Waiting Upon the Lord

Well I shared in my last post that I had submitted the application for the job that I had heard of on Friday. And now I am feeling kind of anxious and nervous. And I know that I should just give it to God.

It has been a very long time since I have had a "real" job. I have worked off and on for my MIL since about 1993. Off and on because I took about a year and a half leave of absence. During these many years of working there I worked about 10 hours a week give or take a little. During the holidays I worked many more hours. And there were times that I worked several 12 hour shifts in a row - just so we could keep up with the orders. One of the main reasons why I loved my job was that I could be home and be a wife and mother to my children. I home schooled my boys for the last 8 years or so. So it was good for me to be home. And truthfully I would like to continue to work a light load so that I could be home for my family when they needed me, but it seems that if I do not get a job we will just get further into debt. We got $600 in hospital bills and we have a bill from the dentist - for $315. left over from what insurance did not pay on Jason's root canal. Well we do not have extra money to pay these extra bills. I am thankful that my husband has a job that he is able to be off after the surgery with pay.

It is very scary for me to venture out and apply for a new job. And so like I said I have been nervous. Earlier when I was stressing a bit, the thought came to my head that I needed to wait upon the Lord. And so I thought, I will look up that phrase in the Bible and see what I can come up with. One of my favorites:

"But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

It is funny because I feel that I have been learning an important lesson lately- well for a while now - that I need to depend upon God. And in this situation - that is all I can really do. I know that I do not have a lot of work experience and glitz and glamour on my application, but maybe that is good because if I get the job - I will know that God is the one that opened the door for me. And if I do not get the job then I will know that it was not God's will for my life and I will continue to ask for His leading.

There are sometimes in life that you just have to take the next step -and sometimes that next step is just to be still and know that God is GOD! And that is great to know.
Here are a few more great verses:

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Psalms 27:14

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." Psalms 62:5


"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." Psalms 130:5

"Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." Micah 7:7

Last but certainly not least:

"Be still, and know that I am God:" Psalms 46:10a

Stepping out of the Comfort Zone

Hello~ I hope you all have had a great day. The weather here was just beautiful today with the highs in the mid 70's- the kind of weather that I love! We have rain coming in tonight and then winter will be back in just a few days.

I just stepped out of my comfort zone. How you ask? Well I just submitted my job application. I am praying that God will open doors for me - if this is the job for me. It has been so long since I have been in the job market -it is a bit scary for me. I was kind of worried about putting down the wrong information -like they wanted to know how much I wanted to get paid. Well what is the best thing to put? If you put to0 low that could hurt me and if I put too high of an amount that could hurt me too. So I prayed and I am hoping that God will take care of the rest of it.

I sent an e-mail to let my mother in law know that I was putting in an application for a job so that she would expect a phone call. And she wrote back and said that my job was still available - IF I would be OK working around smoke. So I could go back to work but she did not want to work with me so that I did not have to be around the smoke. It made me feel good in a way and then made me a bit sad also. I hate for her to have to do all of my work, but this has been her choice. And if I get the job I am going for - then I am actually stepping up. Working at the bakery was fine but now that I am 41 I really would much rather have a job in an office than working in a hot kitchen. I would rather have a bit of a challenge. And also contribute to the family budget in a more substantial way. Working at the bakery only gave me about 8 hours or so on an average week. This job will give me about 20. So maybe this is one of those situations where God closed a door in order to open another door. You know I would to have been open to another job - because I would not have chosen to have left my work to my Mother in law- if it were my choice. So I would not have been open to leaving and getting another job if all of this had not happened. And truthfully - I could do both - if it came down to it.

I just keep learning - I need to trust God. He knows best and He wants what is best for us. And when He takes us out of our comfort zones - it helps us grow. And let me tell you - the past couple of years, I have had to keep stepping out of my comfort zone. But in the process - I have become more the person that God intended me to be.

Starting this blog - was one of the times that I stepped out of that C zone. And it has challenged me and made me grow as a person. Stepping out of our comfort zone is scary, but when God is leading that is where I need to go. And if it is God that is leading - I will never be disappointed! :o)

A Job Lead - Prayers - Hints/Tips?

