Day 31

I have been blessed with another day to get my ten things done. I was able to get done a little earlier . I have only 69 more days to go. I almost a third of the way there. I would like to thank all of you who have been encouraging to me. It has kept me going.


I memorized two more Spanish words today. I seem to struggle a little bit with saying the r's correctly. I will get there. I practiced the piano today a little too long again. It is going well. Right now I am listening to Pachelbel in Canon D. I will be so thrilled when I can play it . The first time I really sat and listened to it was outside the mall at a table at the River walk in San Antonio.  It was still early in the day so there were few people at the mall. Ken and I went and bought a couple of latte's and went and sat by the water , it was very peaceful and cute little birds were walking around by our feet. I was sitting and enjoying my coffee and admiring the architectural work when all of a sudden the most beautiful music I had ever heard came out of speakers around the river and the building. I couldn't move I just sat there with my eyes closed  as if i were in a trance. I could feel every note as it was being played. I didn't want to leave. I could have sat there all day.

I worked on my algebra today and read my books. I did a little organizing and I decided to add more to the poem I was writing yesterday. I didn't feel like it was quite finished. I even planned healthier meals. I have enjoyed cooking since I was a child. I think I first became interested in cooking in first grade when we made stone soup in class. When we played house outside I used every plant for an herb and I would create some muddy dish. My sister reminded me on Thanksgiving of the toxic mushrooms I fed her and my cousin. My sister liked mushrooms and we had quite a few in our yard. So when we were playing house I chopped some up and had them eat them. When we went in the house they told Mom they ate mushrooms and she ran and looked outside and then grabbed the encyclopedia to look them up and called poison control.They were slightly toxic. My sister and cousin had to drink ipecac and got sick. Needless to say I was not too popular that day. I really am sorry Cari. I am surprised you still love mushrooms :)

Grace and peace to you from God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ.   2 Thessalonians 1:2

Day 30

What a long day! I have lasted a whole month. It really has gone by fast and it has been one of the best things I have done for myself in a long time. I have been thinking about other things I want to try when my one hundred days is up. I will come up with something to challenge myself.

I practiced my Spanish today and I memorized one new word today. I am still continually going over the ones I have learned. I don't want to forget what they mean. I practiced the piano a little too long again tonight. I was having fun and playing around with some new sounds. I am almost done with one of my books. One chapter left. I worked on more algebra. It seemed to require a little more thinking tonight. I organized another cupboard in my kitchen. I have been noticing that I have many lids that go to nothing I have . Where do they come from? I have also found manuals in a drawer to every small or large appliance I have ever owned except for the ones I currently have. Hmmmmm.

I did a little more decorating tonight . The only creative thing I did tonight was write another poem. I really enjoyed that. I need to work on creating more recipes for my cook book and also planning more healthier meals.Since I am talking about food  I have noticed something happening a lot in the grocery store lately that really chaps my hyde. It is the the BOGO sales. They act like they are offering you a great deal by buying one and getting the second one free. I have noticed they double the normal price of the first one and give you the second one free. So they are basically getting you to buy two instead of one because they doubled the first one to make up for the free one. Don't they think we will notice? I feel like they are treating the customers like they are stupid and taking advantage of people who are not paying that much attention to the prices.Well I got that off my chest . Now I can sleep peacefully :) I have been to the grocery store a little too much lately.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.  PROVERBS 19:21

Day 29

I have completed my tasks for the day. It was very challenging to do 10 things today. I did not want to do anything once I got home from work. The only thing that sounded appealing to me tonight was curling up in a blanket in front of our fireplace and reading a book or watching an old movie. My leg has been hurting since one o'clock this morning and I have been chilled all day. In my mind two good reasons to me to do nothing  , but I would be extremely disappointed in myself if I caved in so I did my ten things.

I practiced my Spanish I did not learn any new words tonight. I went over the ones I have memorized and tried some new ones. I enjoyed practicing the piano this evening. I feel like I am making a lot of progress. The piano is  usually the first of my ten things I start with. It helps me unwind, especially today. Today was a bitter sweet day for me. Today is exactly four years since my Kidney Cancer Surgery on November 28, 2007. It is bitter because it was the most horrific thing I have been through, but sweet at the same time because they caught it early. Every year on this day since my surgery I feel like I am on an emotional roller coaster. I think next year I will plan a really fun event on that day so I will have a new memory for November 28.

I did some decorating which was a cheery thing, I worked on algebra , read my books, gave my plants some TLC, did some organizing and ended with painting my toe nails shiny red. Tomorrow will be an easier day.In case any one has counted my things and noticed there is not always 10 things listed. I decided not to list the things that are  personal to me or things that I do for others.I just thought I would mention that in case anyone was wondering how I can be a book keeper when it looks like I can't count to 10. I cannot go to bed without completing my 10 things it would ruin my experiment :(

I look forward to my next ten things tomorrow. I will try to get a little more creative.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.   Psalm 4:8

Day 28

It has been four weeks today!! I have almost made it a month. I have completed my 10 things for the day. I had just about everything done before dinner tonight. Doing 10 extra things a day is really easy now. The hardest part is actually writing a blog. There are days when I just sit and stare at the blank page, after writing and deleting several times I will finally post what I wrote.

I am still teaching myself Spanish. I have memorized two more words today. I am learning new things in my piano lessons book. I was having so much fun today I ended up playing for twenty five minutes before I realized I needed to go do something else. It is easy to get lost in music. As much as I love music I do not have the gift to sing. My mom tape recorded me singing Deck the Halls when I was in fourth grade and then she played it back. She thought it sounded wonderful but I was traumatized by what I heard.To this day I don't even like to leave my voice on an answering machine. I think God knew if he gave me that gift I would have a hard time not making it my idol. That would be all I wanted to do. He knows whats best.

I worked on my algebra today. I was very excited when I looked in the back after doing my lesson and saw that I got them right. I am still enjoying my book I am reading. I think I only have two chapters left. I am a little bummed I really enjoy reading it. You know when you watch a movie and you are really enjoying the story line and you don't want the movie to end . That is the way it is with me sometimes when I read a book I really enjoy. You want to hear more. That is one really cool thing about the bible it does not matter how many times you have read the same book God always continues to show you something new. He never stops teaching us.

