maybe even your Christian world, but out of sync with God?...

You will change when your inner life changes. But I just said your inner life is affected by your outer life! Then is the whole thing a vicious cycle that can't be stopped?

No, the change begins with a decision. Your heart is your headquarters. Even as you read this chapter, make the decision, by a conscious act of your will, that you will learn to rest in God both in your inner life and your outer life. Once the decision is made -- and you implement it as God opens your eyes to ways to implement it -- gradually, gradually over the weeks or years, the changes will come. Your heart will start listening to a different pulse deep within you, and with joy you'll begin to match your steps to that lovely, restful beat.

Obsessions

I have a tendency to get obsessed about things. If I am working on some sort of project, it becomes all-consuming. I think about it constantly to the detriment of other things in my life.

In the past I have done this when I was dieting. I would think about my diet and research my diet and plan and think and think and think. Then when some other thing came along that demanded my attention, I would obsess about that and all my dieting would fly out the window and the pounds would creep back on.

But not this time. Yes, at one point during this final weight loss journey I was very obsessed. However, now that I have been on maintenance for a while and I have finally made a lifestyle change, I can obsess about other things but not falter on my healthy eating and fitness routine. There are days when I am not able to eat as healthy as like or get in any exercise. Instead of just giving up totally on those days, I do what I can do, and then go right back to my routine as soon as I can.

Yesterday was such a day. We had company for brunch and for supper. I didn't have a chance to eat some of my healthy foods - like whole grains and my Fiber One cereal. I didn't have time by myself to get any exercise in. I didn't get in my 5,000 steps. I had sugar and flour and I had a dessert after 9 pm. I am not going to beat myself up about what I did and didn't do yesterday. I am not going to continue lounging around all day, eating sugar, flour, and not getting in enough fresh fruits and veggies. Instead, I am returning to my healthy lifestyle today. This is the person I have become. I have obsessed about these habits for so long that now I don't have to. The are natural to me. I like them. I enjoy the treats I have on off days, but I enjoy my healthy lifestyle just as much. I am never deprived.

Family and Food Day

Today we spent the day with Butterfly, her fiance, and his daughter. We had brunch and supper with them (no lunch).

I did not do well on my healthy habits or my routines, but that is ok. We don't get to see them very often and I have every other day to work habits and routines.

Ordinarily, history has made nonsense of promises of peace achieved by war, but the history of God's kingdom shows that the peace of God is indeed achieved by waging war in Christ against all the powers of evil that disguise themselves as unimportant temptations to sin. ~ Magnificat 10/26/06

So wide is God's mercy that no sin is too great or too small for forgiveness. So much narrower is our charity that we often find the small annoyances the hardest to forgive. The more often we turn in prayer to the all-forgiving God, the more we will become like him in extending the hand of pardon to others in every daily circumstance. ~ Magnificat 10-27-06

Let not the cross be a joy to you merely in the time of peace, but keep the same faith during persecution. ~ St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Sin is a subtle prison. So accustomed can we become to its walls that we cease to recognize that we are dying in slow and unseen ways. Yet God gave his very Son to break its stranglehold. Let us call out to Him for help. ~ Magnificat 11/3-6

Fitness Friday

Here I am on another Friday talking about Fitness. This was a fairly uneventful week this week on the fitness front. Although, Wednesday did start a new month and along with that come a new Healthy Habits Spreadsheet. This is what is on my habit list for this month:

• Journal Food & Activity
• Blog
• Keep in Touch
• Get Ready in 50 minutes or less (shower, hair, makeup, dressed, bathroom swiped and bed made)
• At least 5000 Steps
• Cardio - at least 10 minutes
• Core - at least 5 minutes
• Strength - No less than 5 minutes, but aiming for at least 10
• Stretch/Yoga - at least 5 minutes
• 2nd Vitamin
• Produce - 5 serving minimum
• Dairy - 2 serving minimum
• Healthy Oil
• Nuts - 1/2 serving to 1 serving
• Fiber One - 1/2 cup to 1 cup
• Whole Grain - at least one serving
• Limit Caffeine to 1 Coffee+1 G.Tea
• Alcohol~ 1 or fewer servings
• No Sugar
• No Flour
• No Junk - currently defined as: Popcorn, Gum, Hot Chocolate packets (but cocoa in my coffee is ok), Soda, Chips, Frozen Novelties, Fast Food, Cheezits
• No HFCS or partially hydrogenated oils
• No Food after 9 pm (beverages are ok)
• Clean or Declutter for at least 5 minutes
• Enter Receipts
• Pick out (and hopefully iron) tomorrow's clothes
• One Tax Item (Work's Fiscal year-end was 6/30, so I am working on getting stuff ready to go to the accountant who prepares the tax return)
• Pampering
• Bedtime Routine (wash, tone, moisturize face; brush & floss; moisturize hands and feet)
• Bed before 11 pm

Other monthly goals are:

• Get 4.5 hours of strength training for the month
• Be 100% on at least 10 of the above habits
• (Finally) work up to running 6.0 mph for 30 minutes (today I ran at 5.8 mph)
• Workout Diversity - Do as many different types of workouts as I can this month

Home Updates

I love our house.

Sugar Pop and I like to go look at open houses on Sunday afternoons. We particularly like going to open houses in our subdivision and the ones surrounding us. It is interesting to see what people have (or haven't) done to houses that were built about the same time (1966) as ours. I am always more grateful for my house when we do this. Our house is in great shape and there is no updating that would have to be done before someone could move in (if we had to put it on the market for some reason).

• The colors in our house are basically all neutral except for the master bedroom (it is a dark taupe) and the kitchen (that is sage green).
• The carpet is a light tan (the color is called antler).
• When we got the new carpet in 2006, we also had the old marble tile in the entry way removed and replaced it with something "slate" looking.
• We have laminate floors in the office, kitchen, dining, and sunroom.
• We added a sunroom in 2002 and did in very nicely - foundation poured to the same height as the rest of the house, it is bricked in and the roof was existing over the back patio so there is no weird flat roof thing happening that is so common with add-ons.
• At the time we did the sunroom, we added french doors from it to the master bedroom changing the entrance to the bedroom and creating a new walk-in closet where the original entrance had been.
• In 2004, we completed gutted the master bath. It is still a small bathroom but is updated and feels bigger because we put in a glass shower instead of the walled in shower.
• This year we updated the kitchen.
• We got new windows and siding in 2004.
• New front door in 2004.
• The air conditioner and furnace were replaced in 2005. The blower used to be in the hall closet, but at that time we had it moved to the attic - greatly reducing how much you could hear it running in the living room.
• The hot water heater was replaced in 2005.
• We had a lot of point-up work done on the brick in 2004, when we re-did the masterbath.
• We replaced the window in the garage with glass block in 2004.
• New toilet in hall bath in 2006.

Things I would still like to do:

• Replace the wooden top of the built-in desk in my office with a laminate top that matches the kitchen.
• Re-do the guest bathroom - remove wall paper, texture walls, remove furdown above mirror, new light fixture.
• Paint the inside of the laundry closet. (Done!)
• Take the popcorn of the ceiling in the living room and texture it.
• Replace interior doors and/or door knobs.
• Change entryway light fixture.

