I made a list...

 and put it on the wall.  List of what?  Just some things that I want to accomplish - at some point.  Sigh. I seem to not remember anything I want to accomplish when I have time to do them.  But looking at my list this morning, there are 12 things on there - and I thought of another one just now to add.  Now these are things that take time to complete, as a rule.  And you know how much time I have to focus on things. BUT - with that said, I DID get some things - not on my list thought! - completed last night.  I needed another skein of yarn to complete a blanket.  I was short ONE ROW!  Can you even imagine?  One row to complete - and I ran out of yarn I needed.  Anyway - after my workout last night, I headed to Michael's and picked it up. I nearly panicked though - I couldn't find it for the longest time.  And that was all I bought there.  One skein.

Then I headed to Fry's to get milk.  I kind of 'screwed up' the other day.... when I went to Safeway and got groceries.  I was carrying several things in at one time, and sat the gallon of milk on the counter in the garage.... then got distracted, and never went back to get it.  I discovered it the next morning. Yeck.  So I stopped to get milk, and a couple other things. Heading home, AND putting the milk in the refrigerator, I was able to finish up the one row that was left on the blanket.  I think this blanket is really pretty so don't think I'll donate it, but save it for a future great grandchild.  Or pass it on to my kids and let them give on to theirs.  I also got the Tovala oven out of the box and found a counter to put it on.  My kitchen is so small compared to my last one, and I just do not have counter space.  Nor cabinet space.  But I managed to find a place for the oven.  Tomorrow our first order of food is to be delivered so I need to figure out how to use it now.  I haven't connected it to the wifi yet. Yes, it connects to wifi; still not sure how it works.

This morning I have a 7:45a workout.  Legs.  Yesterday it was core.  I'll be feeling that one later! Although we only got two sets done on core.  I've got to get moving fairly soon here and get washed up and dressed to go.  I'll need to leave by 7:15a. 

Hubby apparently doesn't care for the caramel coffee I purchased. He informed me the other day that is all we have 'left' in k-cups.  Ok. Then yesterday he made a comment that was all we had.  This morning he commented again that he hoped I liked the caramel coffee as that was all we had.  Yes, I do like it, as a matter of fact.  It's nice sometimes to have a flavor versus just 'coffee', if you know what I mean.  Not all the time, but occasionally.  So - guess I will order a box of medium/dark k-cups and have shipped so hubby can stop worrying about me drinking caramel every morning. Good grief, it is only one cup!  I did find a bag of coffee last night and set it out so he did offer to make a pot of coffee in the percolator. I'll figure out how much coffee to put in the coffee pot so that he can just make a pot of coffee.  Sometimes I feel like a parent... if you know what I mean... I guess actually, I'm achieving many roles now, right?

Youngest son has invited hubby to go see a movie with him and they were going over dates/times last night, but couldn't agree on any.  Hubby suggested they just do lunch.  Then they talked about the movie again.  Some has to do with hubby's schedule of his 'appointments' and some with my son's.  And then there is the great-granddaughter needing picked up from school.  The wife was screaming she wasn't going to pick her up cause she doesn't mind her.  And I'll leave that there.  Sigh. That poor child has to listen to screaming all the time.  I'm going to let my son know that if she can be picked up and dropped off here, I'll 'entertain' her while they go to the show.  If I'm working still, I have an ipad with the kids things on it (belongs to my daughter for the granddaughter) that she can sit in here and watch until I'm done.  I got it covered. 

Well, THAT was an interruption!  Ms. Vicky called to tell me our street was flooded and she had called two people on the board and they didn't pick up their phone (at 5:30a no less!)  Well.... I told hubby, and we went outside and it isn't flooded.... the neighbor across the street has a sprinkler head broken and the water is running out.  Either that or it - and looking at the size of that puddle - it could be a broken pipe.  While we were standing there looking at it (me in my jammies in the courtyard, and hubby dressed (thank goodness!) the neighbor came out and said she had already called the landscaper and he was on his way to fix it.  Teach hubby to be a once upon a time board president!  But why involve me?  Right? But then, Ms. Vicky calls me for a lot of things. The 'danger' of being neighbors with older women, right? LOL

My entire train of thought has gone off the edge now.  I get so caught up in my 'own little world' here in the mornings, that sometimes interruptions like this, that cause me to get up out of my chair and do something else, makes the thoughts fly out the brain faster than they got there!

