The Reading Corner

I finished reading "The Long Winter." I loved it! It really helps me appreciate my life.
So I am on to the next book:

I am looking forward to what treasures are to be found in this book.

I always hear that the books are better than movies done of the book. And I can totally agree with that - when it comes to Little House books compared to the Little House TV series. I loved the TV series but one thing that has stuck out to me was the fact that in the TV show it seemed to me that all of a sudden Laura liked Almanzo - as soon as he came into the picture but in the books - I see that she knew ALOT about him. She had known of his willingness to share some of his seed wheat -so that her family would not starve. And she knew of his unselfish act of setting out on the trip, along with Cap Garland, to find some wheat that had been rumored to be out there somewhere. And I am sure that there are many more ways that will stick out that the books are so much better than the TV series was.

"I'm free, white and twenty-one...or as good as." Almanzo Wilder

"Be sure you're right, then go ahead." Almanzo quoting their father

"Better be safe than sorry" Royal Wilder quoting their mother's saying.

(I loved these quotes)

I look forward to reading through the rest of the books. I am going to do my best to set a time aside to read through the rest of these books. I have 2 more series of books that are just sitting on my shelf patiently waiting to be read. What treasures will I find in them? :o)

What a Great Reminder

You Love Me Anyway- by Sidewalk Prophets
I heard this song for the first time today. It is such a beautiful song. It is so true - that God loves us anyway. :o)

(Sorry for the little boxes that are on the video- it is the only video that I saw but I really wanted to share this song.)

The Reading Corner

I am reading through the Little House Series. No - I did not read through the series as a child so I am making up for it now. It has been so much fun. I am on book 6 of the 9 books. "The Long Winter." I have been thoroughly enjoying this book. It just amazes me how the families and communities worked together through the hard times. Somewhere along the way it seems we have lost a lot of that spirit. We are so worried about ourselves that we don't even see those around us that are hurting.

I am about 2/3rds of the way done with this book and it has gotten me to the point of wanting to make time every day to read it to see what is going to happen next. I love that it takes me back to a time of more simplicity but along with that there is a lot of hardship. And as I read it helps me to appreciate my life much more. And I think if a book can do that - then it must be a very good book.

I am so glad that my husband bought me this set of books. I have enjoyed then and I am sure that my granddaughter and other grandchildren to come will really enjoy them as well.

I was just thinking that when I was a girl, I used to go to our church for a special story time in the afternoon. And it was so cool to hear a story - and then it would always be continued the next time. So I am thinking that maybe if my grandchildren don't want to read the books on their own - maybe I might have to have a story time for them. Sounds like a great idea to me. It will help them to understand our history so much more and appreciate what they have. And that is always a good thing.

As I was looking for an image of the book to put on here - I saw this photo of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was amazing to me how much the "Laura" that the TV show had playing her really did look like her.
I hope you all have a good week end. :o)

Digging Deeper

Sometimes those of us that have been raise in Christian homes tend to think that we know what is in the Bible. And because of that confidence sometimes we just skim through parts of the Bible. I know I am guilty of this.

In Genesis 1 we read about Creation week, then we get to Genesis 2 and many people including myself just keep reading without pausing to ask ourselves questions like - so Why did God wait to create Eve?

Well first we need to look at verse 17

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Now we have to remember that Adam is sinless and has never experienced death, so how would he understand what death was?

Next we go to verse 18 of Genesis 2:

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."

So we notice that God said it was not good for man to be alone, but he did not solve that problem right away. In fact, the very next verse goes on to explain how God created all the animals and that he brought them before Adam- So Adam could name them. We notice in the last part of verse 20, "there was not found an help meet for him."

Adam is searching for companionship.

"And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Gen. 2:23

In verse 23 in the Hebrew language it actually says, "At last."

So God solved the problem - the problem of Adam being alone, lonely. And at the same time helped Adam to better understand what death was.

What I really find interesting about this is that God was trying to teach Adam several lessons here, but the one that stands out the most to me is that when we have a problem, God CAN solve it. It may not be in the time frame we'd like or the way we would like the problem solved, but He can solve it. If we will only allow him to.

Many times we try to solve our sin problems with more sin, instead of just letting go and letting God solve the problem for us. He is there just waiting for us to be willing and to ask Him for His help.