Demanding Perfection

If we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord's confidence in God, and in what God's grace could do for someone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone. ~ My Utmost for His Highest (revised edition), July 30th

Obedience to God's law seems an unlikely road to happiness. Indeed at times it seems to bring us conflict, trial, and great loss. What we lose though, is far less than what we gain if we do the will of God who wills nothing less for us than the joy of life everlasting in His presence. ~ Magnificat 10-16-06

Every morning we arise a fresh in Christ our light. Ancient Christian writers warn against "morning demons." Yesterday's worries and grievances returning to poison the new day. ~ Magnificat 10-16-06

Mary did not fail to live up to her station as the Mother of Christ. When the apostles fled, she stood before the cross and gazed tenderly on the wounds of her Son, because she was waiting, not for her Son's death, but for the salvation of the world. ~ St. Ambrose

Suffering exposes our weaknesses both to ourselves and to others. But Christ does not ask us to carry our cross alone, so we need not fear our weaknesses but glory in this strength as we suffer in and with him for a little while in order to live in and with him for ever. ~ Magnificat 10-22-06

Christ turns false values on their heads; our weakness, not our strength is the door we open to Christ; our humility, not our pride, is the road to success; our insignificance, not our self-importance, is our reason to boast. And, oddest of all, the suffering of the cross is our glory. ~ Magnificat 10-22-06

A Brand New Thing

I received this today from Joel Osteen:

Today's Scripture
“For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun” (Isaiah 43:19, NLT)!

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Can you see the "brand new thing" God is doing in your life? Sometimes we can see the hand of God moving, and sometimes the storms of life cloud can our vision. No matter where you are in life today, focus on this truth that God is working on your behalf behind the scenes! You can trust Him because He has always been faithful, and He always will be. His plan for you today is blessing. His plan is to give you a future and a hope. His plan is to do a new thing in your life. The bible says that it pleases God when we seek Him and His will. Ask the Lord to show His plan for you today. Ask Him to show you His favor and blessing. As you let go of the thoughts of the past and open your heart to what God is doing today, you will step forward in victory and take hold of the "brand new thing" God has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness and work in me, even when I don't see it. Thank you for doing a brand new thing in me today. I open my heart and trust you. I ask you to show me your plan today and keep me close to you. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Fitness Friday

It has been a good week. I am solidly back in my weight range. Sugar Pop continues on with his diet. He had a few bad days - not eating bad, but days when then scale went up instead of down and it made him mad. I'm not sure what his weight did this morning.

I bought some new "food" this week. I saw milled flax seed at the grocery store and bought that to add to my oatmeal. I've had it three days now. I also spotted some Kashi Go Lean Protein Powder. I am fond of Kashi products so I thought I would try it. It is surprisingly tasty. I've had it with water (good) and milk (better). It is 5 points per serving, so it is definitely not something I would splurge on if I was trying to lose weight, but at maintenance points, I can easily fit it into my food plan. I was a little leery of it because it does contain sugar (evaporated cane juice), but because of all the protein (21g) and fiber (7g) that it contains it hasn't seemed to give me any cravings. I had some yesterday about 30-45 minutes before we headed to the gym and I had a most excellent workout on the elliptical machine. It was 30 minutes and I felt like I could have gone much longer.

I need to think about a plan for the weekend. We are going out to eat twice. Saturday night shouldn't be too difficult to make a decent choice, but Sunday we are going to lunch at the Japanese Steak House for Honey's birthday. That is going to be a big splurge and probably cause me to retain lots of water. I will enjoy it and then get right back to my healthy habits.

Inside versus Outside

If I have never been an openly rude and abusive person, the only reason is my own cowardice coupled with the sense of protection I receive from living a civilized life. ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (updated edition)

Yes, this is very true of me. I am little Miss Nice Nice because I am a people pleaser, but I can think lots of nasty and rude thoughts inside my head. There is a person that is in my life that I am friends with - one of those friends you wouldn't choose again, but just end of stuck with. She can be terribly rude, obnoxious, over-bearing, opinionated, proud, boastful, judgemental. But if you needed something, she would be there for you. I like to think that I am better than her because I am not those things. Truth be told, I am probably all those things, but I keep my mouth shut and try to be kind, gracious, understanding, and humble on the outside because I am afraid of what people would think of me.

A Haven

I want my home to feel like a haven. I work at keeping things clean and uncluttered. This is constant work, but even though it is work and I sometimes dislike it, I love the feeling of walking into a clean and uncluttered room. It makes me smile.

I am now working on bringing that same feeling to my closet. This is one of the places that moves from nice and neat to disarray the fastest.

It is a large walk-in closet with rods on either side. At the far end is a row of shelves between the two rods. On one shelf is where I keep my jewelry and perfume. A couple of weeks ago I moved a wedding photo from the living room to that shelf and that is when the inspiration hit. When I walked into my closet, seeing that photo would make me smile. Of course all the other shelves were filled with shorts and sweaters stacked haphazardly. I decided to move the sweaters and shorts to the shelves above the rods and move other things that will make me smile to the center of attention. One thing is a porcelain doll. My mother made her clothes and the little bed she lies in. On another shelf I folded two quilts neatly - one was an old and well used patchwork quilt that was probably made when my mom still lived at home with her parents and the other is a denim quilt I started in elementary school that my mother finished for me.

I wish I would have taken a before picture, but I started this project on a whim and didn't think about where it might lead. I will post an after picture when I feel like the closet is complete.

Saving Time

I am constantly trying to save time and do things as efficiently as possible. Things like unloading the dishwasher while my oatmeal is cooking in the microwave. It is a compulsion of mine.

The latest thing along those lines that I have started doing is when I fill up with gas and the pump finishes. I reach over and lift up the flap in the gas pump while I am taking the nozzle out of the truck. This tells the machine I am done and it starts printing the receipt. By the time I am done putting the gas cap back on, the receipt is printed, and I am on my way.

My plan was foiled the other day when I filled up with at a different station. I go about my usual routine, turn around for my receipt, and the machine says, "Would you like a receipt today?" Darn it! A few precious seconds were wasted while I waited for my receipt.

I am fortunate to have a husband who understands me. I told him my story and he enjoyed it. Then he shared with me his latest time saver. He has started brushing his teeth and shaving before he gets in the shower because then he doesn't have to take the time to rinse and dry his face. He just hops in the shower and can rinse off.

We were made for each other.

What Time Is It?

My alarm went off this morning and I got up and started my morning. Turned on the coffee pot, went tinkle, did my bible reading and drank my coffee, wrote in my journal, and then I looked at the clock. It said 5:31 am. That is what time I normally get up. I thought the clock was wrong. I looked at the computer and it said the same thing. I looked at the three clocks in the kitchen - same thing. Checked the cell phone - same thing. Apparently, my alarm clock was wrong. I know that the alarm did go off. No wonder I felt so tired and hit the snooze twice. Sugar Pop is still sleeping, so I'm not going back in there to see what time my clock says until my normal time to get in the shower. It must be at least 30 minutes off. What is really strange about this is that my alarm clock is an atomic clock and it is supposed to set itself automatically. The clock in my office is one also and it shows the correct time.