In December, I was let go from my job working for my Mother in law at her convenience store/bakery. Things have been tight but lately they are getting even tighter due to some hospital bills from my husbands surgery - when we checked in for the surgery they said we did not owe anything and then we have gotten about 4 bills since - from several different sources. And then we ended up owing money to the dentist and I still need to go get a couple more cavities taken care of. Yesterday my husband said that our couch was getting in really bad shape and that we would need to get another one pretty soon. All of these things plus the fact that I no longer work(even though I worked part time - and not very many hours) has really been stressing me out.

This morning, I sent an e-mail to a friend of mine that works at a hospital to ask about our bill and when she wrote back she let me know of a job that had just opened up that I might be interested in. It is part time - 9am - 1pm Monday - Friday. For being part time, these are great hours. I did not want a full time job and so this would be perfect for me. So I have started the application - right now I am waiting on a few people that I have asked for references from to get back with me. I am nervous about this. I know we need the extra money and all but it has been so long since I have done an interview and the fact that I do not have any college does not help. The good thing about this job - is there is no requirements for college. So I think that I could do a good job. I am also a little nervous about the dressing part. I am not sure what the dress code is but right now since I have lost weight - I don't have a lot of clothes and I don't have any idea of what I would need to wear to an interview - if I get one. Anyway - this is one more area of my life that I have to trust God. He knows what is needed and what is best for us so I have to be willing to go where He leads - and I am feeling like this is where He is leading. So if I get the job - Praise the Lord! But if not, I am trying to hold onto the fact that God is in control and He knows what is best and what ever will be - will be His will. I would sure appreciate prayers on my behalf. And if any one has hints or tips of what I need to remember for an interview or dressing for one - if I get an interview - I will need all the help I can get. Thanks so very much! :o)

Just a little of our Day

I just wanted to share this updated forecast. On Tuesday they say that this 38 will be the high in the am and then will fall throughout the day. And we have a chance of sleet/snow/ice.

I am so thrilled that we have had a beautiful day today. Papa and I went to the Stock Show. We had a lot of fun. I will have to say this though - it is something that we do every several years. By the time you pay to park and then admission - it is quite expensive. But every so often it is something fun to do. I still have not found my camera but I was able to get a couple of photos of my favorite area at the stock show. There is a barn that has lots of baby animals. I was not able to get photos of everything that I wanted to - because there were so many kiddos around the cages, but here are the photos that I was able to get:

I love baby pigs. I think they are adorable. When I was a little girl, I remember going to a farm once and seeing baby pigs and asking my parents if I could have a baby pig..I was serious. I wanted one. Look at these above, aren't they adorable? Oh and by the way - this was not all her babies - the rest were sleeping.

Now I love the baby chicks as well. See the Ferris wheel? It actually moved around and there was chicken feed on each of the seats- it was trying to lure the baby chicks on the step and that way they would ride around. They did ok - if the girl in the pen put them on the step but they did not get on and stay on on their own. The one you see there - will jump off in just a little bit. But they were still cute to watch.

They had baby ducks, calves, goats and lambs - they were cute too but too many people to get very close.

Oh- and I am sure that you all have heard about how everything in Texas is bigger? Well here is some proof!

This bunny was huge! I have a photo of another bunny but I don't know if you will be able to actually tell how BIG this bunny actually was.

Sorry I was not able to get more photos. But I hope you enjoyed these that I was able to get.

On the way home, I was able to see a Road Runner. The first one that I have seen in a long time. I don't know if I have shared this before, but I really like road runner and actually they are like an "I love you" from God. When I see one - that is what it reminds me of. It is good to have things that you really like and when God blesses you by letting you see it - it is a special message of love from our Father who loves us so very much. And just in case you do not know what a Road Runner is - I borrowed a photo from Google images for you to see one:

Hopefully some day you will have the chance to see one in person. If you do - they will probably be running across the road.

This afternoon, the weather was so very nice that my husband and I cleaned out our chicken coop. They needed new hay in their laying bins and so we change that out and I scooped out a lot the mess on the floor of the coop. It felt good to get that job done. It needed it and it was nice to do it on such a beautiful day! :o)

This and That

Yesterday I had planned on making a roast for my family for supper, but I forgot. By the time that I remembered I did not have time to make it the way I like to make it- in a crock pot. So I decided since I was planning on making gluten that I would go ahead and make up a few batches of it and use one batch for supper and then freeze the rest(like I had been planning.)

