February Goals

Wow! Where did January go!? It seems like it flew by. It was a good start to a new year. I participated in and completed a 31 day challenge to pray for my spouse! What a great new habit. I had prayed for him before but never that deliberately and consistently. God was moving. We started Mikah's home program and it is going great! My dad moved out and we gained a schoolroom. How fun! Lots of moving stuff around, some to the trash. :) We renovated a closet. Just need to figure out how to paint a door to match the stain on the surrounding molding...hmmmmm. And I created a new habit of taking cod liver oil...and I never thought I would say this, it doesn't taste that bad anymore!

On to February.
February 3 in 30 goals:

1. Less time online! More time for my children, my husband and my house. I am coming up with a plan, like no computer before 2pm or something. I will still want to check email every once in a while though because that is how my husband and I communicate while he is at work.

2. Workout at least 3 times each week and log my food and workouts into MyFitness Pal. I was doing great with this then I was sick for the whole month of November and then the  holidays came and went and I still haven 't gotten back into a good groove. Really need too! My body misses it.

3. Number 3 is staying the same. Be diligent in completely the 31 Days to Clean challenge with Joyful Mothering. I am not doing well with this but I am also not giving up! I am a couple days 5 days behind them but I don't care! I am finishing it! My house and my family will be better for it no matter how long it takes me. :)

Looking forward to another new month! Go here to link up.

Blessings,
Michelle

January 3in30- Week 3

My January goals are:

1. Take cod liver oil daily.
This is going great! I got sick last week and decided to up my dose. I don't know if it was the cod liver oil or something else but I was better the next day. 

2. Fill my water bottle 5 times each day and drink the water.
This is going better. I am thinking about it and remembering to at least attempt to drink water instead of coming to the end of the day and right before bed realizing I haven't had anything to drink.

3. Be diligent in completing the 31 Days to Clean challenge with Joyful Mothering.
I am content and happy with my progress on this. I am a day behind Joyful Mothering and I am okay with it because I am moving forward on it and my family has noticed. Tackling my kitchen cupboards this week and a couple other things. My stove, microwave and outside of the cupboards look great! I bought some pretty green and white drawer liner for my drawers and cupboards which I hope to put down this week when I go through everything, purge and reorganize.

How did your week go? Hop over here and join the fun!

New Spaces

I couldn't be more thrilled. Are house is trashed, more than usual. Things are everywhere and several rooms are in a state of disarray. No, that is not exactly what I am thrilled about. :) I do prefer cleanliness and order. Things are somewhat upside down at the moment due to a couple new spaces.

One is a little closet that has been collecting sewing and crafting odds and ends for about 5 years now. The other I will post pictures in a later post, maybe next week?
So how about the closet...I gutted it, painted it and my wonderful husband installed some shelves. He is still working on a new door and then it will be completed. At the moment the some of the contents of the closet are out and about, mostly in neat piles. Want to see?
*Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a professional or semi-professional photographer. They all seem to come out orangey. Oh, well. This is what you get. :)

I forgot to take a picture of just the painted without all the crafting goodness. If you can't tell from the next picture I painted the inside a fun blue. We have a large area rug in the room and I tried to pull some of the blue out. I know you will only see it when you open the closet! But it makes me smile just knowing the little surprise that awaits behind the door. Here is the in-progress after.

Now, to see if I can figure out a side-by-side view... (well, in my preview it is side-by-side...)

Idleness

Proverbs 31:27

She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

I am afflicted with the sickness of idleness. I know what I should be doing, what is needed. I just don't want to. I would rather browse the web, read, play games, check facebook, find new pins on pinterest, sleep...You get the idea. But what is needed for my relationship with Christ, for my family, for our homeschool, for Mikah and my relationship with my husband?

Ecclesiastes 10:18

Because of laziness the building decays,

And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

Ezekial 16:49

Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

2 Thessalonians 3:6

But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.

These warnings from scripture make it clear that we are not to be idle but diligent, working and busy towards that which God has called us. To be doing what is needed. And the results from such diligence? We find it in Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:26-28

She opens her mouth with wisdom, 
      And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 
       She watches over the ways of her household, 
      And does not eat the bread of idleness. 
       Her children rise up and call her blessed; 
      Her husband also, and he praises her.