So the question is, "Why did God want me to get up 1/2 an hour early?"

Interestingly, Sugar Pop just got up at 6:00 am on his day off because he couldn't sleep anymore.

What is up with the early rising today?

P.S. I checked my alarm clock. It was exactly 40 minutes fast. I've changed the battery, so hopefully that will fix the problem.

Quotes

If you always live with those who are lame, you will yourself learn to limp. ~ Latin Proverb

Jesus, I ask you with all my heart let me know what there is in me that displeases you and also let me know what I should do to become more pleasing to you. ~ St. Faustina Kowalska

Lord, you know everything about me, even the things I'm hiding from myself. Give me the grace to admit my sin, believing that though you see me, you still love me. Help me to let go of anything that keeps me from experiencing the living water of your Holy Spirit welling up inside me. ~ Women of the Bible

Our sins can weigh us down with discouragement. St. Ignatius of Loyola tells us that discouragement is never from God because it clouds faith and hope. God's love does not deal in punishment as human vengeance does. God's love disciplines us in order to free and purify us. ~ Magnificat 10/06/06

To remain in prayer without gathering anything from it is not a loss of time but a great gain for we are toiling without self-interest solely for the honor and glory of our Lord. ~ St. Teresa of Avila

God is true: He has a long memory for his own promises and a short memory for our failures to keep ours. ~ Magnificat 10/11/06

If the Lord rescues me from the snare of my faults, should I not extend the same hand of rescue to my neighbor? Resentment, grudges, retaliation do not help the one who offends me. They merely confirm the breach between us. Bridge-building is costly, as the cross demonstrates, but the people stranded on both banks are still freed by the bridge. ~ Magnificat 10/12/06

No Effort to be Like the World

We live in an age in which everything is working against the things we hold dear. Think about it. What force in our society is working to help you remain faithful to your partner? None that I can think of. The message of our world is just the opposite. What force in our society is working to help your kids remain true to principles the Bible sets forth in regard to sexual purity, honesty, loyalty, and the priority of character development? None! The message our kids are bombarded with is, "Acquire all you can do do whatever feels good." We don't live in a neutral world that beckons us to choose between right and wrong. The world we face everyday is one in which right as become wrong...

In addressing the believers in this city, Paul advised them to make the most of their time. That is, they should use their time carefully. Paul realized that it required absolutely no effort on their part to become like the world. They did not have to study or set goals or even make any plans to become worldly. All they had to do was get out in the world and live. If they took no precautions, it would be just a matter of time before they looked, acted, and thought just like the world. And that applies to us, too.

...In this evil day we need constant reminders of the truth. If we are not careful with our time, we will allow others to fill it up for us. There will be no time for God....Wise men and women are careful with their time. They use their extra time to draw close to God...

If doing business with certain individuals or groups puts you in a position that causes you to violate your convictions time and time again, quit doing business with them. If watching certain television shows causes you to lust, don't excuse them because of their entertainment value. Just quit watching them. If being with a particular group of people causes you to stumble, don't rationalize by saying, "But they are my friends." Get some new friends!

In every area of life, face up to what God would have you do. As long as you play games, as long as you ignore what you know in your heart God would have you do, you set yourself up to fail...

God wants control over every area of your life. Not partial control, total control. He wants you to be victorious over temptation. But He wants you to be victorious for His purposes, not yours. You may not have achieved victory over temptation because you are holding to the reins of your life and trying to get God to intervene in the rough spots. That isn't the way God works. He wants all of you. And when He knows you are His, He will do whatever He needs to make you into an effective servant for His kingdom. ~ From Winning the War Within by Charles Stanley via the Life Lessons Devotional in my Bible

Fitness Friday

Our little 3-day weekend last weekend added 3.8 pounds to the scale! ACK! I actually felt like I did fairly well, I just had too much flour (bread & pasta). As far as sweet treats, I had cheesecake on Friday night and 3 bites of Italian Cream Cake (the BEST I have ever had) on Saturday night. My system is just not used to refined flour. I only eat it about once a week. When I have bread it is usually Food for Life bread and they don't contain flour. I've been working all week to get back to my weight range. So far, I'm still not there, but I'm hoping I will be when I weigh this morning.

Sugar Pop has decided he needs to get serious about a diet. He stepped on the scale Tuesday morning and was 196. Too close to 200 for him. He wants to get back below 180. I am so happy when he decides to get serious about his weight. Not only do I get a healthier husband, but we start going to the gym more and he is no longer tempting me with trips to Braums.

I got another run on the treadmill in this week. I ran at 5.8 mph for 30 minutes on Wednesday evening. It was tough and I was really tired afterward. I think I will repeat that run one more time before I increase to 5.9 mph. My ultimate goal is 6.0 mph. Speaking of running, I am considering signing up for a 5K. The only one I've found so far is one the gym is having on October 27th. That is a ways off, so I have plenty of time to talk myself into (out of) it. Maybe, just maybe, Sugar Pop would do it with me. He used to run every night. This was long before we met. I can't imagine him going out to jog every night.

Of course, I can't believe that I look forward to my runs on the treadmill. I hated running growing up. I hated P.E. class (except on the days we played with the parachute). I had asthma as a kid and was not athletic at all. I did not play ANY sports. I did like to roller skate. I liked going to the swimming pool, but I was never a strong swimmer (and I'm still not). In high school I was an athletic trainer in high school because it counted as a P.E. credit. I loved being a trainer. It taught me a lot of responsibility and I got to hang out with all the football, basketball, and baseball players. Baseball was my favorite. Sitting in the dugout on a nice spring day and eating sunflowers seeds was great! (Plus there were seldom any injuries in baseball.)

Dieting is not new to me. I've done a lot of that during my life, but fitness is a new thing. I've come a long way in that journey. I do not dread exercise any more. I look forward to it every day and sometimes get irritable when I have to miss it. I enjoy doing it on my own. I don't like classes at the gym, because I feel very uncoordinated and I don't like other people watching me. I don't have a problem with going to the gym and using the cardio and weight machines, but I'm not comfortable being in a class. I'm sure it has to do with the little girl with asthma who wasn't athletic and didn't play sports and was always one of the last (but fortunately not THE last) kid chosen for a team in P.E. class.

Getting back to Flylady Routines

I discovered Flylady about 3 years ago. A friend mentioned her once and then she was mentioned in a Dear Abby column. I went to her site, signed up for her emails, bought the book, read everything on the website and the book, and started implementing her routines. I made a control journal and stuck with it for a long time. Lately I haven't been doing so well though. I'm not getting the "home blessing hour" done every week and I seldom do any zone work. I never refer to my countrol journal.

As part of my 101 in 1001, I want to re-work the control journal and start referring to it every day. But first, I am going to list the things I have implemented because of FlyLady and I am still doing. (A good pat on the back should motivate me even more.)

• I run the dishwasher every night and unload it each morning.
• The living room is picked up before bed.
• I purchased a 3 section laundry hamper and can easily do a load of laundry every day.
• I fill my truck up when it is only 1/2 empty.
• I plan our meals weekly and grocery shop weekly.
• We cook at home (almost) every night.
• Sugar Pop now has leftovers to take for his lunch each day instead of eating out.
• I have master lists for the grocery store, Drug Emporium, and Sam's Club.
• I wash the sheets each weekend (instead of when I "feel" like it).
• The towels get changed out on a regular schedule (twice a week) instead of "whenever."
• The bank account gets reconciled at least once a week.

