Where Did It Go?

There are lots of new and exciting things going on here.

I am now babysitting my girlfriends 11 month old son on a full time basis. It is real nice having a baby around the house again. It is pretty nice to hand him back over to momma at the end of the day too.

I stepped on the scale the other day and it seemed off 13lbs. I checked out the bottom and it was missing 1 of 4 springs that have some sort of function not so sure what but why take chances. My husband picked up a new scale for us on Sunday when he was out and about. It is electronic with a weight loss tracker that can be set up for 4 people. I set the thing up programed all the do-dads and step on it. Well... I had lost 13 lbs. without really paying attention. I was only watching portions slightly. We did not need a new scale. I have so many little do hickeys for exercise, heart monitor, pedometer, workout bands, a gazelle, DVDs. I really need to get my butt in gear and use them.

I do many things to honour my husband but I can do more. There is one thing my husband has asked me to a few times and I mostly have told him no. It is a silly thing to not do for your husband I do not know why I do not want to do it. He takes salad to work every Wednesday and Friday. The night before he breaks out the salad spinner and goes to town, adding feta cheese or grilled chicken sometimes he even makes his own salad dressing. Why is it that I would refuse him. I guess now that I am aware of this I should offer to make his salad for him. God has been really hitting me in my stubborn head. I also switched on the Christian radio station to day and caught the end of a message about our(my) tongue and our heart. It is a message that i need to be reminded of all the time. Not to mention the In Touch devotion for today definitely stuck home. I need to really get back into The Word and chew on it, not just read a verse in passing not meditating and taking it into my heart.

My mom is coming down from N.Y. for my d.d. birthday this month it is a surprise. My baby is turning 8. I do not know where the time went. I haven't gotten any older;)

Have a Blessed week.

Looking Ahead

Now that the holidays are behind me, I find myself wondering what it is about the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year that makes me throw all the meal plans cleaning schedules and and goals for the past year out the window.

We had a wonderful holiday. The new year is off to an emotional rocky start though with one of our friends facing the possibility of losing a parent, another losing her marriage, and yet another friends child developing a serious illness. God does hear our prayers though and we all know that he will work all things for good.

I am surrounded by Rubbermaid bins containing our Christmas decorations some organized and some not, but my sink is empty :).I stopped using the dishwasher, it(I) made me lazy and gave me an excuse to let things pile up. Our washing machine was broken for the week of thanksgiving. I was caught up with the wash when I came down with yet another real bad chest cold (on Christmas) and was out of commission for a good whole week. so I fell back behind. Yes it did take me most of the month to catch up. I had allot of bedding and comforters that I put off and my dryer is kinda crapping out so I could only dry 2 loads a day.

Menu:

Monday: Creole black beans over couscous

Tuesday: Hamburger soup

Wednesday: Baked chicken pieces with potato

Thursday: Homemade pizza

Friday: Spaghetti

Saturday: Kids choice

Sunday: hubby's choice

Reading back over this blog I realize it sounds like my world (and home) are falling apart and I am miserable. let me assure you I am very happy and full of hope and peace. I only think about this stuff when I am trying to use it or write about my daily ins and outs. well I am off to hit a hot spot.

God bless and have a great weak (month year).

So Much to do

I have had a chest cold for quite a while now. This cough will not go away. I have had to miss church. I did the bear minimum around the house, plus we had a flood in the kitchen so stuff is piled all over. Today I took care of the piled up dishes. I also am going to work on the counters(my hot spot)

This is a pic of my house before it was mine. we have painted and do not have carpet. We still have that counter though, the first thing you see when you walk in the door. Also the dumping spot for everyone in my family(myself included). I struggle to keep this counter clear.

this is the same too. only it seems to be imploding. first the leak in the faucet hose, causing our cabinet floor to disintegrate. Then the hose to the ice maker burst, ruining the sheet rock behind the fridge. And a separate cabinet door falling off. And the counter that the dish washer is screwed into became so degraded from years of steam that it will not hold the screws anymore. so when I open the dishwasher the weight of the door tips it. We were already planing a remodel in the spring anyway. I only have to deal with it for a few more months.

Anyway here is my list for this week.(FIL. coming for a visit next week)

wash guest sheets

get cobwebs from ceiling

wash the walls

sweep and mop the whole house.

clean both bathrooms

clear my desk off

dust.

definitely doable!

God Bless and have a great week

So Many Changes To Enjoy

I want to thank Brenda at The Family Revised( http://familyrevised.blogspot.com/ ) for recommending flylady.net. I have already made changes in my daily schedule. My home is defiantly benefiting. Right now I am so inspired.


