I'm not completely lost.....

I feel as if I've only seen the sun shine twice in the last 1,405,996 days.  Well, obviously this is not true, but it feels that way. ;)   

Sorry, FlyLady I'm struggling with babysteps.  I set my alarm clock for 8 AM, and it looks like nighttime outside when it goes off... .I AM NOT GETTING OUT OF BED!  However, when I do eventually get my arse out of the bed, 2 out of the 4 days this week, I hopped in the shower and got dressed to shoes! Woo Hoo!  My Sink is still shiny, my home is clean-- thanks to a weekly home blessing, and I do a load of laundry a day!  So as I sit here today (this is one of the days I did NOT get dressed) and look around I see that I am not completely lost after all.  This is a good feeling!

Update on my Bible Reading progress...It's coming along well.  I've stuck with it for the most part.  Somedays I have to read 2 days worth of reading (which today is one of those days also)....I'm pretty much caught up though.  Today I have to read Jan. 25th and the 26th, so as you can see I am not completely lost there either! Moving on....

Where I have completely fallen off the wagon is in the Fitness department....AHHHH!  Can I just say I am still on Day 7 on TAM...Yes you read right ever since my last post I have not stepped foot into our workout space and done one bit of exercise!! (Still blaming it on the weather)   I WILL get out of that funk soon.  I BETTER at least.  I don't know if it's the repetitiveness of the workout itself, that I get bored doing the same thing day in and day out...even if it is only or 10 days...who knows.  I may try to start mixing it up.  I'll do matwork, and if I don't feel like doing it the next I pop in a Physique 57 DVD (which I love by the way).  Check that out if you haven't already.  Both are very similar, except Physique doesn't have a cardio component to them.  Those days I'll try to bring my dogs for a walk or something.  Although, I feel the DVD by itself is enough!!  One of these days, I'm going to be on here saying how well I've been doing with my workouts, and I won't feel like an elephant anymore. (I am by no means as big as an elephant, I just feel like a big lug sometimes)

So, YES, I have been LAZY...but today something sparked in me...or maybe it was all the wonderful veggies in my fridge that I didn't want to waste...I dug out my Jack LaLane Juicer and just threw whatever was in my fridge in it.  I've never juiced before, hence I had to dig my juicer out, but I did it.  Over the pas year, I've done lots of research on juicing and always wanted to do it, but never took the time.  Well, today was the day.  I had  kale, apples, lemon, ginger, cucumber, radish, carrot, and celery...threw them all on there! I guess you could call this "everything but the kitchen sink" juice.  I was leery at first, because let's be frank, it looks DISGUSTING!! But let me just say..it was wonderful. It tasted just like juice--  Delicious juice that you would buy from the store, except this was fresh and way better for you.  I'm convinced this will be the way I get my fruits and veggies..from now on my juicer will sit out on my kitchen counter to no longer return to the hole I had to dig it out of.  This is exciting.  Here's a pic of what all I put in it...Sorry I didn't have a pic of the final product. We drank it all up too fast, it was too yummy!!

gardner..kinda

I've always dreamt of my house to look like something out of a magazine.  You know the one's with the little old lady's talking about their garden, how they love it, and that's their joy in life.  This will be me one day! (Except I'm not an old lady)  Gotta start early in hopes to be half of what they are one day--or have half of what they have.  Then, I will be a happy soul.  I really do enjoy getting my hands in the dirt, and planting things in my yard.  I just feel I have no clue what the heck I'm doing.  How do people "just know" this stuff??  Well, I like to believe they get the help from QVC. (I'll have to explain my addiction to this channel at a later date)

Our ritual at bedtime, is to turn the TV on to QVC! WARNING: THIS IS A DANGEROUS HABIT TO FORM!!  I instantly think that I absolutely MUST HAVE whatever they are showing at the time (with the exception of jewelry and clothes).  I guess you could call this an addiction.  This addiction has given us many THINGS, which I love, and many things, in which I don't remember.  Anywho, I love it.  It goes along with my dreams of being "that" little old lady.  Last night, they had a whole segment on gardening from Cottage Farms.  They showed plants and pretties I had never seen before, and I couldn't resist.  Scott saw my eyes twinkle and knew I wanted all of it, so he told me to pick 2 things. (He is my rock, and keeps me grounded and out of LaLa Land)  How was a girl to pick just 2? By reading reviews,  I say!  I cannot emphasis enough, when ordering things online, always, always, always, check the reviews on products.  Read them thoroughly, and then decide if you still want/need it.    I did this, and finally settled on 2 things.  I convinced myself that one of the plants, which had the mediocre reviews, was because people didn't plant them according to their zone, or didn't follow the instructions; so I took the chance. (I couldn't pass up the awesome deal)  They were 6 plants of Pink (yes, I said pink ornamental grass).  Who has ever heard or seen such a thing? Not me, until last night, and well I just couldn't help myself!