Quotes

Without humility we can not be pleasing to God. ~ St. Faustina Kowalska

It is necessary for you to fight against the devil every day under the leadership of Christ ~ St. Caesarius of Arles

All who do the Gospel work of love belong to Christ and serve Christ. Let us seek to recognize his invitation to join together in doing good in his name in all the ordinary circumstances of life. Let us be willing to accept that invitation even when it requires of us hard and selfless choices, that our lives may reveal God's love rather than give scandal to the vulnerable. ~ Magnificat, 10-01-06

God calls His people to live at a standard higher than the unbelievers who surround them so we can be a light and a standard for the rest of the world. ~ John Maxwell, Leadership Promises, 10-01

Today, Lord, I thank you for being so good...and so good to me. Thank you for what you've done and for what you're doing in me. Be praised, and let me live to glorify your name. ~ Lose it for Life, 11-18

It is not on the authority of the Church that we accept Jesus, but on the authority of Jesus that we accept and love the Church. So the first thing the Church has to do is not present herself to the worlds, but present Jesus. ~ Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

What He is Making

When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected) he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along -- illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptations -- he is disappointed. These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad days; but why now? Because God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before. It seems to us all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us. ~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Home

It feels so good to be home. I love my house. I love getting back to my routine. Sometimes I think I love it so much that I miss out on the joys of traveling because of it.

I did have a good time this weekend. I didn't quite feel like my normal upbeat self. I'm still sad about my nephew's death. We had fun Friday night. I enjoyed dinner (Greek food) and the concert (The Rippingtons) and dessert (cheesecake) afterwards. We rode the DART train into downtown Dallas so that was much more relaxing than driving.

Saturday though I was just bleh though. Sugar Pop noticed and asked if I felt ok. I just wasn't my normal happy, upbeat self. Sugar Pop's family is very talkative and I just didn't feel like talking. It is very easy to sit and say nothing. I normally join in the conversation, but I just didn't feel like making conversation. I was tired and sad and would have been quite happy to just sit and read a book. I spent a long time looking at the new JCPenny catalog.

But Sunday I woke up in a great mood because it was Time to Go Home! I am happy to be home and could only be happier if I didn't have to go to work today.

Prayer Closet

Sugar Pop and I took a driving trip this weekend. It was six hours each way. Sitting in a car for 12 hours gives me LOTS of time to think. I wore myself out with all that thinking.

I thought about feature I like about my house, things I would have different if I built one, how I would like to live in a small town, how I long for a simple life.

I did a lot of thinking about how neat it would be to have a "prayer closet." It would be the size of a walk-in closet. It would be big enough for a small barrel-back chair, a kneeler, a mantle to hold candles and such, and a book case or some shelves. I would have a light fixture in it that came from an old church. I would paint the walls in a metallic gold and hang icons on the walls. I would burn some incense so it would smell church-y. I would have a CD player in there so I could listen to worship music.

Fitness Friday

Having a plan last weekend helped tremendously. I didn't stick to it perfectly, but it gave me guidance and made me mindful of my weekend choices.

This week has been fairly good. My nephew's vigil and funeral threw some abnormality into my week and Tuesday I didn't do well on my healthy habits at all (eating was overboard, no exercise at all). However, I issued myself a 2-day 100% Healthy Habit Challenge for Wednesday (100%) and Thursday (only missed 2 for 93%) which got me right back in control.

Now I am facing a three-day weekend away from home. We are leaving for Dallas this morning (a 6 hour drive) and going to a concert tonight. We'll be staying with Sugar Pop's parents tonight and tomorrow and driving home Sunday. Trips like this used to really through me off my plan sometimes for weeks at a time, but I have gotten much better at eating sensibly away from home and resuming my healthy habits immediately. I have a small spiral that I started taking on trips last April. I use it to track my healthy habits, food, exercise, and tips to myself for future trips. This has proven very helpful. I can see what stumbling blocks to watch out for and can remember things that helped me stay on track.

Do I sound like a tyrant with myself? Don't start thinking that I don't allow myself to splurge. I am all about splurges, but it is very important that I keep them controlled. Losing control leads to binging and I am NOT going down that road again. I have made a commitment to myself (and God) to not binge ever again. (Today will be 105 days binge-free.) By keeping track of my eating and exercise, avoiding potential triggers, and relying on God for my strength, I will continue to remain binge-free. Journalling so extensively keeps me honest. When I stop all the journalling, unhealthy habits start to creep in and the pounds start to creep on. Journalling is not slavery to me, it is the tool I use to ensure my freedom from being controlled by food.

Good News for a Change

Butterfly is Pregnant!

Due date is 3/7/2008.

I needed some good news today.

Mood

I am in a horrible mood. It feels like bad PMS, but it is not that time of the month. My husband is grating on my nerves. It is NOT him, it is me. My normal self is happy and easy to get along with, today (and last night too) I want to be left alone! How do people who are like this all the time stand themselves?

I need a HUGE attitude adjustment because I have a 3 day weekend with my husband starting tomorrow.

Pray for me. I need it.

Sometimes God gives us tasks that seem overwhelming because He wants us to get the rest of our lives in order so there is time for those tasks. ~ Unknown

Greatness is verified in being a servant to others. ~ Unknown

You can reach your potentials tomorrow if you dedicate yourself to growth today. Remember, to change your world, you must first change yourself. ~ John Maxwell, Leadership Devotional, 8/26

Whether we fight against the ambition of the world, against the desires of the flesh, or against the darts of heretics, we are always armed with the Lord's cross. ~ St. Leo the Great

Sacrifices made for God have a sweetness and a joy unknown to the world. ~ St. Pierre Henri Dorie

The notion that one gains freedom by rebelling against God has been a popular illusion since Eden. The paradox of the gospel is that we are set free from the cains of our own making by choosing to yoke ourselves to Christ, who bursts our bonds by his own death and resurrection. ~ Magnifiat 9-26-06

Hints of Our Future

"We know not what we shall be"; but we may be sure we shall be more, not less, than we were on earth. Our natural experiences (sensory, emotional, imaginative) are only like the drawing, like pencilled lines on flat paper. If they vanish in the risen life, they will vanish only as pencil lines vanish from the real landscape, not as a candle flame that is put out but as a candle flame which becomes invisible because someone has pulled up the blind, thrown open the shutters, and let in the blaze of the risen sun. ~ from "Transposition" (The Weight of Glory) by C.S. Lewis

Last Words

I have no more ailments.

I can breath without oxygen.

I can digest food without enzymes.

I believe with all my heart I am healed.

Jesus Christ has saved my body and soul.

These were the last words that were written by my nephew. I am so saddened by his death, but I know that he is healed. And because of Jesus and the sacrifice He made, I will see him again someday.

