Updates and Boundaries

UPDATE: With this post I am reaching my weekly goal of posting here at least once a calendar week.  Yeah me!

The writing for 15 minutes a day is not going so well.  I'm procrastinating on my skit.  But I've had several ideas for my blog, which is half the battle there.  I hope to get a chunk done on the skit this weekend as Matthew will be out of town and I seem to be somewhat caught up on my housework so I won't have my To Do List nagging at me.  Nathan and Clinton, however, do remain factors in play...  Boo me!

UPDATE: On another note, yes, I gained a few pounds over the holidays.  Doing okay (not terrific, but respectable) on the exercise but having no motivation on the eating.  But I'm working on it, and Joline and her exemplary eating habits are kicking in my guilt complex.  The self-motivation will follow as soon as I'm done with the self-loathing part.  Boo me!

NEW STUFF:  In addition to the Daily Audio Bible, I listen to the Daily Audio Proverb podcast.  One chapter of Proverbs a day, so all of Proverbs in a month, twelve times a year.  The ultimate book of wisdom.  As you well know, I could definitely use me some wisdom.

Today is the 22nd so we read from Proverbs 22.  Something I heard this morning in verse 28 got me to thinking. (No smarty pants comments on that part, please.  I've heard it all before.)  The Contemporary English Version says, "Do not move a boundary marker set up by your ancestors."   

I've always thought of this verse in the physical, property line way, and it certainly does mean that.  This verse is good advice for maintaining warm fuzzy feelings with your neighbors.  But today it hit me that this verse also applies to boundaries in life.

What I mean here is that the rules haven't changed.  What was right and wrong generations ago, even back to "Bible Times," is still right and wrong today.  Don't move the line, or the law, based on the whim of the moment.

The laws of physics don't change.  The laws of nature don't change.  It's as true today as it was yesterday that if you jump off a cliff you will get hurt.  It doesn't matter if you think you won't get hurt.  It doesn't matter if you think you shouldn't get hurt.  The fact is you WILL get hurt.  Those property lines haven't budged a millimeter since the dawn of time. Truthfully, they are there as much for our protection as for our limitation.

The laws of right and wrong do not change simply based on what we want right and wrong to be.  If you do wrong things you'll pay the consequences.  Just because we don't like where the boundary is placed doesn't mean we have the option of moving it to suit our fancy.  I realize that many things are not black and white, but some things are, and we need to maintain those boundary lines in order to not lose the deed to the property altogether.

On biblegateway.com, the footnote to Proverbs 22:28; reads "In ancient Israel boundary lines were sacred because all property was a gift from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 19.14)."  Time and again in the Old Testament we see the Israelites mess with the spiritual boundaries God gave them until they finally got physically kicked out of the promised land. 

I don't know about you, but I would rather not have to pick up and move out of my promised land any time soon. 
 

Goals Schmoals

So my friend Joline and I are now over 2 months into our workout accountability, and I think it's going well.  We both slacked off A BIT during the holidays, but now we're back on track.  Yeah for us!


The nice thing is that this accountability seems to be rubbing off into other areas of our lives.  As you may remember from last year, Joline blogs at TheCuppaJo.  Today she informed me of her writing goals.  I thought that was a great idea so I came up with some myself.  They are:


1. Post in my blog at least once a week.
2. Write for 15 minutes a day.  As Flylady says, you can do anything for 15 minutes.  I am also planning to work out for 15-20, declutter for 15, and read for 15.  So far in 2010 that has all happened together in a single day, but I am trying. 
3. Start a Writer's Group.  Praying and seeking guidance on that one, but I believe this is what I'm supposed to do.  Hopefully more on that later.
4. Write a kick a** inspiring script for Ladies' Day on April 17.  You'll have to come to Ladies' Day to see how I do.


There.  I said it.  Or rather wrote it.  In print.  For all the world to see.   

YIKES!!!!  WHAT HAVE I DONE???!!!  AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!! (That's the sound of me running down the road, screaming and pulling my hair out)


Okay, so these are not earth-shattering goals.  I didn't say I wanted to write The Great American Novel or The Next Blockbuster Movie.  These just might be attainable goals FOR ME.  If I keep plugging away (and limit my Facebook time), by the Grace of God I might complete 2010 with something to show for it.


I'll keep you posted.


 
By the way, I've added a picture of "the office," where I plan to do at least part of the writing, which is really just a converted closet in the kitchen. 


I've also posted the bulletin board where I've listed these goals.  By the way, no slamming me on the messy desk.  I've not decluttered that far yet.

  

If I'd write it, maybe you'd read it

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while.  

First of all, it seems that I can't put a decent thought together.  Every idea I get, I hate.  Or I like it in my head but hate it when I see it on the screen.  Or I write it and like it but come back to it later and hate it.  I'm having this problem on everything from emails to this blog to Facebook comments (believe it or not).  Don't even get me started telling you about my children's book, Christmas play or devotions.