I am still reading my devotionals too but I have been skipping around between devotional books there. I did more organizing today and at dinner time I had a candlelight dinner and served them restaurant style and garnished their plates and glasses. I gave myself another facial and you know upon close examination I think it is working . I think I have knocked a day off my age. I also created a tea I am going to try for breakfast. I am a little scared. I mixed dried hibiscus, dried passion fruit, loose leaf earl grey, dried orange peel granules and a little bit of that loose leaf  black tea that was brought to me from Egypt. It smells really good, but the taste is what is important.I had an enjoyable day. I look forward to my next ten things tomorrow :)

Because of the lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The Lord is my portion ; therefore I will wait for him.The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.   Lamentations 3:22-25

Day 27

I am done with my ten things for the day. I got done a little earlier today. It is getting harder to remember what day I am on. I have to keep looking. Tomorrow will be four weeks. It is hard to believe. The hardest part of this experiment is stopping at 10 minutes for each thing. If I have only one or two pages left in a chapter I will finish it or if I have to put something back It may take me a few minutes longer. If I did each thing for as long as I wanted it would mess up my experiment. I try not to go to far over ten minutes.

I have memorized three more words in Spanish today. I say them off and on in my head during the day so I don't forget the new ones I am learning each day. I am still faithfully practicing the piano everyday . I am still teaching myself algebra and I really like it , but it is hard stopping after ten minutes. It is like dumping out a 500 piece puzzle on the table and flipping over all your pieces and putting together four pieces and walking away.

 I even went out and swept my deck off this evening. When you have a lot on your mind it is kind of a no brainer. You don't have to think about what your doing and you can still get something productive done.I organized my pan cupboard in my kitchen and found a new pan in the back I never used and I forgot I had. I organized more in the office tonight and my bathroom cupboard  in my bedroom. I have been enjoying reading the devotionals and I even wrote a poem today. I have not done that since I was in school.

Tomorrow I look forward to my next ten things.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

 Psalm 9:10

Day 26

I am finished with my 10 things for the day! I seem to get done around the same time no matter how early I try to start. 74 more days to go. That does not seem like too many any more. My 10 things a day feels like it has become a habit now. I am not sure what I will do once I reach my 100 days.

I am still using the computer program for my Spanish. I enjoy it more and it is kind of funny when you get something wrong and they say no and shake their head at you. I feel like I am catching on quicker with the program. I am learning new things on the piano and I am not feeling bored with it anymore. I am still learning algebra and still reading my book. I did some decorating today and I even matched up outfits in my closet and hung matching necklaces and bracelets with them. It makes it easier in the morning when I am feeling pokey. Which is pretty much every morning. I did a lot of organizing today. My kitchen is almost completely done.

When I created this little experiment a month ago I thought I would basically get a little more organized which would take a little stress off and it would help me not feel so overwhelmed since I am not so good at managing my time sometimes and I try to cram too much in and then end up feeling physically miserable and I also thought I would try to do a few things I wanted to do and never stuck with.

For me this has ended up being so much more than that and it has taken me by surprise . Yes, I am getting really organized which definitely has taken away that feeling of being overwhelmed. I have learned it is okay to take small steps and I am finding  that I can reach my goals because I don't get worn out, discouraged, and give up. It is manageable and I can keep going and because I am not burning myself out I am finding I even have time to do other things.

 But to me the biggest thing of all is I don't hear those lies in my head anymore that I have listened to my entire life. When I would get worn out and feel discouraged  I would hear them play over and over in my mind and I would believe them. I would hear you will never make it, don't get your hopes up, don't waste your time you will never be able to do anything else, you will never be able to do this, you are going to turn out just like that, don't count your chicken's before they hatch and many other things I will not write on here. In your heart you know it can't be true because scripture tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but often there is a war between the heart and the mind and unfortunately things we had heard for so long seem to be etched into our mind. There is power in our words. It is so important that we choose our words carefully.


" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

Day 25

It has been a long day, but a wonderful one. Not only did I get my 10 things done , I was able to spend most of my day with loved ones. I can't think of a better way to spend the day! Well I am 25% of the way there. It has gone by fast.

I practiced my Spanish today and memorized a few more words. It is becoming very comfortable to play the piano again. My fingers feel like they have been playing for a long time. I read another chapter in my book this morning and I started a second book with a lot of great women's devotionals I am still working on my algebra and I am getting the hang of it. I gave myself another facial and decided to stand back a ways from the mirror when I washed it off that way I could convince myself that it seems to be working.

 I did some organizing in my room, gave Ken a pedicure, and I made a really cute key chain tonight. I sat down with a bunch of photos and started working on a photo album. Many of the pictures were from several Christmases and of our trip we took to San Antonio, Texas and Puerto Vallarta , Mexico several years ago. I could not decide where I wanted to go that year for vacation. So we combined it and did both. The first half was San Antonio and the second half Puerto Vallarta.I loved Joe's Crab Shack down at the River Walk . They had the best catfish and hush puppies. It is really fun having a little boat pick you up outside your hotel.We also enjoyed visiting the Alamo If you have not been to the Riverwalk I highly recommend it.

I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow :)

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.   Revelations 3:21

Day 24

Yeah! I am done early with my 10 things. Tomorrow will be 25 days I will be a quarter of the way there. I am still amazed at how much a little bit every day can make a difference. I feel like I have more control over my life to an extent. I know God is in total control of everything, but I do have control over the choices I make and I would like them to be good ones.

I memorized five more Spanish words today. It feels like it will take forever to learn the entire language, but to me it is worth it. I am still practicing the piano and I am having a lot of fun with that. I enjoy playing with the sounds as much as practicing the lessons. I decided to go through the pictures on my fridge. I thought I should probably take the ones off that I had of people with old boyfriends when they are married to a different person.

I organized my other bookshelf. I worked on straightening out the laundry room. I am still enjoying my book. I taught myself how to use a graphic calculator today. I have wondered how those work for years. Yesterday when I was under the stairs I spotted a pre algebra book on a shelf. I was very excited. I was working on it today. I am getting the hang of it and I really like it. I thought it would be too hard to figure out but it's not.