In God's Peace (On Early Death)

by John Michael Talbot

The souls of the just are in God's hand
No torment shall ever touch them
In the view of fools they seem as dead
And their passing away an affliction

But they are in God's peace
Suffering a short time, now blessed indeed
But they are in God's peace
For the souls of the just are blessed indeed

Though the just die young, their souls are at rest
In a short time, their soul is perfected
Snatched away lest evil pervert their mind
God sped them away from the world

For they are in God's peace
Suffering a short time, now blessed indeed
For they are in God's peace
For the souls of the just are blessed indeed.

From the book of Wisdom (if you don't have a Catholic Bible you are missing out on some good stuff in Wisdom, read Wisdom 2:12-22 for an excellent prophecy of the Pharisees reaction to Jesus)

For the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. (Wisdom 3:1-9)

But the just man, though he die early, shall be at rest. For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years. Rather, understanding is the hoary crown for men, and an unsullied life, the attainment of old age. He who pleased God was loved; he who lived among sinners was transported – Snatched away, lest wickedness pervert his mind or deceit beguile his soul; For the witchery of paltry things obscures what is right and the whirl of desire transforms the innocent mind. Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he sped him out of the midst of wickedness. (Wisdom 4:7-14)

These lyrics and scriptures are in memory of my nephew who passed away yesterday. He suffered from cystic fibrosis and died at the young age of twenty.

May he rest in peace.

Quotes

I do not regret leaving this world; my soul thirsts for the waters of eternal life. My exile is over. I touch the soil of my real country; earth vanishes, heaven opens, I go to God. ~ St. Theophane Venard

All creation sings praise to God by being fully what the creator intended. Obedience to God's designs is in itself an act of worship. Worship without obedience is merely hollow flattery. Yet both worship and obedience are less than Christian if they do not spring from one root, love of God. ~ From the Magnificat 8-17-06

Oh God, Creator and Redeemer, you are the author of being and life. Inspire in us a spirit of praise and desire for obedience, that we may give you glory in everything we think and say and do, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ From the Magnificat 8-17-06

See, the medicine is prepared for you; the wound of sin must first be healed, and it is alleviated in this way: put wine and oil in it, the oil of trust in the Lord's passion, the wine of remorse in your grief, and mix well. ~ St. Thomas of Villanova

Sin is a subtle prison. So accustomed can we become to its walls that we cease to recognize that w are dying in slow and unseen ways. ~ From the Magnificat 8-25-06

We hear the voice of Christ from the tomb, praying in the name of all of those who are as if dead in the crushing grip of evil, so often disguised as unbreakable habits that may have a certain social acceptability but are nonetheless deadly. ~ Unknown

Fitness Friday

Welcome to the 2nd week of Fitness Friday. I almost forgot that was my new Friday topic.

Yes! My weekly average last week did end up in my goal weight range. Final number was 132.7. This week I am barely hanging into the range. The holiday in the middle of the week has thrown me for a loop. It was my own doing because I didn't have meal plans or exercise plans for the day. Tuesday evening I had a massage after work (it was heavenly) and then Sugar Pop grilled us a wonderful steak dinner. Later we went to Braum's for dessert. I went for the gusto and had the Double Dip Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae (I didn't eat the entire thing - probably just 95% of it). That eating wouldn't have been too bad, but on the 4th we went out for greasy burgers and fries at lunch and then had Chicken Fried Rice for supper. I didn't get any exercise either day - not even my stretching! Thursday's weight was WAY up and I decided to leave it out of my weekly average computation because it was mostly water retention. That was very evident when I weighed this morning and I was down 2 lbs from yesterday morning.

Weekends and Holidays always seem to through me for a loop when I don't make a plan. I have made a plan for the weekend. I have planned meals and planned exercise and I am looking forward to all of it. Even though we have a party to attend tomorrow night, the weekend is going to look much different than the mid-week holiday.

Exercise Plan:
Tonight ~ I was going to run on the treadmill but was feeling too crampy from TOM so we went for a walk and do floor exercises (hand weights, abs, stretching) Saturday ~ Do a lower body Power Half Hour weight routine and at least a 10 minute walk on the treadmill, stretching and abs
Sunday ~ The Power Half Hour Arm Video, a Yoga Video, Run on the treadmill, abs and stretching

Meal Plan:
Tonight ~ Grilled sirloin, corn-on-the-cob, and salad. SF Chocolate Fudge Pudding for dessert. Saturday ~ Normal Breakfast, Big Salads for Lunch, Supper will be at the party (I think it is BBQ). Sunday ~ Normal Breakfast, Chicken Curry in the Crockpot for lunch, and (if the oven gets installed) Oven Fry Chicken for supper. If the oven isn’t ready, then I will do Garlic Lime Chicken.
I am really looking forward to the yoga video and the run afterward. I was able to do that combination a few weeks ago and I felt so AWESOME during the run because I had a really good stretch beforehand.

Next week will be another week at 24 points. The house is finally returning to normal. The oven is the only thing left to do in the kitchen and Honey will be back at her mom's. There shouldn't be anything to keep me from getting back into a good exercise routine. Hopefully, Sugar Pop will be ready to start going to the gym more often. If so, I will start doing Power Half Hour videos right after work for my strength training and then doing cardio at the gym.

Oh, I spent some time last night cleaning out the pantry, freezer, fridge and spice cabinet. It feels so good to look in there now and be able to see everything clearly. I still need to organize the coffee/tea/sweetener cabinet and then all the food storage areas will be nice and neat and my OCPD-ness will be happy!

Emotions

I am feeling emotionally down this morning. Reasons: I didn't eat healthy yesterday, hormones (TOM arrived this morning), I spent a lot of time yesterday looking through old photo albums (scanning pictures for my brother's 60th birthday), and this is the 5-year anniversary of my mother's passing (July 2nd was the day she died and July 5th was her funeral).

So to combat these negative emotions, I listened to worship music on my iPod while I was getting ready. Praise and worship music makes me feel better. I will continue listening to it all day to day. I will also be eating healthy and drinking plenty of water.

Don't Fret

Today's Reading in My Utmost for His Highest is yet another in a long list that is particularly relevant for what I am enduring right now.

We've had several problems recently. They are mostly minor and wouldn't be a big deal if they hadn't all hit one right after another. Yesterday when the wrong color of oven arrived, I had had enough and I was down on my knees praying for the Lord to help me endure. I felt much better after that, because relying on Lord for strength is so much better than relying on myself.

Family Reunion

Saturday was an emotional day.

We had the family reunion for my dad's side of the family. Starting with the last reunion we had four years ago, we have been having a memorial service for the deceased members of the family. It is not a big deal...just acknowledging when they were born and when they died and lighting a candle. I teared up. I wasn't really expecting too. It has been 4 years since Dad died, but he was with us at the last reunion.

Saturday evening I went to church. The worship time was really good. I teared up a little during "Open Our Eyes Lord" which was the last song before communion. I don't know what the worship leader said during the prayer before communion, but that really got the tears flowing.

I still miss my parents terribly. But I am thankful that someday I will see them again because of the Great Sacrifice that Our Lord Jesus Christ made for all of us. Thank you Jesus!

And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you just not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master's word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (The Message)

101 in 1001

I stumbled upon someone with a 101 in 1001 list and I was immediately intrigued and decided to join in. I started my list a few days ago and I am now ready to stop trying to perfect and start completing it.

