New exercise plan..also known as laugh at Thelma's hijinx day

New exercise plan: (It has a lot of steps, but follow it through, it pays off in the end, at least for a chuckle or two and laughing burns calories)

Step one: Run around like crazy getting kids ready for school.
Step two: Eat bowl of cereal while doing all this.
Step three: get ready for jury duty
Step four:  realize you can not find jury # badge(heart rate increases)
Step five: move the bed, the bedside table, virtually turn room upside down to not find it.
Step six: run to car knowing you are running behind.
Step seven: Get lost and heart rate will increase.
Step eight: Find shuttle after getting lost because GPS instructed you to turn where you can't turn (increase heart rate some more)
Step nine: Run to catch shuttle
Step ten:  Heart rate is increased it is now 9:05, and bus driver is taking the long route.
Step 11: Arrive at bus stop to discover it is 2.5 blocks away from the court house
Step 12: Run like a mad woman down 2.5 blocks in boots, carrying satchel
Step 13: Arrive panting at court to go through metal detectors.
Step 14: Ignore strange looks you are getting for your inability to breathe.
Step 15: Walk Rapidly to elevator, and take it...while you attempt to catch your breath
Step 16: Arrive at 9:15 to discover people pouring out of the jury assembly room. Heart rate increase as this does not bode well for said late juror.
Step 17: Talk to clerk, who gives you a badge and says don't worry about it, just check in with the lady at the front. BREATHE huge sigh of relief.
Step 18: Check in with very compassionate court clerk who understands being lost in downtown Chattanooga. Smile and say thank you.
Step 19:  Sit down and ask the lady next to you if she knows what is going on. Smile as she barely acknowledges you. Okay I know I am out of breath, but I don't stink cause I did wear deodorant.  Smile again and finally have her say, she is not sure.
Step 20: Read a few pages of a book since lady next to you is not talking. I seem to have offended her by asking a question. Say silent prayer for said lady, who is glaring at you like you are from planet mars. Superstitiously check clothes to make sure all is zipped etc. Discover all is fine, pray for lady again. SUDDENLY remember, you left your headlights on! Heart rate SKY ROCKETS. PRAY FOR CAR to not die.
Step 21: Look up to see court clerk approaching bench. She now tells you that your number and most of the rest of the court  room are excused because the expert witness for the murder trial is not going to make it today.  Silent lady shakes head in disbelief and still glares at  you. You say "have a nice day" and smile. She actually smiles back. Pray for  lady again.
Step 22: Walk to elevator quietly praising God that you think you can make it back to your car and the headlights before the car dies.
Step 23: Leisurely walk to bus stop 2.5 blocks away.
Step 24: Have a nice conversation with another potential jury member.
Step 25: Arrive at car and while digging  for car key, FIND LOST jury badge in your BIBLE.  How did it get there, no idea.  LOL
Step 26: Turn off headlights and start car. Praise GOD for His intervention.

Ahhh God is good and He has a great sense of humor too.

Fierce Beauty Book Review

My favorite quote in the book was:
"A true warrior understands that every pain and scar--when placed in the hands of the King--has great purpose. The Lord calls us to grow through our suffering and fight for those without hope".  This spoke to me because I am survivor.  Abuses from the past, having people compare me to my identical twin sister and she she was the "pretty one" (she happened to be prissy), inflicted deep wounds. While I have healed from them, I see through this book, fierce beauty, how those things color    how people view themselves. Instead of through God's eyes, we see ourselves through broken lenses that distort the view of who HE is making us to be.

He trades beauty for ashes, strength for pain. What we survive and endure makes us stronger and more beautiful. What we thought was in ruin, the Lord, makes into something to help others. It is through pain, we learn to deal with hardship and forgive. IF we forgive and let God use us, despite our brokenness, beautiful things can happen.

The world's definition of beauty is pointless. No one, not one person can attain it or even feel that they have attained. It is seeing ourselves through His eyes that we can find His beauty in us.

This was a good book, but hard to read at times. I would recommend it for anyone who needs to see themselves through the light of the King of King's eyes. For He sees beauty even through the pain. His love reaches to the highest mountains and to the deepest valley. We can not get away from His love. However we have to choose to reach out and take hold of all He is offering, the life line in order to really see differently. We can not do it alone. We need HIS help to see ourselves and other the way He does. BEAUTIFUL. We need to trust Him and lean not on ourselves, but let go of our I can do it pride and give it over to Him. Then use what He does in us to serve Him and help others out of love and compassion, not just duty.