I finished my soaps today. They came out nice, even Mathew liked them, but I  think I will always be a huge fan of  plain white dial soap. I think I am hooked on the smell of it. I organized lots of food today. We will see how long it stays like that. I ran across a box of bird gravel. I think that is what it is called. Mathew's birds are gone so I spread it outside for the wild birds. It reminded me of something dad use to give our chickens but only smaller. Feeding the chickens was always interesting. We tried to wait until the bull was not looking or the Roosters were out of sight. If we hadn't, the chances of being chased by something was pretty high. There were a few times I had to climb up into the loft and just wait.

I remember when we had a calf and we had to bottle feed it I was really excited. I was still in grade school and I thought this will be fun. Wrong! I mixed up a bottle and took our dog Candy with me to go feed the calf  It was dark outside and I had never liked walking out in the field alone in the dark. I ran across the field to go feed the calf , I thought I will make this quick. I tried feeding the calf. It was so messy and it sucked on the nipple so hard it pulled it right out of the bottle and milk spilled on my shoes and every where. I looked for our dog and realized she abandoned me and I had to run back across the field by myself to make another bottle and go back out and feed the calf again.The excitement over feeding the calf ended right there.It was a lot of work sometimes but I would love to live on a farm again someday.

I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow :)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.  Colossians 3:23

Day 23

77 more days and I will have reached my goal. My 10 things are complete for the day. Sometimes it takes me a  little longer to get them done. I am going to try to have them completed by dinner tomorrow. Looking for things to  do seems to be habit forming. Some times it is hard to only do 10 minutes. I have gone over quite a few times.

I practiced my Spanish and piano like usual. Today when I played I found a really cool drum sound to add. It sounded like drums you would hear on a movie in Africa with wild animals running in the background. It was a lot of fun. I think creating music videos would be a really enjoyable hobby to have. I found my extra candles today and put them in one drawer. I thought that might be a good thing to add to my list today since the power went out  last night and It was dark this morning.I also tried to teach Ken to two step again when we were in the kitchen.I bet my neighbors behind us wished they would have left up some their trees last year . They now have a full view into my kitchen through our window.

I also organized some of the filing cabinets in our office. I ran across a bunch of pictures and stories that my daughter had created in grade school ( She is now 23). my favorite one was the story she wrote on how hail is made. It is the cutest story I have ever read. It brought tears to my eyes and It made me want to hang all her pictures and stories on the walls in my office. I even made soap tonight ,I have not done that in a long time They are plumeria with apricot seed exfoliant. I made one with little bees on it and the other one had a light house. I love lighthouses! It was quite relaxing.

Last night I did great on making a healthy dinner, but tonight I did not do so hot. I made chicken fried steak. I am going to blame it on the rain. I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow.


We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. may your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.   Psalm 33: 20-22

Day 22

Done for the day! I had a late start getting my 10 things done, but I made it. Now I will rest. I know once my 100 days are up I will not be able to go back to the way things were before. I will have to make some sort of commitment to myself to keep doing things that matter a lot to me weather I feel well or not. 22 days of not feeling overwhelmed is enough to make me stick to it.When you feel overwhelmed your mind feels like one big play ground with a whole bunch of  swings going at once and you keep waiting for them to slow down so you can jump off.My brain never shuts off and I think about everything, so for me it makes it twice as hard. By doing these 10 things every day I feel like I am doing more and thinking less. So I am giving my brain a little break.

I am still faithfully practicing the piano and my Spanish everyday. I am still planning healthy meals. I even made a vegan dinner for Ken and I tonight. The others are not too crazy about that. I am still reading my book. My home office is getting more organized. I finally put all my entertaining things in the hutch instead of it all being spread out in different cupboards. My kitchen is becoming more user friendly.

I am trying to learn algebra. In school I got to choose what I wanted to take for math. I chose business math and accounting . They were easy for me and I enjoyed it. I have always wanted to learn algebra so I am giving it a try.

 Mathew had a science project due tomorrow that he needed help with so we had fun working on it together. He had to create a creature out of recycled household items and give it a name and write a paper about it. I have a wild imagination so that assignment was right up my alley. If he needed help with algebra I would have been in trouble.

I gave my self another facial, but you know every time I wash off the mask, I still look the same age.  I should have taken a before 100 days picture and then take one after to see if there is really a benefit to doing  this at all. Well , I am still looking forward to doing my 10 things each day.

" In the world ye shall have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

Day 21

I have made it three weeks! 79 more days to go. Today it was a lot easier to get my 10 things done. I had them all finished by 7:00 this evening. It definitely makes a difference pacing myself instead of pushing myself too far and then suffering. It all feels very manageable .

I used the computer program again for my Spanish.It is a little more enjoyable.It is a little easier when you hear people saying the words correctly. I have memorized two more words today . I am still practicing the piano every day. I get a little impatient sometimes I want to have it all mastered. I do not dare pray for patience anymore. That is one prayer that always gets a quick response, and it is not the one I am looking for, but the one I need.

 I did a lot of organizing today. I don't know how a person can accumulate so much stuff. A lot of it has been gifts over the years. When Your house is 2,600 square feet and you have lots of closets, cabinets and storage under the stairs it can take you along time to organize. It is easy to save too much stuff. I am now getting realistic and tossing things that I will not use or giving them away.  I am still enjoying my book I am reading based on Nehemiah .  I am still brushing up on my math and English. Math was my favorite subject in school. English was not ! I did however enjoy the literature we were assigned to read. I organized my clothes in my closet by color. It is really easy to find ten extra things to do every day. I look forward to my next 10 things.


For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.   Psalms 84:11-12

Day 20

Today I am 20% of the way there and tomorrow it will be three weeks. I just completed my 10 things for the day. For some reason the last half of the day seems to go easier than the first half of the day. I think my 100 days will be up before I know it.

I practiced my Spanish with my computer program today . It feels like they cram so much in so fast. I was trying to remember the names of foods and the names of utensils today. I had fun practicing the piano today. I took three songs and mixed them up into one. I really liked it.  More organizing was done and some rearranging. I have been doing a lot more reading. It keeps me off the internet as much. It is easy to spend too much time on it, especially if you are curious and like to learn about everything.

