The News Around Here and a 90 Day Bible Reading Update

The news around our house:

We experienced a cold front yesterday....It only got up to 91*!  It's been a hot summer here, but I'm trying not to complain because all too soon it will be cold, and I'm not a big fan of cold!

The Mr. and I just spent Wednesday night with 14 1st through 6th graders and had a ton of fun!!! It was a lot of work, but we really enjoyed it!

Most of the school books have arrived, and so I am up to my eyeballs in trying to figure out how to teach 2 kindergartners, a 2nd grader and a 4th grader and still have time for keeping the house somewhat clean, the laundry somewhat done, and putting a few meals on the table! :)

I am still slowly but surely working my way through the 90 Day Bible Reading.  I have decided it will probably be more like a 180 Day Bible Reading.  I am on Day 22.  I seem to get only about 1/2 of it completed each week, but I'm going to keep at it!

I was able to peel off some old wall paper border in our bathroom!  It took me a good two hours, but I was glad to finally be able to mark it off of  "The List!"

I can feel the newbie's first little tooth!  This makes me so very sad!  My little man is getting too big too fast!  He has also come up with this new face he makes when he's crying.  It is truly hilarious!  I must confess...the Mr. and I have been guilty of laughing at the poor little guy while he's crying!

We are "Celebrating Summer" every day with a little extra something.  We only have 16 days before we begin school!

I won something!!! I never win anything, but I put a comment on my favorite mommy author's blog so that I could have a chance to win, and I won TWO of her books (which have been on my wishlist for awhile)!  I will say it again ...if you are a mom, you need to visit Sally Clarkson's blog at itakejoy.com.  She is such an encouraging and inspiring person! (I really need her to just come live with me until my children are grown!)

The only other news I can think of for the day is that Miss M has volunteered me to marry Mr. G when he grows up because Miss E informed him that since he was so rude no little girl will ever want to marry him.  Of course, we have also all been informed by Miss E that this can only happen if Daddy dies first! Obviously, the Mr. and I need to explain the rules of marriage some time in the future! :)

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend looking for the little blessings God is pouring out!  I'm off to go enjoy mine!

90 Day Bible Reading - Day 15

WOOHOO!!! I'm on Day 15!  I am ready to move on now.  Hopefully, we'll get through the rest of this reading without a month long break again!  Tomorrow, I begin the book of Joshua, and I cannot wait to go through Israel's history with all the kings and judges.  There are so many fascinating stories.  Reading through all the laws that God made for Israel has made me realize God's grace and mercy even more.  I am thinking I probably would not have made it in the days of Leviticus!

Well, today is going to be short and sweet.  We are getting ready for a family BBQ at our place this afternoon.  I am going to try one more time to get my living room curtains up!  I can't wait to see the final "look."  

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Don't forget to make time for some quiet time with Jesus today!  He has done so much for us!!!

90 Day Bible Reading Update

The last time I gave an update on the 90 Day Bible Reading, I was on Day 10 (when I was supposed to be on Day 15), and I was ready to dig in and catch up!  Not 20 minutes after publishing that post, I got the message that my Granny was probably not going to make it, and she died within the hour.  After a quick trip across the country to be with my family, I returned home just in time to have my sister and her family here for a week. They have now left, just in time for me to clean my house, catch up on the laundry and pack for another trip!!!  Needless to say, I am still on Day 10.  Because I am terribly behind and about to leave home again, I have decided to work towards getting to Day 15 by NEXT Friday (July 13th).  I know that is a really slow pace, but I have decided I better be a little realistic.  I then plan on getting back into the reading schedule next Friday, and prayerfully, be able to stay with it.  

So, how about you?  Have you had great success with your Bible reading?  I pray so.  Remember, it's not just about being able to say we read the Bible in only 90 days. It is about getting to know God in a real and personal way - learning about Him and His desires for us His children.  If you are not a part of the 90 Day Bible Reading, I hope you have implemented a consistent quiet time in your day.  I have found that making the time for my quiet time is the best time saver of the entire day! 

Well, it is getting late here, but I did want to let you know that I have not completely dropped out of my own challenge! :)   I hope your Monday was amazing!  I have decided that having a hair appointment on Monday is a great way to start the week!  I vote to do it every Monday...I think the Mr.'s wallet might object though! ;)  Have a wonderful night.  We're off to read about Nate Saint before we turn in for the night.

90 Day Bible Reading Day 15

Good Friday morning, Everyone!!!  I am pumped and ready to go this morning!  Aren't you just thankful that God gives us the opportunity to sleep (even though it may interrupted) and begin a fresh new day?   His mercies are new every morning!  His faithfulness is beyond my understanding, but I am so thankful for it!

Today is update day for the 90 Day Bible Reading.  I feel so guilty admitting that I am still behind, but I also can't lie about it.  SO....I am only on Day 10!  It seems I always get started on it fairly well, but then I only get about half of it read.  A friend of mine pointed out to me that Satan is probably working overtime in trying to prevent me from reaching this goal, and I really hadn't though about that.  So, you know what?  I am more determined than ever to catch up and stay on top!!!  So, I am changing a few things in my day to day routine to make more room for reading the Bible.  I will press on, and I hope by next Friday to be on Day 22 with you!  

