Shane & 7 day evaluation

I have to begin by PRAISING God and sharing such exciting news. I saw SHANE today for the first time since I saw him in the hospital (one week after the accident). He has been to work (to visit) a couple of times lately but I missed him both times! He is so funny, just like before. I just about cried talking to him. We did some normal things, I was always making sure he kept busy, today was no different ;) It made my whole day happy just to spend some time with him! God has truly done us all a miracle healing that boy the way he has, and the amazing progress he continues to make all the time in his therapies shows that God isn't finished with him yet. I teased him about needing to work on his tan, and it melted my heart when he called me by name, more than once! :D Please keep praying for him & Landon to continue healing!

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Now, my 7 day evaluation on media month.

I'm not really missing Facebook, maybe Twitter and Instagram just a little bit ;) I have found I enjoy the time praying while pumping at work, rather than catching up on Facebook news or Instagram. It's all rather liberating to feel free from being up-to-date on my news feed: who's how pregnant, what's for dinner and who's in love, or depressed.

Phone. Hmm. 7 apps. Hmm. Hmmmmm!!!!! Ugh. I haven't thought yet how to RE-evaluate this yet. Seven is about simplicity. I'm doing another bible study on "living simply" as well. Only using 7 apps on my phone is not simple. As in, it doesn't make my life simpler. I understand this is a challenge..but, I need my bill reminder, and my grocery list, and my calendar, and my notes, and my reminders, and my alarm, and my flashlight. But I don't want to trade any of those for the 7 I originally chose. I'm a full-time wife, mother, and employee. IPhone apps keep my life together. Is that allowed?
I just reread in the book, though, "Usually the things we think we need, become the very things we need a break from." Is that the case here? Someone help me. Council?! We have said from month 1, day 1, do what fits the needs in your life. Maybe I should just think about it more. [sigh]

TV has been expanded to, yet limited to, the Olympics - with my cute husband - when he asks so sweetly for me to come sit with him. In the first chapter of Seven (food month), Jen says "don't be an embasile," so, I'm not going to object to sitting on the couch with my cute hubby and watching Olympic swimming or soccer that I really couldn't care less about. A few nights ago, I even fell asleep...and woke up at 330 on the couch, in the living room, lights and tv on, and I was all alone. Thanks, cute husband whom I found in the middle of our big warm bed.
I would also have to hole up in my bedroom all alone to avoid a tv, and I'm not going to do that because LB's toys are in the living room, and my kitchen is a mess 98% of the time. But, when hubby is away, we sing and dance to music instead. ;)

I'm just finding this to be all about rules, and some rules are making my life more stressful than simple. What glory am I giving to God, if all I am doing is stressing about whether or not I am following the rules? I'm looking for ways around that, but I'm not wanting to give up or give in. Suggestions?

Up Next, Media.

As far as media month goes, I'm not sure if blogging is allowed or not. I guess I'm going to work on it unless my council says otherwise. Clearly, I haven't been spending much time here anyway.

I have a great, almost-and-hopefully-will-be-amazing story from possessions month that I just felt that I needed to share:

Some back ground info first... For all of our purged posessions, we decided to have a yard sale to benefit one of our girls and her family who are moving to Burkina Faso within the next year. I thought that was meant for whatever was left after we gave our posessions to any in need.  I believe that's what she would want.  Sparing the details, a friend and I talked and agreed that we had really learned a different lessosn from this chapter, and we weren't being called to "bless the blessed" first. We felt that we needed to pray for God to reveal his plan to us for our posessions, and we prayed to find a family in Marshall County, our home community that our heart strings are tied tighty to, that could use these posessions more than we could. My dream situation (not that it matters to God, afterall) was for a 15 year old girl to receive all of my cute pre-pregnancy clothes that will never fit me again (more on that amount of clothing, later). That same evening, I went to a childhood friend's house to visit with her and her family, whom I have not seen much in a few years!  We were catching up on life and enjoying baby talk, talking about what each of us is doing these days, professionally speaking. She goes on to tell me that she works for a family preservation center, and that she has just received her first family in Marshall County. These families are living in double poverty (as she described it), and she connects them with resources to get them "back on their feet." She described the families she works with as having pretty much nothing.
Um, wow.  I almost cried. I immediately told her (and her dad, who is a preacher in a small town, and who is keeping us in mind for future meeds!) about Seven and possessions month.  She said things like this is exactly what people in her position need, every day.  She meets the family next week, and is going to let me know exactly what their specific needs are.

All the more reason to keep spreading the Seven experiment, and getting more involved!!!

My friends, please be in prayer for this family and any others, and I pray that God will point us in the right direction for others.

My personal rules for media month include:

• No tv, period.
• No Facebook, twitter, instagram (sad day), or any other social media. I'm really not all that upset about this one, I'm ready to clear my mind from some excess clutter!
• Music is reserved for only Christian music
• Phone: 7 apps. Whew! Only 7!? "For the love!" As Jen (Hatmaker, author of Seven) would say.
• "Phone" app doesn't count, because that is what it is for after all. The 7 I have chosen are: texting, fb messenger (strictly for communicating with all of my "7" girls!), camera, photos, kindle, bank, and google docs (for work mostly & other organized parts of my life). I didn't choose bible because I can use to bible in my kindle, or, wait for it.........my real bible :)
• Computer use is limited to work of course for me, and at home- budgeting program (I didn't even choose the phone app that syncs with my computer!;) ), my spreadsheets on google docs, and the occasional iTunes I guess. Oh, and, obviously this blog post.

It sounds tough, but I believe God has prepared my heart for this one, because I am READY!

In the time I would usually spend on my phone on Facebook or pinterest, I hope to pray more and to read more - bible and books. Spend more time with Jesus, and time enriching my life for me, not feening off of others' lives on Facebook, or wishing I was smart, talented, or rich enough to have or make things I see on pinterest. Or wishing I had the time to even attempt that wood-pallet deck furniture. Hmph. In the time I would normally be watching tv, catching up on DVR, I hope to spend more time still praying & reading, playing with my my babbling, goofy-as-her-daddy, baby girl, taking walks & actually exercising, and getting around to all of those crafts and projects I bought the stuff for, or that I always wanted to do, but just watched tv instead. Which pretty much only includes making hair bows. Because we really need more of those.  Lord help me.

I'm also not done with possessions month, I got the full # of items, but I didn't even get to my kitchen or garage yet! ;)

I'm also working on my wrap up of posessions month, so I guess I will post that as well before too long. :)