This Week on the Island....

It has been a good week on the island. 

Last Thursday, my son went to Career Day with my sister, Mistie.  She works for the OSBI.  She picked my son up at 7:30 a.m. along with her other nephew.  They spent the whole work day there.  My son was able to see bones, collect fingerprints, collect evidence from a crime scene, see lab reports, shoot a paint gun (which is why he is in the safety glasses in the picture below), question suspects, and participate in a trial.  He loved it.  Every part of it.  Thanks Aunt Mistie for taking him.
 

Question:  Does everyone's laundry pile look like this (before you fold it)?  Just wondering.  I like wash/dry the laundry in one or two days and then put it away all at once.  I can't stand to draw it out.  Of course, I do sometimes because I don't always get it put away immediately.  The officer is very kind about having to step over the laundry to get in and out of the dresser.  Do your kids put away their own laundry or do you do it for them?  Do you spread it out or do it all at once.  This system seems to work for us, but it can get crazy if we are busy for a few days.

I ordered some a necklace set for my daughter and me.  They came from The Mercy House.  The Mercy House helps young women in Kenya who are pregnant.  They give them a place to live and help them learn a skill while trying to minister to them.  I purchased the mother/daughter necklace set.  The mother's necklace is made from pottery.  It has a blue bird that sits in a nest.  The daughter's necklace is just the bird.  You can purchase as many daughter's necklaces as you need.  I can't wait to wear it with my daughter.  It reminds me to be grateful for what we have and to pray for the women in the Mercy House.

 

Over the past two months, I have started walking every morning.  Actually sometimes, it's in evening if I don't get a chance to in the morning.  I intentionally started it when we went to Disney World in March.  I knew we would be doing a lot of walking.  I am trying to be pro-active about some things I know I need to change.  Exercise is one of those things. 

At first,  it really was a struggle just to get out of the house in the morning.  Not that walking is hard, but I really, really am not a morning person.  I don't want to do anything when I first wake up or for that matter the first hour and a half after I get up.  So teaching myself to just get up, get dressed, and get out of there was a struggle.  

However, it has gotten much easier.  In the beginning it was just three days a week.  I would walk about a mile and a half.  Then I realized, if I skipped two days in a row, it was harder to get out there the next day.  So I tried to go at least four to five days a week.  Now I am walking every day and I am up to 2.3 miles a day.  Most days, my daughter joins me.  She walks our dog Hobbs.  This morning I started saw a rabbit.  So cute.  I just stood there staring at me with his big black eye while I took a picture. 

One of the other things I am trying to work on is cutting down on my Coke intake.  I admit this is a struggle.  Sometimes, I just like a large Vanilla Coke from Sonic.  Except it wasn't sometimes.  It was all the time.  So I have not said I will cut it out, but I will moderate.  I will allow myself a Coke when I really want it, but only when I really want it.  Not just when I want something to drink.  The Cokes actually taste better.  The less I drink them, the less I want them.  So I have only had one can of Coke in the past 10 days.  Yeah this may not be a big deal for most of you, but it doing good for me.  Especially because we have an open 12 pack of Coke sitting on the counter in my kitchen.  

There are other things I am trying to work on.  Being more intentional about my prayer life.  Getting rid of some clutter.  Not holding onto stuff.  Being a better friend, daughter, mother and wife.  Not easy stuff to change sometimes.  I'm so glad I have friend and family who never give up on me.  Even if it is a 3:50 a.m. text to encourage me to keep exercising from my sister or one who spend the day with my son.  Or a Chick Fil A lunch provided by my mom and a day spent with her.  Or a friend who I know will pray for the struggles I am having.  

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

On a side note, I am capable of baking perfectly good cookies.  Remember the last time I was in charge of cookies?  Well I had to make some for a playdate today and since they turned out, I thought I would show you.  :)