Something incredible happened this weekend. I found my first grey hair!!! I could not wait to call all my sisters to let them know I was on my way to being OLD like them :). I told my son I was going to name it after him because it is probably from all the worrying I do about him. He got a kick out of that.

the menu for this week
fiesta skillet spaghetti
cream of chicken vegetable soup
leftovers
weight watchers sweet and sour pork
mac and cheese

We are heading down to Lakeland this weekend for my Husbands best friends wedding. He is the best man. It will be a casual wedding but I still need to get shoes. I can not wear flip flops to a wedding even if it is casual. I hate shoe shopping. Maybe I will get a dress too, that will make me feel better about the shoes(I hope).

That is all for today. time to get flying!!
God Bless

Getting Things Done

Things that Need to get done today:
Dishes
floors
fold laundry
clean office
organize greeting cards
make a schedule that works for me

Long term goals:
Start a fitness plan
make a monthly meal plan
lose 80 lbs.
start to journal regularly


I enjoy having a clean house. I love pleasing my husband with a clean house. I love all the things that my JOB entails. So why do I have to force myself to do it. I use every distraction that comes my way to avoid doing the dishes or folding laundry. I would blog more if my desk was not so cluttered. All this eats away at my self worth. I also feel guilty that I have been given this great gift and I am wasting it. So just a few more things before I go.

We just started a new bible study in our woman's group "How to Hear from God" by Joyce Meyer. I was a little disappointed that we were doing another Joyce Meyer book, having just finished "Battle Field of the Mind". But we all took a vote and this book won. I can definitely benefit from this book.

I am still reading "The Shack" and loving it . I sent a copy to my mother in N.Y. and bought a copy for my friend at church. I also am reading "How to Keep a Spiritual Journal"By Ron Klug. I have made many starts in the past but have not kept it going. I am hoping this book will inspire me to make it a part of my daily routine and prayer time.

Great news: a 13 year old girl started hanging out with all the boys who skate in front of my house (my son included). My daughter (7) has really taken to this girl. She walks about 2 miles to get here every day after school. She is much older than my baby so I keep an eye out. My baby invited her to church with us on Wednesday and she came. She had never been to any kind of church before. She accepted Jesus. She came to church on Sunday and brought a friend on this past Wednesday. I am so happy and excited for her. My hope and prayer is that her family will see her life transformed and be encouraged by her to come to church also. I also pray she does not become discouraged by any naysayers around her.


That is enough for now. Time to get motivated. Any Ideas or suggestions on how to organize my time are welcome.

God Bless

Meal Plan

Currently ReadingThe ShackBy Youngsee related
meal plan
We made a few changes around here. we moved some furniture around to make some of our space more functional. The need to change came in response to almost having a fire in the house due to a bad outlet. God is so good if not for Him we would have lost everything.
Starting in August we stated having two meatless days a week. I decided it was the best thing to do, not only for our health but to even out the extra money we are spending on the larger amount of fresh produce we have been buying as part of our effort to eat healthy. Anna at http://ccostello.blogspot.com/ had a wonderful post on the benefits of soup , so I will be making soup a once a week meal. Last week was split pea soup. For $1.98 i bought 2 lbs. of smoked pork neck and for 2.49 2.5 lbs. of raw pork neck. Both of which I split up into 2 portions one to freeze and one to use. I made a large pot witch we all enjoyed and the children and I had left overs the next night. Counting the potential soup from the frozen meat and what we had already I spent $8.00 on four nights of dinner for my whole family(not counting the loaf of bread). The next soup I make will be a combo of chicken/turkey. I bought a pack of turkey wings for $2.00 and for $3.00 a large pack of chicken gizzards adding to the frame from the chicken we will be having tonight. I am hoping to make a huge pot.(hope there is room in my freezer).
I have been reading this blog allot lately http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/ It gave me a few ideas on reducing my wastefulness.
God has put it on my heart to be a better steward of the blessings he has given me. I need head out so......God bless.

This and That

THE KIDS:
Andrew and Hannah are doing really well in school. So far Andrew is getting mostly A's and 1 B. His teachers say he is well behaved and a pleasure to have in class.
Hannah is passing all her spelling test and getting the bonus words for extra points. Her reading level is above average too. Although she is chatty in class. (like mother like daughter).
FUN STUFF:
I am having fun using my new sewing machine. Hannah is practicing her sewing too. we are working on place mats for our tea parties. I bought 3 clothing patterns for myself and hopefully will figure out how to use them:).
AMAZING:
I have read "The Shack" all the way through once. I am reading it again pen in hand to get the full scope of how this book can help me not only relate to God in a more personal way but also to help me accept His love and grace so freely given. This is the most amazing story of Gods love and willingness to meet you where you are . If you have not read this book please do.
LOOKING FOWARD TO:
I can not wait to start my holiday baking!!!