Thursday, February 28, 2013

Lighten Up the Stress

Month Seven. The last month. I am praying that by the time I get to Sept I will be a new creation in Christ. That my thoughts and actions will be more focused toward Him and that I will be more of the example He wants and needs me to be. If I'm not, this month should get me there. This month both parts are about being less stressful. Part One is taking the time, 7 times to be exact, during the day to pause and say thank you to the One that makes it all possible. There are specific things to pray and times to pray them. I will be setting my alarm every night to wake up and pray. Then promptly going back to bed. My prayer now as I type this is that I wont spent September tired. Part Two is all about Lightening Up. I'm going to Sing in the morning - which I actually do now in the car on the way to work; Be more aware of the feelings of those around me and acknowledge them; Be a Treasure House of Memories - that's right, the scrapbooks are coming out with all the tape, paper and stickers you can image; Take Time for Projects - I am going to purposely set aside time to spend with my nieces and nephews who are only 35mins away. As for a book, I dont know yet. My experiment will be over, thus no book for the next month's anything. But we'll see. I'm sure God will have something in mind for me by then. And tomorrow it starts. I have been thinking about this all week. I should've gone to KKD today. I know I'm going to want a donut tomorrow. :0) TTFN

Turn off the Tube and Find a Passion

So, I think I messed up and called my last past Month 6. It was Month 5. Sorry. I said I was tired. Now, Month Six Part One is all about Media. Or maybe I should say, lack of. We are turning it off. All of it - TV, DVD's, Facebook, Yahoo, Internet, etc. My exceptions at this time will be any work use - writing this or working on a book for me, studying iOS or listing on eBay for Randy; texts that are necessary from family or work. Yep, that's it. I am REALLY hoping "The Voice" will be over by the time I get there. The joining part of this is all about Pursuing a Passion. I seem to think at times that I have lots of these. However, as I prepared for this post, I realized I have three - studying the Bible, writing and pottery. This month I am going to Forget About the Results - just do it because I love it; Master a New Technology/Form; Make Time - for the things I actually enjoy and honestly want to do; Write - April was about finishing my already started Mystery so this month I am going to work on getting the 3 kids books I wrote on their way to published. I might even throw in a Pottery class, being that there is a Pottery Studio within walking distance of my house. This months book will be "Seven Sacred Pauses", by Macrina Wiederkehr TFN

Paying Attention to Waste

So let me first say, I am very tired so this is going to be short and sweet. I start month one tomorrow, so I really want to at least put in writing my plans for months five, six and seven. Month Six is about Recycling. That would be why I read "Green Mama". We already recycle so I am hoping for some ideas from the book. I rent, so a garden isnt really an option and I dont know much about composting but hopefully that will change. Part Deuce is all about Paying Attention to myself. Yes, myself. To do this, I will Meditate by taking time out to observe my surroundings; Figure out what my True Rules are for me - what unspoken things do I truly live by; Simulate my mind in a New Way - have yet to decide if I will take a class that I would not normally be interested in or if I will take a stab at writing a Sci Fi; Keep a Food Diary - again.....I probably have 5 of this started in all different parts of the house. My book for this month is "The Year of Living Biblically", by AJ Jacobs That is it. Short and Sweet. TTFN

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Clothing My Contented Heart

Month Four is about my Clothes. In some countries the residents dont have closets to go to and pick out the perfect outfit for their Brunch with the girls, then to come home to find the next outfit for their shopping excursion. This month I will only be wearing 7 items of clothes. Let me clarify that these items do not include under garments or socks. Nor do they include any workout gear as I know myself. I know when I workout, I will not necessarily have the time or even remember to wash my clothes which means I wont workout so I am not including them. I have yet to pick my items as I am hoping to be in different clothes by then. (See previous post) The second half of this month is to Keep a Contented Heart. To do this I will: Laugh Out Loud - like that is going to be a problem; Use Good Manners - we can all do better at this, I am sure; Give Positive Reviews - if you dont have anything nice to say, don't; Find an Area of Refuge - not quite sure what this will be as I am in a new area but I do have a couple of ideas of what I might do. This last part isnt just about a physical area but also a mental area I can escape to if times get tough or hurried. July's book will be "Green Mama" by Tracey Bianchi. I am also thinking of reading "For the Beauty of the Earth" by David Lentz. Yes, folks July is about recycling and going green. TTFN

