One Two Three BREATHE….

I decided to revive (thus the CPR title) a blog hop that I have abandoned this summer. I haven’t participated since July 11th. But today I’m getting back on track with Multitude Monday based on Ann Voskamp’s book 1000 Gifts (which I haven’t gotten yet). So, on July 11th I ended with number 68. So I will begin with #69 today.

69 – Pain medicine – As someone with Fibromyalgia pain medicine is my best friend. I’ve tried them all. Right now I’m on Nucynta, which appears to be working for my over all pain. It’s not so great for my headaches. But that’s another blog post completely.

70 – My church – Even though I don’t get to go all the time I do so love it. Is it perfect? No – is yours? But there are people who truly care about me. I went for the first time in a long time this morning. Granted I had to leave early due to a panic attack but I hope to never take my church for granted. Our staff is wonderful. Our pastor is awesome. Our worship is the best. It ministers to my spirit. The Donelson Fellowship, I love you!

71 – Changing of the seasons – We used to live in Central Florida where winter lasts about 2 weeks. The rest of the year it is summer. But I have to say I really enjoy living somewhere that experiences the changing seasons. I love the cool weather that comes dancing in on the wind after the long humid days of summer. And then I love the warm weather that sneaks up on us after the long bitter winter. My Fibro doesn’t like it so much but it’ll get over it.

72 – My friends – I have some terrific friends. I truly do! I have friends from the past who I stay in contact with thanks to the internet. I have friends who check on me thanks to texting. I have amazing neighbors who are like family to me. I hope that occasionally I am able to be as good a friend to them as they are to me. I spend most days thinking I let them down but they assure me that I don’t.

If you have things you are thankful for in your life then you can participate in Multitudes on Monday as well. Follow the link and join us.

I’m Thankful For Ice Cream

It’s hard to believe that the summer is halfway over. Our summers always fly by but this one has gone at warp speed. Nevertheless I am thankful for it. I’m so thankful for it that I’m putting it on the top of my 1000 Gifts list for today.

64. Summer! I’m not even minding the hot weather this year. I’m just enjoying my kids. Maybe because I know next month they will begin their senior year of high school. So, really this is the last summer that we’ll all have in school. NExt summer will be different because we will be getting ready for a new phase of life.

65. Dallas Baptist University – my hubs is away at DBU this week beginning his Doctoral program. I’m thankful for a husband with such ambition who is always applying himself, stretching his mind and improving himself to be a better leader. This doctorate will allow him so many other opportunities in the years ahead. It is the perfect program for him (us) and I’m thankful that they provide it.

66. Faith – yes the spiritual kind but this time I’m talking about the kind that follows me around the house on four tiny little legs. She always makes me smile and loves me unconditionally.

67. My tweeps – I love my friends on Twitter. I feel like they are an extended part of my family. They are always just a tweet away.

68. Ice Cream – I shouldn’t be thankful for ice cream but I am. I bought some of those new freezer bars Magnum today. OH my!! They are like Dove Bars with a layer of caramel between the two layers of chocolate coating the ice cream. Sin on a stick! That’s what that is!

Well, this was a light hearted list this week. I hope that’s allowed. Gonna go link it up now. Join me?

There Is Good Amongst The Bad

I am getting back on the thankfulness path today with my Multitude Monday post for 1000 Gifts. I’ve taken a couple of weeks off. But there is just too much to be thankful for NOT to share. I suspect you have much to be thankful for as well. I enjoy putting these posts together. When I’m having a bad day I can go back and look over them and they remind me that I really don’t have it as bad as I thought. It gives my brain a 180 degree turn. Does that sound like something you need as well? Do you find yourself seeing the negatives in your life? Try joining us on Ann Voscamp’s blog, A Holy Experience.

My last Multitude Monday post was on June 6. Today I will pick up where I left off there – with #57.

57 – Books! I love to read! It’s such a great distraction to make me refocus. I’ve set a goal for 2011 to read 30 books. I am currently on book #17. So I figure I’m right on schedule. I keep a running list of what I have read, am reading and recommend you read on the page On My Nightstand on my blog if you are interested in checking out some new reads for yourself.

58 – Lauren is home! She has been gone for two weeks to a camping experience she will never forget at JH Ranch. I missed her terribly. I am so glad she is home.