Daily, laying aside my wants and desires, striving to do that which is needed over "eating the bread of idleness".

Does anyone else struggle with idleness? What is your affliction?

January 3in30- Week 2

My January goals are:

1. Take cod liver oil daily.
This went great except for the weekend. On the weekend my husband usually gets my son's water and food ready and I am not following my normal routine. I need to work on remembering on the weekend. I'll have a chance to practice tomorrow!  :)

2. Fill my water bottle 5 times each day and drink the water.
Major fail! There were a couple days I didn't even drink one bottle full. I did notice the days I get up and go workout first thing in the morning I was closer to my goal. Still a work in progress.

3. Be diligent in completeing the 31 Days to Clean challenge with Joyful Mothering.
This was kind of a fail and kind of not. I had completed the day 1 challenge but decided to take it a step further, which I can't really share on here because you should really buy the book. :) But I haven't completed Days 3 and 4. She is going at a slower pace for this reason so I am planning on working on them today and over the weekend.

All in all I had a very distracted week. I am not sure why, I have just been very unfocused and irritated. I started praying about it once I realized what was happening, I am kind of slow in realizing these sorts of things sometimes :) Praying next week I am able to be focused and diligent in doing what is needed for my family and myself.

How did your week go? Hop over here and join the fun!

My 2012 Reading List

I recently read a post from Stephanie at Keeper of the Home about her 2012 Reading List. I have friends who make reading lists and often thought it was a good idea. Well, I decided to move two of our bookshelves to a different room and discovered books that I haven't read or would like to read again because it has been many years since my last reading of them. I pulled them out and decided to make my own 2012 reading list. Some I have read before, some will be new to me but all them are already owned.

Books I Would Like to Read in 2012
(in no particular order)


Sit, Walk, Stand by Watchman Nee

The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee

Stonewycke Legacy by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella

The Highlander and His Lady by Lisa Samson

The Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell

Teach Them Diligently by Lou Priolo

When You Rise Up by R.C. Sproul

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Created To Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Give Them Grace by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley

There are many others that I don't own that I hope to own or borrow from the library and read. They are sitting in my Amazon wish list waiting for the right time.

The best book I read in 2011 was One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It is back on my 2012 list as a re-read as is Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell. One Thousand Gifts marked a big turn around in my attitude and life. Whether it was the book or I was just at a place of being ready to change I don't know. Probably both. Either way, it is a definite keeper and re-read!

January 3in30: First Week of the New Year

The first week of the New Year is almost behind us! With the first week comes my anniversary! On this day 9 years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life, apart from accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior and I said yes to my man.  9 years ago at this time today we were in warm and sunny Riviera Maya, Mexico. I was in the day spa getting my hair, nail and toes done up all pretty and my man was getting into the only tuxedo I have ever seen him wear along with the only sandals I have ever seen him wear.  Yes, I said a tuxedo and sandals! We were getting married by the beach after all.  :)  So here's a great big Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband and best friend!!!


This week has gone well. I love the holidays and I am so glad to be getting back to our normal routine. Did you notice the "and"?  :)


My 3in30 goals for January:

1. Take cod liver oil daily.

This is going really great. My son is 100% tube fed and in the morning before breakfast he gets a water 'snack' with probiotics. Along with getting his water ready I get out the cod liver oil. I take mine and then give him his water. Seems to be working nicely.

2. Fill my water bottle 5 times each day and drink the water.

This hasn't gone as well as I would like but I am doing better. I have filled my water at least three times each day and drank that amount. This is definitely an improvement on the past couple months.

3. Be diligent in completing the 31 Days to Clean book with Joyful Mothering.

This is going okay. I have not completed all the first weeks tasks but am going to work on that this weekend when my husband is home and I have a better chance of being able to focus on them. One thing I did accomplish was cleaning out the refrigerator. What a difference! I didn't realize it was that dirty until I was done cleaning it! My husband came home with groceries and asked where the new fridge came from. :)


All in all I am happy with how things are going so far. Now to keep it up.


How are you doing?

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