Possessing Energy

Month Three starts with Possessions. Getting rid of them that is. We have too much stuff. We, Americans, seem to have a thing about getting more of everything. May will be us getting rid of things. Keeping with the 7 theme, we will be getting rid of 7 items a day. No that is not a typo. A day. 7 items. Clothes do not count individually or else that is all I would get rid of. I do have to say that we are already limited on what we have. With our move in September, we go rid of a moving truck full of stuff. Seriously. A truck full. However, as we are unpacking we are realizing we kept more than we have room for and since we plan on being in this particular house for at least 3yrs, there is more to get rid of. May will actually fun and, hopefully, liberating. The other side of this month is about Boosting Energy. To accomplish this, I will: Go to sleep earlier - bed by 10pm every night; Exercise better - Randy and I are suppose to be starting "Insanity" in March so for this month, we will be starting it over more intensely; Toss. Restore. Organize - see above paragraph; Act More Energetic - act how I want to feel; Tackle a Nagging Task - this one I dont know yet as nothing is really nagging me right now. As for the month I need to read to get ready for June, I will be reading "Consumed" by Benjamin Barber. It kinda goes with this month too. :0) I am looking forward to this one and the next as I am really hoping to actually start "Insanity" and will be in need of a closet overhaul. TTFN

Monday, February 25, 2013

What We Eat and Aiming Higher

April will be all about getting my mind and body on the right track. Month Two's focus is Food. Eat only 7. Yep. Not food groups; not categories; foods. As in Burger, Fries, Chips, Pizza....but not those. Obviously. Randy and I discussed this one and he is totally on board. That man would eat collard greens, beans and rice all day every day and be happy, so no. This will not be a problem for him. For me? Yea, well I don't like eating the same thing back to back. Much less for 4 weeks! But I need to so here are our 7: Chicken, Eggs, Rice, Black Beans, Tomatoes, Bananas and Apples. We will be drinking water and cooking with EVOO and only using S&P for seasoning. This one will take more effort on my part as I work during lunch and dinner and am hungry every 3 to 4 hours. I see lots of Apples in my future. The other thing is that we will be focused as much as we can on organic options, including cage free chickens. Part Two of this month is to Aim Higher. With that I will attempt to finish my book, while asking for input from those around me and those they know; I am going to enjoy the fun of failure by taking a class of some sort that makes my produce something tangible; work smarter by wasting less time on my phone (which actually shouldn't be too hard since I am currently fasting from most of my iPhone apps); and I will be enjoying the now by focusing on it. I want to always be fully present to the people and things around me. This month I will be reading, "Simplicity:The Art of Living", by Richard Rohr in preparation for May. Happy Monday! TTFN

