21 Days.

For the past 2+ years I devoted so much time to crafting.

Don't get me wrong, I love it.  It has helped me develop a few talents.  Connected me to amazing people, with great hearts and fabulous artistic skills.  Tested my creativity.  And allowed me to inspire others as well.

BUT...
For the past 2+ years I devoted SO MUCH time to crafting.

I realized in the last couple of months of 2013 that I needed to invest in myself more.
That I wanted to be healthy Spiritually, Mentally and Physically.
That I needed to make drastic life changes.
From trying new recipes for dinner to reading different books at night.  And for this DRASTIC change to occur, I needed to make time for it.  Which means shifting priorities, sleep habits, daily chores, etc.

When our pastor first mentioned a Daniel fast, I thought (at most) it would be 3-7 days.  Cake!  Then he said "21 Days!" and I nearly cried.  lol.  Of course, the fast was not mandatory, but still I knew it was something that my body & soul longed for.  At first I thought it meant only drinking water for that long a period; which I could certainly use, to be honest with you, but I soon found out that there are different ways to go about it.

The purpose: sacrificing something you love both physically and mentally, and investing time into studying the bible, praying and seeking God.
This seemed doable and necessary.
I had been wanting more out of my life.  It can't just be about making cards, coloring and raising a smart boy.  There has to be more to life than just laundry every 2 weeks and Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Or checking my Instagram feed to see if anyone is sharing a coupon code to an online craft shop, or what new goodies are available at Michaels.  Bottom line - keeping myself distracted with too much of all these things has stopped me from really living life, the way God intended.  The way the adult me yearns for.

I decided to take this fast serious.  So not only am I going to give up all social media, junk food and any other food that isn't natural or healthy.  But I'm also going to stay away from Crafting & Shopping til the end of January.

The most I've ever gone without crafting is 10 days (just recently), when I got sick on Christmas Eve and was forced to stay in bed.  I could barely get up since my body was so achy.  And I'll be honest, it wasn't that bad.  I rather enjoyed being away from my craftroom, if you can believe that!  Cuz if you know me personally, you know I LOVE to create.

I have installed and purchased some books on my Nexus (a Christmas gift from the hubz that I didn't know I would enjoy as much as I have been).  Started my chronological bible reading for the year (which I've always wanted to do and am excited about finally getting to it).  And started a year-long journal.

I'll also be dusting off my 6-month-long Filofax "TO-DO" list; including things like "purge", "donate clothes", "sort through closets", and "scrub the window sills".  You know.  Things a normal housewife should ALREADY be doing if she were responsible and had her priorities straight.  lol.

But more importantly and aside from all that, I'll be seeking God in a different way.  Something I've thought to do before, but never made time for.  Something I need in order to fulfill the "One Little Word" I chose for 2014; "CHANGE".

And I'll be recording & sharing my thoughts, discoveries and growth; here.
With you.