90 Day Challenge

Starting today I begin a new challenge.  You guys know that I like a good challenge.  Remember Insanity?  When I set a goal to do something by a certain time with a fixed schedule I'm usually very successful.  You would think that I would use that information to be more productive but instead I do the opposite.  If I set out on a detailed plan to do something there's no doubt that it will be done, so sometimes I think I unconsciously don't plan.  Well, that's the excuse I'm using right now.

Anyway, back to the 90 Day Challenge. You are probably wondering what it is, huh?  Alright, I've been following a blog called Raising Olives (authored by Kimberly) for the past few weeks.  It's about a very precious large family and how they make things work for them while remaining faithful to God.  Anyway, on Kimberly's blog she is starting up a 90 Day Challenge to read through the entire Bible. 

I am a Christian and surprisingly I have never read through the entire Bible.  I find this strange so I'm jumping on the train to complete this Challenge.  You can join me if you like.  You can find out more information by visiting Raising Olives blog.  Start date is April 1, 2011.  Here is a link to the schedule (which I got from her website).

I really want to do this as it's very important to me.  I know that I'll have to make adjustments in my routine for this to be successful but I'm ready for the challenge.  Let me know if you decide to join :)

Mrs. K

Eat. Pray. Love. (Forgive. Stay Active)

I saw the movie Eat.Pray.Love this weekend and I thought it was so awesome.  Besides being a huge long time fan of Julia Roberts, it  was an overall good movie.  I won't be reviewing the movie during this post; although my husband calls me a movie critic because after seeing a movie, I say things like "wow that was well done."  

Eat.Pray.Love. reminded me to take a minute and evaluate my life and goals.  Although, I am nothing like the main character, the movie has me reflecting on my own life.  Eating, praying and loving are essential, but I've also added two other things I find important: forgiving and staying active.

Eat

I love eating!  I enjoy eating food from other regions.  Some types of food I've tried and enjoyed are: Jamaican (of course), Italian, Peruvian, Colombian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Israeli, Greek, Panamanian, Good 'Ole Southern, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Haitian, Nigerian to name a few.  I've enjoyed most of them so much that I've even tried to cook some at home with success.  I'm not a chef or anything and cooking is not my favorite thing to do, but I try.

This evening I bought a cookbook (a very unusual thing for me to do).  I usually just go online to get recipes.  In the past when I was given cookbooks as presents I would be somewhat displeased, knowing that they would just sit on my bookshelf and get hidden by cobwebs.  I plan to do something different.  I'm going to pull out all the cookbooks I've been given and display them in the kitchen as a reminder to use them.  Also, from now on I'm going to cook a "fancy" meal from one of them once per month every 2-3 months.

Nope, I didn't make it, but I sure ate it and it was good...

I was brainstorming some with my cousin and came up with an idea.  When I have children, I plan to start a tradition.  Once per month, I will have them choose a recipe from one of the cookbooks (from a particular country) and I will make the meal for my family.  Being the person I am, I want to take it even further.  On that one night per month I want to decorate in the theme of that country (including the flag) and have a brief discussion about the country.  Of course when the kids get older I will let them do the research and discuss the country.  What do you think?  Do you have any other ideas?  Do you do something similar with your children?

Anyway, so I plan to collect cookbooks from different countries.  If you have any good ones in mind, feel free to send the info my way.  Whenever I visit a different country I plan to bring back a cookbook.

Pray

I do pray but not as often as I would like to.  I will start praying sometimes and my mind will wander off.  Whenever this happens I try to resolve whatever it is I was thinking about then get back to praying.  I do pray before meals and most times at bedtime, however I want to make prayer a bigger part of my life.  I know that "practice makes perfect," so I will keep trying.

I have made some progress such as: stop cut back praying selfish prayers asking God for things.  I have been trying more to pray for others.  With prayer, I also want to praise and thank God for His blessings and develop a relationship with Him.

Love

I've mastered this too.  If you don't believe me?  Just ask my husband.  So, I'm kidding.  Of course, like most humans it's easier for me to love when people are lovable.  Now, for those who get on my nerves and aren't so "lovable" I have to work EXTRA hard.  So once again, I try but I still have got a lot of improvement to do.

And it's not just about loving others, it is also about loving myself.  I must admit that fortunately this has not been a problem for me.  I've had a supportive family who showed me love and continues to.  My hubby and friends also do too.  Of course, I've had moments in my lifetime when I've felt unloved but then my brain kicks in and reminds me of the truth.  It is unfortunate that some people are not like that and I pray that they will find love and comfort in God.

