40 Days

So I recently rented "Fireproof" again from the video store.

This time when I watched it I wasn't thinking "Oh I hope Lucas heard that" or "See Lucas should know that is how I feel." I am SO THANKFUL that Lucas and I don't have some of the struggles that the couple in the movie had, but we did have a few of them.

So this time, by request of a friend, she said I should watch it again...and look for ME in both people. Wow--different movie when you are pointing the finger inward and not outward.

So after the movie I looked online and found the Love Dare.

So starting Monday I am taking a LIFE DARE.

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I will tie the two subjects together in a minute...


I found my "brain book" from a few years back and when I compared it to this years brain book---guess what---same stuff. I am dealing with the same challenges, my TO DO lists are almost the exact same...8 out of the 10 things in my "to do in each room" were the same...if not more.

SO Why do I let years go by and let the stress of the sames things eat away at me day and day, week and week, and literally year after year. Habits? lazy? pride? All of the above and more?

so seeing that 3 year old brain book and looking at my "new" brain book --and not seeing much change in my life -- I knew I had to do something.

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In the movie "Fireproof" the husband is trying to win back his wife so they don't divorce. He will feel like a failure if they divorce, not necessarily because he totally is in love with her at the start. (At least that is what I got out of it.)

So his father gives him a book---in the book he is to do something everyday for 40 days. Somethings need to be daily---only speak kind words--
while other things only once in a while---do something nice unexpectedly for her (or in my case him)

Anyway---by the end of the movie (of course) the husband and wife found a new respect for each other and their marriage is on the way to be healed.

SO...

why not do a LIFE DARE.

I have 5 area's I want to work on: Not in order of importance!

1. Marital (I am taking the love dare and just do that--with some items tweeked for a truckers wife)
2. House (I looked up Fly Lady and took her first 21 days and made them work for me--the last half will be focused on house projects that have been on my to-do list for years.)
3. Personal/Physical (What I can do to be a better person)
4. Parental (I am taking the ideas from the Love dare and adapting them to work for children.)
5. Spiritual (This will overlap some of the other things I will be doing.)

So each day (some items will be weekly), I will have a new habit to incorporate in my life.

BUT in order to do that. I have to look at my schedule and see what needs to go by the wayside. I am thinking Facebook FOR SURE!! The computer is my BIGGEST time waster. I am like the husband, without the porno addiction, but none the less most of my spare time I can be found at the computer.

so for 40 days I am also giving up "useless" computer. I will check my email and work with my blog. I won't spend 25 minutes looking up a stew recipe, when the first one I looked up in 2 minutes worked great (that happened last Saturday).
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I was going to post my day to day Life Dare habits on here, but I think that would be a breech of some sort of copy right laws---so I will report as often as I can on the progress---for good or bad.
If you would like to join me--for the next 40 days change habits that drive you crazy about your life! Order the Love Dare online--Look up Flylady and follow her routine---do SOMETHING in the next 40 days to make life better for you, your loved ones, and your life.


The rest of this week will be spent.

1. Getting my Life Dare Book in order (Brain Book with new title)
2. Finishing up my taxes

Between those two things and daily life---I am going to be busy!

See you Monday, if not before!

Someone's Hero

Lucas was someone hero's the other night.



He came across a car that had been flipped after hitting horses on the road. He radio other truckers to let them know what was happening.



The first person on the scene was in a car, so they drove to where they could get cell phone service and called 911. Lucas stayed with the elderly couple who were both hurt badly. They got blankets and coats and such to keep the couple warm. Lucas talked with them and helped keep them awake while it took over an hour for the first cop to arrive.



Lucas said that a car pulled over and one of the men was an EMT and told them to send someone to call and get a flight for life helicopter to get these people out. While waiting for the helicopter Lucas spoke to the young police man and suggested that they needed to clear a place for the helicopter to land, since his truck was right next to the accident. Something the officer hadn't thought about. Lucas also suggested that the truckers who had stopped all help sweep the glass and horse parts off of the road. The cops said they couldn't do it because it was still considered a scene of the crime and until they took pictures and measurements they couldn't touch the scene. From the sound of it the police didn't even start doing those things while Lucas was still there.

Lucas stayed at the scene for two hours and helped with what he could. He said that he was very calm about everything. He said ---you would think watching people who could possibly be dying would be more traumatic, but really it wasn't---



He was frustrated with the amount of time it took for those people to get help. They police finally told him and about five cars behind him to move along--so that the helicopter could land.

Since Lucas couldn't stop again anywhere on the road--no space--he didn't know what happened to the couple. I have tried to look it up, but haven't seen any information on it.

We wish we could find anything out. We wonder if they lived or not? If they are OK, if they will heal all the way? Even with the unknown I am so proud of him for stopping and helping the strangers.

