letting go.

you'll have to excuse these "mama" tears.
I know it's just another "thing"
Our computer decided to start acting up.
Yes it was old.
Yes we've had it almost 6 years.
Yes it had all the videos of the welcoming of Malachi. birth video. newborn baby stuff.
Yes it had 6 years of pictures.
Yes it had many many many things such as all of my flip videos of the kids over the last couple years.
yes it froze up
yes it died.
no it can't be saved.
no they can't retrieve it.
no.
oh no.
:*(
it's gonna take me awhile to get over it.
a
very
long
while
to let it go.

crying and linking up at Just Write

Bless it forward....

Some time ago - I decided to set aside a little extra money each pay check (not tithe money...not emergency money...)and yes it was a VERY little....but I thought - one thing that makes me truly happy - is that feeling that i've somehow made someone ELSE happy!
LIFE CAN BE SO VERY DAILY....ya know?!

That whole "pay it forward" type of thing... I've always wanted to tell some struggling mom in line at the grocery store...you know the one...scraping quarters from her purse to pick up that gallon of milk or dozen eggs..."Hey..I've got this one covered!" and just pick up the tab.
Why? Because I've been there!

Or hand some newly-wed looking couple a roll of quarters at the laundry mat - why? because I've been there!

I'd like to be the lady who leaves a BIG tip for a cheap cup of coffee - knowing that the waitress is just barely surviving - why? yeah..you know the answer!

But I realized that unless I intentionally set aside a couple extra dollars with that very intention....I'll never get to do it!

So - today I zipped over to ebay and got a little thing to send to a "friend" whom I've never met...only by blog...
It's nothing huge. but you'd think it was Christmas for me. lol I am so excited that she's gonna get a little package for her new house. and i pray that her family is blessed by it!! HOW FUN!!! :)

so...
maybe my "snapoutofit" challenge is simply going to be...to live more INTENTIONALLY.
Intentionally save money.
Intentionally give money.
time.
love.
& even just smiles.
INTENTIONALLY!
I'm gonna intentionally snapoutofit! :)

How about you? What do you want to intentionally do?

"The Snapoutofit!Challenge"

Okay - so surprise surprise we survived the financial crisis of last post. sigh.
I KNOW at the time we'll survive...but you all know what it feels like when you're THERE.
dark.and.lonely!
Often, motivational speakers will ask - what can you do about this? and if you ever say "nothing" they're TRAINED to say "well what if you could?"
Suddenly you have unleashed the brain the Good Lord gave you to start figuring out HOW you can make something better.
Do you know what I've decided?
I have many many items around my home that I can sell for as low as a dollar (and make someone very happy) and still bring income into our family savings account.
BOOKS especially.
Things I am not using currently - cloth diapers - baby clothes - etc.etc.etc.etc.
Home school stuff that I haven't used in years - but for some reason...I hold onto it.
BOOKS (did I mention BOOKS?) lol
So I have decided to set a goal of listing at least 10 things a week either on craigslist or Ebay.
I have things I've picked up along the way (a fabulous hat in a hat box) (a drum set) with the thoughts of re-selling it.
and there they sat in storage.
sigh.
well NO more!
As Cher said in the movie Moonstruck
"Snapoutofit!" :)
So - I'll keep you all updated - I'm gonna try to figure out how to keep a running total of the $ made right up until December over on the side of the page.....hmmmmmm.....
Blessings and love to you all!
With all my heart
Michelle

spinning

linking up with JUST WRITE

two steps forward and three steps backwards.

i started the day out with the "surprise" of an automated insurance payment that caused eleven (YES 11) things to bounce in my account. The bounce fees alone cripple me...there's not a thing i can do about it. the idea that it has hurt my family kills me. and yet there's still nothing i can do about it. but survive and learn.
try to sell a couple things that i hoped would be extra income...some longed for items for the kids - not bank fees.
Oh trust me this is a lesson i have learned too many times and i have worked hard HARD at not making this mistake with finances - and it has been a long LONG time since i made it last.....
but here we are.
again.
of course this comes at a time when i have declared "I'm gonna do it all right" get up earlier - eat healthier - do "better" than just survive.
and somehow..things like this fly in and knock the wind from my lungs. make me want to crawl back into bed. make me want to quit.
just makes me feel like i'm on a hamster wheel - and it's all just

two steps forward and three steps back.

Cha cha cha changes....

Each day is filled with many changes.
I am so very pleased to say that it seems we have begun to figure out the health issues with hubby.
He had a car accident in 2000 and it left two bones in his neck cracked - they always check on those - but what they hadn't noticed was the one above the damaged two was at a SUPER weird angle and was pinching his spinal nerves!And his "head was out of whack ...lol I'm gonna let that one pass...:)(aren't you proud of me?)
Thank you Dr.Accurso III of Miami (WOO HOO...give it up for Chiropractic care!!)

So - it is a trip (1.5 hours each way) three times a week for now - but seriously - WHATEVER makes D feel better - it's worth it! and let me tell you - This is the Chiropractor who made the last few months of my pregnancy with Malachi SOOOOO much better - My back was SUPER DUPER in MAJOR PAIN! - If it weren't for those adjustments I may have just cried my way to 42 weeks!
So - YES I am promo-ing their office! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! GO NOW! :)lol

Anyways...
Along with the re-alignments we have begun eating healthier yet. (It's always hard to explain to people - that just cause we're bigger (heavy) doesn't mean we don't know a LOT about nutrition - we just haven't found the time to add a lot of exercise to all the healthy food :)and I can't even begin to tell you how much exercise D gets each day anyways - so I always kinda feel guilty asking him to take a walk with me when he finally gets home! I'm the one who sits at a desk all day...in a/c...Thank you God! :)

So - we're not only trying to eat more organic (mostly the dirty dozen) but we're also drinking a super healthy shake mix in the mornings (lots of organic greens...yoguart..a few berries) Boosting our omegas (healty fats!!!) and taking extra vitamins.
What I notice with approaching our days this way is that I feel better at the end of the day and can imagine fitting in a bit of walking or stair stepping!
Otherwise if I'm starving when I get home - grab something quick and easy - I'm just ready for bed then!! (and of course it never happens that way!...laundry...meals...lunches...etc..etc...etc...)
I'm honestly doing this this time NOT as a diet. I just want to feel better - and I'm betting that I look better eventually too.


OKAY onward and upward...........
We are busy busy busy lately! Working on a big transition in our family - we bought a travel trailer and it needed some (A LOT) of work. So every spare moment (lol...spare moment?! What is that?!)we've been working on it!

Then....a few days ago I went to a conference and was honored to see
Steve Forbs
Laura Bush
Gen. Colin Powell
John Walsh
James Smith
along with a few others (Dan Marino was there - but I left a bit early so I could be at the doctors appt with hubs :)
It was an amazing event...yes the event tried to sell you a couple things - but it was NOT high pressure - if you didn't want it ..you simply didn't buy it!
Just the opportunity to be able to hear in person what these influential people had to say - and what amazed me the most?
It was billed as a "business motivation seminar" but WOW was it "GOD AND COUNTRY"
Everyone unashamedly spoke of their faith!
They even had an alter call!
I was amazed and it really gave my heart hope! :)

So....that's my Friday Fabulous update..:)
I pray that each of you has an unbelievably wonderful weekend!
I am going to enjoy it with my family - especially my Hubby who is more and more his 'ol self each day :)

Blessing to you my friends!
~With all my heart~
Michelle