May we apply a Biblical solutions to our problems - In Jesus' name. Amen :o)

Update/ Dear Jane

Wow - We are already to Wednesday! I am so thankful that the weather has cooled off a little. During the last 7 days there has been at least 2 times that we have had to close up the house and turn the AC on because it was getting too warm. I think it is only suppose to get up to about 80 today and then a couple of days in the 70's. I am so thankful for the cooler weather.

And it looks like I am going to need to mow today. I guess we might need to invest in some fertilizer because the reason why I need to mow is we have these weeds that shoot up and then where our aerobic system sprays we have really nice grass. But outside of that area is where the tall weeds are growing. So I will be trying to get our yard looking nice today. I love a freshly mowed yard. I just can't remember the last time I had to move the end of Oct. Of course, it could happen this is just the first time that I have had a blog in Oct - so that could be the explanation to that.

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Monday night I went to one of the Quilt Guilds that is in the area. We had a special speaker talked about the Dear Jane Quilts. I forgot my camera, but was able to get some photos with my phone.

In 1863 Jane Stickle made this quilt. 169 different - 4 1/2 inch finished squares.

Here is a really good place to find more information about Jane Stickle. This site is also where I got this photo of her original quilt. This quilt is at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. I would love to see it in person. To see all the detail up close.

Here are a couple of the quilts that we got to see. I was not able to get very good photos of very many of the things that they showed us due to where I was sitting. But at least this way you get an idea of what they look like. Notice also how the triangles around the edges of this quilt have many pieced triangles as well.

Jane Stickle along with many of the people that make the "Dear Jane" quilt like to keep track of the number of pieces that they use. I don't remember the exact number that Jane recorded as having but it seems to me that the speaker said that no one has come up with that exact number(that they know of.) You can check out the book - written by Brenda Papadakis. The reason why the book is named "Dear Jane" is that when Ms. Papadakis wrote this book - she wrote letters to Jane. It is said to be a very interesting read. One little bit of information - if you want to get this book or begin the journey of making a "Dear Jane" quilt, be sure and look the book over before you buy it - there are photos of each of the blocks but not detailed instructions. I think that there is help at the website.

And Brenda Papadakis has since written another book "Dear Hannah(in the style of Jane A. Stickle)" Her daughters name is Hannah - so hence the name.

I have yet to decide if this is an adventure that I would like to take on, but it has been fun to learn about this quilt and the story behind it. I hope you all have enjoyed learning about it as well. :o)

Another Great Song

Petra - Coloring Song
Isn't this a beautiful song? :o)

Unique Journeys

Your journey probably will not look like mine, and mine probably won't look like yours and that's OK. God takes each of us on our own unique journey. And it is our choices that will determine if we stay on the main road or if we have to take detours.

This is a lesson that I have learned lately. I have shared before there is a couple that put on a 12 step type meeting at our church. I have been going to it for about a year or two. It has been helpful to me - to find out what my character defects are. After going to the meetings for a while, I began to feel frustrated - I felt so much pressure. One of the leaders of the meetings would share things that she has learned and how her life is and I would feel like if I did not go in the same route as her - that I must not be making any progress. Well I finally came to the realization that my journey will be different than hers - my life has been different from hers and it continues to be different from hers. I deal with situations totally different than she does and I do not need to feel like I need to be like her. God has a plan for each of our lives and that what I need to do is to submit to His will. And as long as I am allowing God to lead then I will be making the progress that He wants me to be making.

So our journeys will be different but if we are allowing God to lead - then the out come will be the same - we will be in God's will.

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Philippians 1:6

From a Wheelchair

I forgot to share a very important inspirational story that we heard at our Seminar. The seminar was the 2 - 3rd seminar that this Dr had done (and he is planning on doing more). Anyway he told of a lady - that was in a wheelchair. She had come to his seminar and she was determined to lose weight. So she designed a workout that she could do from her wheelchair. She spent an hour every morning doing this routine and an hour every evening doing another hour. And I believe that he said that in a years time period she had lost about 100 pounds.

The Dr. had an assistant for these meetings. She had lost about 50 pounds already, but was still quite overweight. She had some problems with her knees as well. Anyway she went to the lady's house to do the routine with her and she said that it was challenging. Some of the key information is that the lady in the wheel chair would do the exercises - slowly. And she started out with like 10 or 12 movements per arm or leg and then after a while she increased the number.

