Blog Fail and Update

I obviously stink at blogging. I'm sure anyone who bothers to read my wanna-be blog has already decided this. Probably back in October when I dropped off the map. Sorry! I started working more and the whole holiday season was just busy. 

So... Here we are in February and I'll bring you up to speed on what's been going down around here.

My Journey for Joy is on hiatus. I started November already feeling a little defeated in my efforts to keep up and so I just decided a slower time would be better. (I know! I'm the ultimate procrastinator!) Our holiday season was nice. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas day here with my family and then spent almost a week around New Years with Derik's boys and family. I would post pics, but I used my new iPhone 4s to take pictures and video, which promptly croaked and I lost everything (pictures of my son's first choir concert, last elementary Christmas party where he was a toilet papered snowman, all Christmas pictures from home and family visits, and videos of Braden first adventures with a BB gun)! Very upsetting!  Believe  me, I learned my lesson. I did, thankfully, upload this one video to YouTube to share with family before my stupid phone died. Watch closely:  http://youtu.be/C_yFl_WAthI

Note to iPhone users: Turn on your icloud photostream immediately! If your phone takes a inexplicable nosedive, you will lose everything if you don't have your icloud set up!

January flew by! I am not sure if it was because we started back to school later than usual or because I was working quite a bit, but I really don't remember any stand-out events during the month. It just sort have disappeared.

This month, February, I am partnering with my good friend, Mattie, to be sugar-free! I know, right? That's huge for me! We have both been sugar addicts for way too long and decided to kick it cold turkey with a month-long sugar fast. So far, I am doing well. I have been snacking on fruit, sweetening my tea with Truvia, and chewing those sugar-free dessert gums when I need something sweet after dinner. It hasn't been too hard so far (4 days down, 25 to go), but I am afraid Valentines Day might pose more of a challenge. I be helping with my son's class Valentines party this coming Friday. I am pretty good at resisting boxed chocolates and candy that kids exchange, but my friend Trisha's delicious cupcakes will be at this party. She will have vanilla or chocolate to choose from, both beautifully decorated with her homemade icing that is just plain amazing. See my dilemma? I may have to designate Friday my cheat day for the month!

I am also doing this Fab AB February challenge. Fab AB February The planking and sit ups are relatively easy for me, but push-ups (not the girl style ones) are a little more difficult. I have convinced Braden to do this with me. He is skinny as a rail, but has little muscle tone. So we are building muscle for him and burning fat for me!

A photographer friend inspired me to do the Pic A Day challenge in February. Using Instagram, I've been posting to Facebook so you can find them there if you are interested. I am no professional, like my friend, but you will get to see funny shots of my kid and lots of my dogs, I'm sure. They are always good for a cute pic.

I've also started a new Bible study. It is Discovering the Treasures of a Godly Woman by Elizabeth George which is study of the Proverbs 31 woman. I have yet to make it to the weekly group sessions, but I am still on track with the homework. It's not a video led study, so I am missing out on the fellowship and discussions but getting all the work done. It's been a refresher so far and I'm enjoying it.

While I'm on the Bible study topic, I want to share that Duty or Delight? by Tammie Head was a great study. It was perfect for me. When I started in Nov, I was struggling to be consistent in my prayer time and had check out of serving for the semester. I think this would be a good study for anyone feeling stuck or even for anyone new to Bible study. I did it all on my own (with a lot of help from Jesus to keep me on track) and would recommend it to anyone wanting to do a solo-study, but it would be great for the right group of women.

I'm off to Pinterest to find a good recipe for dinner. Something healthy yet filling and appealing to my picky eaters! It's a challenge!