I mentioned to Morgan last night that I was toying with the idea of having a women's bible study at our house on Tuesday nights.  She surprised me.  She immediate said "I will come if you do!"  I had to repeat it twice to make sure I heard right. I hadn't expected that!  So maybe that is my sign that I need to find a good bible study and start check for maybe 3-4 other women.  I'll let it ride for the moment.

My legs woke me up this morning - well, about 3a I think it was.  Not the seering pain down the bones like it was before, but the muscles themselves, and it wasn't from working out. It wasn't workout soreness, but pain soreness, if that makes sense.  I am wondering if it is the inflammation that showed up on the last CRP test... I think that is the test. I do have that test scheduled for myself at SQL on September 1st.  It was 3.4 or was it 4.5 before.... and that is high.  I will take both test results to Dr. Mark when I go see him in September.  Need to get this inflammation down - and also find out what is going on. I still say it is from the scorpion or bug bites from about 4 years ago.  I still get the pin pricks in that area throughout the day and night.  No bumps, so they can't 'see' anything wrong... but it's inside and that is what frustrates me.  How do I tell them what is wrong when they can't see it?  I don't even know what kind of test they could do to find out what it is and how to fix it.  But I do need to get rid of the inflammation in my body.  Need to do more research, I guess.  Haven't looked in a long while.  Whatever bit me, bit about 15 times in the same area.  The two antibiotics I was prescribed, and the cream, took care of the itching and pain, but did nothing for the inflammation inside.  Even forced the dermatologist to do a biopsy of the area, but it came back with nothing.  Of course I couldn't get in to see the PCP I had at that time, and then I changed to Dr. Mark. Oh well, something for me to deal with.

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)  This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  

We should rejoice in every day for it is a day that we can 'do over' and 'do better', right?  Sometimes that's hard, but we have a choice.  Make it better - or make it worse.  I choose better!

And with that - I need to get dressed for my workout - don't want to go in my jammies!

Have an amazing day - and be kind to someone; you don't know what they are going through.

Blessings!

She made me sweat!

 I had HIIT yesterday morning and Morgan didn't even take her clipboard - she made it up as we went along!  That is always dangerous when you have Morgan as a trainer!  Let's see, what did I do?  Oh - yeah, we started with the ropes.  Bend knees, move arms in and out, moving the ropes.  Two sets.  30 seconds each.  Oh, then, let's do 10 jumping jacks. She knows I hate them. I hated jumping jacks in PE in high school.  I still don't like them.  Now let's move on to the 25# ball that you squat, pick up, and roll over one shoulder, then squat, pick up, and roll over the other shoulder.  Then let's move on to the 10# flat ball in which you squat, pick up the ball, raise above your head, and slam it to the ground.  (that has helped when I have been angry at 'someone' and needed to get it out of my system!)  From there let's move on to a 16 lb kettlebell in each hand, and walking the length of the hall and when I get to the end, continuing to hold the kettlebells, squat for 30 seconds, then continue walking back.  And lastly, there is the step.  Holding the 10# ball out in front, step on with both feet, then step off with both feet.  30 seconds.  And then, let's start with the ropes and do it again!!  I was dripping sweat - and I don't sweat!!  My hair was wet!  And Morgan laughed and said she was doing her job.  But she did say that with two sets of all these that my stamina has increased greatly.  I certainly hope something has increased!  It was a good HIIT.