I know for me - as I exercise I feel so much better. I have to be honest - this last week- I was so busy that I only exercised 3 times. This week I will devote more time to exercising. It is an important key in losing weight.

I forgot a very important part of the story- The Dr. told us that it was important to have something that inspired us to change our lifestyles and to take better care of ourselves. This lady in the wheelchair had a granddaughter that she was raising and the granddaughter was her inspiration. He had us write a list of the things that inspired us. And when ever we got discouraged to be sure and refer back to the list.

This story was very inspiring to me and I hope it will be inspiring to you as well. :o)

Not a Diet - a Lifestyle Change

This photo was taken in March and to be honest I probably gained about 5 pounds or so after this photo. Well then when my husband and I went to Granbury for a week end get away I decided that I really needed to lose weight. During that week end I realized that I needed to have some classes to help me learn how to take better care of myself. Within a couple of weeks - I heard of a seminar being held by a Dr at a nearby hospital. I knew instantly that I was suppose to go. It was meant for me! I was so thankful - It cost me $129.00 but well worth it. At the beginning of Sept I started trying to make some changes to be healthier - but it was not until the week-end of the 10th when I started my seminar did I really make the important changes needed. Before then I had struggled over and over to give up soda. I had realized for years that it was not good for me. I used t0 drink Diet Coke - then my husband learned that Aspartame is VERY bad for you. And I switched over to Coke. Well I had tried several times to cut down or to give it up and every time - a stressful time would come along and I would give in to temptation. There had even been a time that I had gone for a month or so with only one per day - but I eventually went back to them. Well Sept 10th - I had my last Coke. When I went to my seminar and was able to watch the movie - "Forks over Knifes" and learned so much through my classes - I realized that I needed to take better care of my body. God gave me the strength to give them up - and without a headache! Praise the Lord!


I am drinking water - and getting in my 8 glasses - plus everyday. I am doing my best to add more exercise into my schedule. Trying to get to bed at a decent time. And I am so thankful for the changes that I have made - if you would like to read more about what I have learned be sure and checked out my series A Treasure Chest of Healthy Information starting with this post and this post would be very helpful as well.

So an update - I have lost 20 pounds so far! The weight loss is at a rate of about a pound a week, so it is not a real fast weight loss. But the good news is that I am eating good. I am enjoying what I am eating and I am doing something that I can do for the rest of my life. Not a diet - a Lifestyle! And that is what makes it work. And dependence on God. We can't forget the most important part!

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

True Love

Phil Wickham- True Love



Lyrics:

Come close listen to the story
about a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your heart you know you can't deny it
Come on, lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Fathers broken heart
tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Now, Jesus is alive

Jesus is alive X4
Oh, He is alive
He rose again

When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Come close listen to the story

Look at These!!

A couple of months I shared how we had been at an Antique Mall and I had seen a cute little set- a little pitcher and 4 little glasses. Well I was going to ask a lady to help me get it(out of a locked case) and when I got there another lady had already asked her for the set. I was so disappointed. Well I fellow blogger had read about it She had told me that she had a set and when she got a chance she would send the set to me. Well TODAY was my lucky day!!

Look what I got in the mail today!! Thanks so much Judy!! They are so sweet. The pitcher is 3 inches tall. What an adorable set this is!!

This got me thinking - so often we are so concerned about ourselves. I know the last couple of days have been rough for me and I am so thankful for the thoughtfulness of someone else - that totally made my day! I need to look outside my self and see what I can do nice for those around me. :o)

Songs can be such a Blessing

PRAY On by Babbie Mason

I can remember the very first time that I heard this song. I had been having a bad day and felt like I was being attacked and this song came on. It was such a blessing to me then and now that I have found it again - I am sure it will be a blessing to me many, many times. It is such a great reminder. Hope you all are as blessed by this song as I have been. :o)

Parkinson's Update

Well I know that I said I would probably be taking a short break but I have some time today and would like to share about my day.

About 3 months ago my husband had an appointment at the hospital that he is on the clinical trial for Parkinson's. I shared how I had went with him and had become emotional. I had been handling things pretty good and was surprised about how I had gotten emotional. Well today my husband had another appointment. I was not able to go because I had to work for my son and my husband would already be half way there when he was at work and it would be much easier for him to just go on to the appointment.

