Electric Quilt 8 Lessons.  I’ve been taking lessons to learn how to use Electric Quilt.  You can sign up Here On Point Quilter  This is a direct link to the sign-up page.

The lessons come each day and it takes less than 10 minutes to do the mini-lessons.  Today was lesson 13.  My son saw me working on it and asked if he could have this quilt?  I’m thrilled to make a quilt for him and excited that he asked.

While I may be able to put it together in EQ8 piecing this baby together might be a challenge.  Looks like the perfect quilt to piece in the fall when it gets too nasty to be outside.  This is good!

It has been awhile, since the last post.  Many things conspired to make this so but most importantly life.  Life with teenagers finishing up their studies at home, moving on to college, my parents living with us, teaching essential oil classes and volunteering at girls camp every summer and sewing for three dance shows a year.  That is the big picture the smaller scale is so much more fits into the cracks that there isn’t much time left for reflection let alone blogging.  With time, I may try to catch up on the big things, but for now, I would like to share a discussion that changed our lives.

January 2017 I had the impression that something beautiful was coming for our family and if I saved $ then we would be prepared to take advantage of an opportunity that would come our way.  We started to save without understanding why.  May, Brian and I had a discussion that was prompted by a book I had read.  At the end of your life, what do you want to have done more of?” The answer, spend time with our family.  My reply,  “Why are we in Reno?”  We have family in many places, but none of them were in Reno except my parents and Sam.  Our girls were all in Idaho.  Ginny and Bekah were both attended BYU-Idaho; Laura, Ian, and John were in Idaho Falls at the time, and we rarely got to see them.  Laura and John were talking about living

overseas once they had their family and then we really wouldn’t see them.  Mom’s health wasn’t improving, and there would be a point where vacation times would be limited or on hold for awhile.

For the past 3 or 4 years, we knew that our home, without improvements, wouldn’t work long term.  No bedrooms or full baths on the first floor made it difficult for mom to go up and down the stairs.  It was over $30,000 to convert the bath to full because they would need to dig out the front porch and blah blah blah.  Not worth the change.  We looked in Reno NV and surrounding areas; Sayre, Towanda, Rummerfield Pennsylvania, and in North Carolina near Tim.  We found a couple there and

made inquiries, but the real estate agent never replied.  We prayed about our decision to move and felt that it would be okay to do so.  The locations didn’t feel right, and there seemed to be problems no matter which direction we looked until Idaho.

The impression that I got is that we needed to act in faith.  If you’ve followed very long you know that we do leaps of faith, and they work out, but well the road is bumpy getting there.  Dh prayed that if it was the right thing for us that all the pieces would fall into place and it would happen quickly.  WOW, it happened so fast my head spun for six months after.

Here’s the result.  I called a real estate agent that we had worked with looking for a house in Reno.  We signed the papers to put our house on the market.  There were a few things he felt we should fix, so I made the arrangements to get that done and started to prep our house for sale.  The following week we planned to visit family in Missouri, so we did so and stopped on the way back to look at homes in Idaho/Ammon/Shelley, Blackfoot, and Firth, all within a radius of about 40 or 50 miles.  We ruled out some of them just driving by as they were duplex or too close to each other etc.

So after looking at houses online, and having a hard time figuring out a realtor to work.  After some prayer,  I fell into a website, and the lady referred us to Whitney.  Whitney was amazing and took me seriously although that said I had my ducks in a row.  I talked with the bank and got preapproved for a dollar range that seems to fit the houses we were looking at.  We ended up with about 20, and by the time we got to Idaho there were 16 on the list and 5 of them we ruled out by driving by.  The first house we looked at ended up being the house we made an offer on.  It didn’t seem too grand when we walked through, but after looking at other homes in the price range, it sounded awesome.  Second walkthrough and we all agreed it was the right house for our family; six people agreed yall that is amazing!

Here are the tender mercies that I felt on the trip.

