Week 3: Possessions...Oh, and I Survived Clothes Week

Clothes Week is over! I may never wear either of the t-shirts from my 7 again...especially the long-sleeved one since I pretty much lived in it Days 4, 5 and 6 thanks to the cold front that arrived midweek. 

And I may or may not have worn my towel wrap for several hours one day waiting on my clothes to come out of the wash...

What I learned:

1. I do have something to wear...despite my constant complaining in the closet when I am trying to get dressed. It may not be the most fashionable thing or from "this season" but I have enough clothes I could wear something different everyday without repeating for a month...or two. That's disgusting and it will be changing. 

2. My children have more clothes than they will ever wear in their lifetime and certainly before they out grow them. Thankfully, I have been blessed with hand-me-downs and we try to reciprocate with others by passing along the things that no longer fit. But seriously, how many dress shirts do little boys need? There are only four Sundays in a month. Geez. 

3. Jeff has a lot of gray t-shirts, but this really not about him...yet! 

4. Yoga pants are an essential part of my wardrobe.

5. I have way too many accessories (Exclusion Clause: Noonday Collection). Thankfully, God provided an opportunity to purge most of those in an positive way. A dear friend is working with a women's group in Burkina Faso and will be taking gently used jewelry to them in a few weeks as "happies." I unloaded almost all non-Noonday pieces and can't wait to see those beautiful smiles!

6. It takes a long time for jeans to dry (see first paragraph). 

7. I am blessed. I am blessed. I am blessed. That is all. 

Jeff has asked me several times what "the point" of all this "7 stuff" was. That's hard to answer, because I think it's different each week. Food Week (in all it's misery!) was about realizing and facing excess for me. Clothes Week (yes, again with the excess!) was more learning to be content with less...with fewer options. Do I really need seven black (almost identical) shirts to choose from?! 

NOTE: I will admit here that I did suffer "bracelet withdraw" after Day 2. Noonday gals, can you feel me on that? #armparty

Clothes Week for me was also about being grateful. Grateful that on most days, if I "want" to go buy a new shirt or new shoes, I can...with very little thought for "Do I 'need' this?" Thank you, Lord, for the blessings. 

And finally, Clothes Week was about wants vs. needs. And that's where I am...learning "need" from "want" in a way that will allow me to stop spending so much time and money on "wants" and hopefully, redirect new shirt/shoes/bag money and energy toward things with more impact. Blah. As a lover of cute clothes, shoes and bags, that was painful to write...and will be even more painful to implement.

Thanks for nothing, Jen Hatmaker. I thought we were friends. 

So, this week is about POSSESSIONS. Nice transition, right? The challenge is to give away 7 things each day. I actually started a little early with last week's clothes week, but I'm making great headway in (finally) cleaning out our garage. Who knows, we might actually get a car in it before the week ends...novel concept, right?

Week 2: Food Week is (ALMOST!) Over...Let's talk Clothes

I'm naive...or maybe just stupid. I did not anticipate how difficult last week would be. It was very "enlightening" (Read: painful!) to say the least. It has really made me rethink my relationship with food. I eat to cope. I eat to celebrate. I eat poorly...period. I drink way too much Dr. Pepper. And I spend way too much on junk that is neither good for me nor makes me feel better...past the few minutes when I'm eating it. 

So after last week, this week doesn't seem that difficult (again, maybe I'm stupid). I'm actually looking forward to it - there will be very little time spent thinking about what to wear and I won't ridiculously stand in my closet lamenting over having "nothing to wear." 

It's fairly simple: Seven articles of clothing for seven days (undies and one set of pjs are a pass.). 

NOTE: Our group has also made exceptions for gym gear, swimwear and family photos thus far...we're a kind group of women, really. 

Here are mine:

1. Dressy black pants 

2. Black skinny jeans

3. Green top

4. Grey V-neck sweater

5. Long-sleeved t-shirt

6. Short-sleeved t-shirt

7. Animal print flats & grey Converse (per Jen's example, these count as 1)

Noticeably absent from my list...my yoga pants. I can do this. I'm going to think of my black skinnies as being like my yoga pants. Yeah, right.

Also noticeably absent is a coat. Wednesday could be difficult. Thank you, Lord, for no soccer games that night and only indoor activities. 

Two additional Clothes Week stipulations (for me):

1.) I will also be getting rid of seven articles of clothing each day. I have not decided where they will go, but I will be bagging up seven things to - at some point - give away

NOTE: If you know of a charity or organization or family that could them, please let me know!