How We Spend

So, before I begin I want to go over a couple of things that I think are important. First of all, I am human thus this could go horribly wrong. I know there will be times that I totally miss it and there will be times I am tempted to become legalistic in my approach. That being said, I am allowing myself to mess up. I know things will come up in the next 7 months that wont bode well with the month I am on so I am giving myself some wiggle room. My prayer is that in my wiggle, the spirit to which I am doing this won't get lost. I also know that Randy won't always want to abide by the ground rules and that is okay too. This is my journey and even though we are on a journey together, this one is my adventure. I will gladly have him along but I dont expect him to be as willing - even though I know he will be perfectly willing to help me stick to my month. And speaking of month, each month will run from the 1st to the 28th. Stopping it on the 28th will give me a day or two each month to process the previous month and prepare for the next. Month One is Spending and Buying, which I think is going to be the most interesting of all the marriages in this process. On the spending side, the original concept is to only spend in 7 places. I written out my ideas and different avenues I can take this and I have decided to only spend in 7 areas. As I mentioned in my last post, we recently moved and our spending habits have already changed. I only spend in 5 or 6 places on a regular basis but by spending in 7 areas, I will also be saying no to 7 unnecessary areas as well. My 7 Spending areas are: Work, Bills, Gas, Groceries, Pets, Date Night and Household (TP, PT, Deo, etc). My 7 unnecessary are: Fast Food, Coffeehouses, KKD (Yes. Seriously. I pass it twice a day, every day), Books, Thrift Stores, Clothes and Car (gas and necessary maintenance not included). Any money saved will go into savings and not be spent. As for the spending side of this month, this is what I will be doing: Indulge in a Modest Spurge: making sure we have a date night once a week (don't think Randy will have a problem with this one); Buy Needful Things: only buying what I actually need (I won't be stocking up at WalMart just because it is on sale); Spend Out: use what I have for a rainy day - I also won't be stocking up on food items, focusing on using what is already in my pantry; Give Something Up: making a trade by not buying the little unnecessary things (thrift store) so that we can save up for something bigger - vacation, iPad, House, etc. Each month I will also be reading a book that is focusing on the next month. This week I am reading, "The Treasure Principle" by Randy Alcorn. It's little so I have time to get it in before the first. In preparation for April and Month Two, I will be reading, "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan. I have actually started this one and tried reading it before bed. Not a good idea. My first two hours of "sleep" was all about the food industry and needing to eating more fruit and vegetables. I will be reserving this book for the after school pick-up line. It will keep me from McD's and KKD. That is all for now. Keep coming back for more updates. TTFN

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Marraige of the Happy 7

Recently I read two books that have made me want to do my own kind of study. The first is, "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. In it, Gretchen takes the year to find out of different things can make someone happy or happier than they already are. There are a couple of things in her book that did not really resonate with me, but there were enough that made me think I would like to try some of her ideas. The second book is by Jen Hatmaker and is titled, "The 7 Experiment". If you are wanting an eye-opening kind of book or are looking for ways to draw closer to God, this is it. Seriously. Stop reading and go get it. I'll wait........The idea of this book is to take 7 months and pick a focus of a fast for that month: Food, Clothes, Spending, Possessions, Media, Waste and Stress. The ideas in this book really hit home for me and I wanted to put her plan to action as well. So being the thinker that I am, I decided to do them together. Now, unless you have actually read both of these books, you might think that sounds simple enough but let me tell you, finding an idea in Gretchen's book that went along with Jen's was easy. For two of the seven months. Jen's book is about fasting from the things we overindulge in as a way to see God's bigger picture - if you dont need it, why are you buying it? Oh, it's on sale? Then by all means, please do.....whatever. Gretchen's book is about self gratification. (One of the suggestions is to make little splurges. It's on sale? Sales make you happy. Buy it for Pete's sake.) So marrying the two is a little more that just saying the first month in Gretchen's book can go with Month One of Jen's. After praying about it and talking to the Honey - he just said to let him know what he is/isnt suppose to do - this is my plan: March - Spending (Hatmaker)/Buy Some Happiness (Rubin) April - Food (Hatmaker)/Aim Higher (Rubin) May - Possessions (Hatmaker)/Boost Energy (Rubin) June - Clothes (Hatmaker)/Keep a Contented Heart (Rubin) July - Waste (Hatmaker)/Pay Attention (Rubin) Aug - Media (Hatmaker)/Pursue a Passion (Rubin) Sept - Stress (Hatmaker)/Lighten Up (Rubin) Obviously, this is subject to change and there may be months that I don't do the fast just as it is written. For example, Month One is Spending. The idea for this month is to only spend in 7 places (Target, Publix, Farmer's Market, etc). However, Randy and I just moved and with the move came A LOT of changes. For one, I am the only one working and I pay the bills. Not a lot left for other expenditures. So for this month, I am praying about what I really should be focused on and how to be more mindful of my spending. My goal for this process is to blog each night on how my day went; how I was able to incorporate the two together and see how I change in the process. My prayer is that I become more mindful to the things of God, while becoming who I really want to be and who He needs me to be. If you are interested in the blogs these ladies did with their books, here are their links. http://www.happiness-project.com/ http://jenhatmaker.com/ As I gear up for the 1st of March, I will be blogging as a way to get in the habit of nightly entries. So for the next week I will be explaining what each month means and how I plan to incorporate the two. I am looking forward to the Journey and invite you to come along. TTFN Amy