Sometimes you can have too much information and it can get you all worked it. For instance looking up insects and diseases. I found a spider in the laundry room once that was very peculiar looking. I tried to kill it and it got away. I did not know where it went. But I was sure the spider knew where I was and it was just waiting for it's opportunity to bite me when I was not looking and infect me with its venom. I think I must have looked up spiders on the internet for two hours trying to see if it was deadly and of course during my little search I ran across all kinds of horrible things about spiders. It makes it hard to sleep peacefully. Every time the sheet moves on your leg you think it is that spider, then you throw back the blankets, grab a flashlight and you end up going on a hunt for this little man eater you are sure is there. After looking around and not finding anything you come to the conclusion that it is all in your head and you get back in bed and think you keep feeling things for the next half hour until you fall asleep.Why is it so easy to be terrified of something so tiny?


I am looking forward to my next 10 things tomorrow. It really is helping me more than I ever imagined. I am really curious to see what all I will have learned and accomplished at the end of 100 days .


"I, the Lord have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and  a light for the gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.   Isaiah 42: 6-7

Day 19

Today was very long! I managed to get my 10 things done even though I was gone a majority of the day. It did make it a little more challenging. There is no way I could miss a day after making it this long. In two more days it will be three weeks!

Today I decided to practice my Spanish with Ken. We had a lot of fun I was working on putting the words I know together to make sentences. I still have a very long way to go. But I will get there. I enjoy playing the keyboard more than the piano. I like all the sounds you can create with it. I could sit there for hours putting different sounds together. My plants are finally starting to look really good .Ciscoe would be proud of me. They just needed a little more TLC. I got a little more organizing done today.

I have been brushing up on my math and English. I would really like to go back to school. I kept thinking it was too late and I am getting too old to remember anything. But after doing this I have changed my mind. I am seriously thinking about enrolling in a night class or online class in the spring just to see how I do. When I was younger I wanted to go to college to be an architect or a psychiatrist but as I have got older my interests have changed. Now I would really like to get a degree in intercultural studies or anthropology. It might take me 10 years but that's ok.

I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow after I get home from making lefse for Thanksgiving with my Mother, Sister, niece and daughter. Family traditions :)


How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! Psalm 133:1

Day 18

I was able to get  my 10 things finished a little earlier today. It seems to be getting a little easier and it is starting to feel like a regular part of my day. In two days I will be 20% of the way there. Doing these 10 things has not only stopped me from feeling overwhelmed, it has reduced my stress. I feel like I am doing a little something everyday in every area of my life that is important to me without killing my self doing it. I am starting to find joy in the little things again like I use to.

The crazy part is my day seems to feel easier and more enjoyable even though I have added 10 more things to it and I feel like things are more balanced. This whole thing has made me look at how I spend my entire day and when I am spending time with God it is easier to stay focused on Him instead of my mind drifting off on to my circumstances and my time with him has increased .I still get frustrated with my health issues but It helps having more things positive to focus on and I know God has taught me a lot through my health issues that I may not have learned otherwise.

Today when I worked on my Spanish I decided to use the computer program instead of the book. It was a lot of fun and I learned some new words, I really enjoyed playing the piano today. I have been practicing on our keyboard it has a lot of really cool sounds and instruments on it so I changed it up a bit today. Our keyboard has been sitting downstairs for the last few years so it was kind an out of sight out of mind kind of thing . Now it is in the living room so It is more convenient. My piano is at Mom's . I want to refinish it before I bring it home. I think it must weigh about 1000 pounds. I only want to move it once!

I am halfway through another book, I got more organizing done today, I attempted to play basketball with Mathew this evening and I finally gave up . It was cold out and I could not make a single shot. What is really odd is that I can throw and catch a football great and it is a funny shape, but a perfectly round basketball I have to chase after it and I miss my shots. I would think a basketball should be easier. I wimped out and decided to come in and finish the rest of my 10 things.

I have been having fun at dinner. I didn't make anything creative tonight , but I lit candles all across the length of the table and tortured the kids with my Louis Armstrong CD while they were eating dinner. When I  get board sometimes I also like to match music with the food we are eating Mexican music with our Mexican food , Italian Music with Italian food ,etc etc. It is a lot of fun .  I figure why should just have fun and celebrate on holidays. Every day we are given is something to celebrate about and who better to celebrate with than your loved ones.I had fun the other night decorating my stemmed water glasses .I put strawberries and lemons on the rims of all the glasses and filled them with ice water. Why let your pretty things just sit on the shelf to collect dust. They are meant to be enjoyed and we can't take them with us when it is our time to go.

I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow :)

I love the Lord , for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2

Day 17

I have finished my 10 things for the day. It took a little longer today , but  it was well worth it. I  have not felt  overwhelmed at all since I started doing this and I am content at the end of day. It is a little stormy out tonight and I thought maybe the power would go out before I was able to write this.

Our life can feel like that sometimes, things start getting a little too stormy in our lives and we lose our power, we get overwhelmed, afraid , depressed ,or grief stricken and we shut down sometimes and cry out to God feeling like He has abandoned us .It reminds me of the disciples when they got in the boat and were heading to the other side of the lake and and Jesus fell asleep. A storm came and they were being tossed around by raging waters and they woke up Jesus telling him they were going to drown. He rebuked the wind and raging waters and it was calm and Jesus asked his disciples , Where is your faith ? I think if he was standing before us today and we were freaking out about everything he would say the same thing to us. Where is your faith?

I try to remind myself of that passage of scripture when I feel like my life is getting a little stormy. The disciples were afraid and they had Jesus right in the boat with them. Many times I have to remind myself he is in my boat too and I don't have to be afraid .

I am looking forward to my next 10 things. I was thinking earlier what if I could help 10 people a day. I know that seems like a lot, but really it would not be that hard. Anyone could do it. It could even be simple things if you are really busy. Even smiling and saying hello to a stranger and ask them how there day is going. When you are baking make a little extra and take it to your neighbor. Call someone who is going through a hard time and listen and pray for them. maybe someone you know had surgery and they need some dishes washed or the clothes done, send them an E-card. Invite someone that doesn't have family around to join you for the holidays( Especially or servicemen and women that are far from home ). Make friends with a shy person at work or church. I have made some of the best friends that way.

"Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of  infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." ( Ephesians 3:20, TLB)

Day 16

I made it through another day. I honestly did not feel liking doing anything when I got home. I woke up every hour and a half last night so I was really tired and today felt longer than usual . I am very slow to process anything or respond right when I am missing sleep.I am jealous of those that can go on two or three hours of sleep and seem very sharp and full of energy. I think there is something special in their water.

When I came home I decided I wasn't going to try anything creative but then I seemed to get a second wind. I decided to practice my Spanish and I memorized another word .Then as I was playing the Piano I started feeling creative and I thought about how each day is a gift from God and how do I want to spend my gift that I have been given. So as dinner was cooking I started feeling a little creative.

I put candles across the entire center of the dining room table and I dimmed the lights. I found  my serenity  stormy nights CD. It is piano music with thunder and rain. I made three different kinds of butter to go with our french bread that we were having with our dinner. The first one I made with a few drops of lemon oil, honey and cinnamon ( they said this creation was their favorite) , the second one I added garlic, parsley, and smokey Paparika, and the third one I added a Tuscan rub and some garlic to it.( this creation came in second). It felt like we were having a candle lit dinner on a stormy night with someone playing the piano in the next room. It was really fun.

I enjoyed sitting in there so much with music and candles that I went a grabbed my beads and decided to come back in after clearing the food off the table and I made a bracelet for myself. It was quite relaxing and then I went and finished the rest of my ten things. I am looking forward to my next 10 things tomorrow :)

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

Day 15

I just finished my 10 things tonight. 100 days is beginning to feel very far away. But I am 15% of the way there. I decided to pray about my 10 things first this morning and a few of those I felt I was suppose to do today were a little challenging but I did it anyway. There is no point in asking if you have no intention of following through.

Two of my 10 things were practicing the piano and practicing my Spanish. I had to read a short story in Spanish today. That was interesting! I understood about 75% of it. I need a little more practice before I move on to chapter two. I think I might switch over from the book to the computer program it is a little more interactive .

I thought I would get done early today but my doctor appointment lasted a little longer than I thought. Ken and I were sitting in the waiting room waiting for me to get called back and there was a couple with a three year old sitting close by. The child kept misbehaving and the father was getting so upset. The little boy would crawl under the chairs as the father was trying to get him .The boy would crawl to a new chair as the father would pick each chair up. Finally the father got really upset and he sternly told him THAT IS IT! All your privledges are gone NO MORE NINTENDO, NO MORE COMPUTER! The three your old boy just looked at him and smiled. It took everything I had in me not to laugh hysterically. I was hoping so bad they would call me back soon because I could no longer keep a straight face. Does a three year old really care about a computer? I know times have changed.

What happened to having them use their imagination. I am glad we did not sit in front of computers and play video games all day when we were that small. We didn't have them. When we played we used our imaginations. Everything could be used for play. We took our stuffed animals and brought them all in one room and would pretend we were running a pet store. We took the junk mail and played post office. We would ride our bikes up to a bedroom window and pick up our mail from the one pretending to be a postal worker. When we didn't have a play house anymore we outlined a house out of sticks in the sandpit . We built forts in the woods. We tied our barbies to inflatable furniture and sent them down the creek pretending they were river rafting. I am thankful I still have that same imagination. I have noticed over the years how easily children get board now if they don't have some new toy to entertain them or the latest game or electronic device.

Look at the creative mind Walt Disney had. What an imagination ! Disney Land is one of my favorite places besides the beach. I think that would be the best job in the world. Well at least one of them anyway. Maybe tomorrow I will see how creative I can get with my 10 things. After all we were created in Gods image and he is hands down by far the most creative.

Live a life worthy of the Lord....please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.        Colossians 1:10

Day 14

Yeah ! I have lasted two weeks. Only 86 more days to go. If I have lasted two weeks so far I can make it 100 days. Today was easier than yesterday even though it took me all day to get it done. Tomorrow morning I will plan out my 10 things early.

I did not learn any new Spanish words today. I decided to work on the ones I have been learning and I wanted to make sure I understood the sentences that I was reading completely.I am almost done with chapter one. I enjoyed playing the piano a little more today. I decided to work on some songs that were a little more difficult. I like the challenge. I have my entire spice cupboard now entirely organized and another drawer in the kitchen done.I was really happy when I found my favorite Swedish meatball recipe in there. I made it for dinner tonight. I even studied geography today. It really helps not choosing the same10 things everyday.

Tomorrow I will pray about it first and see what 10 things God brings to my attention. I might be in for a surprise. It really helps when you pray about everything but sometimes it is very easy to do things automatically without thinking when you get in a hurry and it can be really hard sometimes to pray about the difficult things  or to pray when you are mad at someone or feeling depressed.

Several years ago there was a women who just about drove me insane. I had to deal with her too often, by phone or in person. This lasted for several years. I had never done anything to her but she was very cruel to me and I would be in tears when I got off the phone with her or extremely angry. I would have anxiety attacks for days before I had to call her or see her. My hands would sweat and I would get a stomach ache within moments of speaking to her.I thought for sure her whole purpose in life was to make me have a heart attack.

Ken would tell me repeatedly to kill her with kindness and to just pray for her.That was the last thing I wanted to do. It is hard to pray for someone when you want to scream. I would tell Ken he just didn't understand how I felt and he would still tell me the same thing. I told him I would give it a try but it would not work because I had a bad attitude and God wouldn't hear me. I began to pray for her and to be extra kind to her even when she was really cruel. I thought for sure I would prove Ken wrong . I continued to pray for her for  and as time went on as I prayed I began to feel compassion for her even when she spoke  harsh words. I started to see her differently. I started to see her as Jesus saw her and after a while she began to soften towards me . She could see that I genuinely cared and she started opening up to me and sharing her heart and I began to feel a Christ like love for her. It really taught me to pray no matter how I was feeling about the circumstances at the time and not just when I felt like it and that God still hears my prayers and wants me to pray no matter how I am feeling at the moment.

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Day 13

Evening is finally here and I have completed my 10 things. Some days it takes a little longer, and today was one of them. It helps if I plan out all my 10 things in the morning and plug away at them, but today I decide to just go with the flow and that flow was not moving very fast.