Source: qvc.com via Shelley on Pinterest
 

In addition, I bought wave-petunias...I get these every year from a common household retailer, and so I figured why not have them sent to my front door??  

Source: qvc.com via Shelley on Pinterest
Just Lovely!

Hopefully my green thumb decides to be with me this year.  I cannot wait until spring (these are arriving in April)!  I will post pictures once they get established!!

where did I go?

Ok, so I've been MIA lately, and been really busy with Life.  Life has a tendency to get in the way of what I REALLY want to do sometimes.  This happens to us all..I know.

I have fallen off my own bandwagon so to speak, and I'm trying to climb back on it.  I don't know if it's the weather or what, but I am L-A-Z-Y today.  I do NOT want to workout, which I've skipped like 4 days, and should be on Day 10, but rather I'm still stuck on Day 7-- and will probably still be on Day 7 tomorrow at the rate I'm going. Oh and did I mention that for the past 2 nights my supper consisted of Chips, Salsa and Cheese Dip from 2 separate Mexican restaurants! (I'm addicted, and have no willpower when it comes to this food)   I've decided to not beat myself up about it though.  I'll just have to stay far far away from a Mexican Restaurant for a little while.

I haven't updated you all in a while, and this is because we went away this weekend.  (Much needed time off)  We had a concert to go to--go figure.  This is what Scott and I do for fun, and a good concert is about the only thing that will get us out of the house lately! What concert did we go to you ask? Good Ol' Bob Seger!!! It was AWESOME! We were pretty much front and center. This weekend was one of the Best Weekends that we've had in a long time!

This is how close we were! (photo taken with iPhone)

Cleaning(wise) the house is still in order, my sink is Shiny, I've done my Weekly Home Blessing (for the most part) today, and I already do a Load of Laundry a Day to keep the chaos away (the one thing that has stuck with me from previous attempts with FlyLady.   I do struggle, however, with FlyLady's concept of "getting dressed to shoes".  I HATE shoes, and really do not like cleaning in my regular clothes.  I need to try harder though.  You see I have no set schedule, and this is what I need FlyLady to help me with.  I need more structure. So tonight, I'm going to pick out my outfit for tomorrow, go to bed at a decent time, and wake up earlier than normal. I didn't wake up until 11:30 this morning.  I'm ashamed to admit to this everyone, but hey, at least I'm being honest.  I am going to set my alarm for 7 AM, and hope that this works out for me. Wish me luck!!! I'll need it!  (I know I'm behind on my baby steps, but I am take REALLY slow baby steps to make sure they sink in and so I don't beat myself up too much)

Now, as for updating you all.  I don't think it's going to be feasible for me to update you EVERYDAY on everything.  So, I'm going to try to keep you updated every few days, or maybe once a week.  I read a blog recently where this guy updates you once a week to ensure the BEST possible information is reaching everyone. He writes about the Paleo Lifestyle I am currently researching to see if this is a possible change that we can make and live by. I'm still not sure I'll be able to do it, *note* I LOVE CHEESE DIP!  That's why I'm just reading up on it.  Maybe I can have "cheat" days, and who knows...maybe even one day I won't even want to cheat at all!  ahh we'll see. So, I still hope you'll follow along with me in this Journey called Life, because I have a LOOONNGG way to go.

Housewife

Keeping house is a never ending job. I get VERY lazy sometimes, and my house suffers in the meantime. My house is in no way ANYTHING like you see on some popular TV shows (ah hmm...Hoarders), in fact, most people that come to my house think it's rather clean and organized. Well, none of them have ever opened any of the closets in this house. On the surface everything is neat and tidy, but behind closed doors...WHOA LOOK OUT!! This is where I put things that have no place in my house and I don't know what to do with them. Why do I even keep the stuff then?? That's what I ask myself every time I open one of these doors (or look under the beds).

I'm going to start (er...restart) a program to help keep me organized and help me get rid of all this clutter. I'm going to do things the FlyLady way. If you've never heard of it..check it out!. Today, I started my baby steps from the beginning--- again. The first baby step is to "Shine Your Sink"...here is a lesson on how to do so. Keeping your kitchen sink really does make you stay focused on keeping the rest of your house in order! I swear it. Even though I haven't consistently stuck with the FlyLady, I usually always keep my sink empty, and shine it every few months. I think this is why strangers in my home thing every looks great (on the surface). But, I'm starting from scratch this time, and doing it right...(I usually skip ahead baby steps) I'm going to be patient with myself and take my time to create habits and routines. My life needs this right now...because right now I just fly by the seat of my pants, and that gets me no where but with overflowing closets!

Now, my closets are not the only thing crazy in my life. I feel like I just wander about life. My life needs order, this FlyLady system will help me keep groceries on my fridge, keep me focused on my workouts, and hopefully keep me from looking like a BUM in public. Sweatpants and T-shirts are my uniform, and I have a closet overflowing with beautiful clothes that get neglected.