• We found a place to stay that accommodated all of us and we cooked our meals rather than having to eat out.  It didn’t cost us a fortune, and we were comfortable.
• The house didn’t require updates or repairs to move in.  (most of the homes needed a stick of dynamite in the bathrooms.  They were so tiny and claustrophobic that I couldn’t climb in the hole to shower.)
• Not at the top of our price range so we could pay it off quickly and be out of debt in 5 years or less.  We could have paid cash for the house from what we got out of the sale of our Reno home and our money saved.  We chose to do a couple of other things instead, but we could have.
• There was separate living room for our family so they could be noisy and not agitate mom.
• We hoped for 2 master suites.  My parents have the master suite and Brian and I kind of have that with our bedroom right next to the 3/4 bath in the basement.  The kids sleep upstairs, so we have it to ourselves after they go to bed.
• Enough bedrooms for me to having a sewing room.
• Workshop in the garage
• Shed out back
• The yard is landscaped and doable for us with room for a swingset and fun but not a huge amount of work.
• Room for the RV and parking for our cars.
• We increased our living space to 3000 square feet of living space from 1800s.f..
• The kitchen wasn’t one of my dreams, but it was doable.
• Laundry is on the first floor, so if we aren’t able to do stairs later in life, we will be set to live here long term.
• Room for mom’s midarm quilt machine and frame to be set up 10.’
• Office space for Brian and we didn’t need to use a bedroom for it.
• We are only a short 5 miles from Laura and John and 30 minutes to the kids’ school.
• After a couple of days, the offer was accepted.
• We finished all the work on our Reno house had an open house and by the end of that had a firm offer.  It took another month and a half for closing on that house, but we already had plans to move to Idaho by then.
• Both real estate agents were terrific and helped the process go smoothly.
• I finished packing and doing quilts for girls camp about the same time.
• When I got back from a week at girls camp, we finished up a few things and moved that Thursday.  We drove to Idaho on Friday, and members of our new ward helped us to unload the trucks Saturday.

Lessons learned:

• Call the truck rental place in person to confirm your reservation.  Despite making it more than a month in advance, they didn’t have the size truck we needed.  BIG hiccup.
• Check the shop to make sure that everyone has packed their things.  Don’t assume they have and make them move their stuff in with the main body of packing.  That way the big things don’t get left out until last minute.
• We are hiring a company to truck our household goods next time. Okay if we load but better to have someone else drive.
• Having someone else clean our Reno house after we left was fabulous!!!  Laura and Ginny cleaned the new house before we got here.
• More time between the old people moving out before we arrive so we can have someone clean before we get there.  We moved in hours after the previous owners moved out.  They had carpets cleaned etc., so that was nice.  They left the place in fabulous condition, and it required us to clean the bathrooms and wipe down kitchen cabinets, but that was it.
• Have an open house the Saturday before moving.  We missed seeing some people that we wanted to see and there just wasn’t time to go everywhere.  Have it simple cookies or bring something to share.

It has been 4 years since my blog was updated.  I’m looking forward to it!

I kept getting an announcement for Terrafit dvds through My Oil Business and wondered what it was all about.  After asking around found out that it was a fitness challenge.  Everything I saw sounded interesting so I got a couple friends together and we jumped on board having no idea what we were doing.   That was February.  Six months later and we are just beginning our third challenge.  YUP it has been that successful!  At the end of last round, found a blog that was journaling her journey through the challenge.  I liked the idea so much decided I would do the same for this round.

Our garden has gone through a couple changes this year.   We started out with garden boxes and double dig the bottom so we had about 12″ of good soil.  Our challenge was keeping the plants watered.  Several different methods and still not much success for the amount of effort and money spent in watering.   Brian went to a church activity where the family had raised their beds about 24″.  We tried that and had more success – green plants as you can see in the garden on the right.  We also tried vertical growing beds to increase the amount of growing space.  Found the idea in pinterest.  It is okay.  It needs more research.

