thanks again…

I really appreciate your participation in the Summer 2007 Exercise Challenge…it was fun!

and…

I’m excited to announce the winner of the challenge giveaway…

who will be receiving this Cool Downz wrap…

is…

Mayogi!!!

email your mailing address to me…and I’ll get your wrap to you right away!

catching up…

I can’t even remember the last time I came to my own blog…and yet you have been here at least 30 times…thanks for not giving up on me!

I didn’t fall off the face of the earth…I just started working…outside the home…for pay…which I haven’t done in 7 years!!!

this in addition to my oldest starting high school and playing soccer…my two younger starting their homeschooling…and my youngest having his 7th birthday party…and…my husband’s new job and different schedule…not to mention my moms Bible study that I’m chairperson for started up again…I haven’t really known if I was coming or going…

this seems like the first time in over a week that I’ve even had some time that felt like down time…

so…here I am…letting you know that I didn’t forget about you…or my Summer 2007 Exercise Challenge…which officially ended on Monday, September 3, 2007…

and everyone did great!!!

during the challenge…I exercised more frequently and consistently than I ever have…and…not only did I just get up off my rump more than I ever have…I didn’t just exercise when the weather was nice…I walked in the rain…and I walked in the 90F+ temps with 90% humidity…this means sweating…ICK!

although I didn’t achieve my goal…this has been a huge accomplishment for me…and I know this is primarily because you helped keep me accountable…thank you!!!

and…the super bonus is…that I’ve lost more than 15 pounds since the challenge began!!!

if you haven’t already posted a comment on the headquarters page sharing about your experience or with a link to your challenge-end post…please try to do this soon…I really want to hear how it went for you…

I will announce the winner of the Cool Downz wrap on Saturday, September 15…so be sure to check back!

thanks again for participating in my very first challenge!

works for me wednesday - august 30

if you are anything like me…you tend to get a little antsy if you can’t change up the scenery of your environment every now and then…you know…rearranging your bedroom, living room, whatever…

well…I have a pretty compact house…and moving furniture around isn’t usually an option…

but one of the things I have found is that I can change my computer wallpaper/desktop graphic regularly to give it a new look…and I don’t mean the stock options on your windows software…blah!

I discovered this site about a year ago…and now…I change my desktop wallpaper once a month…and…they send me an email every month to let me know the new wallpapers are posted…so my already overloaded brain doesn’t have to remember to do it…BONUS!

every month CrossCards posts 7 or 8 new wallpapers…some with calendars, some without…most with a scripture or quote…and all absolutely beautiful…oh…and FREE!

you don’t even have to download the wallpapers if you don’t want to…just click on the size that best fits your monitor…this will open up the graphic in a larger size that enables you to see it in better detail…and if you want to use it as your wallpaper…simply right click and choose “set as background”!

VOILA!!!  a beautiful new screen…works for me!

btw…the September wallpapers are already posted…and they are gorgeous!!!

may day challenge - august 28

I haven’t updated in a few weeks…and don’t really have any new progress to report…I’ve only exercised a few times in the last month or so…my foot hurt, it’s been hot…most any excuse will do…

I have only about a week left in my summer exercise challenge…and I’m far from making my goal…but I know that I wouldn’t have walked a minute if not for the challenge…and that means I probably wouldn’t have lost a pound either…

now that the kids have started school…our schedule is starting to get a bit more regular and normal…so I am going to try to get back to a regular walking schedule…as well as making some better food choices too…

I don’t think I’ll probably hit my may day weight loss goal…but anything is better than nothing…and I’m okay with that…I’ll keep working at it…

I hope all the other may day participants have been having a great summer…keep going…don’t give up!

scripture sunday - august 26

these are some questions I’ve been asking myself a lot lately…and some of the answers I’ve been given…

questions…

• why can’t I have only good habits…and no bad ones?
• why can’t I just be the kind of person I want be…instead of having to work so hard to slowly become a better person?
• why can’t I decide how I want my life to go…and it go just like I want it to?
• why am I such a perfectionist that everything I do has to be all or none…when I know it can’t be perfect anyway?
• why do I procrastinate…even when small accomplishments are so rewarding?
• why do I resist and rebel against good things in my life…but not so much against the bad things?
• why do I feel depressed or discouraged…when I have so many blessings to be thankful and joyful about?
• why am I so self-centered…when I really enjoy giving to others?

answers…(from the NIV) 

• Then the LORD said, … “Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  -  Genesis 4:6-7
• For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. - Deuteronomy 20:4
• The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7
• Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. - Psalm 51:12
• I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - Psalm 139:14
• Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24
• 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
• For I am the LORD, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you. - Isaiah 41:13
• “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. - Isaiah 55:8
• “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11
• But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  - Matthew 6:33
• Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  - Luke 7:48
• As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one…” - Romans 3:10
• Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perserverance; perserverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. - Romans 5:1-5
• I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do I do–this I keep doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. - Romans 7:15-20
• Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17
• The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world.  On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish strongholds and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  - 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
• “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  - 2 Corinthians 12:9
• So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. - Galatians 5:16
• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. - Galatians 5:22-24
• For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:10
• You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:22-24
• Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorties, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesians 6:12
• …being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 1:6
• and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7
• And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. - Colossians 3:17
• Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4
• For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance; and to perserverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. - 2 Peter 1:5-9
• Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Thank You, God, for providing and preserving Your Word for me and allowing me to live in a place that allows me the freedom to read and own and proclaim Your Word.  Even in the midst of my personal struggles and doubts, Your Word is the Truth that encourages and sustains me and fills me with hope because of Your promises.  I praise You, Father God, for being a rock that I can rely on to help me stand firm and steady.  I’m so thankful for Your love and grace, faithfulness and forgiveness.  I’m so unworthy!  Please help me to make You the first priority in my life and to stay focused on Your Word that is the only truth and the perfect will for my life.  Amen.

