Happy November!  It’s Tuesday, Election Day, and only 48 days until Christmas.  Wow!  The last few weeks just slipped away.

Obviously, I dropped the ball on my 31 Days of Being Deliberate.  While I wasn’t here posting about each day’s challenge, I was learning a very big lesson.  For me, choosing to content and joyful is the best deliberate decision I can make.  Here’s the proof:

About October 15, I started to get overwhelmed.  We were still waiting on the floors to be repaired.  I was trying to sew for customers and keep my business running in a tiny little section of my house with all the living room furniture moved in around me.  We’d just had a crazy busy weekend with kids’ activities on Friday night, an 8-hour round trip to Arkansas and my MIL’s surprise party on Saturday, and an open house at our local middle school on Sunday.  Instead of deliberately choosing to focus on all the wonderful things we’d accomplished, my tunnel vision had me obsessing over all the things left undone.  I allowed myself to wallow in self-pity and guilt over what wasn’t going the way I’d planned.   While I was whining and wishing things were different, an entire week slipped by!  After that week, life was just as busy as usual, but I also had to catch up.  I didn’t update my 31 Days of Being Deliberate because I just didn’t even know where to start!

Here’s what I did accomplish in those last 2 weeks of October:

• Day 14:  I’ve spent time in God’s Word each day.  I’ve been using the reading plans on my YouVersion app on my phone.  I start each day reading the day’s assignment.  I just finished the Major Prophets!
• Day 15:  I finished a HUGE project.  But not on October 15—it was November 3rd instead.  That was still a 6 days before it needed to be done, so I’m pleased.  (Photos after next weekend.)
• Day 16 and 17:  I’d planned to teach my kids a new chore, but really, they’ve learned how to do most of the tasks around our home.  Instead, I let the two of them plan and prepare for the big 11-year-old birthday party!  They learned to plan an easy menu, create a centerpiece, and plan activities everyone would love!  I’m so proud of them. (#turningeleven on Instagram.  You can find me as salindab.)
• Day 21:  Those lovely little pink postcards came in the mail from my doctor reminding me that it’s time for a check-up!  I’ve scheduled my check-ups and mammograms.
• Day 24:  I spent a few hours (last week, not October 24) with a notepad and Google Calendar mapping out my plans for my shop.  I made a year’s worth of reminders that will help me stay on top of things:  shipping deadlines, changing tags in etsy, adding new listings, choosing designs months before I need to have them finished, etc!  I love Google Calendar!
• Day 25:  I’ve treasured the moments as my Big Girl turned 11.  These tween years are scary!  My goal is to be a steadfast rock for her to listen, to guide and to correct as she needs. (#turningeleven)
• Day 26 and 27:  I’ve made an effort to send a note in the kids’ lunches everyday since school started.  I’ve sent the occasional one in Adam’s lunch as well.  This week, I found some new note cards that will be perfect for tucking in his lunch as encouragement!

I learned a ton during this 31 day challenge:

1. Choose to be joyful and content.  Anything else spirals down into whining and self-pity and bad days quickly!
2. Everyday, every decision really needs to be a deliberate decision.
3. I’m human.  Every decision won’t be perfect.  The good news—it doesn’t have to be!  God has promised forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and if He can forgive me, then surely I can forgive myself!