Sunday, March 3, 2013

my list of SEVEN (8)



i keep praying...
because i've never even done a fast for longer than a day,
 or at least stuck with it to do it well.
last year, for lent, i said i would fast from sugar.  
i lasted a whole 2 days.  my own daughter, 
who was 6 at the time, asked
 if i was sure i wanted to give up sugar for lent.  
she suggested i try something a little easier that i could give up-
like vegetables?  uh, yea.  that was humbling.

 praying over this is where i am at.  
i really want to see what God shows me through this 
and where He will lead.
and, at the end, i don't want to regret not finishing. 
i desire change...to be disgusted with my excess.
because i know myself...the more i have-the more- my life
is about me.  less of me and more of you Jesus.

here we go...
 Chapter 1:  Food

doing this book with 35 other girls is so fascinating!!
it is incredible to hear how each girl is praying over
this...truly pouring over it making it their own.

there are so many different ways to fast.

some are using their lunch time to fast,
pray and connect with their kiddos.
others are eating only "clean" food.
some are only making meal selections based on
what they currently have in the refrigerator and pantry.
a few are giving up eating out, extra snacks & starbucks
and some are choosing from 7 food items to eat.

i chose the latter.  choosing 7 foods. 
this is what i came up with:

my fab 5:  spinach, chicken, apples, egg + ww bread
my 3 luxury items:  avocado, greek yogurt + coffee
so, i know...i have 8 right?  well, that's where my
3 luxury items come in on rotation.  i am allowing
myself 2 luxuries a day, along with my 5 essentials.

**side note**
and you know what's great...
my kind of luxury coffee is a caramel macchiato from starbucks.
bring in the hallelujah chorus and little cherubs waving wands.

but, luxury is taking on a whole new meaning to this girl with her 7.
luxury coffee for the next 2 weeks is black.  black as in PLAIN-coffee black. 

it's hot...i'll give it that.  



okay...sorry for the diversion...
my experience in the grocery store:

 i'm walking aisle to aisle searching for my 7 (8) items
 and i stopped at the waffles and just stared at them.
i mean, was i a little bit thinking that waffles could fit into my essentials?  
well, maybe.. but more than that, i am struck with this thought of how
immensely lucky i am that i can go to any store i want and buy food.
and not only do i get to buy food...
i have 7 different kinds of waffles-from the same brand to choose from.
  
i know...i'm such a genius.
these things probably come to most people as they shop through the grocery.
but, it hasn't hit me like that before.
i didn't realize how much i would see on day 1 alone.

 {jumping back to leftovers for a second from my earlier post}

on day two,
 i had plain chicken in my refrigerator
just sitting there.  i didn't let myself think about
it too long.  i got it out, warmed it up
and had it for lunch.
and, there were cheers.
crowds roared in amazement.  
well, my crowd of 3 sure did some clapping for me. ;)

and, i'm still alive today.  i didn't waste what i normally would have...
and, for the most part, i stuck to my 7.
with the exception of 4 peanut m&ms that were sitting in a 
bag in my pantry begging for me to eat them.

so, my friends...
this is happening.
an experimental mutiny against excess.


the 2 places where i think God is leading me...



we started March 1. 
I'll let you know how it goes.

LEFTOVERS

i vowed, like the taylor swift kind of vow,
that i would never, ever, e v e r 
get  back together...
with leftovers.

ugh to leftovers.
the worst kind of feeling
comes over me when i even say the word 
l e f t o v e r s.
like i just swallowed an entire spoonful of bacteria 
and washed it down with a jar of mold.

i am not down with leftovers.
i could care less that i throw food away...
or, let it sit in the back of the refrigerator until my 
amazing Type A husband throws it away.

(i know you are out there-
you are either standing and saying
a big hello no to leftovers...or, 
you are rolling your eyes because
i'm making such a BIG deal out of them.)

well, i may not be making such a big deal out of them 
after reading chapter 1 in the book, 7.
my whole world is changing - thank you jen hatmaker...i think.




our fearless leader, Amanda {Rosencrantz} Lutz,
is the one who made this spiffy reminder of what
fasting is all about.
 she was one of my roomies in college-where  
we affectionately nicknamed her rosipantz.  
makes me smile just saying it.
love you rosie!  

there are 36 of us from across the U.S.
and a few other countries as well.
love the grace she extends to all of us
as she reminds us that each fast will look
different because each of us so is uniquely different.

including the sexy 7-10 girls!
we are all soOo unique.
my college bff's.

and because my girl jodi, aka spritz, aka sasha
isn't pictured above...

i had to include a pic of this supamodel too.    

when i was thinking about re-joining this 
"long distanced book club for awesome people" 
(that's the name of it...how awesome is that??)
  
these girls kept coming to my mind and my heart.
we have never done anything like this together
and i was sort of nervous to even ask.
but, one by one...i kept getting responses that they would
join me in this.  i can't wait to see what God has in store for us!