59 – The spiritual growth Lauren experienced. I believe this will affect her relationships here at home as well as her relationship with God.

60 – Truth and Peace starts this week. Truth and Peace is a leadership conference for teenagers of our denomination, Free Will Baptist. Michael has participated the last 2 summers. This will be his 3rd year. He has developed in to quite the leader. I participated in T & P when it began in 1984. I am proud that my son is following in my footsteps.

61 – The power of prayer – I have a friend who is going through a very difficult time in her marriage right now. I feel helpless. I have no idea how to help her in any way. But I know that I can pray for her. I know that God hears my prayers and that He answers them. Prayer is like sitting down on the couch next to God and just chatting with him. Sometimes I don’t even know what to say. Thankfully during those times he can read my heart.

62 – My husband’s job. The summer is always so busy and he is always on the go from state to state. I do have a hard time when he is gone. However, I am so thankful that he has a job that he loves where he can make a difference in the world. His job allows us to live in a one income home. So at a time when so many are struggling in their job and their finances I know how blessed we are.

I will focus on these items today and carry on knowing that there is some good amongst the bad – always!

So Much More To Be Thankful For Than To Complain About

It’s time to be thankful once again. Last Monday I ended on #46. This week I decided to share pictures of what I’m thankful for. Just trying to shake things up – cause that just how I am.

47 - One Half of My Clean Office

The Other Half of My Clean Office

48 - The Piano Our First Church Gave Me As A Gift When We Left - 15 Years Ago

50 - My Favorite Bible (NIV Life Application Study Bible)

51 - My Awesome Parents

52 - The Most Amazing Husband Ever

53 - A Son Who Doesn't Mind Singing To His Mom When She Is Down

54 - A Beautiful Daughter Who Always Makes Me Laugh (and sometimes makes me pull my hair out)

55 - Our Season Passes to Nashville Shores (lots of fun family time ahead this summer)

56 - Reminders From God That He Loves Us

There are so many times that I could get totally overwhelmed with how blessed I am. When I am overwhelmed with negative things in my life I need to stop and remember this list of 56 items I have created so far for Multitude Mondays. I need to realize that I have so much more to be thankful for than I have to complain about.

 

Is That Energy I Am Feeling? Really?

This week I continue the Multitudes Monday list of things I am grateful for. This is my 5th week of participating. The idea is to eventually reach 1000 gifts that you are thankful for. If you have missed the previous entries here they are so you can catch up:

A Multitude of Things I Am Thankful For – 5/2

Lists and Blessings – 5/11

A Multitude of Blessings – 5/16

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things – 5/23

And so this brings me to a new week of gratefulness. At first I thought it would be difficult to come up with 1000 things I am thankful for. But what I’ve found is that remaining in an attitude of gratefulness is not only easier than I thought it would be but it is emotionally and mentally healthy. Knowing that Monday is gonna roll around and I am gonna need to come up with something positive to share actually changes the way I look at each day prior. This week I really just have one thing that I am so very thankful for. My life until this point has been day after day of feeling fatigued and run down because of my Fibromyalgia.

41. AdvoCare – I started using their line of health products about 6 weeks ago thanks to my girlfriend, Tina, and have noticed a change in how I feel. I am not as exhausted as I have been previously. I decided to sign up as a distributor because I am seeing how much better it is helping me feel. I have much more energy just from the one product I’ve been using consistently, AdvoCare Spark Energy Drink. It is just overflowing with vitamins and it is making all the difference in the world!

AdvoCare Spark Energy Drink

This past weekend I started the Herbal 10 Day Cleanse. I’m still in the process of that one. I haven’t added in the exercise like I’m supposed to yet though. That’s on my list for today. You know how hard it is to get up off your duff and do something? Yeah, that’s me! I have the energy to do it but I’m just not using the energy to do exactly THAT yet. HAHAHA That’s sooooo ME!

10 Day Herbal Cleanse

This week I am planning on getting Lauren the ZZZ Product to help with sleeping. She has such a hard time sleeping. She takes Benadryl when she needs it but I hate the idea of her taking something OTC at her age to help her sleep. The AdvoCare sleeping product is all natural herbs and much healthier. It contains Melatonin, valerian extract, hops extract, chamomile extract, passionflower extract, white willow extract, vitamin B-6, zinc – all natural herbs. Some of them are even products/teas that a health food store would recommend. And it’s all in one product. I feel very confident about her using this.