If you are behind as well, please don't feel pressured to catch up.  If you want to and have the time to, go ahead.  If you can't, and it is making your life more stressful, just do what you can.  This is a time consuming commitment, I understand!  God sees our hearts, and that is what He is interested in! If you don't mind leaving a comment and letting me know how it's going, I'd love to hear!  I am praying for us each day that God would help us to keep our commitment to Him and His Word! I am not a huge fan of CCM, but I heard this song on the car radio, and it encouraged me as I was battling my frustration with achieving my reading goals.  I pray it will be a blessing to you as well!  Wishing you all a wonderful Friday full of blessings!

Day 8 of the 90 Day Bible Reading

I know everyone is not able to participate in the 90 Day Bible Reading Challenge, but I do want to take each Friday to let you know how it's working for me and what I'm learning through it.  It's a great way for me to be accountable, and I also pray that it will encourage some of you to take up the challenge in the future.

Unfortunately, I must confess that I am only on day 5!!!  I know...pretty lame, but guess what?  That's OK.  My plan is to make up those two days over the weekend during some of my extra quiet time, and so I hope to be back on track on Monday.  If you are doing this and are on Day 7...congratulations!!! That's a lot of reading and commitment, and you are off to a terrific start!  If you weren't able to complete the entire week, please don't become discouraged.  You can do like me and try to catch up, or you can just call it a missed day (or two or three ;)  ) and continue on!  My biggest worry with encouraging others to join me in this is that people will begin reading just to be able to say we did it!  Please don't rush through!  It really doesn't matter how quickly we read through the Bible.  What matters is how much we've let the Word soak into our hearts and change our lives.

I really, really, really enjoyed reading Abraham's life from start to finish.  Each time I read about him, I am amazed at how God used such an ordinary man with such ordinary faith.  Abraham's story has encouraged me to walk by faith more, and to make it a point of waiting on God instead of trying to fix everything myself.  This, of course, was a lesson Abraham and Sarah had to learn as well.  It's so comforting to know that God used someone so human to be the "Father of Many Nations" particularly the father of Israel.

I am looking forward to reading about the tabernacle and all of the many requirements God had as the people of Israel built it.  I have enjoyed reading the first chapters in Exodus and am excited to see all miracles God does for Israel.

Even if you are not joining us in the 90 Day Bible Reading, I would encourage you to make sure you make time for God each day.  The relationship that develops from this daily quiet time is amazing and sweet.  It will allow God to become so personal to you.  Please don't neglect this special time that God Himself longs to have with you.

Well, I don't know how I managed it, but most of my housework is done for the week!!!  Ah, summer....how I've missed thee!  We are having a fish fry with the Mr.'s parents tonight.  Fish fry = the Mr.'s cooking = a very happy me!!!  I also foresee root beer floats on the front porch this evening!  So thankful for God's little blessings to me!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Take time to count all the many blessings God has given!

90 Day Bible Reading Challenge

I'm just gonna be honest here.  I really have nothing too inspiring to write about...haven't had anything for a month now.  I find cleaning my house from top to bottom fairly uninspiring! :)  But, I do have plans for this summer...some big and some little.  I thought I'd share one of them with you today, and see if you would like to join me.

I have heard of several people in the last year who have read through the Bible in 90 days, and I have tried it before but was interrupted by pregnancy with the newbie!  I love the idea, though, and so many have talked about the wonderful perspective it adds.  So....I'm going to try it again, and I would love for some of you to come along with me.

Please understand that in order to do this you will need to read approximately 12 chapters each day which, depending on how quickly you read, could take anywhere from 1-2 hours each day - 7 days every week.  It is a big commitment, and I'm not sure that I will even be able to stay on target the whole way through, but I am determined to try and to stay as close to 90 days as possible.  I may not finish in 90 days, but I will finish!  Again, my ever present motto: I may not accomplish all of it, but I will accomplish more than if I had never set a goal at all.    

Down below, I have attached a 90 Day Bible Reading Plan which I will be following.  Take a look at it and see what you think.  I will be starting June 1.  For me, summer is easier because I'm not so consumed with homeschooling.  I do understand that this may not be the best time for you.  So, if it isn't, maybe bookmark this calendar and save it for a time when it will work.  If you would like to join me in this challenge, leave a comment below (or on my face book page for those of you who catch my blog from there).  If no one else joins, that's OK.  I still plan on posting each Friday a little bit about where I am and what I am gaining from the experience in hopes of being accountable and encouraging others to take up the challenge when they can.  I am looking forward to it and cannot wait to learn and grow this summer as a result of this challenge! 

For now, I'm off to finish up my girls' wooden letters that we are painting/decorating with their names!  So far, they are super cute, and we are hoping to hang them tonight!  Happy Monday to all of you! I hope you've taken the time today to remember that God loves YOU and to count all the ways He has shown you this love!

90 Day Bible Reading Plan  FYI: It is in bookmark form so that you can print it out and keep it in your Bible.  It is a little difficult to read on the computer screen, but once you print it out, it isn't too bad!