Forgive

This is something that is vital for me.  As a child I held grudges and I noticed at a young age that this was problem.  I prayed about this for years and I've noticed a tremendous difference.  I am so much better.  I have learned to admit when I'm wrong (sometimes), forgive, apologize and ask for forgiveness.  I still have a long way to go with the last two.

I have learned through some college relationships that went sour what it is like to truly forgive and reconcile.  It is such an awesome feeling when you do.  Gosh, not having to carry the burden of grudge and resentment is great!  I've learned that the most difficult step for me was not admitting fault, it was discussing the situation and asking for forgiveness.

I've asked myself, how can I say I love someone if I don't truly forgive them or if I hold grudges?

Stay Active

This has been my thing for a while.  I'm kind of all over the place.  Too spontaneous at times.  I do like to stay physically active.  I do so by frequenting the gym, running some evenings, walking the dogs, throwing around a football.  My husband and I even exercised on our honeymoon (no, not just that kind of exercise--we actually went to the gym).  I feel good when I do.

Since this summer was completely different from previous ones I had been neglecting this area, but I've started back up.  I've been back into a routine for the past 3 weeks now.  Yippie!  Not only do I strive to stay physically active, I'm trying to develop new hobbies too.

Hiking in the Great Smokey Mountains

So, I've mentioned above about my cooking plans.  I've started blogging.  My new thing is to start sewing.  I've been frequenting craigslist in hopes of finding a used sewing machine to practice with.  I was inspired to do this after I bought a dress that was obviously too big for me, but the price was too good for me to not get it. 

I've done this in the past and have paid other people to alter my clothing but I want to do it on my own.  Of course, I will practice on scrap fabric before I attempt fixing my dress.  Also, I'm inspired by other women who sew cute little outfits for their babies.  I'm not saying I plan to sew all my babies' clothes but I like having the option to be able to :)

Mrs. K

When It Rains It Pours...still remaining faithful through it all

I try my best to limit stress and drama in my life, but sometimes no matter what you do, you just can't help it.  Now, although there's not much drama lately--thankfully.  There is some stress.  My car (my little blue baby) has been doing me well for quite a few years.  I got it when it was only 1 year old in summer 2005.  I was so excited because it was fairly new, compared to the 1989 Toyota Corolla that I had previously.   Anyway, I was really excited about the car, thought I was really cool with my darkly tinted windows (which I almost got a ticket for by the way). 

As mentioned in a previous post, I drive a lot (not for work, but for leisure--whether it is visiting family and friends or just vacationing).  Overall, the car has done me good.  I really haven't had to do many repairs, just the standard maintenance (which I kept up with for the most part).  So, I am grateful and thankful for it.  The AC works (essential in this very hot summer), it has good tires...so not many problems--until recently.

A few days ago the "AT" light came on (whatever that means).  I didn't notice anything else and the light eventually went off.  Then it came back on again and not only was there a light, the car started having a massive "kick" whenever I turn it on.  The first time it happened it scared the crap out of me.  So, intermittently over the last few days this has been happening. 

We decided NOT to take it to the dealer because I was afraid of being robbed blind (no offense), so we took it to a local guy that my husband uses for his old car.  The guy couldn't fix it, apparently the computer that he has could not break the code to read what is wrong with my car.  Still trying to avoid the dealer (especially since we do not have warranty on the car) we took it to a shop that specializes in transmissions.  My husband had researched on line that "AT" has something to do with transmissions so we took it there.

After keeping my car for about 24 hours they came to the conclusion that I have some metal scraps(?) in my transmission.  They said I have A LOT of it and they needed to rebuild my entire transmission.  I'm like, why not just replace it with a new one if you have to rebuild the whole thing?  The cost is already astronimical...$2500.    My grandpa taught me how to do basic work on cars when I was growing up such as changing oil, putting on a spare tire, but definitely not fix a transmission. 

So, I'm not sure what to do about this.  I will probably pay the $2500 because I NEED my car.  Besides, I'm tired of driving my honey's old car (although I am thankful for it).  I guess it could be worse.  To remind myself to stay positive (as my blog title reminds me to do), here are some things that I think about to help me deal:

At least I was safe while driving it and nothing harmful happened to me.  Also, it could've been more money.  I can always get a second opinion.  I can always get a new car.  Really, I love the new Toyota 4 Runner and you can add a third row of seats if necessary (just in case we decide to breed a nation of kids we would have more space...lol).  I've been eyeing it for a few months so maybe this is a blessing in disguise.  Ok, this is wishful thinking but a lady can dream, can't she?

Mrs. K