The raised beds were a success in productivity.  However, we found our garden was too small to get between the beds to weed and organizationally it was a bit crazy.  We talked about using stock tanks but the price was cost prohibitive and the sun would cook the metal.  Wonder what that would do to our plants?  Dad found a couple IBC totes on craig’s list for a $45 so we jumped at it.  We could cut them in half and then have 4 gardens.

The man we bought them from used them for aquaponics and just didn’t have room for more.  He put fencing around the outside so they looked neat and presentable in the back yard.   Something like the one shown below (problem 1 resolved)  He keeps the fish from year to year by cutting a hole in the ice for them to breathe while a his friend harvests them and buys new each year.  (problem 2 resolved)

A little research online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp6T_UIpzGI  for Rob Bob who uses wicking beds gave us some answers to our problems with watering.  Take a look around there are quite a few videos on this topic.  Some even hooped the top and put a cloth over to protect plants from sun but I think we could use heavier plastic to protect from the wind and extend our growing season both earlier and later. (problem 3 potential solution)

We liked the idea enough we are going to replace our garden enclosure with 8 of these raised beds then 3 Aquaponics gardens on the other side of the yard after the weather warms in the spring.  This one is prepped for an aquaponics base.  We found a deal on craigs list here in reno that we jumped on.  Guess we didn’t need to get so many at once but thought it was a once in a long time.  Turns out he posts every once in awhile because he has one a week to offer.

So we made them according Rob Bob’s updated video and planted a fall crop of spinach, swiss chard and lettuce.  We didn’t have any broccoli or cabbage ready to go so will need to wait for next year.  We’re going to see how long we can make these go.

Our daily temperatures are in the 90’s at this point and the beds are wicking just like they should.  If you turn the soil over it is moist an inch down.  Dad fills the beds from the tube on the side every other day.  Eventually they will be hooked up to the watering system but not til the rest of the gardens finish producing.  We have more squashes, beans and watermelon to come.  It was a drastic decision but feeling confident that we can actually have a producing garden in Nevada.

We are counselled to have a garden.  We’ve tried to obedient to that counsel.  Guess the farm girl in me still gets excited to see green shoots coming through the ground and knowing that our dinner isn’t filled with pesticides but lovely produce that is good for us.

What does your garden look like?  What are your successes or challenges in your area?  Do you have resources for seeds or books on gardening that you love, please share them.

I’m joining Kris at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers to help hold each other accountable and being transparent.

Transparency – In August of 2008 I began to attend 12 step meetings for overeating, weighing in at 240 I think could have been higher. Oh so difficult, but by April of 2009 I had lost 60 lbs. In 2010 we moved and the weight started to creep up then a radical hysterectomy with stage 4 endometriosis and even higher.

After drug therapy of 6 months to reduce the endo gained 30lbs.  Lost the weight from that so down to 195 and it has started back up again 207 after a busy summer with little planning food wise and sporadic exercise.

What I’m working on….

• Making peace with exercise and doing things I love – walking, tap dancing and bike riding.
• Making fun exercise a priority 5x a week at least 30 minutes. My husband is doing this with me so he is running.
• Logging my food every day with my fitness pal.
• Planning meals that are filled with veggies.
• Drinking plenty of water 1/2 body weight.

“I’m  going to keep making good choices and plugging away.”  Kris makes this statement and it is so true.  Consistent effort will bring about results.   I made progress this week in more than one area.

What I did right last week:

• Had so much fun with the exercise last week.  Had a couple good rides on my bike and even did a 10 miler (58 mins) by myself breaking our previous time of 67 minutes.  Exceeded my weekly goal of 220 minutes
• Made progress on reporting in each day.
• Made a healthy meals for our family
• Increased the amount of water
• Lost 2.2lbs

My goals for this week:

• Preparing ahead some of the items on our menu – veggies, whole grain rice and salad fixings.
• Taking dinner with me on Friday night so I don’t need to eat out.
• Continue to work on reporting each day.
• Continue to get enough water every day.