So, here we go (feel free to join along with me):

DAY 1: SHINE YOUR SINK!!

Note: Let's keep this sink shiny. Please dry it out after using.

MISSION COMPLETE!

Dreamer

I dream of moving across the country. To some place beautiful. To some place where it snows on Christmas every year (i hope).  To some place quiet, yet still have all the amenities of a big city.  Park City, Utah is calling my name.  Now remember this is a dream of mine. This does not in any way indicate we are moving--yet. ;) The HGTV Dream Home is located here this year, and man after seeing it and all the things Park City have to offer, I'm sooooo ready to move there.  It looks awesome!!  Sorry everyone, don't bother entering, because I'M GONNA WIN! hehehe! Just kidding. Of Course, go ahead and enter this contest. I'll be happy for anyone who wins this.  Just remember me, so one day when I do finally move to Utah, I can come visit often. K?

Source: hgtv.com via Shelley on Pinterest

For those of you, like myself (yes, I want to move there without actually going there.  This is a dream remember?) who have never been,  Check out what Park City has to offer.

The Sundance Film Festival is held here every year.  Scott (my fiance) and I love movies (especially Scott).  It's always been a dream to go visit during the festival, but if I'm gonna dream I should dream BIG right? Why not live there and go EVERY year?  This is a genius idea.

In the words of John Lennon, "You may say I'm a Dreamer, but I'm not the only one......"

Just to forewarn you, I'm a wishful thinker. Which turns into many many daydreams! Today, Utah sounds great. Tomorrow, living in an RV might sound even better.    Just Sayin'.....

Believer

I am a believer in a lot of things, but in this case today, I'm referring to myself as a Believer in God. Always have been a believer as long as I can remember. I grew up in church, and continued my relationship with God throughout my teens, and beyond. Although, once I hit my twenties, I put God on the back burner. I know this sounds horrible, and I regret valuable time I've missed without putting God first in my life.  You see, He's was always there, even when I've strayed, and I knew this. I knew that no matter what, as long as I knew God was my Lord and Savior and he was accepted into my Heart, he'll always be there for me (I do not like this thought pattern of mine). Yes, this is true to an extent (I am by no means saying that my actions and behaviors during this time are acceptable);  I've sinned...yes...and I've not lived my life that way I'm supposed to..yes. Does this mean God loves me less?? NO.  I'm sorry for going astray..and I've made peace with God about this.  Nobody's perfect by no means, and I'm not one to judge and I hope you don't judge me either. Only my Lord can judge me and He is really the only one whose opinion of me matters! We are all sinners, even you reading this....even the tiniest little sin counts as sin.  I will never be perfect but all I can do is try my best to be the best I can be.  I will constantly be repenting, apologizing, and asking forgiveness for things I do.

In order to grow deeper into my relationship with the Lord, I've made it my quest to read the Bible, in its entirety, this year.  I'm very excited about this endeavor.  As a young girl, I memorized the Books of the Bible, Bible Verses and such, but I've never read the entire BIBLE!  One reason for this may be that when I was younger I just didn't understand it; another reason being, I was just plain lazy. ;(   That is not the case these days..I've started reading a One Year Chronological Bible..NLT (link in my very first post) .  I'm doing really well, this version puts it in words that I can actually understand. I look forward to each morning spent with the Lord in my daily devotions. How about you? Are any of you thinking of doing something similar to this?  I challenge you to do so.

TAMer

Source: google.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Tracy Anderson Method. I'm starting this year off on the right foot. Santa brought me her Metamorphosis program (I've been oogling it for the past year). You might have seen her on QVC or informercials--like I said I'm cheesy. Tracy's method, however, is far from it. I've been doing her previous DVDs on and off (mostly off) for the past year. This year, I'm getting serious with Meta Omni (Targets all over body problem areas). Her method consists of Mat work for 30 minutes and Dance Cardio for 30 minutes. Now, there are alternatives to Dance Cardio. Many prefer "treadmill dancing" and rebounding.
So, I'm supposed to workout 6 days a week, for an hour a day. (hmmm..I'll try my best) The Meta Program is 90 days with options to buy Continuity. She switches up the workout every 10 days, so as not to get bored and to "confuse" muscles. I like that idea. I'm currently on Day 5. The first two days were ROUGH!!! Can we say sore? But I love it. That just means whatever I'm doing is working. This is where I'll need your help. Follow me on this journey, you are going to hold me accountable. Try her workouts with me! Don't forget to leave encouraging comments...because I (and whoever else decides to make this journey with me) will need it!
Go to Tracy's website here.
Here are some samples of workouts. Take a look!! click on the pictures for video.
Mat Work

Source: youtube.com via Shelley on Pinterest

Dance Cardio

Source: youtube.com via Shelley on Pinterest

Treadmill Dancing

Source: youtube.com via Shelley on Pinterest

Source: youtube.com via Shelley on Pinterest

Rebounder Workout

Source: youtube.com via Shelley on Pinterest