On the other hand, I am writing another skit for Oil Belt Christian Service Camp's Ladies' Day (try saying that ten times fast).  For some reason that seems to be working.  When I have a chance to dig in to it.  This isn't a "five minutes here and there" thing for me.  I need blocks of time.  I don't get those much these days.

Maybe God is trying to tell me something, like I shouldn't be messing around with all the other writing right now.  Admittedly, some of it is necessary.  Well, okay, the Facebook stuff is just fun. 

Maybe I should ask my Writing Boss what He would have me write.  And then listen for the answer.  And then go do it.  


If you need me, I'll be on vacation in the Swiss Alps with Sylvia.  At least that's the direction the skit is taking me for now. 

Away, and alone, in a manger

This Christmas season, I found myself pondering the birth of our Lord.  For some reason, even though I’ve known the story of Jesus’ birth my whole life, it struck me in a new way this year.  It suddenly struck me that Mary and Joseph were alone when Jesus was born, and how unusual that would have been.  I guess, in reality, their families could have been there with them, but Luke 2 says that when the shepherds got to the stable they found only Mary, Joseph and the baby.  

What was the deal with their families?

I’m especially curious because when a woman is about to give birth she is usually surrounded by family and friends, at the very least by close relatives like her mother.   Where was Mary’s mother?   Where was the rest of Mary’s family?  For that matter, what about Joseph’s family?  

Clinton had an interesting thought about it.  He wondered if maybe they were alone because their families shunned them due to Mary’s pregnancy.   Unmarried daughter claims the child she carries is God’s child, and her fiancée is going to marry her anyway?  At the very least they would have been accused of disgraceful behavior, and at the most of being completely insane.   The possibility of the pain and suffering Mary and Joseph may have experienced, through no fault of their own, made me so sad! How lonely they must have felt!

I tried to picture what it could have been like for their families.  I would think that both families were surely in Bethlehem at the same time, as both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David.  EVERYONE had to go to his own town to be taxed and counted for the census.   Surely their families were there.

How would the families have heard about the baby if they were estranged from Mary and Joseph?  Even with Bethlehem full to overflowing with people, a story as unusual as the one the shepherds told would surely have reached every nook and cranny of every street corner.  Imagine the possibility that the new grandparents would have heard along with all the rest of Bethlehem about their grandson being born. What would the family members’ reactions have been, hearing that the baby born in a manger was their grandson/nephew/cousin?  

What could have been their reaction to the amazing story the shepherds told?  Angels declared that Mary and Joseph’s baby was the Christ.  Perhaps they reconsidered the truthfulness of what Mary had told them about Jesus’ conception.  Do you think they were more likely to have believed the shepherds’ story than the average citizen did?

I felt a glimmer of hope.  If they were estranged, could the birth of grandson Jesus have helped to heal the rift?  We know that at least by the time Jesus was twelve that He and the Holy Family were surrounded by extended family (Luke 2:44).   Even if they didn’t fully believe He was the promised Messiah, somewhere along the line forgiveness and reconciliation had to have occurred.

Jesus' conception and birth may have caused a rift in his earthly family. I don't really know.  But I am comforted that if there was an estrangement, that it seems to have been temporary.  Maybe “on earth, peace to men on whom his favor rests” included Jesus’ own family.  

Judge for yourselves

It was a wonderful time.  

My family, all 17 of us, were able to be together this Thanksgiving at a rented house on Kentucky's Lake Cumberland.  All nine grandsons (That's right.  NINE grandsons, ZERO granddaughters) played together well.  This is no small feat as five of them are aged 3 and under.  

My brother-in-law, the amazing Mike, made all of the Thanksgiving dinner and dessert with the exception of my sister-in-law Vivien's delicious cheesecake.  Love those guys who do the culinary school thing!  He was even incredibly successful making tur-duck-en despite the fact of not having any butcher's string to hold it all together.  I'd never had tur-duck-en before.  Chicken wrapped in duck wrapped in turkey with stuffing in there all over the place.  FABULOUS!  Highly recommended.


Friday morning Vivien, assisted by Clinton and Mike, made a huge breakfast.  Viv also made spaghetti for Wednesday night and a wonderful chicken casserole on Friday night, using up the leftovers.  Somehow all three of us McClelland kids managed to find spouses who enjoy cooking.  We're still trying to find the down side to that one...   Lorie, Bill and I are definitely loving it.  Mom and I have gladly volunteered for permanent clean-up detail.


And, yes, I have the results of my Fit By Forty challenge to myself.  Vivien, a former model, assisted me in my "pose" while photographer Clinton added a few "Work it, baby, work it"s in his best LA accent.  