I’m inviting you along – even if only to hold me accountable. Each Monday, I plan on updating my blog. If you don’t see an update, please ask me how I’m doing.

Do you have a successful weight loss story?  Do You need to lose weight?  Please share your story.

Our summer has been packed from the beginning to the end.  Another couple weeks to recover would be great!  It started with a camp out for Sam, then trek, swimming lessons, Scout Camp, Summer Dance Intensive for 3 weeks, costumes for the cinderella performance, Girls Camp a week off and school started!  Here are some pictures of the fun.

Sam is on the far right with the goggles

This quilt has examples of all the different stitches learned during my sewing classes this summer.  This one went to girls camp.  We had a daily Quilt Diva awarded to the quilter of the day.  It also helped me to explain that while we were hand tying quilts there were other ways to do it.

This project was putting a xeriscape in our front yard. We’ve been in drought conditions for the last 2.5 years and told there is that much or more to go. We have opted to keep our back yard watered along with our garden and trees. The sad reality is that the tree in the center of our main yard took the stress rather hard. It wasn’t a particularly healthy tree so we took care to water almost as much as if there had been grass. In the end, it seems to have gone dormant although the twigs are quite brittle. It will more than likely need to be replaced. The tree in this picture to the right handled it well enough and actually seems to be thriving it doubled in size this year .  Go figure.

In June, Ginny went on trek with the youth from our area.  Three or four groups went just from Reno/Sparks area with about 200 kids in each group.  They were assigned families which they didn’t find out until the day they left.  Ginny is the girl in the green gingham check with white shirt, apron and bonnet.

I would never have recognized her if she didn’t point it out.  She wore several petticoats, skirts and shirts all at once.  She said it kept her warmer and she didn’t have to pull the clothing.  On the right is the carts they pulled up lots of hills.    

My favorite photo is when they reenact the rocky ridge.  The pioneers were physically done and they felt divine help up the ridge. Leaders in our church come to help the youth up the ridge all dressed in white to represent the angels that helped the pioneers.

Sam and Brian went to Camp Fleischman in California the next week.   Brian stayed 3 days and enjoyed himself more than he thought.  It was a nice group of young men.  Sam earned 5 merit badges; leatherworking, climbing, kayaking, Environmental Science, first aid and horesemanship.  His leader said he was on fire going from one activity to the next.  On his own, he is to the logging phase of  Family, Fitness and Personal Finance.  With our troop we are working on Cooking and Citizenship in the World.  Labor day we completed a 10 mile bike ride for his rank advancement.  Hopefully he will get his 2nd class during January’s court of honor.

Sadly I don’t have any photos of Ginny’s Dance Intensive.  It was amazing.  Reno Dance Company put together an amazing schedule of activities.

While these are a small representation of the things we did this summer it isn’t hard to see why we needed another summer vacation.

The Very Next Choice that We Make – Courage or Fear.  This chapter had a huge impact on me as well as the videos that Christa shared this week about her journey with marathons.  I’d like to share some thoughts on each of these topics.

Is it possible to sustain a level of discipline that requires real sacrifice for a long period of time?  This was the topic of discussion amongst 3 individuals.  What would your answer to this question be?  I believe that on our own without assistance from a Higher Power or God’s grace and strength this is not possible.  With Him it is possible to no longer need those things that we crave.

The result was trying a couple things that stretched me this spring, taking tap dancing and working closely with the artistic director at Reno Dance Company on the costuming for the spring showcase.

Tap dancing – have you ever thought you were too old to do something you missed out on as a child?  I think we all have things of this nature in our lives.  I saw a road sign the other day where a 95 year old woman graduated from college.  Nope definitely not too old.  It takes courage to step out of normalcy and move beyond the fear.  The result is freedom.  Freedom to start thinking in ways that aren’t defined by our age.  So what is stopping you?

