7 days and counting

Do yall SEE the date on the calendar? I can hardly believe that we are so close to Christmas and another new year!!

I have gotten quite a bit accomplished this past week. We went and picked out our family's first live tree. Which was an adventure in itself! (maybe a future post??)
I finished up my Christmas shopping and completed a sewing project I wanted to do. I only have to wrap presents for The Girls. I feel so...accomplished!

With 7 days left until Christmas I find myself not having to hustle to the store and best of all worrying if what I want will be there when I finally arrive.

Now if only I had managed to have some Christmas money laid aside (like I usually do!) I would have more than a few nickles to rub together. Not to worry though. Everything is purchased, and I have no errands to run, so money (or a lack of it) should not be a problem! If worse comes to worse I can always take a bit out of savings to tide me over.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope to do some baking over the next week and enjoy reading some blogs. (maybe even do a baking post??)

Decking the halls with????

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Sort of. I would say that I am in luv with the music that surrounds this season. I am also quite fond of cookies and eggnog (except this year) but other than that? Yeah. Not so much.

Okay, don't shoot me. I know I am probably considered weird because I don't go ga-ga over Christmas. There are no boughs of holly, no lights, tinsel or silver bells hangin' round my house.

I started the season well. Oh, yes I did. I felt very Christmasy about a week or 2 before Thanksgiving. I felt like singing Christmas songs and doing a little shopping.

So I started singing some songs, playing a few cd's...Then it happened. I went shopping.

That ruined it. Kinda sucked the Christmas joy right out of me. Why? Perhaps it is because things are over priced, or maybe junk or EVEN ...over priced junk. Or maybe it's because shopping reminds me that my once Little Girls are quickly growing up.

I'll never tell.

Here's hoping I'll soon be infected with a little holiday cheer. Otherwise, this may be a year without a Christmas.

Happy New Year?!

I sometimes pick the most unusual times to do things. For example, deciding to totally gut and clean my bedroom at midnight. So it probably wouldn't shock you that at the peak of Sweet Season, I have given up sugar.

I don't really know exactly what possessed me to start when I did, but I just woke up one day and decided that day would be the day I would start toward getting my health back. Other areas in my life have been going so well, and one of the few remaining obstacles to my complete "happiness heaven" was my health.

For 6 years I had ignored myself, hated myself, and even punished myself for other areas in my life being out of alignment. House messy? no problem-eat a few chips, that'll do it! Hubs acting crazy? No worries- a bowl of ice cream will "show" him!

I wasn't really fooling myself. Instead, I chose to turn a blind eye. However, on October 24th I woke up and said, "Today is the day."

I began my long journey back to health.

Since then I've shaved off 10 pounds. I still have multiples of 10 yet to lose, but I've made a start at least. I've started exercising (at least when my poor knees can stand it!) and I've changed the way my family eats. (again! LOL!)

The road back to health is long, with many twists and turns and potholes hidden therein, but I've determined to walk it! Let's just call it my New Year's Resolution-two months early!

Great Hymn Resource

If you haven't hear about it before now...
Center for Church Music - Songs and Hymns is a 5 minute radio broadcast that has a "hymn of the week," devotional and hymn story. This is a great resource to go along with your weekly/monthly/daily hymn.

Feeling Good

I have been feeling so good lately. I woke up one morning at the end of October and decided that it was time to do something about my health. 32 is looming ahead of me in July. I just am tired of feeling blah. Since I can't blame my physical health on anythbody but me, I am grabbing health by the horns and not letting go!

Yoga has been the new discovery for my family. I always hesitated to try it because of the spiritual roots from which it sprung. One day last week though, I decide that day would be the day to give it a whirl. I turned it on (Thank-you instant netflix!) and fell in love! The first time I was only able to do a portion of the workout. The next time, was the same, except I made it a little further. The next time I tried a different video by the same people and to my great surprise made it through the whole session!

It feels so good to stretch long and lean and feel my muscles burning to hold a pose. I guess it reminds me of my tumbling/cheerleading days. I used to love the stretch that went along with that, too!

What I really enjoyed about these particular videos is that while they use yoga terminology, and do focus on "healing yourself" they also focus on how to correctly do the poses, how to modify, and what they are helpful in strengthening. When they say something like, "Feel a light searching out all the achy places, healing it."
I just say to myself, "Thank you Lord, that you are my healer, and the Light."