Count them...Yep.
That's 7accessories, folks. 

2.) I'll wear (ONLY!) one accessory per day - each hand-crafted in a different country. While some folks might not think this is a big deal, my fellow Noonday Collection gals will completely understand that this is going to be difficult...possibly more difficult than only wearing seven articles of clothing for seven days, if I'm being honest.

Regardless, the country from which my daily accessory came will be my prayer focus for the day.

So, there it is. Clothes Week. Let's do this...

NOTE: I'm writing this in the waning hours of the (cursed) Food Week. I may be sitting in my kitchen floor at midnight eating cheese cubes, but I did not cave for seven days. Don't judge.

An Ode to Jen Hatmaker

Oh, Jen. I know we could be best friends if we lived closer, but right now, I'm wishing I had never read your book or heard your name!

I read Seven: The Experimental Mutiny Against Excess this summer and it rocked my world. Since diving into it, I have been purging things from my cabinets and closets (and secretly from all the toys my boys just haaaaddd to have) for months. But, friends, this just got real.

I began to talk to two dear friends a week or so ago about "doing" Seven...maybe not to the 30-day extreme that Jen did (I mean, she IS Jen Hatmaker), but at least taking baby steps. We've now grown to a group of six (we really need one more crazy girl to join us to make it a complete seven!)!

So, five of my sweet (Read: craziest) friends have come on board to do this thing with me. We're doing seven days instead of 30 but we're doing it, nonetheless. We have reserved the right to repeat a week, if necessary.

Food is first. We started yesterday. I chose to "give up" seven things while most everyone else chose to only eat seven things. I felt like "giving up" things would be more beneficial for me (from what perspective, I'm not sure. Blah.) since these seven things make up, well, 90% of my daily caloric intake.

It's Day Two of Food Week; if someone came near me with a Dr. Pepper right now, I might attack them. You've been warned.

Here they are:

1. Dr. Pepper
2. Chocolate
3. Cheese
4. Candy
5. Chips
6. Sweet Tea
7. French Fries

(Don't judge. I have serious vegetable issues, people.)

When I told my dear, sweet, and oh-so-supportive husband, he said, "Can you just eat those things?" After receiving "the look," he responded with, "Really? Dr. Pepper? I think you should reconsider this."

So, here I am, almost 48 hours in and here's what I've learned thus far...

1. I drink waaaayyy too much Dr. Pepper...says the girl popping Aleve because her head is pounding.

2. I eat a lot of junk. It's really amazing I'm not fatter than I am.

3. I am resistant to change...especially when it involves cutting cheese out of my life.

4. I am ungrateful and selfish. Seriously. Instead of focusing on the millions of options to stave off my hunger (options my five sweet friends do not have!), I've been focused on what I CAN'T have...this is pretty much the story of my life.

God has poured out blessings upon blessings on me and my family. Yet, I continue to chase after what I can't have...what I WANT that will "make me happy" instead of being grateful and appreciative for what I have already been blessed with.

And herein lies problem. Just like with food, in my life I am constantly wanting more or something different or oftentimes, things I don't need that are - more often than not - bad for me. I have found myself constantly trying to fill any void in my life - the void can only be filled by daily and deliberate time with Him - with junk.

Yeah. This week is going to be big for me. I've already found myself face down in prayer asking for strength not to eat a bag of potato chips several times...and it's just Day Two.

So, my dear friend Jen, you've got me. You've got me started on a path I don't really want to go down, I'll be honest. But I'm here and I've got five amazing friends here with me willing to let God have His way in our lives and with our stuff.

Let's do this...

Lenten Sacrifice

Today is Ash Wednesday. For most of my life, that really meant nothing. I grew up Southern Baptist and the Lenten Season is not something that I really observed. However, since joining the United Methodist Church, I have come to appreciate and actually look forward to Lent. 

I have come to appreciate the process of praying through what I will "give up" for the 40 (46 counting Sundays) days of Lent. I finally felt affirmed in my decision this morning. 

This year, I am giving up Facebook for personal use 

and all fried foods.

While both will be difficult and at times tempting, I feel convicted about the time spent on one and the indulgence of the other. I hope this will truly be a time when I experience spiritual growth. 

This amazing video brings me to tears every time I watch it and puts my Lenten "sacrifice" in perspective. He gave the ultimate sacrifice...

What are some french fries and a social network 

in the face of this?