Amber - If I say I don't like this week will it be a great week?

I've titled my post with a question/theory but I don't know that it will have much affect because I'm still focusing on liking the week.  So here we go, a clean slate, a new week.  Technically it is Tuesday because Monday wasn't wonderful and I lamely didn't find anything to share so I didn't bother making a new post, also because I was quite busy.  Monday I took care of Grandma, we shopped, cooked a chicken pot pie, did laundry, had visitors, and did some general cleaning.  All I made time for beyond that was my necessities and a little bit of paper doll dresses.  So I'm pretending it is Monday and if I hadn't told you that you would probably not have known.  Though if you were checking you would have seen the publishing date didn't match up.

Onto the goals, I am repeating my plan this week and expecting more success this time.  This means I'm doing 1-5.

1. 8:30 I say my repentance prayer.

2. I make a plan and prepare for the next day.

3. 10:00 I get off of all electronics.

4. 10:30 I go to bed.

5. I get up at 6 am and do my morning routine.

6. I add the rest of evening routine.

Monday:

* I didn't find anything to share today.

• I woke up late again, but that's right I am sick so the rest was beneficial.  I feel stuffy and have a tiny cough still but no sore throat and I can taste everything again, though not clearly yet.
• I was 30 mins late but I said my prayer, yay!
• No didn't plan, get off on time, and I was in bed around 11:30.
• Bonus: I'm making some formals for my paper dolls as per requested by Abby.  I only have two modern dresses for them and kids always compete for them.  Normally this means I go print out a page of premade doll clothing, color, and cut it.  However all of the formals for these dolls as made by the creator are immodest.  I could doctor them up like I've done with other things but I'm not enamored of any of them so I've decided to completely draw my own.  I've penciled out 7 formals as of today and tomorrow I'm getting some pens to outline them.  When I get them penned and scanned and ready to print I'll share some images here.

Tuesday:

* Out of all the things I read today the one that I really liked was in Come Follow Me for 3 Ne 17-19.  In the first paragraph after the "record your impressions" lines it talks about Christ's compassion for the Nephites who wanted Him to linger.  He had other things he had to do and other people to minister to yet he stayed quite a bit longer in order to fill their needs.  What I liked was the following statement "the opportunity to show compassion does not always come at a convenient time".  I find that this is most often the case and also that when I take the time to do so then I myself receive something I needed.  Both things I was searching or longing for or things I was unaware I needed until that moment.  Every time we do something good the Lord showers us with blessings, it is amazing and wonderful especially when we take the time to notice these things.

• I ate some ice cream last night even though my tummy was grumpy, but nothing negative occurred.  However I was awoken this morning at 5:30 to run to the bathroom and have been awake ever since.  I like to take full advantage of my body or my mind when these little things happen.  And now I sound like Mr. Collins so I'm going to quit until I have something of significance to share. 
• I had a wonderful day, getting up early makes such a huge difference for me.  However I didn't heed my alarm and thus didn't say my prayer.
• I also didn't get off until after 11 and then I went straight to bed.

Wednesday:

* In 3 Ne 18 there was a little verse that stuck out to me.  Verse 33 says "Therefore, keep these sayings which I have commanded you that ye come not under condemnation; for wo unto him whom the Father condemeth."  I often get personal revelation and think oh that was nice I'll have to do that.  Yet I often don't write it down anywhere.  This is a vital step to "keep these sayings", I'm not going to remember exactly what that revelation was or at least not how it was worded when it was given to me.  This blogging helps, it's all the journaling I do at the moment.  Another reason to keep it up.

• I got up at 6 again but really need more sleep.
• Mom came today so I ignored my alarm and didn't do any of my other goals.  I didn't get to sleep until midnight.

Thursday:

* I read a talk by Bonnie H. Cordon "That They May See".  It is all about letting our light shine but I liked how she says it isn't good enough to wave the light around so that the world is generally brighter, we need to focus our light so others can see the way to Christ.  It can be uncomfortable to share what we believe and it can be even more uncomfortable in this world to share religion.  However if we don't people will like to be around our light but they won't know where it comes from, they won't know that they can have that light in their own lives.  She shares a story of when as a girl she led the way at night for Elder Perry to help her feed the chickens.  She had the flashlight and was bouncing along but forgot to shine where he needed it.  As a consequence he stepped in a ditch of water.  People need to know where our light is so they know where to go. 

• I knew I needed more sleep so I didn't set an alarm and I woke up just before 10.  I almost slept 10 hours!  It felt really good and I'm glad I got some extra sleep.
• I didn't do any of my other goals today.  I was in bed a little after 11.

Friday:

* The talk I read today was Elder Holland's talk "A Perfect Brightness of Hope".  I will confess that I find Elder Holland's talks to be really good but on this occasion I didn't get very much from it.  However there was one line where he quotes a return missionary.  She says we "did not come this far only to come this far."  I really like that because it entails an aim for something even better.  We should be grateful for the present and for how far we've come and then we should not stop there but continue to aim for more.  We can have all that the Father has and not just someday, we can have many of those blessings now.

• I woke at 7 today, I forgot to set an alarm but I feel good about the amount of sleep I got.
• I did actually say my prayer today at 9.
• I didn't get off until right before bed but I did get to sleep at around 10:30.

Saturday:

* I noticed a thing in 3 Ne 19 that I'd never seen before.  Jesus prays multiple times in 3 Nephi, at one point he prays 3 times in a row.  I've never paid much attention to this but today it made me think.  When I pray I usually pray quickly because I'm off to do things or my prayers get pretty long because I'm trying to include everything.  However Jesus doesn't feel the need to include all in his prayers.  When he notices something he starts a new prayer to give thanks and ask for more.  I like this and might try doing it.  I've often said short 10 second thank you prayers when I notice things but not usually do I stop and say an unscheduled something more heartfelt and conversation like.

• I woke at 5:30 thanks to a noisy puppy barking at a distant train.  Unfortunately so did grandma but it was dark so she went back to sleep.  I had to stop that barking twice this morning to keep grandma asleep.  She gets super sleepy if she doesn't get 12-13 hours and then usually a nap as well.
• It's saturday, it's my hard day for going to bed.  So none of my goals were met this evening.

Sunday:

* I've had a nice pleasant Sunday.  I went to church and I visited and ate yummy food cooked by my grandpa.  Then at last I read but I didn't get anything earthshattering today.  All I have right now is a simple definition.  I've always liked the word hearken because it seems something more than just listen or hear but I've never bothered to look it up.  In a talk by President Nelson he notes that the word hearken is translated from Hebrew and is a strong verb that means to "listen with the intent to obey".  So when we are asked to hearken to something that means we plan to obey no matter what it is that we are listening to.  It is a call to have faith, to trust that what we will be asked will be good and right for us and will be what we need and what is best.

• I woke just before 8 but considering that I went to bed after 1:30 I'd say that is not late.  I will do better now.
• I went to bed a little bit late but not by much and then I didn't do any of my other goals.

Terrible progress this week.  But I move on now, can't give up unless I wish to stop progressing all together.