There has been a thought rolling around in my brain that I would like to help out more with the costuming at the dance studio didn’t understand what I was walking into for sure.  It stretched my thinking about how to accomplish what needed to be done and having now idea how to do it.   It started with modifying existing costumes to freshen them up, creating more of the same (sometimes without patterns) and fixing problems with function or making repairs.  Being overwhelmed happened frequently.  New skills were learned along the way such as keeping track of volunteer hours, setting up kits of materials and directions for others to help with the sewing, and making final fittings.  One pair of pants started out unusable.  They were cut wrong and they fit no one.  It became a personal challenge to make the pants not only usable but look the same as all the others.  It took so many re fittings but finally success.  In the end, there was growth in skills learned not only on my part but for many others as well.

Lessons learned: Have general measurements for company members on hand either in a rolodex or card file.  It would have saved time and energy from ripping out stitches on hems and side seams etc.  I’m not sure that it would be so useful for the Nutcracker where most of the costumes stay the same but definitely for the showcase where there were so many costume changes – 12 for company members which was crazy.

Asking for help was huge and it wouldn’t have been possible without them.  All told we put in approximately 158 hours of sewing time.  Keeping track seems silly until you realize that it helps fulfill requirements in the grant process.  They money is then used to help with outreach during the Nutcracker and sponsorship for students that need help with tuition, shoes etc.

Putting costumes in a bin according to the dance with all the accessories would have been so helpful for chaperones of the littles.  In the end, having a master list of all the dances and what costumes went with what would have made the job so much easier for the chaperones helping with the littles to include:  hair (low or high bun, 1 or 2 pony tails), tights, shoes, hair accessories etc.   I did this the second day but now that I know will make sure that it is ready for the first day of rehearsals.

How to stage the room for the littles to change from one costume to the next.  Some had 5 costume changes which was crazy.  Even 3 was a bit nuts.  Thank goodness there were only 25 that needed to change instead of all 50 or more of them.

Taking a small sewing kit, masking tape, safety pins, hair spray, bobby pins, hair brush and a note pad were essential for the rehearsals and day of the performance.  It let the emergencies take on a different tone.  Also a good attitude to be able to encourage the kids when they were frightened or concerned about messing up.

Last but definitely not least, have the kids fold up their costumes when they have breaks between shows and put them in the appropriate bins while they wait.  It keeps them from getting too nervous and makes clean up in the end a breeze especially when we are all tired and ready to go home.

Sadly taking pictures that come out well has not been rectified, they all look like garbage and not worth posting.  What would be great is someone that takes photos of all the kids and then offers them whether for sale or not I don’t care.  This show there wasn’t the time to fuss with figuring out how to do it, perhaps next time.

I’m not really sure how to title this week’s post.  Our assignment was any of the 4 topics below yet I find there are elements of all of them throughout this post.

1. #Truth ~ What truth are living by? Whose truth are you believing?

2. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ~ Unpack our scripture for the week and share with us what you learned. Use verse mapping as an optional study tool. (Click here to learn more about verse mapping from our awesome friend Heather Bleier or copy the following into your browser: http://bit.ly/11j4zW2)

3. (Pity) Party Central ~ What clues you into the fact that you are relying on your own strength in your battles with food (or any other struggle)? (Ch. 10, RQ 3)

4. Afternoon Acts of Kindness ~ In Ch. 12, Lysa encourages us to “fill our afternoons with His thoughts of love toward others” instead of wallowing in discouragement or frustration over our struggles. Do this and share how it does or does not help you.

This week didn’t go like I thought it would.  Bekah’s new job has her going and coming all times of day and night.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t drive yet so it means that as parents we are helping her get where she needs to be.   Every bit she earns helps with the cost of tuition so it is worth it besides the life lessons learned.  She is also seeing the benefit of being able to drive which is motivating her.    You need to know this, to know that today was packed as the week has been.