I should have taken a shower when I got home, but did not cause I needed to get on the work computer. Now I have to jump in the shower this morning as today will be a busy day - at least this morning.  I have an orthodontist appointment to get new liners and see how these did the first two weeks of wearing them. I know they gave me a lot of headaches so they have to be moving my teeth. It has kept me from snacking so much.  I can't wear them while drinking anything other than water (which means I take them out every morning to drink my coffee and brush my teeth before putting them back on)  Then out for any meal.  I can't even drink my tea without taking them out. It's a nuisance, but I'm obeying the instructions as best I can.  Drink only water with them in.  Wear 24x7 as much as possible.  Any food or any other drink, take them out.  If I understand correctly, today I should get enough liners for a month or so, changing out every two weeks, then go back for them to check ... I don't know for sure, obviously; I've only worn these liners two weeks. 

Once I get back home, it will be to check messages on the computer then at 10a head out with hubby to Tempe to take him to the dental lab. I'm hoping it will only take a few minutes and they aren't running behind or anything.  I didn't take the day off as I thought I might.  Just didn't want to waste (in my opinion) my day driving him to appointments if I'd only be gone a couple hours.  I rarely eat lunch away from the desk so technically, I have made up my time many times over.  Now I do consider taking the day off to have lunch with my son.... don't think I will, but am considering it, even now.  I need to see if there are other things I need to do and if so, I'll make that decision.  I want to not watch the clock... but it will also depend if I have things for work that need to be done.  I have time to make that decision.  

Did you realize how powerful prayer is?  Sometimes we take prayer for granted and just blurt out a few words and consider it 'done'.  I've been beating myself up for some time now.  For years I would go into my quiet time and fall on my knees and spend hours (yes, literally hours) praying.  Never worried about falling back to sleep.  Over the years, one of the mentors I had shared that she wrote out her prayers and how it was good to look back and see how God has answered those prayers.  I understood that, so I started writing out my prayers, versus getting on my knees.  And I have regretted it ever sine.  Why? Not because God doesn't answer when I write them out, He does still answer my prayers.  BUT.... I feel I have lost the closeness I always felt when on my face before Him.  I'm being honest here, but does that make sense?  

That is one reason I want to teach Discipleship or another class.  I pray the most when I need His help in doing things.  Teaching a class forces me to focus, to seek Jesus's hand, to seek His face.  I am totally dependent upon Jesus to get through a class - or preaching for that matter.  Some books will grab me and I get on my face to talk with Jesus.... but the next day or so, here I am back in my chair, a shawl over my shoulders, a blanket over my legs, cup of coffee on the table, and I'm snuggled in..... comfortable.  Why would I want to get up?

Yes, I know I'm rambling... but continuing on....I have no medical condition that keeps me off my knees.  The only condition I have is laziness.  I know part of my 'issue' is the waiting for hubby to get up and bring in my coffee.  He has insisted on doing that for years and it's easier not to 'argue' with him that I can get my own coffee, if I want it.  But I've noticed in the past year or so... like this morning, as I sat here writing out my prayer for today, (it's usually about that time when he comes in), he comes in and starts talking to me. How did I sleep? He didn't sleep well. Did he keep me awake? He's sorry if he did. I don't really have to respond to him. He will continue to tell me how he tossed and turned, how many times he got up, and what time did we want to leave for.... and then he will walk out. I've lost my train of thought in my prayers.  Even in writing them out.  I've tried doing prayers first, but I'm still sleepy and I do tend to want to keep the eyes closed and go back to sleep.  And have.  So I do my reading first. Then write out my prayers.  Hubby will sometimes get up right after I do, and other times he will sleep in another 30-60 minutes.   Why am I telling you all this?  I don't know.

I guess I need to figure out how I can get on my knees for my prayers and quit writing... and feel like I won't be interrupted.  Oftentimes I think I will wait until after I get the coffee, and hubby leaves the room, then I can truly focus... but if I don't start doing something, I don't have time to write in here, and since I've been writing daily versus years ago I'd do it on occasion... maybe I should just pray about it and ask Jesus what I should do?  