Well wouldn't you know it - I became emotional again. I had an appointment to get my hair cut this morning before work and that was very nice. It was nice to go and be pampered for a bit. Then on to work for me. At the beginning, I felt more emotional and then I got busy and got a few things done - in between orders. And at the end when it was time for me to start cleaning up - which was when his appointment was - all of a sudden it hit me again. I wanted to badly just to go home but I had to finish cleaning up and wash up all the dishes.

It will be 6 months before he goes again - but I will have to make note that I need to make sure and spend a little extra time in God's Word and with Jesus for strength for that day. I guess it just makes it more real when he is going to the Dr.

As I was dealing with being very emotional and having to clean up, God brought to my mind, " ..Rejoice in the Lord your God...I will restore the years that the locust have eaten..." Joel 2:23, 25 parts of these two verses. That is Hope - I can trust God. God know the end from the beginning. He is there and I can depend on Him. I hope that if you are going through difficult times that you will turn to Jesus. He loves you with an everlasting Love.

"The steadfast love of God endures all the day." Psalms 52:1b :o)

A Great Song

Jaci Velasquez - On My Knees

Busy Week

Good Morning everyone~ I hope you all are having a good week so far. I just wanted to let you know that I have a very busy week this week. My son went on a camping/hunting trip with his Uncle this week - so I will be working his normal shift and also doing my work. Then I have a few more important things that I have to do this week. Oh and I forgot to mention that I am thinking that lifting and carrying the chickens LARGE watering can - may have messed up my back because it has really been bothering me the last two days. I am hoping it will get better soon. It makes doing everything that I have to do - so much harder. Anyway I will be a little scarce this week. Hopefully next week I can have a bit more time for blogging. I hope that the week goes good for you all. :o)

Basic Tools Needed for Quilting..Part 2

If you have not seen Part 1 go Here .

OK - yesterday my husband was looking through my blog post and when he came to this one - Part one. He said - you forgot some of the Basic things of quilting. So I told him that I would do a part two.

He said -you forgot a Sewing Machine - well really you don't have to have a sewing machine because many people quilt by hand, but I will add it here because I quilt by machine.


Needles - for machine and for hand work.

And of course - why would I have ever forgotten Thread. Very important in a Quilting project.

Well those are the only things that I can remember that he said I forgot.
******

Well speaking of quilting - I have finished my 2 Block of the Month blocks for this year! This is the first year that I have done two of them. And my goal is to finish both blocks each month. Now that I have them done and I have a couple of weeks before the next Block of the Month meeting - I can now focus on other projects. Well this week will be very busy since I have to work for my son all week - since he will be out of town. So I may not have as much time this week but I am hoping to get this project started this week - even if it is just a little bit.
Remember this fabric that I bought? I am going to be working on putting my Thirties blocks together from last year. But of course, I will have to cut out a lot of different pieces of these fabrics before I start putting them together. So that is what I would like to try to get to this week sometime. :O)

Not Sausage..Patties

Here I shared about what I usually eat for breakfast. You will remember that there were two things that looked like sausage and I told you they would not and that I would share the recipe. Well today is the day!
Not Sausage..Patties
2 C. water
1/4 C. soy sauce or Braggs
2 T. Oil
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. sage
2 T. yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all of these ingredients in a good sized pan. And bring to a boil. In the meantime - measure out 2 C. Quick Oats.
Once the mixture in the pan comes to a boil - you will add the oats. Stirring. Turn the temp. down to about medium heat and set timer for 5 minutes. You will want to keep an eye on it and stir ever so often.