Beginning Date: July 1, 2007
Ending Date: March 28, 2010
Items Completed: 7 0f 101

Books, Movies, & Music
001. Get a library card
002. Have a Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon
003. Finish watching G.K. Chesterton DVDs
004. Watch Groundhog Day and eat flapjacks on Groundhog Day
005. Watch Season 5 of 24
006. Watch Season 6 of 24
007. Watch the Passion of the Christ on Good Friday
008. Read Pilgrim's Progress
009. Read the Chronicles of Narnia
010. Read the Imitation of Christ
011. Re-Read Beautiful in God's Eyes
012. Re-Read Streams in the Desert
013. Read Lord of the Flies to see why it was required reading in high school
014. Start (and finish) a book by G.K. Chesterton
015. Only listen to jazz for an entire week (excluding workout music)
016. Only listen to classical music for an entire week (excluding workout music)

Places to Visit and People & Things to See
017. Visit New York City
018. See Phantom of the Opera (preferably on Broadway)
019. Meet the man who repairs lawnmowers
020. Visit the Farmer's Market at least three times each summer (3 times in 2007)
021. Go to an outdoor concert
022. Take a scuba class (does not require completing or becoming certified)
023. Take granddaughter to the farm during harvest
024. Visit the farm during cotton harvest
025. Dress up in formal wear and go out with Sugar Pop on prom night
026. Play bingo
027. Go to the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues
028. Go on an Alaskan cruise

Charitable
029. Use paid4u.com card thirty times
030. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
031. Donate 101 grocery sacks of stuff to Thrift Town (7/101)
032. Redesign Emmaus newsletter
033. Make coloring pages for Kairos
034. Participate in a walk for charity
035. Create a spot to keep and start gathering items for Honey's first apartment

Projects
036. Get a new job
037. Have mom's photos scanned
038. Create recipe book of mom's recipes
039. Create family information book for mom's side of the family
040. Glue completed puzzles together
041. Create slideshow of wedding photos
042. Create and keep a gratitude journal for at least one month
043. Make You Tube video of husband cutting up a watermelon
044. Scan Senior Pictures (completed in August 2007)
045. Scan photos of my brother for his 60th birthday (Completed 7/7/7)

Home & Finance
046. Get 2006 tax information to the accountant
047. Have tax information to the accountant by March 1st
048. Prepare a Will
049. Update CD inventory
050. Have the guest bathroom redone
051. Plant a bulb pot
052. Plant winter wheat in the fall
053. Clean new oven at least once each year
054. Trim hoya plants and pot "babies"
055. Recover dining room chairs
056. Take a defensive driving course to get the auto insurance discount
057. Get a safety deposit box
058. Organize husband's music business expenses
059. Create a real FlyLady control journal
060. Refer to above control journal daily for six months
061. Help Honey with daily routine during summer visit
062. Sell something on Ebay

Body
063. Have a foot detox spa
064. Rock wall climbing
065. Run in a 5K
066. Maintain average weight below 135 for 12 months in a row (2/12)
067. Reach body fat % below 23% (on Tanita scale)
068. Get a massage every month for six months in a row (3/6)
069. Run 30 minutes at 6.0 mph (completed 8/17/07)
070. Try on wedding dress on or near 10 year wedding anniversary
071. Still fit in wedding dress on or near 10 year wedding anniversary
072. Have my first mammogram
073. Order (and learn) a line dancing video
074. Try Weight Watchers Core Plan for one week
075. Have legs waxed
076. Don't check my weight for an entire month
077. Have sun damage on my forehead corrected
078. Use personal trainer appointments that came with my gym membership
079. Have a spa day

Food & Drink
080. Make homemade ice cream
081. Eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day
082. Find 10 new "keeper" crock pot recipes
083. Give up Chocolate for Lent
084. Make snow ice cream
085. Make cream puffs for Honey
086. Make Frito pies on Halloween
087. Drink a $50 bottle of wine
088. Try raw milk
089. Bake a Flourless Chocolate Cake
090. Cook a Greek recipe from the cookbook Butterfly gave us
091. Make Pasta E Fagioli Soup
092. Have a "duck fart" with my dear husband and laugh about old times (completed 8/4/7)

Things to Buy
093. Buy an electric tea kettle and use it at work (purchased 7/4/7, haven't used yet)
094. Try (possibly buy) a Wacoal bra
095. Order personalized M&Ms for my goddaughter
096. Buy a new (to me) vehicle
097. Buy myself fresh flowers at least once a month
098. Buy a new (smaller) digital camera
099. Buy and set up a wireless router
100. Get mattress topper for the guest bed (completed 8/9/7)
101. Purchase a natural light desk lamp (completed 9/12/7 - one for home and one for work)

Fitness Friday

This blog is supposed to be about spiritual and physical fitness, but I mainly been using it as my spiritual journal and don't seem to talk about my physical fitness much. I decided to make Friday's "Fitness Friday" and let you know I am doing physically.

This week my weekly average is going to be finally be in my (revised) goal weight range of 130-134. I won't know the exact number until Sunday. My original goal weight range was 127-131, but Sugar Pop thinks I look to thin below 130. I didn't believe him at first, but when I saw the pictures of myself from GMA Week I decided that I looked pretty good. So, if all goes according to plan (and I don't fall into a vat of candy and ice cream this weekend), I will be back to maintenance points next week. I am so excited. I will start at 24 points a day for next week. I may gradually work up to higher points. I want point I had decided that 27 points was where I needed to be to maintain. I may gradually add 1 point a week to get back to there.

I have set myself a strength training goal for July. I want to get in 4.5 hours for the month. The most I have had up to now is 3.2, so this will be a challenge. I hope to see some good results from the extra time.

Sick Day?

This might be too much information:

I do not feel 100% today. I ran on the treadmill last night and felt great. Then I made supper and as we were sitting down to eat I could feel rumblings in my abdomen. The kind of rumblings that feel like a case of diarrhea might be looming. Later in the evening I did have a spell. Normally once that happens I immediately feel better. But the rumblings continued through the night, but I haven't had any more spells of diarrhea.

I know it is not from what I had for supper as I felt it coming on before then. I could be from a hard treadmill run (30 minutes at 5.6 mph - the fastest I have ever gone), but I would think I would be feeling better by now.

I've considered staying home today, but I don't feel bad enough too. I probably would if I could have the house to myself, but Honey is here and will be all day because she has the day off work.

I always feel guilty taking sick days. Even when I am sick enough to go to the doctor, I still feel guilty.

So...I'm headed to work. Hopefully the rumblings will cease.

A month with Honey

Just a few more days until Honey leaves for church camp. She has been at our house since June 1st. I am ready for the month to be over. Honey is a great kid and she is fun to be around and doesn't give us any trouble (although she did get grounded for a week this month because we checked up on her and she wasn't where she was supposed to be). She never talks back. She will always (eventually) do what you ask her to. She doesn't play her music too load. She does pretty good picking up after herself. I really am lucky to have such a good step-daughter. BUT I am not used to this and I am ready for the month to be over. I always thing that someday she might decide to come live with us all the time. I would love the extra money that would give us (because we wouldn't be paying child support), but I wonder how well I would handle it. Would I eventually turn into a nagging step-mother? I would hope that I wouldn't, but I know there have been days this month that I have had to bite my tongue to keep from being a nag. I think women just have a nag gene. Have you ever met a woman who wasn't "good" at nagging?

