In His Grip

5 lbs. to 8 lbs.

So you would think that the difference between 5 lbs. and 8 lbs. is really not all that different, right?  Well I am here to tell you it makes a huge difference when it comes to the soreness of my muscles.  Okay, so call me a wimp if you want, but this week I have changed from using 5 lbs. weights at my fit camp workout to 8 lbs., and, oh my heck, my arms are killing me.  I am not sure I will be able to lift my glass of water by the end of the day.  It is going on a year now since some girlfriends and I started meeting together 3 days a week to do a "boot camp" type workout.  Sheri, she's the "coach", does the research, writes up our workouts,and  checks them out with a professional that she knows to make sure we are not hurting ourselves.  We have added some friends over the year and there is really nothing that keeps us from meeting, other than a baby up all night, too much "fun" the night before, or vacation.  Being the oldest gal there, I try to keep up with these 20 somethings, but it doesn't always work out.  However, I had a 20 something tell me this morning that if I can move to the 8 lbs. weights, she is not going to let someone her mom's age out do her.  See, I can push these young "whipper-snappers" too.

Crazy Love

"Crazy Love" is the new book that I am reading.  Okay, just to keep it real, our small group is reading it and "they" are on chapter four, and I just finished chapter two this morning.  However, I promise to be up-to-date with chapter four by our next meeting.  I have been carrying this book around for the last couple of weeks and have had several people comment on how great this book is and now that I have started it, I would have to agree.  Although, I have heard a lot of these concepts before, I am hearing them in a new way.  Maybe, just maybe, this time they will stick.  Here is what jumped off  the page to me today, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4"  I have heard this verse since I was a little girl, but today I heard it as a command and not my choice.  Just because my life, my job, or my current circumstances may be important and give me stress, this does not give me the "right" to disobey God. "Rejoice in the Lord always!" 

Three Word Thrusday

His perfect beauty!

 
 

 

 
 
 

 

No More Teenagers, Really?

Today we start, again, another chapter in our lives.  Our baby has turned 20 years old and we no longer have any teenagers.  Wow!  That went really fast and now I am a little disappointed as I kinda liked having teenagers in the house.  After all, we have had teenagers around for about 15 years.  The excitement they bring was never far away.  I am looking forward to hanging out with these great young adults that we have been blessed with.  It just makes me feel really old.  Happy 20th birthday, Anna, remember its a compliment when you know you are a "payback".  I look forward to all of the "paybacks" that you can bring our family. Love you!

Grand Canyon Glory!

Oh my heck!  I have never seen anything so breath taking as the Grand Canyon.  Wow, is all I can say.  To live in a country where we can go from the prairies of Kansas to the beauty of the Grand Canyon in  a mere 18 hours is amazing.  The beauty and grandeur is just so overwhelming it literally brought tears to my eyes.  At breakfast this morning, I told the family that I was so excited to get there I could hardly eat and they all laughed at me, but seriously, it did not disappoint.  I just could not stop snapping pictures.  But even looking back at them I realize they can in no way capture the true beauty of this creation.  Our God is truly an artist.

 

Three Word Thursday

Spring break ready!

 

Old Shutter to Supply Holder

These are the shutters that I purchased last Fall.  I gave $5 each for them.  I liked how they were weathered and the paint was all cracked.  I had this idea in my head on how I was going to use them in my studio to hold small supplies.  So this is how the looked before their transformation into their new re-purposed supply holder.

I decided to once again use the colonial red spray paint that matches the other things in my studio.  Giving the shutters a couple of light coats of paint and then allowing them to dry.

After they had dried completed, I used my handy dandy electric sander and lightly sanded off part of the paint.  I always try to make things look like they have been naturally worn so I pay particular attention to the edges and corners.  Once I was satisfied with the way that the shutters looked, I put some hangers on the back and hung them on the wall in my studio.

After hanging the shutters on the wall.  I took some jars that I have been storing supplies in and wrapped wire around the top twisting it together until it was long enough to make it into a hook.  I love the way they look hanging on the shutters and there is plenty of room to add more.  Now, this clears up some space out of one of my cabinets and I can actually see what I have. 

 

Three Word Thursday

Spring is coming!

On the "B" Team

Some of my friends and I have a joke that we are on the "B" team.  In school, I was never the first one chosen for a team sport and to be really honest, I was just hoping that I would not be the last.  My participation in sports has always been the individual kind like swimming and track.  That way I could always be on my "A" team and I was competing against my personal best.  As my life has continued, I set goals and reward myself when my best has been achieved.  After all, I am self-employed and I need to recognize a personal achievement because if I don't, no one else will.  But what about those areas of life where I really am on the "B" team and there are others out there that hands down will always do a better job?   This is when I really have to stop and realize that the success or failure of something is really not dependant on the weakest or strongest link but that 75% that is the solid middle.  "B" team players tend to be consistent and dependable not relying on their own abilities and talents but on the reliability of God.  You know, I think I am really okay with being on the "B" team.