Now making gluten does take some time. (Here is a link to when I did a how-to on Gluten.) But I had plenty of time to make it. I was able to make a batch for supper and then 2 batches for the freezer. I really like having some in the freezer. It is pretty cheap to make and I have found that I make up a big batch of the broth and then I make up several batches of gluten at a time and that way I just use the same broth for all of it.

Today we are planning on going to the Stock Show in Forth Worth. It has been several years since either one of us have gone and since my husband is still on leave from work due to his back surgery - we have extra time this year. And it will do him a lot of good to get out and get some walking in. The weather around this area is really going to be pretty for the next couple of days.
Perfect weather for the stock show - at least the next 3 days.

I have heard talk that there is a chance that we might get some snow/ice next week, it is funny to me how this forecast will change later today or tomorrow -based on who ever is working.

Well I hope you all have a great day!! :o)

That We Might Have Hope

We lived in 890 square foot home when the boys were much younger. It had two bedrooms and 1 bathroom. We had put the boys in the master bedroom and took the smaller bedroom - that had a closet off of it that had our washer in dryer in it. We had electric heat but we also had a couple of gas stoves - Deer borne heaters I believe is what they are called. Here is basically what they looked like:

Well I had dropped off my oldest son at school - he only went half a day at that time. Well it was very cold when we got home so I started the gas heaters. It helped get the house warmer- faster and gas was cheaper than electricity at the time.

I would use a long match to start these heaters. My boys used to think it was fun to then blow out the match and then I would let them take the match to the toilet and dip it in, to cool it off and then put the match into the trash can.

So I started the fire and then let my youngest blow out the match and he went to dip it and throw it away - so I thought. Well I had went to the kitchen because I was trying to get something made. The next thing I know my son is coming to the kitchen to tell me something. I can tell it is important but my son was young and due to a sickness when he was a baby, had a bad speech impediment. He pointed towards the living room and I told him to show me what he was trying to tell me. We walk into the living room and there it was a fire on the middle cushion of the couch.

I ran to the bathroom and dumped the contents of the trash can onto the floor and turned on the bathtub and filled it up and went to put the fire out. But to my surprise instead of putting the fire out it swished the fire from the cushion, up the back of the couch and to the back of the couch. (Now I know if I had have just picked up the cushion and taken it outside would have prevented what happened next - but then again it could have caught me on fire and have been a worse outcome- I don't know) Anyway I told my son to go to the front yard and get the water hose - while I ran and got the cordless phone so I could call the fire dept. and my husband. While I am talking on the phone I am doing my best to use the water hose keep the fire from spreading to much more.

When the firemen got there one of them asked me where the keys to my car were and one climbed the fence and got my purse and he asked me to move the car - so I got my son in the car and pulled my car back into the driveway of the house across the street. By that time another fire truck came and ended up blocking my view. The last thing I heard before I moved the car was that they thought that the fire was in the attic and that it might be a loss. (Just writing this brings tears to my eyes)

My husband got there not too much later. And once he went and checked things out- he informed me that they had gotten the fire out. Praise the Lord! We did not have any insurance on the contents of the house and everything we had was in that house. What is so sad is that the nicest things we had were in that living room that burned. We had a new living room set that my in laws had bought for us - because our furniture was in such bad shape. It was a great set from Montgomery Wards. Even though they picked it out - we loved this set. We also had a great table that was given to us by my in laws - when they got a brand new set.

This is where the fire began - the firemen had carried it to the front yard. Oh and look - we had snow. This was a nice hideaway bed couch too.

These pictures probably do not even do the damage done justice, but it will give you an idea. We stayed with my in laws for a few days but figured out really quick that we did not want to stay there long term and that is what would have happened because it took quite a while to get the house fixed up again. So even though our living room was not livable- we moved back to our house and slowly started to do the clean up ourselves.

In the background of the photo above you can see the love seat - we were hoping to salvage it but the fabric has been melted and was not comfortable to sit on. We used it for a while though.


This photo above shows that we had to put blankets up to cover the holes in the ceiling - trying to keep the cold air out.

This photo below shows going into the kitchen. There was smoke damage all the way through the house.