Today I have memorized four more Spanish words. I find myself speaking Spanish words in my head off and on all day long now. I have a tendency to over think everything and the one nice thing about Speaking Spanish words in my head through out the day is that it keeps me from over thinking at least part of the time because my Spanish is limited and I can only think so much in Spanish.

I am still practicing the piano everyday as part of my ten things but I have been getting a little bored, but I am still going to stick it out. I also have a lot more healthy meals planned out and I now know what is on one of my shelves in my spice cupboard. I have a whole entire cupboard just for spices . It is hard to pass up the spice Isle in the store or at a booth at a festival. I know there is some combination of flavors I don't have in my cupboard that I am certain I just can't live with out.

I started reading a book the other day that is based on the book of Nehemiah, I thought about how God used  a humble cupbearer to rebuild the city. In the natural it seems like it would be easy to run the other direction when God calls you to do something that is not in your area of expertise. Nehemiah really loved the Lord and his life was full of prayer and the Lord had given him favor.

 As humans when we look for someone to do a job for us we look for someone that is reliable with the most experience.( at least I have done that anyway) But with the Lord he looks at the heart and provides the person he called to do the job with everything they will need to get that job done. I  wonder how often we get in the way of what he wants to do through us because of our inadequacies , fears, and unforgiveness towards ourselves and others that we hang on to.

I remember one morning not too long ago I was sitting in front of my mirror putting on my makeup and listening to Charles Stanley on TV . He started talking about unforgiveness and I was half listening as I was getting ready thinking I don't think I have anyone that I have not forgiven and then he said what about yourself.  Do you feel unforgiveness towards yourself? As soon as he said that my heart started racing and I knew it was something I struggled with . I got up and went and sat in front of the TV, he had my full attention. I will never forget what he said as long as I live. He said if you don't think that you can be forgiven than what your saying is what Christ went through when he died on that cross for your sins was not enough. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I had never looked at it like that. I instantly started to weep and I repented. Any time I try to entertain those negative thoughts I remind myself of his comment and those thoughts quickly leave.

Tomorrow will be two weeks, Yippee!!

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8

Day 12

I had to ask Ken what day I was on today. It is going by faster than I thought it would. I am getting close to two weeks. It is still easier than I thought it would be. When I think of it as something I want to do instead something I have to do it makes a big difference. I think it is that way with many things for people, especially when it comes to school or work. When you are a child you do what you have to but when you are older have options to choose from and hopefully it is something you enjoy or something your heart really desires to do. I know sometimes it does not always work out that way, but it is nice having lots of options.

I am getting a little further along in my piano book. I played a song today that I played in my piano recital when I was taking lessons when I was a kid. I can still remember what I was wearing that day. A long yellow satin sleeveless dress that I had wore in a relatives wedding. My hands were so sweaty by the time they called my name to go forward I thought my fingers would slide off the piano keys. The room seemed packed full of people and I was certain I would pass out before I even sat on the bench. I was so terrified I am still not sure how I pulled it off to this day. It was the best I had ever played almost as if someone else had taken over my hands. I was so thankful when it was over. It was as scary as standing up front in Mrs. Palmers class reciting the caterpillar poem. I can still remember that poem to this day.

I  memorized another Spanish word today. I memorized good grief in Spanish. It is in chapter one so it must be a word they use a lot. It reminded me of my grandmother. That was something she would say on occasion. I would wonder who thought of that phrase. What is good about grief ? and the other ones she would say like for Pete's sake or for the love of Pete. Who was Pete? I miss hearing her voice. One of my ten things that I did today was plant some of her Cherry seeds that we found in a baggy that she had saved. I don't know how long she had them or if they will grow, but I thought I would give it a try.

I am still really happy I have tried this. even though it is a little bit of a challenge some days when I have been  really busy or am not feeling up to par. I feel like I have had a full and satisfying day when I go to bed at night. No regrets :)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Romans 15:13

Day 11

I had a late start today but I finally got finished. I have 89 more days to go. The earlier in the day I start the easier it seems to be. I have had a headache all day so it kept me from feeling very motivated today. After watching a movie this afternoon I decided I could feel a lot worse so I decided to get up and start working on my list.

The movie I watched was Blood Diamond. It is the second time I have watched it. It is about diamonds being mined in a war zone in Africa for illicit diamond trade. It makes me appreciate being born and raised in America. I could not imagine what it would be like to have your boys taken from you at such a young age and turned into soldiers when they have not even finished living out their childhood or watching someone next to you get their hand cut off and watching in horror and wondering if you will be next. How helpless and terrified some of those families must feel.

I will not be able to walk by the window of a Jewelry store and admire the beauty of a diamond without thinking about the men and young boys that have had their lives turned upside down over  sparkly little gems like this in other parts of the world. The movie made me want to get up and appreciate the freedom I have to choose how I want to spend my day. So I decided to get up and do my things weather my head hurt or not.

When I choose 10 positive things everyday it really could be anything but I like to make sure that I at least pick things everyday in each of the areas that I feel will benefit me the most : Something that will improve my health, my spiritual walk, education, getting organized , something that will help others, and something relaxing and uplifting.

On days where I feel one area could use a little more positive reinforcement I will select the rest of my things in that specific area after I have picked at least one positive thing in each of the other areas. It seems to work for me

O Lord, since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your namr lead me and guide me . PSALM 31:3

Day 10

 I am 10% of the way there ! Just 90 more days to go. Today was a little bit of a rough day but I got it all done. The last of my 10 things tonight was practicing my Spanish. The last couple of days I was struggling to remember new words I was practicing , but tonight I memorized ten more words in Spanish. I was so excited I could not stop smiling and I ran in the office and sat down and Said them all to Ken.

Doing my 10 things everyday has made me want to improve on other things too. I started taking my vitamins again yesterday. Hey, maybe that is why my brain was a little sharper tonight and I was able to memorize words easier, or maybe it was just that extra cup of coffee I had today. It is hard not to have that extra cup when nobody else is drinking it and you walk by the pot of coffee and it is just sitting there waiting for someone to pour it in their cup.

When I play the piano I am now just about as good with my left hand as I am with my right hand and it is getting pretty easy again, but I still have quite a ways to go. I really thought I was getting to old to pick up where I left off on anything and that I wouldn't be able to remember and that it was too late, but I have surprised myself. It is easier than I thought and very enjoyable.

