I should blog...ok I will.

It's been awhile, I thought I would blog sooner than this, but pretty much the last 6 weeks have been a whirlwind!  I had planned on blogging so it would help me to stay accountable with my weakness, but life just got too busy for any extra.  I'm happy to report though, that I have been doing great practicing self control and I am feeling absolutely wonderful and energized!  God is so good!  He is faithful.  I've been walking with a friend in the morning, working out to Slim in 6 Beachbody.com video and eating mostly healthy, by choosing fresh fruit and nuts to curb my sweet and snack cravings.  I've lost 8 pounds so far since I started and really I'm down 11 pounds from my highest summer weight.  I am not stopping, I am determined to keep practicing self control until I reach my goals and I have to continue even after I've reached my goals, in order to maintain and in order to glorify God in my body, it belongs to Him.  I'm trying to die to myself daily, it's a process and only possible through Jesus.

So why has life been sooo busy?!  Well let's see, school started for one thing and I'm driving my kiddos to and from everyday.  I love them and I enjoy every minute of my time with them, even if it takes almost 3 hours out of my day.  One of the greatest highlights of my day?  My daughter and I have been laying on a blanket in the park reading a book together every morning before school, it's absolutely wonderful! Walking and working out daily takes a good 2 1/2 hours of my day, then of course I need to get ready so I don't stay in my workout clothes all day, like I did today.   I've been out of town a lot it feels like and I still have 2 more trips coming up, will be fun I'm sure!  I hosted a Pampered Chef party for a friend,  I'm facilitating a ladies Bible Study small group, doing the Newsletter for P.T.A as well as other Historian duties like taking pics, that's a fun one.  I still have Piano lessons, I'm co-directing a children's musical for church, helping out with the women's ministry team.  I'm involved in another life group, a bunko group, a book group as well.  I have to be honest I was feeling really overwhelmed the last couple of weeks, everything seemed to need to get done all at once and I just seriously felt like there wasn't enough time in the day, or days in the week to get everything done.  My house was completely out of order and I felt like I was running on empty.  Thank God, I was able to spend time in His presence, where He filled me back up and gave me the endurance to press on.  I went out of town last weekend with friends to Kay Arthur's "Revive Me" conference, and it honestly could not have been more perfect in timing.  I was needing that get away in a bad way!  It was good, I was fed as Kay Arthur submerged us in the Word of God...it is definitely true, The Bible contains words of LIFE! God met me there in a real way, I was struggling deeply with something and He gave me peace and revealed to me that I was living in fear and not trusting in His sovereignty, in His will and in His provision.   He pretty much made it clear as day, what I needed to do, so now I just need to pray about the when, where, why and how.  I know it is in His perfect time. 

Well do you ever write and then just feel like ending it abruptly?  That's how I feel right now.  I think I've said all I wanted to say at this time, but I just don't know how to end the this post. LOL...so I think I'll just end it now.  5 AM comes fast, but it's so worth getting up that early to meet with my Savior Jesus and spend time at His banquet table.  He always serves up, exactly what I need for the day.  He is AWESOME!

Month 7-Last Day of 7 was yesterday!

When I started the 7 experiment 7 months ago, I thought the last day of 7 would seem to take forever to come. Not surprised that the last 7 months really have flown by, because by talking to my friend the other night, I know I'm not the only one who really thinks time seems to be going by soooo much faster these days!  Why?! It's just plain weird... Anyway can't believe  my 7 experiment is already over now.   The things I will take with me are simple things but overall great things when practiced daily.

1 -I need to practice self control when eating and not over indulge too often if at all.  I need to not overbuy on food and let it go bad. I need to buy more healthy choices than not, God's all natural food really is the best, most satisfying and better for our bodies.  I need to always be thankful and say thank you to God for providing all the food we have...more than half of the people living on this earth do not have access to all the amazing food I as a wealthy American can so easily take for granted, especially when we go to a Vegas buffet!  I need to remember to give out of our abundance, fasting one day a week and giving the money for those meals to others who can't afford is one small way to help make a difference.

2- Having lots of clothing really does make life more complicated and spending hours and hours on doing laundry just isn't fun.  I can wear my clothes more than once if I managed to keep them mostly clean throughout the day. It helps cut down on water and soap usage as well as save time because there is not too much laundry to do.  I need to keep my closets maintained and for every new thing I buy I should give something away.

3- Possessions are a hard one, as there always seems to be something new that I want or "need". Like clothing I need to manage by giving something away each time I buy something, so that I won't accumulate an excess and so I can help others who don't have as much.

4- I need to make sure I am not letting media of any form hinder my relationship with Jesus or others. In Mentioning how fast time seems to be flying by, it especially flies by when media such as surfing on the internet is involved, it's like a big black hole and after the time has passed you wonder where it went and can't believe how fast it went.

5-  I need to do my part in taking care of God's beautiful creations by being a good steward with our resources. Conserving energy, recycling and reusing where possible...need to keep up shopping with reusable bags and really continue to cut down on the amount of waste my household produces.

6- I need to stick to a budget, cash one preferred and not excessively spend money out of control...luckily with the help of my church offering a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University for my husband and I to take, this one was already pretty much in place before I reached this month.   It's soooo important to be on the same page with your spouse, especially about finances. It's amazing how communication is so much better and arguments with eachother are almost non-existent, when you are on the same page with finances.

7-And one of the most important things I take away from 7 is to continue to cultivate my relationship with my Savior.  Pray without ceasing! Talk to my God regularly about anything and everything. There is nothing that He can't handle and He cares about every aspect of my life, much like  how I care for my own children, the only difference is, He is absolutely flawless at it! I need not worry or stress out about anything. I just need to trust and know that God is in control and He will work everything out for our good. 

And an additional praise is last month I made a public confession of my sin...since then God has completely forgiven me, as well as filled me with His spiritual gift of self control once again. I have worked out everyday except Sunday over the last two weeks, as well as have only eaten healthy all natural foods...I truly cannot do this out of my own will power, it is definitely coming from God's supernatural power and I give Him all the glory for it. Praise God, He is soooo good!!!!