I may be hooked?! and the bonus? My girls like it too!

been cheatin'

...On my own blog.
I have another blog that is completely private (I THINK?! I HOPE!!) that I can use as more of a journal. I had been thinking I was having writers block here, but then I clicked over the other one and the keys clicked beneath my fingers quite easily. I guess it's not really a case of writers block, but more of a case of what I feel like I want to share. Not that anybody reads, but the idea that they could read is why I think I hold back.

Maybe I'll get a little bolder and share what I've been writing about, but ....I doubt it.

I have been trying to think of something to blog about, really , but...the well seems dry for now.

I guess I'll be back, ...sometime. In the meantime, check out the archives.

Spring forward, Fall behind

Changing leaves often serve as a visual reminder for me that cool temperatures are coming, days are growing shorter, and soon the dark and sometimes seemingly never-to-end days of winter are ahead. Often, the very idea of fall makes me feel a funk already starting to form about winter. This year, however, as well as last year, have been different for me. It never occurred to me before to pray and ask for help in the area of my loath of fall and winter.

Hallelujah, people, God answers prayer!

Last fall and winter were so much easier: No winter blues, No deep funk, and we have been weathering this fall as brightly as the changing leaves. Emotions are good. Relationships are good. God is good.

Now, why do people have to go and mess with that?!

:D

Okay, really, it's not quite so bad as it could be.
Really.
I can't say that we're having any of the usual fall/winter related issues rather it seems that we've replaced one set of problems with another equally tricky one--We can't seem to roll our rear-ends outta the bed at a time I (or many others for that matter) would still consider morning. Okay, technically the clock hasn't got that "pm" button highlighted but really, it might as well be.

It seems my children have taken the "FALL BEHIND" message completely to heart. Later sleep times, later rising times, and the worst thing of all, later brain functioning times. I realize most people need some time in the morning to get there brain to motivate and function at the full alert level, but 'round here we're talking noon to afternoon until The Girls are ready for anything other than staring off into space.

Someone should really notify those Time People that they are totally messing up my schedule, because this is in no way, shape or form related to my parenting skills.

Happy Monday!

The joys of youtube.

I <3 youtube.

Really and truly.

I don't know how many times a day I click over to find something. I know that my youtube usage has certainly increased over the last year. For example I used it twice (already, and I'm sure I'll find something else to look at.)

Today's video picks for your random enjoyment.

I have been on a Korean food kick again. Maangchi's recipes are very easy to follow and we usually have all the ingredients in the fridge or cupboard anyway. (the benefits of having an immigrant Daddy)

This next one is completely opposite.

I was looking for a french story for Kindergartener today on Discovery Streaming (which we use from time to time thanks to a co-op subscription) but they didn't have what I wanted. Youtube, unfortunalty, didn't either, but she was happy to watch this.


BTW< tonight's dinner happens to be more Korean food. Yum. (and no, Daddy isn't even close to being Korean. We just love this food!)

Sunday Singin'

I haven't done one of these for a while. I thought today would be a good day to start back up.

This song is so peaceful. Based on Psalm 46:10.

In it but not of it

...The world I mean. Today was one of those reminders for my 11yo and I.

Wednesdays we have girl scouts and while this is usually something fun and looked forward to, this time of year it can be a real pain. Want a sure fire way to feel left out of the loop? Mention that you won't be participating in Halloween activities around a group of girl scouts. Yeah. It's a real quick way to get yourself the job of tallying up reward points while everyone else is making party plans.

What's with the idolization of the occult in our culture? ( As Joan Rivers would say, "Can we talk?")

As if seeing decorations and candy and prepackaged foods weren't enough, but the parties, and invitations to trick or treat and ALL THE CONDESCENDING LOOKS we get when we say we don't do Halloween is enough to drive one right to the edge of snapping!

And ya know what else? The fact that animals have taken on a higher level of consciencious thought than that of the poor, downtrodden, and unborn really chaps me! (a girlscout related thought but nothing to do with Halloween....)I think it's a very sad day when collecting stuffed animals for some puppies to chew on takes precedence over lending a hand to distribute food for the hungry!

Isn't it funny how a girlscout meeting can remind one of just what it feels like to be one of God's "peculiar people?" I am aware most of the time that we are different when we are out and about in the world, but tonight... yeah, tonight just kinda made it blink in flashing neon lights-

In the world, but not of it!