Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday:
How is your new week's resolution going? Myself? I'm finding that when I resolve to do something, I get tested on it every time. Does that ever happen to you?
So my resolution this week has been to find bliss in the everyday situations and to rely on grace in difficult circumstances.
Last Friday night my 11 year old came down with a terribly high fever. 104.3. She was ok at school on Friday other than a sore throat, but that's common in the Ohio Valley this time of year. Allergies rock your world around these parts!
Saturday morning I took her to the doctor. She tested positive for strep. No big surprise. She also was diagnosed with mono. As the doctor was feeling around in her abdominal area, she could already feel the swelling around her liver and other organs. Apparently mono can cause this! So, no running cross country for her, no bouncing on the trampoline... pretty much it's been just resting and reading and sitting by the fire.
Her white cell count was 18! Acceptable level is 10. At 20 they would have admitted to the hospital. She's 11 years old, but she doesn't weigh much...she's pretty tiny.
So this weekend the whole house had to be cleaned. All the laundry had to be done. The plans we made were obviously cancelled. So by the time Magnificent Monday rolled around, my heart was a bit down.
But you know what? Even in all of this, we are so blessed! Our kiddos aren't ill with sicknesses that can't be cured with medications and home made love. Our medical bills don't threaten our financial peace. We are so blessed by grace! And when I stop to think of this marvelous grace we've been given... I find that place of peace... my bliss!
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31 things in 31 days
I want to give you a little pre-holiday season challenge... I call it 31 things in 31 days.
If we begin October 1 and work through October 31 we can clear 31 unnecessary things out of our life within a short amount of time. Here are the guidelines:
* Pick one thing every day that you haven't used in at least 6 months (unless it's seasonal).
* Determine if it can be recycled or repurposed.
* Determine if it's in good enough condition to be donated to charity or to a clothes closet.
* Determine if it holds sentimental value to you.
Once you've considered these things and you're convinced that you won't miss this item once it's gone... determine to get rid of it.
Here are some areas to consider: toys, shoes, clothing, household decor, kitchen utensils and uni-taskers, odds and ends, extra car parts (am I the only lady that has these in the garage?), old coloring books that aren't used any more, books, furniture, kitchen dish ware.
The list can be anything that gives you that feeling of frustration every time you have to move it out of the way, find a place to store it, haven't worn it for several months because it needs repair...
I try to get my husband and my family involved in this too. What I find is that by November 1, when I'm starting to put out things for the holidays, my home is less cluttered and I feel more like celebrating the season at hand, instead of feeling overwhelmed by it!
31 things in 31 days? Can you do it? Together we can achieve our goals!
Let's replace negative clutter with positive organization!
Together we live...
Only By His Grace,
Billie
If you want to participate with me, leave a comment and we'll share updates of our progress!
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