So, thanks to Joline and Weight Watchers, I came to Thanksgiving in my khakis.  The khakis even stayed on my body for the entire evening.  Mission Accomplished!  Whoo-hoo!  Jumping Jacks for Joy!



On Monday I'm officially back on the treadmill.  3 great cooks x 3 full days x a plethora of amazing food = the need to burn some major calories before they take up permanent residence again. 


Weight Watchers was incredibly helpful in meal planning, and having a milestone birthday as a deadline was a major motivation, but the most important factor in my success has been the accountability my friend Joline.  I would probably have skipped several (okay, many) workouts had I not loathed the thought of emailing her my failure report.  I hope our mutual accountability society continues.  You up for it, Jo? 


Now if I can continue with these changes, I may be able to stay in my khakis for the foreseeable future.  And who knows, I may get to wear them to our next Thanksgiving celebration.    :)

Fit By Forty x Seven

It's been one week since I began my "Fit By Forty" quest to lose the weight I've put on in order to fit into my khakis by Thanksgiving/my 40th birthday.  Several factors have been in play over this time period.

Thanks to my friend Joline, talented author of the CuppaJo blog and completer of a half-marathon, I am for the first time ever working out with a buddy.  Um.  Well.  Sort of.  Joline lives 9 hours away from me in Pennsylvania.  That's 550 miles according to Mapquest.  She contacted me after my last post and we became accountability partners, encouraging each other in our workouts via email.  I've always been a loner in this area, but I must say it is working GREAT for me!  You'll have to check out Joline's blog to see how it's working for her.   http://thecuppajo.blogspot.com/2009/11/buddy-system.html

Another factor is I've been cooking for 3 hungry farmers this week.  When I take them lunch I also take Nathan with me and feed him while the guys eat.  I can't feed him and myself at the same time so I usually eat before I go.  Lately it's been something meal-replacement-bar-ish.  Makes it much easier to plan Weight Watcher points that way and I'm too busy right now to think much about sneaking food later.  Protein water and coffee are helping to curb my appetite, so for this week at least I'm able to really watch what I eat. 



Haven't tried on the khakis but the scale is showing me some encouraging numbers.  The true test, other than the khakis, will be what the scale at the doctor's office says.  My annual physical exam is scheduled later this week.  Believe me, I'm not excited, but it must be done.  We'll see how much The Dreaded Doctor's Office Scale affects my mood and thus my commitment to my program.


Good thing Joline's got Jillian Michaels kicking her butt these days.  Actually, I think Jillian is shredding her butt...either way, I'm sure she'll pass that butt-kicking along to me and project me right out of my slump.  Hurray for buddies!

Fit By Forty

It took a while, but it has happened.

In general I am pretty good about watching what I eat.  Lately though I've been watching what I eat go in my mouth, down to my lower half and expanding.  Two weeks ago when I was running late for church I went to put on my favorite khakis and I could not get them on.  

I was HACKED.  At myself.  I knew I'd been really careless and have noticed my pants getting tighter, but this was the first time this fall I'd tried to wear these particular pants.  Apparently I hit the breaking point.  

For those of you who know me, just stop with the "Wah wah wah you're so little you don't have anything to worry about blah blah blah."  Here is the thing:  It doesn't matter what size you are.  If you gain enough weight that you don't fit your clothes,  you have a problem.  And while I do have some yoga pants, I do not want to have to wear them all the time.


I rather like my wardrobe.  It has taken me several years and a substantial investment to build it to this point.  I FLAT OUT REFUSE to let myself go to the point that I have to start over from scratch.  I busted my tail (literally) to get back into my clothes after Nathan was born.  Gaining a few pounds is one thing.  Not fitting your clothes is quite another.


As an added bonus, I will turn the big 4-0 on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving.  

I refuse to feel "fat and forty."  I refuse to have my clothing options limited by my own poor choices and lack of will power.  I refuse to buy another wardrobe.  I refuse to loathe seeing myself in a mirror.  I refuse to be unhealthy.  I refuse to allow the Enemy to have any little niche to poke his nose in and cause me trouble.  I refuse.  I refuse.  I REFUSE!!!


I have just under three weeks to get my rear in gear to meet my goal and fit into my khakis.  This is an attainable goal.  I am working my plan.


And as I know that at the age of forty it gets REALLY hard to keep weight off, I intend to continue to make changes in my lifestyle.  For a while now I have been slowly making small improvements in our eating habits and will continue to do so.  

The biggest obstacle is making exercise a priority.  But, even fifteen minutes a day can help.  As Flylady says, "You can do anything for fifteen minutes."  The near-miraculous transformation of my previously cluttered basement is proof of that.


I intend to have a little less "junk in my trunk" in three weeks.  I intend to wear my khakis to Thanksgiving dinner.



Oh, and uh, I intend to ask you to please pray for me.