 There was way more in this book than I can even address and I want to read it again, because it will speak to you in more than one way. I do think it was hard to read at times, maybe because of the topic or maybe because I was struggling with illness at the time.

I received this book to review from Blogger for books.  This book review is based solely on my view point and not the author or the company by which it was published

Once Upon A Time....

There lived a young woman all alone, until she met her prince.  And everyone often said, when your prince comes...happily ever after DOES exist. But they didn't tell you the rest of the story.

Happily ever after isn't a state of being...it is an act of contentment when life is hard.

Yes, contentment in the good times, and bad. Contentment in sunshine and rain. Contentment during rain or lighting.  

Contentment........what is it"

con·tent·ment
noun1.the state of being contented;  satisfaction; ease of mind.2.Archaic . the act of making contentedly satisfied.

 It is a state of being, a choice. It is more than just an action, it is a mind set.  We have to choose contentment. It is an act of being contentedly satisfied. This means it is a choice. 

Is it easy........NO.  

It is hard to be content sometimes and not utterly lose your mind. Like when your 11 year old has putt of doing an assignment then gets overwhelmed to the point of tears. You want to act in frustration instead of contentment. There is a choice, one can act in frustration and make the problem. The other choice is to choose to act out of contentment. The upset child and the unfinished assignment is a temporary problem. With guidance and loving discipline the problem can be resolved. Will everyone be happy? Most likely, NO. Because in bringing about correction in the child, the child will be unhappy. You may or may not still be upset that you even had to remind said child 1000 times to do the assignment. BUT...you can be 

....

.....

CONTENT.  

You can find contentment in that the Father is helping you teach your child the things that will get him far in life.  You can find satisfaction when the child completed what was supposed to be done because you acted like a parent and pushed the issue.

It is in parenting one finds what contentment is all about.  You can be so frustrates as a parent you wish YOU could lay in the floor and throw a tantrum or create the drama your child is showing (even if he doesn't throw it in the floor at 11). That is an option. Probably not one the kids or the neighbors would like. They might call the men in the white truck with the special backwards jacket. So that probably...isn't the right choice.  

The other choice is to use it to teach the child.

In marriage, contentment is choosing to enjoy your spouse even when you are so mad you wish you could build a dog house to stick them in. Seeing as we don't have one.  (No I have not had a fight with Mike). Or you can choose to call on Jesus in the middle of the situation showing you are content in HIM to help you through.

And therein lies the key to contentment..............JESUS!  He is the only way for contentment to be found.  

Contentment does not mean the problems will go away and magically disappear. It means you can lie down next to the Master in the boat and sleep while the tempest rages.  It means through prayer you find communion to put the mind at ease, despite the crashing waves.

Contentment means when the storm is at its' worst you are sitting at the Master's feet, waiting for the still small voice. 

That brings us back to......Once Upon a Time love brought  a TRUE story and not a fairy tale, that Jesus said

"Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" Matthew 11:28

That my friends is CONTENTMENT.

Lord, let me be content in my journey, no matter what storms blows and the sea rages, let me find  rest in our and give control and the load of my burdens.

Jesus,take my hand and let me hold it in complete contentment as my children just walk up and slip their wee hands into mine, knowing they are safe and secure.

Spring Break...day one

Tomorrow, April 2nd we will officially be on spring break. I have lots of plans for spring cleaning on our first day of spring break. I also plan for a trip to the library and then tomorrow night, I am going to set up a camping extravaganza Strobl style.  We are going to have a camp out in the family room.

Menu: Hot dogs and chips

I am going to have them cut out stars to decorate the room with and figure out a way to make  a "camp fire". We may do some microwave smores.  Christopher will eat just plain marshmallows.

We are going to look for lightning bugs as dusk and tell "scary stories" (not really scary but you know what I mean).

We are going to grab our sleeping bags and blankets and camp out in Camp Strobl.

I am looking forward to this.  Our spring cleaning, really should not take that long, so hopefully most of the day will be filled with making memories.

Watch for upcoming feature pictures from Camp Stobl.
Stay tuned...for Spring Break Adventure 2012