This morning, I went to feed the dogs and realized we were completely out of their food which tipped me over the edge.  On the way to the store, I said a prayer admitting my weakness in regards to the day and not sure how it was going to come together.   Last night slept through for the first time in several days but overslept and felt so overwhelmed which didn’t help.  I got home, feeling rushed to get breakfast so the day on the road could start.

Mid first bites of leftover oatmeal, instead of the lovely eggs my husband was making (Pity Party), Bekah’s supervisor called to let her know they didn’t have a store to practice last week’s training so she didn’t need to come in this morning.  Breathing there is room.  As a result of the cancellation, she is now able to be in charge of dinner preparations and I assist.  More space in the day.

My dad was off to the bishop’s storehouse assignment to help needy families get their food.  A friend that I had been missing (sickness and travel) works there.  There was time to put together a package of gifts that hadn’t been delivered from Christmas, something for a friend of hers that is dealing with some health challenges along with a quick note.  There wouldn’t have been time with the other schedule.

Then my business conference call for accountability, dreaded it because quite a few of the items on my list hadn’t been finished, turned into a blessing.  I’ve been having a challenge getting some of my personal development time in which is a huge motivator.  My mentor suggested using a cd in the car – why didn’t I think of that.  She also suggested mp3 and listen while I walk, of course.  She was saying that but my mind was thinking of other things that could be accomplished in the same way.  Thank you for the space that just opened in my day.  She mentioned what she had been listening too and said hey you qualified for that freebie and is sending an email on my behalf to get that for me.  She asked if I had listened to Wayne Dyer before and said no but really wanted too.  She had it sitting there for a month trying to figure out where it should go, so she is gifting that to me as well.  Something I dreaded turned into such a blessing.

Then I checked an email for my 11am appointment to register my son for co-op was actually from 1-3pm.  We had time to finish up school work before I needed to leave and I could eat lunch at home instead of Chuck E Cheese.  Fantastic because not only did we not have the money for that but home would be more nutritious.

As I finished, my son told me that he was off to walk the dogs – it is my turn today.  I told him to wait up and I would take the other dog and go with him.  Motivation was super low for walking and not quite sure where I was going to squeeze it in.  This provided the perfect incentive to get out and enjoy the sunshine.  I thanked him for helping me to accomplish a goal today that seemed impossible to do.  He even walked my 40 minute loop with me.   He loves that I listen while he talked about Mine Craft for awhile on most of our walks.  I don’t understand it but listen and try to put in good words here and there.

When we got home, my dear husband was struggling with a work related problem.  I suggested perhaps it was time to break for lunch while kneading the knots out of his shoulders.  He took me to lunch with his free money.  We had time to chat and connect.  Another tender mercy.

Dropped him off at home and left to go register Samuel for co-op and since there was time,  would go to the bookstore and figure out the title of a book that my friend asked me about.  Able to chat with a few friends at the registration that I hadn’t seen for awhile.  On to the bookstore.  The manager that recommended the title wasn’t there and I couldn’t remember the name of it.   Just as I was about to check out she came back and knew just the book I meant.  Thank goodness there wasn’t a need to make another trip back.

Here’s the truth.  If I hadn’t asked for help, would these mercies and gifts have been there?  Not really sure, they could have been.  The next question is would they have been recognized as gifts?

I’ve also been contemplating the scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, it is one of my favorites.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

It is only, when I turn to Him in my weakness can weakness be turned into strengths.  I’ve seen evidences of this throughout this day and in my life.  I do not comprehend how anyone can walk through this life without his grace or strength.  The hardest part is to remember to turn to Him and not try to carry on in my own strength.

This week I got a phone call in regards to an acquaintance, committing suicide.  My thoughts turned to the desperation she must have felt to make that choice.  I prayed for her family, friends and loved ones.  I prayed to know if there was anything that I could have been done?  The answer came that no there was nothing any mortal could have done.  The subtle whisper was that only God could have helped her but she didn’t ask or turn to Him.