Spray a cookie sheet. I use a ice cream scoop to dip my mixture out and then I use waxed paper to flatten them out. Bake for about 20 minutes and then you will want to flip them over to the other side and then cook till they are getting golden brown. It usually takes another 15 - 20 minutes. The first time just check it out with our oven and see how much time it takes and then you can go by that the next time. I usually make up several batches at a time. I make a batch get it into the oven and get the next batch ready, once I pull the first batch out I can bake the next batch. Then I put about 6-8 patties into Ziploc bags. I put one into the refrigerator and the rest into the freezer till I am ready for them. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do. :O)

Come and Go With Me

God~You ARE the Boss of Me

Many times we want to be our own boss. This is not something new - it started with the entrance of sin into our world. A very good example of this comes close to the beginning of the Bible. It is the story of Cain and Able. God had asked them to sacrifice a lamb. Well with Cain, being a farmer and not wanting to ask his brother for a lamb, decided that it should not be any problem at all to sacrifice some of this produce. He thought that his way would be just as good as God's way. He did not want to follow God's instruction - he wanted to be his own boss. At the heart of this -is rebellion. Rebellion can get us in all sorts of trouble. It can close our minds so that we are unwilling to do God's will.

I have realized that I have been very rebellious in my life. Last night, I pulled a book out of my bookcase. I had remembered that it had some healthy recipes in it. As I remembered when I got this book, I realized that for many years God had known what was best for me and I had been rebellious - wanting to do it my own way. Wanting to be my own boss. So where did that get me? No where good. I have struggled and struggled. And when I finally turned my life and my will over to God. He was able to finally lead me and be my Boss.

You see about 15 years ago - I went to a Cooking Seminar and learned some awesome things. Well I am sure that it did me some good but I was to stubborn to totally accept what I heard. Then again about 5 years ago or a little longer I went to a different one and learned some more awesome information. I am thankful that I kept the books because they have been excellent resources for me and my sister. I am also so glad that God does not give up. I am glad that he patiently waited for me to finally come to the place of being willing to follow His leading. Oh the years that I have wasted by being rebellious - by wanting to do things my own way. I am willing now to say - God~ You ARE the Boss of Me! :O)

EDITED: To add photos of the two books that I got from the classes that I went to. Just in case anyone is interested.

Another Antique Mall Found Nearby

We have been looking for a chair to go out in our sun room/parlor.

Well yesterday my son was looking on Craigslist and found this chair:

I was so excited to find that it was at an Antique Mall - one I had not been to before that was only about 15-20 minutes away! I went there to see if the chair was sturdy and to see if it was something we would want. On the photo that was shown on Craigslist, you could not see the polka dots as clearly. Well the price was great and I sent information to my husband and he said he would have to see it in person.
While I was at the antique mall - I decided to just look through the whole thing. I had never realized it was as BIG as it was. Three Stories! I looked through it all. I also found this chair:

I love the legs - they are the same kind that the couch has. And I love the carvings and the those type details. It was a little higher in price, but I thought it would probably go with our couch better. Well my husband does not like the wicker type stuff on the back of the seat. So I don't know if we will get either one of them. I need to be patient. God will bring the right chair along - when it is the right time.
It was not a wasted trip because I really enjoyed looking through all the cool stuff. This is something I have never seen at an Antique shop before - it is a copper lined smoking stand. I thought it was really cool looking! Oh it is on top of another cabinet. It is only about 30 inches tall or so.
Well I hope you all have a great day! :O)

A Healthy, Filling Breakfast

This morning, I want to share with you one reason why I am so excited about my new lifestyle. This is what I usually have for breakfast - the fruits change around but usually I have at least 3 different fruits.

The stuff in the bowl is Oat Groats - well actually this time I put Oat Groats and Barley in it. I just got some Spelt grain so the next time I make this - I will try some it of - and probably put some Wheat Berries in as well.

Just in case some of you are interested in how I make this:

I take 1 cup of grains - usually a mixture but can be just one. And soak it in some water for several hours. Then in the evening before I go to bed - I pour off the water and I put grain in my small crock pot. (I think it is a 4 Qt.) and I add 4 cups of water. I then add 1/2 tsp of salt. And I turn it on low and I cook it all night.

The next morning I pull out what I want and then put the rest into a container. Then I can just dish out what I want every morning.

I usually put some of the following on it when I eat - dates, raisins, sunflower seeds, walnuts, honey, sesame seeds. The possibilities are endless. And I usually put a little soy milk in as well.

Then the two things that look like sausage - are NOT- they are some patties that I made. I will try to post one of the recipes that I use later today or tomorrow. I found a new recipe that uses Walnuts instead of oil and I will try that recipe next.

So as you can see - I eat really well. And I can still lose weight. Not at Biggest Loser rate by any means but this IS something that I can do for the rest of my life. That means NO MORE falling off of the wagon! And who could ask for anything better than that?