Matthew 6:6 (ESV)  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Yes, I come into this room and shut the door.  And I pray, always.  But I'm missing that 'closeness' that I have always felt. Is there sin in my life?  Not that I haven't confessed and repented of.  I don't know... I just want to go back to when I first fell in love with Jesus and devoted all my time to Him.  And back then, I didn't write in this blog. I didn't get on the computer at all.  I read scripture, meditated on it, wrote down what I got out of it as a prayer to God.  Yes, I learned that from Discipleship.

Sometimes it is worth going back to the beginning of your walk so that you can fall in love with Jesus all over again.  Not that I have ever stopped loving Jesus, I haven't.  But I want more of Him.  I don't want to be complacent with where I am with Him.  I want more of Jesus.  I have heard His voice.  I have heard Him speak my name. When you have had that experience, nothing else matters and you want more.  Always more.

Lord Jesus, Your Word says that if I draw near to God, He will draw near to me.  I believe Your Word. Help me find what I am looking for in my heart. Total surrender. Emotions, will, desires.  Everything. I seek after You with all my heart.  I long to hear Your voice.  Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.

A bit personal, perhaps, but honestly is always the best policy, right?  Are you desiring to hear His voice? Sometimes we just need to sit and be quiet.  This is why I always long for my time without distractions....  I remember that Susanna Wesley (John Wesley wife) - they had numerous children, and every day she would sit in her rocking chair and put her apron over her head (back then, women wore aprons all the time, they needed to!) and the children knew not to disturb her, that was her prayer time. She shut her eyes from distraction (by putting the apron over her face), and focused on God.  Oh that we all would do the same!

I pray that you find the time, the space, the opportunity to just sit with Jesus and tell Him all that you desire.  And then just sit there and listen.  May you hear His voice; it is the best thing ever.  We get so rushed to get on with our day, we forget to listen.  Take time to just sit before Him.  Listen... you just may hear the answer you are seeking.

Blessings!

I'm going to do it -

 I'm going to get a short note put in here early this morning.  And yes, I'm still taking my computer with me, in case I have the opportunity to get on here without a lot of questions.  We're up at 4AM this morning; ok, maybe it was 4:10AM.  I have been awake most of the night - don't know why.  I'm not anxious about the trip. I have nearly all my things packed and ready to go.  I still need to take a shower and wash my hair this morning.  Hubby needs to shower too, but because I said I was going to wait until about 5AM, he said he was too.  We have plenty of time this morning before being picked up at 6:45AM. I have pulled the things we're taking out of the freezer and they are thawed out this morning - lots to munch on during the trip if wanted - oatmeal raisin cookies, pumpkin scones, brownies, and cranberry pumpkin nut bread.  What isn't eaten on the way there will be eaten while there, I'm sure.  

My HIIT workout was tough last night - I actually sweated!  I usually don't sweat, I just 'glisten' - but last night it must have been warm in there as well for I actually had sweat flowing.  Does it mean Morgan gave me a great workout?   We ended up going to El Pollo Loco for dinner - dang! Their prices have certainly gone up since we have been there!  Hubby got his usual 3 piece meal and she charged us 15.99 for it!  What happened to the 10.99 it used to be?  They remodel the place; perhaps they need to pay for it now? We won't be going back for awhile.  I got the chicken tostado salad and it was $14.99 - and of course both included drinks.  It's getting too expensive to eat out anymore as well.

I did buy my yarn yesterday at Hobby Lobby but I'm going to try something and see if my youngest will accept it.  I'm not going to even attempt to do a round afghan at this point.  I think I will do a lap blanket as it is for the grandmother.  I bought the colors they use - black white yellow blue and turquoise.  I'm going to do the stripes as I usually do - but will see if I can't figure out a different design - if not - the V stitch it will be.  Hope that will work out as it is in my mind.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV):  Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Hubby and I always pray before we start out on a trip and this morning will be no exception.  We probably will be riding in different cars, and with people who don't believe in God.  But they will.  In time. Yeah, they are on the 'prayer list'.  Anyway- hubby and I will spend time praying here for our trip before we leave.  We both may be bold enough to pray before we actually get on the road, there is never too much prayer.  God is good, and He is faithful.  If He can love and rescue someone like me, He loves you already, and He can and will rescue you, if you ask Him.