Sometimes it is easy to believe those negative things we have told ourselves for so long . I am now starting to rethink other things that I have told myself it is too late to do. I am still really glad I decided to do this even if it requires a little more discipline everyday. My only regret is that I didn't start sooner, but I am going to choose to look forward instead of looking back.


Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path strong.  Proverbs 3:5-6

Day 9

I made it through another day! I felt a little lazy today but I did my 10 things joyfully. I find myself looking for things to do even when I am done just for something to do. I feel like that feeling of being overwhelmed is finally lifted. I think the worst part about being overwhelmed by too much is feeling like you are out of control and you have no clue when it will end and the more overwhelmed you feel the more overwhelmed you seem to get and you know inside that is not what God intended for you. He says he does not give us more than we can handle but somehow it feels like he pushes us beyond our limit. But that is not the case, he knows our limits and what we are capable of far better than we do and I know from past experiences that if I am to point where I feel like I will snap if one more thing happens it is because I have not completely surrendered the problems entirely to him. I have just merely said the words hoping it will go away instead of wholeheartedly laying it at the feet of Jesus and walking away without looking back. I know when I have genuinely left it there I have seen miracles and have had a peace I wouldn't exchange for anything. There are many times I have thought about Lot's wife when they left Sodom and Gomorrah and they were told not to look back and when they reached Zoar and the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah  Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. I have often thought why did she do that , was it really that hard to do what she was told? But in all reality how many times have I looked back. I think I may have done the same thing as Lot's wife had I been in her shoes.

Well , I have just 91 more days to go. My family at home asks me now when I am in the middle of something if it is one of my 10 things and what number I am on and they have even started putting in some requests. It is kind of fun. I look forward to my next 10 things tomorrow. Tomorrow I will be 10% of the way there :)

"All things work together for good to them that love God."  ROMANS 8:28

Day 8

What a long day! I got a late start on my 10 things but I made it. Only 92 more days to go. I think at the end of 100 days I will celebrate. I am glad I am strong willed or I may have caved in by now. Another thing that keeps me from giving up is having this posted on face book. My husband is the one that posted my first two. I was not going to do it. I was playing around and created a blog and was going to try an experiment. I told Ken I was only blogging for myself and only I would read it. Ken asked me who blogs for themselves , I said I do. I am a little odd at times.

I am still at the same spot in my Spanish today. For some reason I am having a hard time remembering how to say United States. I can remember how to say where do you live. As long as they don't tell me where they live I should be good. The piano is still going pretty well. I thought for sure I would have a tough time with the arthritis in my hands but it is easier than I anticipated. I have only had one day with really stiff hands. It actually feels like playing the piano has started to limber up my fingers a little. I am almost done with my book. I have lots and lots of books with bookmarks in them that I have not finished. That is one of my projects. My banister  along the stairs is nice and shiny now. I think I will be smelling old English on my hands all night. After several years I have finally removed clothes from my dresser that I have no intention of wearing. I wrote down one of the new recipes I created. I need to start taking pictures of my new dishes I create for my cookbook.I got quite a bit of organizing done tonight too.

This has been really good for me. I see light at the end of the tunnel even if it takes a while to get there. I have noticed tonight I am developing new habits. I kick my shoes off at the end of the bed everyday and leave them there . If I wear several different pairs during the week they eventually get kicked under the bed and then I have to lay on the floor in the morning and look for the shoes I want. Today I kicked them off and walked away and when I came back and saw them it bugged me to no end and I picked them up and put them in my shoe rack .A friend had bought me a necklace with earings and I set them on the dresser and thought I will put them away tomorrow. I put them on my dresser and went to walk away and I couldn't . I had to put them away in my Jewelry box. After 100 days I should be really disciplined :)

With God all things are possible MATHEW 19:26

Day 7

Yeah! I made it another day. Today was easier than yesterday. A week went by pretty quick. I feel like I really accomplished quite a bit in one week . This seems to be working out pretty good. I find that it helps not always doing the same thing. and it makes it more enjoyable . It helps having a list of things also that do not require physical exertion for those days when your body hurts too much . It would be defeating my person if I became overwhelmed by my list of ten things I had to do.

I didn't learn any new words today. I worked on the ones I have been practicing so I can get them down a little better. I mostly answered questions in Spanish today. I am still practicing the piano every day. I get impatient with the simple songs. You know the sad part is I felt the same during my piano lessons 30 years ago. That is scary when you still think the same thing you thought when you were twelve. But I am not twelve now so I will stick it out. I have been reading short stories out of angel everywhere. I am almost done. It was the book my grandma was reading right before she died this summer. I have passed up her bookmark now. I am glad she was reading that book before she passed away it is encouraging. It was sitting next to her bed , now it is sitting next to mine encouraging me when I read it. I think that was another thing that had me start on this. I regretted not spending more time with her before she died. I thought I had more time and I was so tired and running in many directions feeling overwhelmed. I don't want to keep living with regrets. So by doing 10 positive things every day my regrets will be fewer.

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. PHILIPPIANS 3 : 13 - 14

Day 6

It is now day 6. I would love to say today was easy once I got going, but today that was not the case. All of my 10 things felt like a challenge today and I did not feel up to any of them. It is not because I have lost interest I just had a very physically challenging day and I kind of spread my 10 things out through the whole day so it felt like I would never get done. I also did a lot of running around in the middle of the day and wore myself out and then I let my blood sugar get too low this afternoon which did not help at all.

I learned another Spanish word today. I have been finding myself speaking Spanish words in my head off and on all day and  even at  night when I wake up. It is the same as listening to a favorite song too much. it plays over and over in your head. Spanish is one thing I will continue after my 100 days. I was going through and organizing another drawer and I ran across a letter that was wrote to me from one of the ladies that worked in an orphanage that I use to go to in Mexico over 10 years ago. I don't remember what it says. I know some of the words but not enough to understand the whole letter. I will have to look up all the words. We became friends on one of my trips there . Her son Miguel spoke and read English quite well. He would translate for us when we had a lot we wanted to say to each other. I can still picture her in my mind. I wanted to talk to her so bad but I only knew about thirty or forty words. We worked together sometimes and we would try talking with our hands to each other when we didn't have anyone around to translate and we would end up laughing hysterically. Just remembering her makes me want to continue with my Spanish.

