Gratitude

So I didn't exactly post last week.  That might be because I had BOMBED on the week before with moderation. But life is about moving on.  We have good weeks and bad weeks.  It is all about how we handle what life throws at us. So, instead of giving up on this whole self-improvement process, I'm chalking it up to a bad week and pushing on. Last week's goal to work on was "Affection".  The suggestions were that we  show people, especially family, extra affection.  Since Bob is the only one of my family around, I did pretty good.  I did try to straighten things up around the house and make myself presentable before he got home. Since he is out all day working hard to support our family, when he was home I tried to make sure he had everything he needed from a drink of water, to a Diet Coke, to cookies. I even made really good dinners for him. I wish I had the rest of my family around so that I could show more affection to them. BUT, I am so happy with all my kids and the things they are doing with their lives.

This weeks goal is "Gratitude". This week try to focus on your blessings. As you go through each day pay attention to what you have to be grateful for. Express your gratitude to family, friends and above all thank your Father in Heaven for the blessings in your life.  Look for the positive and good things around you.  They are there you just have to look and find them.  Even when things seem bad and you're depressed and overwhelmed, look for what you DO have and be grateful for it.
I personally have so much to be grateful for in my life. I have the world's most amazing husband.  I have no doubt that he would walk to the ends of the earth and back for me. As I already mentioned, I have been blessed with 3 awesome kids. They have always brought joy to my life.  That doesn't mean we haven't had issues over the years, but for the most part the have brought us very little grief.  The are all strong in the church and have amazing testimonies. What else could I ask for? I also have Katrina who is a great wife to my son and is an incredible mom to my beautiful granddaughter McKinley. All my friends always told me how great it was to be a grandma and they weren't lying. I am also grateful for my parents and siblings (all 7 of them) not to mention all my nieces and nephews.

This week I will  find things to be grateful for every day. I will remember to gives thanks for the many blessings that I have and acknowledge the hand of God in my life.

Moderation in ALL Things

Week four in my quest for self improvement brings the most difficult goal so far.  But first, let me recap last weeks "Love Thy Neighbor".  I did take time to visit with one of my neighbors out by the mailbox.  I also baked bread and had Bob deliver it to 2 neighbors.  I still have plenty of room for improvement in this area. So this brings me to this weeks goal "Moderation". The book recommended taking a food that you have a hard time with and giving it up for a week.  Well.....that's NOT what I'm doing.  I am taking a different approach.  We can all benefit for learning to take things in moderation in many aspects of our life.  Yes food is a major area that I need to practice moderating.  However, what about spending money in moderation or watching TV in moderation.  This week I have chosen to try and take all things in moderation.  I will turn the TV off more and opt for the radio. I will also work on my eating in moderation however, polishings off the bag of Lays potato chips at 11:00 pm last night probably was not a good start to my week.  I will let you know how it works out.  If anyone else is trying this approach to New Year's goal setting, I would love to hear how you are doing.

Love Thy Neighbor

My report for last week's goal of "Prayer" is mixed. I feel like I did try to add more meaning to my prayers but I could still use some practice on frequency of having them, especially in the morning. I will continue to work on this.  Maybe I should go back to the "prayer rock" used by primary kids. If I set a rock by the side of my bed, maybe when I jump out and kick it, I will remember. More likely however, I'll just trip over it in the middle of the night.

So the goal I am working on this week is "Neighbors".  It is much harder for me than "Smile" and "Prayer."  I am perfectly fine in my little comfort zone.  I have my friends and I am comfortable in my own little groove. So, the challenge is to "Choose several neighbors and serve them" . It suggests that if I have neighbors that are difficult to love make them the recipients of even greater service.  This goal will require me to actually take time to possibly talk to my neighbors.  It isn't that I don't like them, it is just that we all have stuff in our lives that keeps us busy.  I will however, try this week to do something for at least one of my neighbors.  BUT, aside from the people that live around us we have "neighbors" in many aspects of our life. Maybe this week, take time to do things for the people you interact with on a daily basis at work or school.  Even a little phone call or short visit to someone in your life can have a great impact. So, this week look for opportunities to bless the lives of people around you.

As for the rest of  my life, things are moving right along.  I am trying to get my house under control by taking it a room at a time. I am hoping to be done by February 1. Yesterday after a 3 month break I went for a run. Wow! How quickly my body forgot. I am SORE today. I have great plans for this year and am excited to tackle them.

It's a New Year!!!

The holidays have come and gone. We had a wonderful season and I hope you all did as well. Trevor and Kara both home from school and then the day after Christmas we headed for Provo to see Samuel, Katrina and McKinley.  McKinley is growing up so fast and is smart as a whip. Did I mention how cute she is? Samuel and Katrina are also doing well.  While in Provo we also saw Serena and Matt and Aimee (with a couple of kids). When we left Provo we headed south to visit the family down there. It was a whirlwind trip but it was great to see everyone.
So, now everyone is back at school and Bob and I are back to being empty nesters. We actually sat down and made a few New Year's resolutions this year. Just like everyone else, I'm a little sick of the SAME old resolutions every year.  You know the "I'm going to lose weight", "I'm going to get more organized" and goals of that sort. So, several years ago I picked up a self-improvement journal that has 52 things to work on. You take one goal to work on each week. The first week was "Smiling". It states "A smile can turn the world around". You are supposed to work on smiling when you're with others, alone, with strangers and especially when you don't feel like it.  Remember "Fake it til you make it!" Week 2 is prayer. Remember to pray always and always have a prayer in your heart.  This week work on having sincere daily prayers.
I will attempt to update every week with the goal of the week in case any of your wish to join in.