11 Days In

The fort

Hi y'all. This is the first of my weekly updates on my Project 50. I'm 11 days in and still going strong. It hasn't been all smooth sailing but I'm still swimming. Lordy Pete y'all. I must be the laziest sun of a gun you have ever run across. I just hate to exercise. I used to do it all of the time so I know I'll get used to it again. But man. The excuses I can come up with to put off climbing those stairs and getting on that treadmill. As far as self care goes I've been a rock star this week. I've made an appointment with my dentist and my primary care doctor. and I have taken my vitamins everyday. Been reading my Bible and my library book everyday. Y'all I organized my laundry room/pantry. I took everything out and started from scratch and it looks so pretty. My kids know I am serious because they haven't thrown one stitch of clothes on the floor for a week. Now I have started on my bathroom. We had our first family date night. Epic fort night. I used craft stick and wrote down all the date night ideas and let the kids draw a stick out of the jar to decide what we will do next. When I did it I imagined their eyes would sparkle and they would thank me for coming up with clever ways for us to enjoy spending time together. My 15 year old drew out his stick with a simple idea of taking a night time walk with flashlights. This was perfect for him because he loves flashlights and has bout a dozen of them. I thought he would be happy. Instead he dropped the stick and rolled his eyes and said "cant you come up with more age appropriate activities? I'm 15 years old. I don't want to take a walk. Its not what teen agers do." I tried to explain to him that every  idea does not have to be elaborate. Just look for ways for us to spend time together. Teen agers don't walk? He huffed to his room muttering things about baby stuff and being treated like an adult. okie dokie then. My nine year old seemed to understand that my feelings were bruised. So he sat by me at the table and rubbed my back mummering "I'll take a walk with you mom. I'll take a night walk"  I worked a little on home improvement. My friend Steven has been helping me because let's face it y'all, I'm not handy.  I'm clumsy and I break stuff. Home maintenance  and repair are not in my wheelhouse. So he has been replacing blinds and screens and fixing door knobs and hinges. Mostly I have been making lists and picking up supplies and following him around watching him while he does the work. But I feel like we (and by we I mean Steven) are making progress. I have written two letters and matched up 2 facebook friends. I started on my welcome bag project and my carl Jensen project. For the first time in years I put money in my savings account. I signed Walter up for naughty dog classes. All in all not a bad start. I am also keeping in mind that this is real life. Tonight we are waiting out a blizzard. School has been cancelled for tomorrow. So instead of working on my list We are drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and squirting it in each others mouths. We are watching movies in blankets on the floor and talking about what fun stuff we could do tomorrow. Because I want to be consistent and meet my goals. But I also want to be present and enjoy the moments in front of me. I'll leave you with a list of 50 for the week. Not fifty ways to leave your lover. Fifty ways for you to discover ...
Fifty things I love:
1. The smell of sunscreen
2. When my very big boys come into my room to hang out and talk
3. Road trips
4. John Mayer (You knew that)
5. Seeing my favorite books on the shelf at the the library. Like meeting an old friend
6. When my dog lays his head on my chest to wake me up in the morning. I act annoyed but I like it.
7. Songs that remind me of childhood
8. Doing impressions of people
9. Public speaking
10. Making lists
11. The notes my children write me
12. Sitting in hot tubs
13. Announcing the first gift of Christmas on Christmas morning ( Like on the Polar Express)
14. Holy moments - When something happens and you know in the deepest part of you that it was a moment designed by God. A conversation, an event, a meeting, an occurrence that The Holy Spirit just breathed on. Even if you don't  believe in God you have had these moments that you know are bigger than you.
15. McDonald's coffee
16. Mayonaise
17. Forgivness
18. Best friends
19. Inside jokes
20. Learning from my mistakes
21. The smell of cigarette smoke - I don't smoke. I haven't for almost 19 years. I never will again. But I like the way cigarette smoke smells
22. Singing in my car really loud
23. Journals, note pads, stationary, pens, pencils
24. Being outside in the middle of the night when the world is asleep
25. Pinterest
26. A certain man
27. Parties
28. Google - always helping me with the spelling of words and the directions. Thanks Google
29. My friend Andrew who loves me even though I am a dork and always makes fun of John Mayer
30. The beach
31. Hotels
32. The pastors who have influences my faith and my life and made me want to go after God. Pastor Cleetus - Even though our paths have divided and we don't remotely believe the same things anymore. I am greatful for a time when I believe we did see eye to eye  and things were different. Pastor Aaron - who found me when I was broken. Pastor Jeff - Who uncovered my incredible stubborn streak and softened my need to always be right. And Pastors Brent and Tani - Who always believed in me.
33. Soft blankets
34. Hearts
35. The gift of a daughter
36. All of the people who were parents to me. Including Aunts and grandmothers and step parents and birth parents and mothers and fathers of my own choosing
37. The color yellow
38. Narnia
39. The gift of reading. It came very late for me. But oh the places I have been and the things I have learned from books
40. Facebook
41. John Oliver (Sorry my conservative friends. He's funny as heck and mostly right on point)
42. Christmas
43. The 4th of July
44. Work trips
45. Cool old houses
46. This really old show that used to come on PBS staring Sam Waterson called I'll Fly Away. Best show ever.
47. Cutting to the chase
48. Mercy and Grace
49. The river of souls (stole that from the one and only Randy Stonehill) running through my life who add to the beauty (stole that from the one and only Sara Groves) and make this life half as hard and twice as good (Sarah Groves again).
50. My children

Exercising

Laundry room before

Laindry room after