Even though today was a little hard , I am still glad I did it and I can go to bed with no regrets. I may not have control over all my health problems or difficult circumstances that arise occasionally but I do have control over weather I make the most of my day or not.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

Day 5

I am 5% of the way there. To be honest today I did not feel like doing anything, but I did it anyway.  My 10 things were done by 5:00 and I still am enjoying it . After I get the first one done the rest seem easy. I still have no regrets even though  the end of my 100 days seems very far way.That's just more time I have to improve. I figured it out and I think it ends 4 days before my next birthday. That will make me happy. Every year when I have my birthday I look back on the previous year and try to think about what I learned in that year and what I would have done different if I had more time or if I would have made different choices . Sometimes there can be a fine line between dwelling on the past and doing some reflecting.

I try to make some of my ten things different everyday so I don't get bored. I am still practicing the piano daily and my Spanish. The rest varies. I have learned two more words in Spanish today to add to my list and the piano seemed to flow even smoother today than yesterday.I found a recipe in one my cookbooks I bought for my last birthday that I have not used yet . It is" Mediterranean Fish soup" It is a recipe from a a Restaurant called Botin's In Madrid Spain . It came out of my Vincent Price cookbook, " A Treasurey  of great recipes" .
I had no idea Vincent Price even wrote cookbooks until this year.His cookbooks are filled with recipes from restaurants he had been to around the world. I thought he was just an actor. I collect cookbooks and I use to love watching old Vincent Price movies as a kid. So I had to have it. Could you imagine what it would be like to have him for a dad. Your friends come over and stay the night and you see his shadow in the hall from the night light and he says good night to you and your friends and laughs in that creepy voice and peaks his head around the door. He has a voice that sticks in your mind forever. I remember watching a plant show as a kid and he was the narrator while a Venus flytrap captured a fly. He made that seem scary.

I am looking forward to my next 10 things tomorrow. I am not feeling overwhelmed at the end of the day. I can go to bed and feel good about what I have got done without having any regrets about my day . Yes , I still deal with some pain, but it is there weather I do anything or not. So I would rather end my day in some pain feeling like I made the most of my day instead of finishing my day in some pain overwhelmed and feeling like I wish I had done more. Every day is a gift from the Lord :)

A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.  PSALM 34:19

Day 4

Only 96 days to go! I even got my 10 things done by 5:00 today instead of 8:00. Only working half days on Thursdays made that possible. The other alternative is to wake up about two hours earlier but that does not appeal to me at all .Each day is getting a little easier, it is starting to feel more like something I want to do instead of something I am making myself do, and another thing I have noticed is that I have not felt overwhelmed by the end of the day the last couple days .I feel like I can relax and feel good about it instead of guilty.This has turned out to be a lot better for me than I thought it would. I originally thought why 10 things? Why not just a couple things for a total of 100 minutes?  I thought with just a couple things I might get bored and by doing 10 things everywhere I go I can see progress made or something fun I am doing. It makes me feel like I am getting more done even if takes several days longer to get one those things completed.

My 13 year old son even joined in with me while I was practicing Spanish today. He would try to read the words to me while I would tell him what they mean and pronounce them for him. He says he wants to take Spanish next year in school . I am able to play the piano again without looking at the keys. I have more earings to pick from in the morning because I matched them all up. My cupboards are getting even more organized and my deck is starting to look half way decent again. I bought succulents this summer and just love them, they are interesting looking, there is quite a variety and they are perfect for the person that loves their precious plants but often forgets to water them. Yes, that would be me.

Today when I got done with my 10 things I was even looking around for something else I wanted to do. I really can't wait to reach one hundred days to see what all has really been accomplished . I will probably continue to do it.

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

Day 3

I am amazed at how many different things I have been able to do in ten minutes of time.  It has completely changed my thinking about how things need to get done. I can accomplish a lot even when I don't feel well and not feel like I will suffer for it for a week. I wish I would have tried this a long time ago. It is easy. I can even get something done during a long commercial break or while my potato's are boiling.

 I have learned four new Spanish words. I can't wait until I can speak it fluently. That might take a while but that is ok. I will continue to work on it a little every day  . Before long I will be able to speak to people that come down for immigration assistance at the Hub Community Center. Most of them don't speak English so when I try to talk to them I talk with my hands. I don't think they know what I am saying because they just get a big smile on their face and they nod. Come to think of it I talk with my hands to English speaking people too. It is hard for me to  stay still. I wonder how many people talk with their hands. I have never thought about that before. I wonder if anyone has ever taken a poll on that. They take a poll on everything else. You know I think I am going to start watching just out of curiosity. As you can probably tell it does not take much to entertain me.

It really is not that hard doing 10 things for 10 minutes at all. A few things I ended up doing a little longer. I love being able to look and see at least one book shelf organized and tidy, I found I have more cupboard space than I thought, my house plants are starting to look nicer, I have been enjoying reading a very uplifting book with short stories, I have organized another drawer, and I even got to the song " Go tell Aunt Rhody" in my piano book. Yes, indeed I think I am making progress.

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 63:7

Day 2

I did it! Doing my list of ten things when I got home did not sound so appealing today either. I did not feel like doing anything  but once I started I was on a roll. I am glad I am not relying on my feelings to get this done or I would be in real trouble. I think as Americans it can be easy to do what we feel because we have a lot more freedom and options than some do in other countries where the only thing some do is what is necessary to survive.

After I got done doing my ten things this evening I felt better than I did all day. Things are starting to get more organized and I am enjoying it. I am beginning to think organizing could become addicting. I am looking forward to some of the new healthier meals I planned. I even put the list in my purse so I have no excuse to not go to the store to pick those items up. It is also becoming easier to play the piano with my left hand. For some reason things seem to flow smoother with my right hand. maybe it is because I am right handed. I don't know if that makes a difference. It does not help having crooked pinkies. I have also been practicing my Spanish. I only know about thirty or forty words and I want  to learn the entire language.

I have found that the last two days I have not had the desire to snack at all out of boredom. I think I will lose weight through this too, which will also improve my health. I feel like I have a little more control over my life instead of my health having control over me. That makes it worth it. Only 98 more days to go.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  PROVERBS 16:3