Zola's House and New Years

Art work that Lucas did when he was younger that is still kicking around Zola's house---I am pretty sure it was in Lyman's room.



A cool hat made from glow sticks--Sedona is a great model!

The MK room--Red room---I thought it was so pretty!!

Lyman's room--the Orange room--again I thought it was really cool.

He looks a little suprised I am taking his picture.

These pictures distort the color some, but they look great in this house!

Nice landscaping in the front--looks good.

Hard to believe it is just after Christmas!

I didn't ask if I could take pictures of Zola's room, but it is so feminine and pretty. It is perfect for her!! It was fun to be there and see Grandma.

On the way home we asked Sedona and Pepper what their favorite part of Christmas/New Years Eve vacation and they said

"Grandma Zola's!"

Yeah!

Hanging out in Arizona

So these next few blogs will be of our Arizona Christmas Trip.

These are haning out at Mons and Ambers house and some from Jim & Stephanies house.

Enjoy!

Mons & Ambers living room--where a ton of the action/fun/mess happened!

Grandma Zola playing "Where is Thumbkin" with the girls!

I had never seen all five be used and you say

"Where is the happy family? Where is the happy family? Here they are, here they are..."

cute huh!

Queen for the day--Amber had fun projects all the time, like these cute crowns and the fun fort in the backgroud.

Wish Pepper didn't have a trampoline burn on her chin :(

How many pictures does it take to get a cute picture with Grandma and the Girls

(1)

(2)

(3)

Finally got it!

actually there were about 4 more, but I didn't want to post all of them.

One of my favorite pictures. Amber makes me laugh every time I see this one!

She was trying to get a hair out of the dinasours mouth I think---I can't remember.

You can't see it real well, but she was one ticked off Princess.

Jamie is so cute. She was fun to get to know and it was so cute that she would change her clothes about 7 times day. Totally cute!

Pepper having a blast and Jim & Stephanies

Eatting a yummy soup Jim made (including the noodles!)

Do I remember how to blog?

It has been forever since I blogged and I have a sitereader that told me 12 people checked my blog this week, but nothing has been written in about a month so I figured I better do something.

I am not sure I remember how to do this! I guess I will just randomly type and babble and see what happens.

Lucas got me an external drive so now I have somewhere I can download my pictures and not worry about the space on the computer! Yeah Lucas! Which I am hoping means more pictures for you guys. Not this post--but maybe next.
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We had a great Christmas--starting on the 22nd and lasting till Jan 2nd. We had Christmas in Colorado then headed to Arizona and had a blast there! I will be posting pictures of all of that---along with a rundown of the events, so you will just have to wait! :)

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some goals
1. actually do some of the stuff on my calendar--l have had the same goals on my calendar for years---THIS is the year to do them.
2. write a family letter and send it out (even if for the 4th of July and not Christmas)
3. get family pictures taken
4. have a baby (I put that on there so I know I will accomplish at least ONE of my goals) :)
5. finish my brain book

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I blogger I read (sorry can't remember who) prays and chooses a word to work with each year. This year I really feel strongly that I have two words (which kind of goes against my first word, but....) my words are...

SIMPLIFY

&

FOCUS

Simplify my house, my marriage, my parenting skills, my expectations on self and others, my routine....just about everything.

Focus on what is important. Focus on what I know I need to accomplish and do it. As I stated before I have had the same things in my TO-DO section of my brain book for years. I could teach hour (or more) long classes on the things I know I should be doing...such as
1. food storage: (Organization & Having it)

2. 72 hour kit: (I have the master list of everything I need--and have most of the stuff, but do I ever put it together?!)

3. home decor: I have read tons of books, thousands (literally) of magazines, and know what to do and how to do -- so you think I would JUST DO IT!

4. organization & clutter: I could literally teach a semester worth of classes on these two subjects, but everywhere I turn in my life is clutter--clutter of the mind, car, and house.

5. be more spiritual: I really feel that as the Beatles said "All you need is Love". We need to worry less about who is living the "Gospel" and start loving people more.

6. Have a Clean house (which is related to #4): again, I have read books, and magazines on how to clean a house quickly, how to clean a house so it cleans itself, how to clean something everyday so nothing piles up, how to clean your house once a week, how to clean a house for 15 minutes every hour....and yet my house isn't "clean". I have lists in my brain book (see I have the lists I am very organized that way!) on what I need to do in each room to "skim" or daily clean it and then a list to "scour" or monthly clean it. If the Skim is done the Scour takes no time, but it is the "skim" part that gets me. Also I have a master list for each room on things I would like to see done in that room....
for example

Sedona's room still needs
1. New Light Fixture
2. Curtain Tie Back
3. New Carpet
4. Finish "finishing" her bed (I only got the head board painted, not the foot board or whatever it is called).
5. Matching furniture

I have a list like that in each room. I have had a list like that for each room since we moved in.


anyway--time to get back to life!