If you have any questions - don't hesitate to ask. Have a great day!! :O)

Quilting Corner

Last week I made my first Block of the Month for this new year.

This year I have 2 that I am working on. So I started cutting out the fabric for the second block. Well I was watching a sermon at the same time as cutting out and I guess I was a little TOO confident because I was not being really careful. And I cut out the big burgundy triangles wrong. Some how I got confused and was trying to cut out the long rectangular pieces out of that fabric. Well it was wrong and I did not have enough fabric to cut out those triangles so I needed more.

So today I had to go to the Quilt Shop and get a fat quarter of that fabric so I can finish my block. So this is what I went for:

But I came out of the Quilt Shop with all of this:
I have a project that needed forest green thread. And I LOVE these sand paper dots - I put them on the back of my templates and rulers and squares. Then I thought, I have the Thirties Block of the Month blocks that I need to get put together. So I thought it would be fun to look through the Thirties fabrics and see what I could come up with. Well I found this really pretty yellow and blue floral fabric and could not pass it up. I thought that since the blocks were already quite busy that I wanted a little plainer fabric to put the blocks together and I decided to go with the blue and the yellow to do that. Of course, I will show a photo of this quilt when it is done!! :O)

One Step Closer

When I first began this blog, I had no idea of how true the title of my blog would turn out to be. When I finally got to the point of being willing to turn my life and my will over to God, I started to notice some really neat things happening. I could see how God was leading in my life.

Here is an example of something that I have just figured out recently. About a year or two ago, I put a lot of importance in the fact that I was a good cook and that I baked well. In fact, I thought I had an upper edge on a lot of people when it came to those areas. I was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary with the local fire department that my husband volunteered with. We would have once a month dinners at the station. And it did not take long to realize that there were a lot of other really good cooks out there. And I finally came to the conclusion that it was OK - I was a good cook but so were a lot of other people. Where I went wrong here - was that I was basing my value on how good of a cook I was. When in fact, my value comes from God.

Now fast forward a year or two - God has led me to a new life style. If He had not worked on my false since of value a couple of years ago - I would have had a much harder time with changing my lifestyle.

So the very best thing that I have done - is release the reigns of trying to be in control. By giving them to God.. I gave Him permission to work in my life how He saw fit. And I finally feel like I am a step closer to being the real me. And I can't think of anything I would rather be than in His Will, becoming the Child of God that He intended me to be.

An Awesome Song

Rich Mullins- Creed

Sabotage

She asks what I am eating. I say mixed fruit..and she wrinkles up her nose and mumbles something about liking peaches better..

He is not very interested in deserts and sweets....until now..when I am not eating them like I used to..

Weighing the exact same thing 3 - 4 days in a row even though I have been eating really good and a voice in my head says..oh..you can't lose weight..it's no use..just give up...

What do these things have in common? Sabotage...Yep.. It may not be intentional but it comes across as destructive as Sabotage to me. I think it is very important to be able to tell what things can be Sabotage for you, because if you can recognize it for what it is - it does not have as much power over you.

I think many of us are the worst offenders to ourselves when it comes to Sabotage. I mean seriously just pay attention to the ugly, mean things that you think of, about yourself. The thoughts that I can't do this, I have failed so many times before~ why even bother. Those are very dangerous thoughts to entertain.

The Bible tells us what we are to think of:

"Finally, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are right, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

This verse has been a very helpful to me. God knew that in this sinful world we would have problems with thinking of the wrong things and that we would need a reminder to keep our thoughts on the truth. I am so thankful that God loved us enough to leave us a love letter. :o)

A Treasure Found..

Yesterday I had a few errands to run in town and stopped by a local Goodwill to look around. And look at what I found!!!

For $5.00 - I just could not pass it up. It will take a little work, but I think it will just be adorable when it is finished! And then I will need to make a matress for it and a little quilt. That will be such fun!! Now I just need to decide what color I would like to paint it..Mmmmm???

I hope you all have a wonderful day! :O)

Aren't These Precious?

This past week end my husband, son, and I went to the Antique Mall. This was my son's first visit. I think he enjoyed himself. Of course he made it through much quicker than we did but he found his way back to where there were some old coins and bought himself a couple.