Grateful that we can pray and put the trip in God's hands and not in the driver.  As you know, many people never make it to their destination.  And yes, it doesn't mean that accidents can't or won't happen and Christians are taken anyway, even if they prayed first.  But I am more confident in where I'm going and being ready when I pray, than I am when I don't.  Think about that. If you are going on a trip and someone isn't praying over you, you may need to find someone to do that.  Lucky for my children, they know mama is praying for them as they travel. Whether they want it or not.

And with that - I must get off here and keep moving to be ready to head out the door.  Still have two hours before pick up but need to shower and dress and make sure I have everything.  

At least I gave you something to read.  And, if you think about it, would you please whisper a short prayer for travel mercies as we travel to New Mexico today.  It is a long trip and sitting in a car that long - definitely won't be getting my steps in today!  Thank you - appreciate the prayers!

Blessings!

Did I really think....

 that I would be more alert today than yesterday?  What was I thinking?  We got to bed about 9PM, which is later than our usual, but not bad... at 9:30PM my watch was going off... I looked to see what it was and it was a call coming in from our neighbor across the street.  I had to think about it - then understood why she was calling... hubby had left the garage door up again.  So I got up, shut the garage door, then came back to bed - and couldn't get right back to sleep.  Finally did, and then, of coures, I struggled to get up this morning.  Missed the 4AM wakeup again, but got up before 4:30AM.  Hubby got up about 5AM and I was getting ready to run out the door to the gym for my workout.  At least with having an appointment, it makes me go to the gym!  My arms are mush!  

Hubby just left to meet a friend for breakfast, then he will go get his workout.  I had a talk with him last night about our trip.  I just flat out told him it was noticeable by others that he is struggling to do normal things.  He will talk about the same thing several times.  He is much slower moving about.  Seems confused about what is going on at times.  His eating is moreso what I noticed this weekend.  I told him he shocked me, as he was 'out of control' on Sunday.  For breakfast he had fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and about 6 strips of bacon - his plate was piled up.  THEN he ate a whole bagel with a pack of cream cheese on each part.  Then when we stopped to grab lunch at Subway, he got a footlong chicken teriyaki sandwich, chips, and a drink.... and ate a large Payday and asked for a large Snicker too (I refused him the Snicker!). He never eats like that - a plateful of food, yes, but two hours later eat a foot long sandwich? Never.  I told him it surprised me.  And I told him as well that his mental capacity is scaring me, for I don't know what to do.

I'm going to change our diets, for one thing.  I've been reading 'The Mind Diet' which is a combination of the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH diet.  I've heard more and more doctors share that eating the Mediterranean Diet is more healthy than most other diets.  Anyway, of course I have a book, so was reading on it last night and am really going to try and watch what we eat.  I need it as well as hubby does.

Work was horrendously busy yesterday - got through all the emails and was super busy all day.  About 3:15PM I felt like I was about to crash (I had worked straight through) so I decided a short nap was due - laid on the bed and crashed for 30 minutes!  Took me another half hour to finish up on things and shut down for the sya.  I need to get in there in the next couple minutes and get started on today's work.  Still had some leftover from yesterday.  Another busy day ahead of me.

I am off work this Friday... ugh.... I'd rather work.  Colonoscopy time is almost here.  NOT looking forward to it. But since I've met all my deductibles... need to get everything done this year that needs to be done, right? It doens't cost me anything - or very little - because my deductible has been met. Justa few more weeks, though, and I'm off for 6 work days!  Whoo hoo!  I wasn't looking forward to it so much before, but now, I'm so tired, I just want to do nothing for awhile and regain my strength.  Changing my diet I hope will help.  And continuing to work out.

I guess I'm not totally back in sync yet, and I apologize... but I have 3 minutes to get signed on my work computer so need to stop and get to the back room.  

Hope you have an amazing day -

Blessings!