Household Chores

Things I take care of around the house
Make the bed almost every day. (Sugar Pop is off on Mondays and sometimes sleeps in so sometimes he makes the bed on Monday.)
Pay bills
Reconcile bank accounts
Meal Planning
Make Grocery List
Grocery Shopping (occassionally Sugar Pop goes with me)
Majority of the house cleaning (However, if it gets bad enough Sugar Pop will do it. He will help if I am cleaning when he is home and is an excellent vacuumer).
Unload the dishwasher
Wash the clothes
Take clothes to the dry cleaners
Send birthday cards
Sweep the garage (Sugar Pop will do it if its gets really bad, but I try to do it weekly)

Things Sugar Pop takes care of around the house
Repairs
Gardening
Makes the coffee every night
Refills the humidifier
Checks the doors at night and sets the alarm

Things we both do
Take out the trash
Check the mail
Fill up our vehicles and get oil changes
Cook supper - We both participate in the process almost every night. Occasionally one of us will do the whole thing.
Clean up after supper - same as above
Ironing

Judgement

Do you have a copy of My Utmost for His Highest Yet? If you've been reading my blog for long, you know that I refer to it a lot. (Next year I will probably be reading Streams in the Desert again, so that will be what I am quoting then.)

Today's Reading said:

Who of us would dare to stand before God and say, "My God, judge me as I have judged others"? We have judged others as sinner -- if God should judge us in the same way, we would be condemned to hell. Yet God judges us on the basis of the miraculous atonement by the Cross of Christ.

Praise the Lord that He doesn't judge the way I do.

Heavenly Father, Help me to look at others through your eyes instead of through my judgemental ones. Amen.

Prayer List

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before! ~ Job 42:10

I read this in My Utmost for His Highest today. At one time I had a prayer list of people I prayed for every day. I can not remember the last time I went through that list and prayed for them. I opened it up today and prayed. I have updated it and moved it to an excel spreadsheet that I open every day so that I will see it and remember to spend time in prayer for others. If the Lord blesses me and restores my fortunes (thinking "provides me with a new job") that would be wonderful, but I already feel blessed because I prayed for someone else.

Genovese

Father Frank Pavone wrote in his column this week about the Genovese syndrome. He said:

One of the experiments regarding the Genovese Syndrome began with a man sitting in a room alone. Not knowing the experiment had already begun, he saw smoke pouring into the room from under the door of the next room. He immediately got up and alerted others that there was a problem. Later, three people were placed in that same room, and smoke began pouring in. They coughed and fanned the smoke away from their faces, but nobody got up or said anything.

The experiment showed that we don’t just look at the evidence of an emergency. We look at the reactions of others. If they don’t get excited, we reinterpret the data and conclude that things aren’t as bad as they seem.

The media distorts the reactions of others. There are plenty of people who are upset about the abortion issue and think the killing of an unborn child is a horrible thing, but the media is in favor of abortion and it is reflected in the way the report the issue. They are pro-abortion (or pro-choice as they call it) and they show abortion in a favorable light. This is also evident in the way they are reporting on the environment. They are trying to stir up hysteria about the "greenhouse effect" when there is no scientific evidence to support it.

Scriptures on my Bulletin Board at Work

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ~ Galatians 6:9

Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart. ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble and always be prayerful. ~ Romans 12:12

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ~ Philippians 4:6

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ~ Proverbs 31:30

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you. ~ Psalm 37:5

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. ~ Proverbs 15:1

Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. ~ Job 36:11

Therefore, prepare you minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ~ 1 Peter 1:13

The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. ~ Psalm 121:7-8

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. ~ Romans 12:2

Don't lose a minute building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. ~ 2 Peter 1:5

What matters is not your outer appearance - the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes - but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. ~ 1 Peter 3:3-4

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. ~ Psalm 127:1

The Routine Life

No one is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; it must be developed. Nor are we born with habits--we have to form godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. We are not meant to be seen as God's perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace. Drudgery is the test of the genuine character...We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God's way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him. ~ My Utmost for His Highest

I love my routine life. I miss it when I am thrown out of my routine. My routine has been out of whack for a few weeks now due to our kitchen remodel. But we are getting very close to being finished. I am so ready.

Keeping Company

Monkey see, monkey do. When we spend enough time around those in a particular scene, our actions usually become similar. It is just the way we're made. And it is especially true if the one in the minority is insecure and unsure...All things being equal, if you run with bad company, you will be corrupted. The good won't rub off on them. Their bad will rub off on you. ~ Living above the Level of Mediocrity by Charles Swindoll via the Life Lessons Devotional

I struggle a lot with my eating habits when I am around people who don't eat healthy. At home and in my routine, I do great. But get me out of my routine and put me around people who don't eat the way I do and I pick up their habits quickly. I don't like to draw attention to myself and refusing dessert at a party is one way to quickly draw attention to yourself. (It's not that I don't ever eat dessert, it's just that I like to save desserts for special occasions and then they need to be GREAT desserts; not just a sheet cake at an office birthday party.)

On a good note, our office is going to start Weight Watchers at Work next week. Almost everyone is participating. Which means that the company I keep at work is going to be changing their habits to mine.

It's Time for a New Job

Seth Gogin disagrees with the common adage, “Winners never quit,and quitters never win.” He maintains that successful people know when to quit something that’s not working. The miserable path you’re on may be a dead-end – you need to quit and find another road.

I read this in an email newsletter I receive. I want to remember it as I am looking for "another road."

Serenity in Spite of Trials

People don't recognize God at work in a "perfect" woman -- one with no scars, no troubles, no struggles. But Christ is revealed in a woman who has scars as a result of divine healing, serenity in spite of trials, and peace in the face of uncertainty. ~ The Dieter's Prayer Book

There are people I have met and know that glow with the love of God, even though they are enduring many hardships. My sister-in-law is one. She suffers from MS, but her faith in God is strong and she radiates with the joy of the Lord. Unlike myself. I can fall into a pit of despair because I don't have a kitchen sink. Fortunately my new kitchen sink was installed yesterday.

Listening

Some people are always complaining. Every time you talk to them you get an organ recital. It begins with their liver, then it moves onto their stomach, plantar warts, dandruff. Who knew there were so many organs? You know what holiness is? Listening to all of that as if you had never heard it before. Holiness is listening to the joke your've heard twenty-five times and laughing at the punch line for the twenty-sixth time, while keeping your mouth shut. Holiness is putting up with the gripes of others with tenderness. All of that is holiness. ~ Mother M. Angelica

Listening with love means listening with compassion and sincerity; it means listening without interrupting or zoning out. It means listening without trying to solve the problem. Many times problems disappear into the thin air as soon as they are listened to. ~ Deacon Bill Steltemeier

Judged by a Perfectionist

Saturday we were at a family reunion. I was using the restroom and noticed the hostess had left toiletries on the counter and yeast infection medicine out (and various other things were left out around the house). While I was sitting there I was being judgemental and wondering why she didn't put those things up. She knew she was having company today afterall. Then it occurred to me. This was not about her being a lousy housekeeper. It was about me being a judgemental perfectionistic people-pleaser. She is actually comfortable enough with who she is that she didn't feel the need to have a perfectly clean spotless house and hide the fact that she has a yeast infection. The Judger has been judged.