During the last 20 years or so I have collected money - foreign, old - it did not matter. I did the best I could to get two of what ever I got. That way when the boys were older - I could give them each a set of coins. So it looks like it is time to get my coins out and go through them and divide them up.

I saw these little dresses in one of the cases and just fell in love with them! No..I did not buy them. In fact, the only things I did buy were not even antiques - well maybe the book from 1970?..

Both of these books are on Psalms 23rd. I thought that was so awesome and for like $3.something - I could not pass it up. My church has a group of ladies doing a book club on Max Lucado's book - but I think that they are on Monday's - during the day(I work) and evening(I already have a meeting that I go to) so it will not work for me to go to the book club this time - but I can study it on my own. I thought I got a great deal! And had a good time too. What more could I ask for? :O)

Slow and Steady...

Good Morning~ I feel I need to share a little more information about this weight loss journey, because I do not want to discourage anyone.

The last time(and several smaller attempts since) I lost a fair amount of weight, I had worked really hard by watching what I ate and exercising for a good month before I lost ANY weight at all.

I realized that I really needed to lose weight after our trip to Granbury, but probably did not start working on it till the first of September. When I went to the seminar, I got some fantastic tools to use in order to help me be more successful..a lifestyle change. I learned that you have to eat enough food to feel full. The skimping out on food only causes my body to lower its metabolism and also I start feeling like I am missing out and then eventually I would fall off the wagon, knowing full well I was doing it and just not being able to do anything about it.

I also wanted to share that the weight loss has tapered off to a much slower rate - which is the ideal way to lose it. In fact, in order to lose weight and keep it off you need to learn to eat healthier foods -to the point of feeling full. As you do that your body does not feel like it is starving and does not go on starvation mode and store what ever it can. So the weight may come off slower but it is more permanent.

I am not sure if I have shared that my sister has also made some changes in her life and has lost 10 pounds! Way to go!! Her weight loss has slowed down as well. We both have struggled with weight problems many years and we both would love to have lost the weight... yesterday. But it took time for this weight to come on...and it will take time to take it off.

So I will continue to make the choices that will lead me to better health. I am not only on a journey for weight loss but also for health.

So anyway I did not want to discourage any of you. Remember the story about "The Turtle and the Hare" ~ Slow and steady wins the race. :O)

Eight Health Laws/Update

Today as I packed up most of my summer stuff, I had mixed emotions. You see, since I have decided to change my lifestyle - I am sure that by next summer these clothes will no longer fit. By that time, I will have found someone to bless by giving these clothes to. Why would I be sad? Well I have worn some of these clothes for the last couple of years and I like some of them quite a bit. But I am so much happier with taking better care of myself and I know in the long run I will be extremely happy that I made this choice.

Yesterday my husband and I ran into a very sweet couple who used to be our neighbors and also went to our church. My heart went out to the wife. She would start a sentence and then she would forget what she was going to say. And she shared with us that she had been having this problem for a while. She said that she had seen some people during her visit to our area that she knew but could not think of the name. That would be so hard to handle.

At church this last week end one of the members of our class shared about the difficulty that he and his wife were going through...she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's 6 years ago. He said that being with her 24/7 was just to overwhelming and that he needed a break. Several people in class offered to go to their home and sit with her for a few hours each week to give him a break.

There are so many health problems and I just think that it is SO important for us to take control of our own health and make the choices that we know are the best for us. Yes - we may have genes that give us a bigger chance at sickness and disease but that is not a free pass to do ...what ever we want because no matter what I do I will be sick...(said in an Eeyore type of voice.)

So many times sickness and diseases come to us because we have neglected to take care of ourselves.

Here are Eight Health Laws that I like to live by:

1. Eat a healthy diet of nutritious food. Try to get plenty of fruits and veggies and eat at least some raw fruits and veggies each day.

2. Exercise adequately - at least 30 minutes - 1 hour everyday -if you can not exercise this much at one time split it up into 3 sections of time of 10 minutes at a time. Something IS better than nothing.

3. Rest properly. (7-8 hours of sleep is ideal)

4. Try to get at least a little sunshine each day - when the sun is out.

5. Drink at least 8 glasses - or more of water each day.. sodas and coffee are actually a diuretic - which means they can not be included in the 8 glasses.