ZZZZ

At this point – these items are what I am most thankful for. Feeling better and having more energy are important things in our home. I’m grateful that God brought AdvoCare into our lives. I’m confident that they are safe, natural and will help us live a better quality of life.

If you look in the left sidebar of my blog here you will see the AdvoCare logo. If you click on that logo it will take you to my business website where you can explore not only the products I mentioned here but many more products that can help you as well. If I can answer any questions you might have please ask and I will do my very best.

42. I am especially grateful for the beautiful sunny days we have been having lately.

43. We have incredible neighbors who we love being with and socializing with. Friday night we had our great Annual Summer Cather Ct. Cookout. We all got together in the street, cooked out and had a bonfire (in a patio fire pit). We laughed, talked, bonded and had a great time while all the kids played. So much fun!

44. We have a terrific year ahead. Yes it’s summer right now but we have been working on planning the next year – the kids final year at home with us. It’s gonna be so much fun. I’m grateful that we are all close and enjoy being together as a family.

45. I’m grateful for the summer being upon us. We bought season passes for Nashville Shores – a water park here in town. I anticipate a ton of laughs and fun ahead.

46. Since I began today’s list of gratefulness with AdvoCare I thought I would end it with AdvoCare. I’m thankful that I am anticipating all the fun we are adding to our calendars and that I will actually be able to participate in all of that fun because i am feeling better thanks to AdvoCare.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things

28. Singing Birds
29. Kissing dogs
30. Books that make me cry
31. Movies that make me laugh
32. A clean house
33. The TV to myself
34. 70 and sunny
35. New episodes of my fav TV shows
36. Prices that are less than I’m expecting
37. Freshly colored hair
38. A book I can’t put down
39. A friend who you don’t have to say anything to
40. Bright red flowers

Some of my favorite things to add to my list of One Thousand Gifts for Multitude Mondays. Come link up yours.

A Multitude of Blessings

This is week three of my participation in Multitudes Monday. My goal is to reach 1000 things that I am thankful for. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna share them all this month. So far, I have shared 20 total. I seem to be sharing 10 each Monday. But from what I understand there isn’t a set number that you must share. I also haven’t gotten Ann VosKamp’s book yet – which I certainly want to do as I have heard how life changing it has been in so many people’s lives. We all need some lifechanging moments in our lives. Ok – on with my week for this week. Share yours too! It stretches you!

21. This may sound really odd for someone like me to say. But I am thankful for my health. I’m not so much thankful for the poor health that I deal with every day. I mean that I am thankful that the things that are wrong with me are not fatal or deadly. I have irritation of fatigue and pain but, even when I think I would like to die to get out of it’s grip, I know I won’t. I will be around for my family for a long time.

22. The joy and happiness I hear coming from upstairs where my children are playing XBox together – NOT arguing. They are laughing together and getting along. It is music to my ears.

23. I am grateful that Ron celebrated another birthday this past week. Ok, I admit it gives me pleasure a month and 2 days after MY birthday he catches up with me. But mostly I am thankful that he is still around. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. I used to seriously waste precious time worrying about something bad happening to him. But now I focus on just being thankful instead of worrying. A grateful heart accomplishes something. Worrying does not!

24. I had a good enough day today to cook Ron’s birthday dinner. His favorite meal is a Japanese meal that is a LOT of work. It wiped me out but I made it through. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. And even if they didn’t they wouldn’t dare tell me otherwise!

25. I’m grateful for a good doctor who is willing to try whatever he thinks might help me with managing my pain. He has gone to bat for me with my insurance company and in less than 2 weeks I will be getting botox injections for my headaches. A good doctor is hard to find. One you get along with is even harder to find. But one who will fight for you is priceless.

26. I was featured on the 3 in 30 site as their featured participant for the week. I’m so thrilled. 3 in 30 has really changed me. I have hopes of bigger changes ahead because of it. If you need motivation in setting goals for yourself and then accountability in keeping you focused then 3 in 30 is your answer. This is an honor for me. The encouragement is just what I need to keep me focused.

27. I have been invited to go upstairs and join the fun with my family. So this week’s list gets cut short. My family is calling. That makes me blessed indeed!