scripture sunday - august 12

my first place memory verse for this week is…

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.  - Colossians 3:17

it’s saturday!?!

last thing I knew…it was menu plan monday…I must have blacked out!!!

but what a blackout it was…cause I sure got a lot done between then and now…

• me and two kids had medical appointments…including an annual…and getting bb’s hot pink leg cast removed…after driving her all around to get it signed by some people she hadn’t seen yet…
• I scheduled four more appointments…two for me and two for daddybright…
• I did all the shopping in one fell swoop…and then I actually fixed dinner every night…and even did the dishes a few times…
• I cleaned off my desk…did a major email purge…caught up on some of my blog reading…and did some laundry too…
• I made 3 trips to the library…and 2 or 3 trips to the bank for various things…I lost count…
• I completed all of olive’s freshman paperwork and turned it in…as well as taking him to meet with the guidance counselor to change his class schedule…and attending the soccer team orientation with him…
• cheerio and I planned his birthday party and got started on invitations…read some Tales of Troy & Greece…and for fun…did some magic tricks…also known as science experiments…which I personally can’t stand…
• I got most of my Bible study done this week…and actually made it to my First Place meeting…
• I designed a flyer and worked on some other related things…including a number of phone calls and emails with the leadership team that plans our moms Bible study…as we prepare for registration to begin this weekend…
• I spent a few hours doing some online research and sifting through paperwork about our insurance options for daddybright’s new job…and am only about halfway to a decision…
• I applied for a part-time job at Starbucks…so I talked with some people about giving references…chatted with an acquaintance who works there…and called the store to schedule an interview…
• I also made up a new weekly schedule for our family…because if I get the job at Starbucks, I’ll probably be working 5-9am five days/week…daddybright will be working 1-10pm five days/week…with only one common day off…plus homeschooling, church activities, olive’s high school soccer schedule, housekeeping, exercise…oh…and sleep!
• I did manage to squeeze in some leisure time this week…including reading a couple of books…watching a few movies…and about half of 24 season four…sleeping in late a couple mornings…and I think I even took a few showers this week too!

maybe I should blackout every week!!!

menu plan monday - august 6

I’m keeping it pretty simple and basic this week…

• monday (8/6) - pig-in-a-blankets
• tuesday (8/7) - easy club salad
• wednesday (8/ - taco bar
• thursday (8/9) - BLT sandwiches
• friday (8/10) - pasta bake
• saturday (8/11) - biscuits & gravy
• sunday (8/12) - chicken alfredo

scripture sunday - august 5

I’ve been trying to think of some way that I could combine the fun of my blog with the reverence of the sabbath to celebrate sundays and give my week a good start by focusing on my Lord and Savior to guide and direct me in every area of my life…

so…I made this graphic to help inspire me to do this each week…

I don’t know what exactly my sunday entries will include…maybe a favorite verse I want to focus on that week…maybe a verse I’ve read or heard that week that has really spoken to me…maybe a verse I’m trying to memorize…sometimes I might include a comment or prayer…and other times let the verse stand alone…I’ll just rely on the Spirit lead me…

I decided to do this as a personal sunday meme…to help focus my attitude, thoughts, words and actions for the week…I did not create this to become some popular meme that everyone does every week…however…if you are moved to do something similar…please feel free to save the graphic to use on your site and leave a comment here so I can visit your sunday post…

I’m going to start my scripture sunday posts with what is probably my favorite verse…and if I had to pick just one ”life” verse…this would probably be it…

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

I want so much to try to acknowledge Him in all my ways…but sometimes I just get so busy and preoccupied with life that I completely forget to acknowledge Him…and so I continually come back to this verse to remind me how I should live every moment, minute, hour, day, week, month, year of my life…acknowledging Him in all my ways!

and I really especially don’t want to forget to acknowledge Him with this blog…which is part of why I want to make sure my sunday posts are for Him…

I love You, Lord…thank You for providing this fun and innovative way for me to acknowledge You!

two down…one to go!

today is the two-month mark of the Summer 2007 Exercise Challenge…and there is only one month left!!!

like a month ago…I’m not necessarily where I should be to be on track for my goal…but the fact that I have even exercised 5 minutes…let alone 870…is a huge accomplishment for me…and I am still going to strive to meet my goal in the next month…

I’m so thankful for the gals who have joined me in the challenge…it has really kept me accountable and motivated…and…you are all doing great!!!

please feel free to post an update and let us know how you are doing…

also…I wanted to officially announce the drawing prize for the participants who joined by the deadline…

the winner of the random drawing will receive a Cool Downz wrap…I have been walking with one of these around my neck this summer and it has helped keep me comfortable on these hot summer days with the sweltering humidity…and so I thought this would make a perfect prize!!!

this picture is the actual one I’ll be giving away…cheerio picked it out for you!

thanks for exercising with me…I hope you’ll persevere with me for the final month!