6. Get plenty of fresh air every day.

7. Live a balanced life

8. Trust in God. Good Spiritual health really does contribute to good physical health.

One more bit of information for those of you trying to lose weight. You have to learn how to eat nutritiously without starving yourself. When you starve yourself - you will eventually go back to eating like you were. AND even if you DON'T - since you cut way back your body will get to a point that you can continue to eat less but you will still gain the weight back because you had cut back so far and your body has slowed down the metabolism. This is the secret to being able to lose the weight to YOUR ideal weight. Notice I said YOUR - that means that just because a chart says that you should weigh such and such does not always mean that is the best place for your body. Now in a couple of years - if for some unexpected even - I actually get to what a chart says I should weigh then I will try to remember to get back on here and retract my words. I am saying that because I have always weighed more than what a chart says I should weigh - and some of those times I looked pretty good. So my goal this time - is not a certain number on a chart - I am leaving it up to God. He knows where I am suppose to be and I will just make the choices to take care of me the best to my ability - and let Him take care of the rest.

That way I do not get frustrated - like the last couple of days - I have lost a total of 15 pounds! I am thrilled with this. I feel so much better. I am getting so much more done. I am thinking clearer. So many good things to say, but when I weighed the last 3 mornings- my weight has stayed on a certain number and has not budged down one bit. Now yesterday I was a little discouraged - not only because of the number not moving downward but also because I had divided up the clothes that I have into sizes and had found that it did not seem like I had much in the way of jeans/ Capri's for the next size down. And I really do not want to pay for stuff(even at Goodwill) because I only plan on being in that size for a few month - or how ever long it takes me to get to the next size down. Anyway So I was discouraged and as I was putting some shoes away in my closet I noticed a bag at the bottom of my closet and in this bag was a couple of pairs of Capri's and a pair of jeans. So I do not have to buy any pants - unless I find a great deal on a pair of black jeans(don't have any of those) or Capri's! I was thrilled! It was like a blessing from God letting me know that things were going to be OK.

Good Morning Monday!

The weather here in Texas has been so very beautiful!! The windows have been open for over a week now. I absolutely love to be able to have the house opened up and feel the cool breeze.

Yesterday evening, I went to the Duck Pond(that is what it is called since there are alot of duck at this pond.) It was so relaxing and enjoyable.

This morning, I made a list of the things I would like to get done the next couple of days. This weather is just so inviting a lot of what I have planned to do will be out doors.

I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning while I was on my walk. I was going to share a photo of it with you this morning but it is saying that service is not available. So I will just close for now. I have alot of things to do today. Ya'll have a good one! :O)

Name of the Quilt Block?

Someone asked what the name of this block was so I thought I would share the answer and a little more information just in case someone wanted to look into making this block and any of the blocks I will share for the next year. This year our Block of the Month at our Local Quilt Shop is doing the American Beauty Quilt designed by Marti Michell. This block is called "Bewitched."

This year we will be using the Perfect Patchwork Templates Set L from Marti Michell. Here is a photo that shows the templates that come with this set. I love using the templates, they make the process so much easier.


Here is a list of why using templates makes it so easy:

PERFECT for rotary cutters ~ Cut multiple layers at once.
PERFECT shapes and sizes ~ 1/8-inch thick clear acrylic.
PERFECT 1/4-inch seam allowances included.
PERFECT laser cut accuracy on every piece.
PERFECT "smart" corners ~ No more dog ears!
PERFECT permanent, unique identification system.
PERFECT companion tools for strip cutting and piecing.
PERFECT for hand or machine piecers.

One reason I love these templates is that when you buy them - they last a long time. I have not had to buy templates for the last couple of years of quilting because I have like about 5-7 sets of them.

I found a like where it tells about this quilt and the plans of putting it together. Here is a link to where Marti Michell tells about this quilt . I hope that this information has been helpful and if you have any questions feel free to ask. :O)

You are Special

Just a little reminder of how important you are to God. You are unique and you are very special to God.

New Block of the Year Starts Today!

Today is the first day of the new year of Block of the Month!! Yay! I am excited! Shown below are the choices that we had for this year.

I do believe that I signed up for all three of this year. I will find out in about an hour or so. I hope you all have a great day!! :O)