What you say

When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need--words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. ~ Ephesians 4:29 (NCV)

There is someone I work with who could take this verse to heart. I've watched her over the years and I have learned from her. I have learned how I do NOT want to treat employees. She is in a management position. She can be a nice person and do nice things for the employees, but you do NOT want to get on her bad side and there is always one person on her bad side and that person can't seem to do anything right (and if they do, all they get is a back-handed compliment). If they have a problem, it is always an attitude of "what did you do wrong to screw this up." Yes, there are times when people make mistakes and need correction. I do not have a problem with criticizing someone's work, but you need to take the time to politely correct them and teach them. This person doesn't just criticize the work, she will criticize the person, especially if that is the person who is at the top of her sh*t list. There was an employee in our office one time that I loved. She was young, a hard-worker, a fast-learner, willing to please, cute, with a great personality. She was an ex-marine and could take a lot of cr*p. She had the potential to be a wonderful employee. She did have some personal problems and sometimes they affected her work. However, with proper counseling and edification she could have overcome those issues. But no, that didn't happen. This person instead chose to cut her down instead of lift her up. Once the girl was considering getting a dog and she told her, "You can't even take care of yourself. How are you going to take care of a dog?" A statement like that does nothing to bring out the best in someone. It doesn't make them want to try harder. It causes them to shut down and not perform to the best of their abilities. The girl eventually got fired. That has been over a year ago and I still miss her. She was one of my best friends at work. Maybe I should have stood up for her and told the person she shouldn't talk to people like that. But, at one time I was on the top of this person's sh*t list and it is not a place I want to be again. And trust me, if I had said anything, that would have put me on the top of the list.

To paraphrase Huey Lewis, "I need a new job, one that won't make me sick."

A Good Heart

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. ~ Luke 6:45 (NLT)

I got this scripture emailed to me today. (I'm on a list and get a scripture every weekday morning. You can sign up by sending an email.) There are some people in my life that are always negative and there are some people in my life that are always positive. Apparently, this is because of what is in their heart. I've always considered myself a positive person. I have a smile on my face almost all the time. Sure, they are difficult days and days when I am in a bad mood, but I try not to take it out on the people around me. It is (usually) not their fault that I am having a bad day.

This morning I woke up and I had a voice in my head immediately criticizing myself for some things I didn't do yesterday. Bashing myself is NOT a good way to start the day. But then I started making a mental list of the things that I did accomplish and I felt so much better. There were definitely more things done than there were left undone. I am a perfectionist so it is easy for me to spot the bad and the things that are missed. I need to spend more time giving myself (and others) credit for the good and what has been accomplished.

The Lord is my Helper

My assurance is to be built on God's assurance to me. God says, "I will never leave you," so that then I may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear." ~ My Utmost for His Highest

I think I need to repeat the phrase, "The Lord is my helper," over and over and over again. I have lots of worries - not really fears - but worries. Not really even worries necessarily, but thoughts. I'm always planning in my head, what to eat, what to where, when to exercise, how to exercise, the grocery list, the packing list, the snacks for the car, the clothes to pack, the things to do at home, the things to do at work, the next thing I need to do, the thing I need to do in ten minutes, ten hours and on and on and on and on.

And Still Obeys

Screwtape elaborates on the Enemy’s intentions:
Merely to override a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best...He cannot 'tempt' to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. —from The Screwtape Letters

All I Need by Bethany Dillon

When the day is done
And there's no one else around
While I'm lying here in bed
You're in my heart, You're in my head
You're all I need, You're all I need
There are a million voices
Calling out my name
But You're the One I want to hear
So make the others disappear

You are all I need when I'm surrounded
You are all I need if I'm by myself
You fill me when I'm empty
There is nothing else
You're all I need

When the morning comes
And Your mercy is renewed
There's a fire in my bones
I'm not afraid to go alone
You're all I need
You're all I need
The sun on my face
I hear You whisper loud
You're still the God that opens seas
Every flower, even me
You're all I need
You're all I need

I'm drawn to everything that You do
Nothing compares with You

I have this song on my workout mix on my iPod. I makes me want to get out and run through a field of wildflowers on a crisp, cool, morning and praise God for the glory of His creation. So far, I haven't had that opportunity, but it works for jogging on the treadmill (and imaging that I'm running through a field of wildflowers).

Discernment

The enemy emphasizes the past, with its mistakes and heartaches, the Comforter exalts the present help of our Lord (Psalm 46:1). The devil delights in taunting us with our weaknesses, and the Lord reminds us of the wealth of his riches in grace. Condemnation concerns itself with our failures; conviction shows us the faithfulness of God. The tempter teases us with immediate gain at any cost; the Trustworthy One tells us of eternal gain, and reminds us of Passion and Patience in Bunyan's House of the Interpreter. The father of lies magnifies our problems, by showing their hopelessness, impossibility, and pain; the God of all grace reminds us of the promises, whereby we can hope against hope; for "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; and hope does not disappoint us" (Romans 5:3-5). Thus we know that pain can mean gain.

The false angel of light would have us walk by sight and earthly wisdom ("the counsel of the ungodly," Psalm 1:1); the Lord of life, who sees the end from the beginning, would have us walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), and thereby please our heavenly Father (Hebrews 11:6). The enemy would have us see the hosts of evil against us rather than the hillsides covered with ministering spirits (2 Kings6:15-17). He would keep us dwelling upon the injuries from others, until we become ineffective in service, rather than forgetting the things that are behind and pressing forward (Philippians 3:13-14) in the spirit of Him who said, "Father, forgive them." The Vanquished would have us feel the nails and the thorns, the Victor would have us see the triumph of Calvary's tree.

The discipline of discernment requires that we follow the tenets of divine revelation, lest we fall before the wrath of the tempter. We are to meet his subtlety, selfishness and sophistry in the same way as did the Captain of our salvation, with the unequivocal statement, "It is written" (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10). We also are to live by the Word of God, are not to tempt the Lord our God, and are to worship Him only. We are to believe that as we commit our way unto the Lord and trust also in Him, He brings to pass His will (Psalm 37:5) We are to trust that He is able to fill us with the knowledge of His will (Colossians 1:9), and to protect us from ways of the destroyer. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard again him" (Isaiah 59:19) As we submit ourselves without reservation unto God, and resist the devil, the latter will flee from us (James 4:7).

By the Word, by the Spirit, by faith, by submission to the divine will, and by resistance to any appeal to self and sin we discern between the way of God and the path of the destroyer. (From The Disciples of Life by V. Raymond Edman via the Life Lessons Devotional)

Simple Peace

The willingness to be and to have, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else, would set our hearts at rest, and we would discover that the simpler the life the greater the peace. ~ Elisabeth Elliot from The Shaping of a Christian Family via the Life Lessons Devotional.

I desire a simple, peaceful life. I want to eliminate all "unnecessary striving" as Reed Arvin calls it.

Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see those things I can eliminate and give me the faith and courage to release them that through having a simple life I may come to know you more. Amen.