There is no way to know which will be the moment that is our undoing.  I’m grateful for the whispers of comfort that come during those times of need.   I am humbled by them and the tender mercies that were shown to me today.  I’m grateful for the opportunities to be of service to others and the blessings that come as a result.   This day there have been many prayers of gratitude.

Thank you for reading until the end.  If you feel moved to do so, please share a tender mercy that you’ve experienced recently.  I hope this inspires you to look for the tender mercies in your life.

Over the years my experience with peace has changed.  Sometimes in order to feel peaceful it required a physical change in my environment whether that meant going on vacation, to a favorite spot in nature or even going to my bedroom to close the door without interruption for a period of time.  There are times when it is different, peace is as close as a few breaths, prayer, scripture or an attitude adjustment.

This week we learned about peace in regards to the numbers on the scale, exercising and having an undivided heart.  At different times, I found peace with each of these things but not to my knowledge all of them at the same time.

Numbers on the scale do not define who I am as an individual or child of God yet why do I act as if they are indicative of me.  As I read this chapter, it seemed ridiculous that I would ever think that way, yet I have.  If the numbers didn’t go down I was worthless as a human being and would pout throughout the day as a result.  WOW!  Talk about needing a little grace and LOTs of strength from God to overcome this.  I typically avoid the scale like the plague, for one see the above statement and the other because it is easy for me to believe that I’m in charge.  What I am is accountable.  Accountable for the choices of what I put in my mouth and how I move my body through out the day.  Here’s the opposing side, if the numbers did go down it was all about me all about I oh me my number one you know the song.  This week that tune has changed too one of gratitude for blessings given to help me avoid turning to food as a means of comfort, reward or any reason other than to feed my body.

Exercise and finding peace – A couple years ago I decided that I wouldn’t exercise doing something I didn’t like with the idea if I liked doing it then I was more apt to continue.  There were a few things that I enjoyed so spent my time doing them.  Along the way, I found a few other activities that I enjoyed.  Yet like everything else, it is easy to focus on the calories burned, how long it took, what is the best benefit for my body – yep I got caught up in the numbers of exercising as well.  It is time to look at the activities I enjoy again.

• Hiking has become a favorite activity living near Tahoe and California.  I’d like to explore more of the beauty here climbing mountains and taking pictures.
• We are fortunate to have temperate climate for most of the year so walking is reasonable sometimes with my dogs and sometimes without.
• My husband suggested that we take up roller skating.  It is so much fun and I’d love to do that more consistently.
• Several days a week I walk the dogs and it has been fun to make it a goal to walk further than the rest of my family.  My daughter is at dance for many hours during the week.  Some days it doesn’t make sense for me to come home again, so another mom and I are walking for almost an hour while they dance.
• I like the way my muscles feel after lifting weights and one room at the studio is filled with weights so I’m going to add that to my list as well.  I don’t even need to purchase anything.
• At the women’s conference they handed out a list of exercises to do with exercise bands that I can do for the rest of the week in the evenings it will take about 15 minutes.
• I love yoga and have a couple dvds that I love.  When I’m done I feel flexible, calm, relaxed and centered.  A side benefit of doing this is I’m better able to hear the thoughts and impressions that Heavenly Father gives me through out the day.

Having an undivided heart – Psalms 86:11-12:  Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth:  united my heart to fear thy name.  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

What does this mean to me? It means that the things I eat do not cause conflict within me;  physically, spiritually or emotionally.  An example of physical conflict would be choosing to eat something that I know will cause harm and limit my ability to serve others such as eating wheat when I’m gluten intolerant.   Emotional and Spiritual conflict would be processed sweets.   They mess with my mind and ability to think clearly.

Progress for this week:  Still working on my accountability and make good choices every day.  Walked 5 times this week and increased my time to 40 minutes or more each day.  Today my breakfast choice, while I thought it was good, was not.   Instead of freaking out, I increased my physical activity and kept the rest of my meals in a reasonable range.   Next time, I’ll stay at home and make it myself so I know what goes in it.  There is peace.  I am NOT the number on the scale.