Preparing for the church season of Lent

To begin with I am not Catholic....  There is a large Catholic community here that observe this season.  I have been asked the question for many years about what I would be giving up for the season so that started my journey to know more about Lent.

I am a protestant pastor's wife in the Southern Baptist tradition.

We don't do Lent in the traditional manner with Ash Wednesday and fish on Fridays and such.  Lent is something I came to terms with as an adult so I don't tend to be traditional in my approach.  I don't celebrate or observe it out of any obligation but more out of a respect for how it can focus our thoughts on the coming Resurrection Sunday observance.  It is the biggest day in the Christian list of observed holidays.  

Some years I give something up and some years I add a new habit or goal to work through.  I am currently reading the Bible through again this year in the NASB translation.  I have completed Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and will complete Deuteronomy by the second week of March.  I decided on a list of three things this year that I will focus on.

Over the forty days of Lent I will...

1.  Give up clutter  

I am taking the challenge of 40 Bags in 40 Days and will be cleaning and clearing my home of one bag of trash, giveaway or donate items, or boxes of books per day.

2.  Read a book per week 

chosen from this stack of books.... I am starting with the Prayer 101 by Warren Weirsbe.

3.   Focus on healthier eating

trying some new recipes each week and working through some new menu planning to get back on track with my eating.  I am moving back toward a more paleo way of eating... with the exception of potatoes and rice and maybe the odd bowl of granola from time to time.  

I have added a daily green smoothie to the morning routine.  

I have reestablished my nutritional supplement routine, too.

Fresh Start... a brand spanking new month

September seems to be one of those months where we all get a clean slate... a fresh start... a new beginning.  I read an article called September is Our Other January by Gretchen Rubin.  I totally agree!  I agree so much I ordered a used copy of her book entitled Happier at Home.  I decided to read her books backwards.  Ha!  I started with her book on habits and might actually wind up with her happiness book before it is all said and done.  My plan is to work through it during the school year starting with.... you guessed it... the month of SEPTEMBER!  It should arrive by the end of this week.  It was back ordered so that must mean someone else had the same plan as I do.  

This month is full of plans so here is the list I am striving to accomplish this month.

I have restarted Flylady...

yes, again!  

Stop laughing...  

I know I am ADD but it is in my Bullet Journal now so it WILL get done!  

I am home days by myself now and I can actively work through the Flylady daily tasks and weekly challenges along with the deep cleaning lists she has on her website.  It helps that I have her book also.  I picked it up a few years ago and started reading through it when I realized she was referencing another book in it.  The book is called Sidetracked Home Executives.  I rushed to the library to find that book instead and read it cover to cover in about three days.  It totally prepared my thinking for the Flylady plan and I have been ruminating on it since that time.  I don't like the cards as much as the printed list so I prefer Flylady's Control Journal instead.  I have slowly made changes but I think I want to speed the process along more this year with all this "free" time on my hands.  

Hope you caught that sarcasm there...  ;)  I seem busier with the children and hubby out of the house than with them in the house!  It is a totally baffling turn of events.  

I have set up my days a little better this week and have added a structured Bible reading/walking/cleaning routine to my mornings.  The Bible part is the easiest surprisingly, because it was already a pretty standard habit. The walking is the hardest so far... but I enjoy that thinking time very much.  I am sore and a bit more tired in the afternoons from it but the old body will adjust soon enough.  It helps with the arthritis to move first thing in the mornings in a purposeful exercise oriented way.  

The habit of each thing is the key.  As Rubin states in her book on habits, the starting of a new habit takes thought and work but once it becomes a real habit it goes to cruise control.  I am hoping for cruise control mornings so I can enjoy some fun projects and down time in the afternoons soon.  The evenings are still hectic as we try to get everyone into the habit of coming home, grabbing a snack and getting to work on homework until dinner and then back to it after dinner.  After such a sporadic summer it is taking some time to work into that again.  

For the month of September I have four review books to finish and one that is done but needs a post for later in the month.  I need to set some exercise goals and make a plan for a sewing project that does not include sewing patches on a uniform!  LOL  The patches kill me... I have two to do today.  These Boy Scouts are earning them faster than I can put them on.  I have yarn and I know how to use it... I just need to get to it!  

As for the me time.... I have found a few things I will be enjoying in the afternoons while I fold clothes and crochet soon.  I am a HUGE Inspector Morse fan.  I like the spin off of that series, too, with his partner... Inspector Lewis.  The books were written by Colin Dexter and the BBC filmed the series years ago but there is a new one.... a young Morse as a Constable and it is called Endeavour.  I AM IN LOVE WITH THAT SHOW!!!  There are two seasons (8 episodes) up on Amazon Prime and I am hoping the third will be added soon.  I also found out that 

I also have a series that got past me a few years ago but now that I have discovered them they will be coming through Netflix DVD in the mail...  Lark Rise to Candleford.  As one of my friends says, "Those shows with the long dresses and British accents...."  She is more of a kill it, scare it, blow it up kind of girl.  LOL  She keeps trying to add Zombies to my life.... no thanks!  ;)

I have rambled enough for one day...  time to work the plan I am trying to start this month.  

For all the books I will be reviewing you can find them in the right hand column as you scroll down.  As I review them I will remove them from there and add new ones as they come.  I am hoping to get caught up and do some "for fun" reading, too, this month.  I enjoy the review books but I have a huge stack of other things I want to read, too.  

I am always taking video and book suggestions so feel free to leave me comments with your suggestions or questions or anything really... anytime.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely week!