This was a very difficult time for us. But in the end God worked it all out for us. By some new carpet in the living room and hallway, and the living room was totally re-sheet rocked. We had a lot of painting to do and we - my husband and his mother re-did the wall paper in the kitchen and in bathroom.

The reason I share this story is because I heard this Bible verse:

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, so that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

~ in a sermon recently. And it really spoke to me. And then when I was going though a drawer yesterday - I came across these photos and it reminded me that when we are having difficult times,if we can think back to the times that God has worked things out in our past - then it helps give us hope for today and tomorrow. :o)

Quilting Corner - Working on Long Neglected Projects

Last week we had done a bit of work in my sewing room - which caused me to have to find new homes for a few things that had been stored in an area in that room that was disturbed. Anyway so as I was organizing the stuff I was reminded of a couple of projects that I really need to work on. I had my second block of the month to finish putting together and then I had a pile of my blue and floral fabric that had been cut to put together my 30's block of the month block on the counter in my sewing room(click on fabric if you would like to be reminded of the fabric that I am talking about.) So I decide to spend some time working on those project this week end. I got the block of the month done..check.

Then I started working on my 30's blocks. Sometimes when I spend a lot of time cutting out fabric for a project - it just totally shuts down my creative juices and I have just have to put the project up for a while - till I am ready to work on it. And that is exactly what happened with this blue and floral fabric. It has been a couple of months ago that I cut this fabric out and when I started sewing some of the fabrics together - it just seemed like a big, overwhelming job. So I put the stuff up. Well once I got done with my block of the month block - I started working on the blue and floral blocks - and I was so surprised that the work seemed so much easier than last time. And that was very encouraging.

I still have a bit more cutting fabric to do with this project but that will be when I get to the next step. It was fun to be able to work on these projects and see how it was coming together. It is so rewarding to create things and then see them come together.

Well I was hoping to share some photos but I have misplaced our camera. So I will have to wait till I can find it-then I will share the photos. Hopefully I will find the camera soon. In the meantime I will probably see if I can get a few more of this blocks put together. I hope you all have a great day! :O)

Eating Healthy is NOT Expensive

Before I changed my lifestyle, I like many other people thought that it would be too expensive. You see with it only being me(in my family) making these changes, I knew that I would have to continue to cook the things for my family that they like. Just because I made these changes did not mean that I could totally pull all the things out of the house that I was not eating. Truthfully it would have been awesome to be able to do that. I would have loved to be able to make a total transformation in my kitchen. And honestly, it would probably be much easier on me to make these changes and lose weight if I was not the only one making these changes. And this is something that held me back for a long time.

But I have to say that my family has made gradual changes to be healthier- and here are some examples of that: my husband gave up Dr. Pepper - long before I was able to give up soda's. My son is not drinking soda's any where near as much as he used to and he drinks more water. Yes - he is 18 and drinks actual water. In this day and age, that in its self amazing. I know women much old than him who do not drink water at all - coffee when they wake up and diet coke the rest of the time - the only saving grace is that they drink it with some ice. But what is so sad is that they do not realize that because they do not get enough water - they are dehydrated and when you are dehydrated - you do not think very well and you are tired. There are many other draw backs to being dehydrated -that was just to list a couple for you.

Anyway so in September when I went to this seminar and watched the "Forks Over Knives" movie - I realized that even if I were the only one in the family doing it - I had to do it. God had shown me truth and even if it was going against the grain - I had to do it. I was still worried about being able to afford to to it. But I have been amazed.

In order to eat a plant based diet - does not mean that everything has to be organic. You can spend some really big bucks if you want to by buying everything organic. And if you would like you can do it that way- but it is not necessary.

You will be surprised at how much money you save on things like sodas. I would keep sodas here for each of us - each of us had our favorites and I would keep a 24 pack for the week for each of us. And then of course, I LOVED Fastaco and Chicken Expresses Sweet Tea. And many times we went to one of these places at least once a week for a Large Sweet Tea. And then when I would go grocery shopping I would buy a can of Coke - $.75 a pop. And then when I was at work -sometimes I would buy one there as well. This money adds up - it really does. Because since September - I no longer buy soda's when I am out shopping. Now I take a 20 oz. water bottle with me anytime I leave the house. And no I don't buy water - it might be healthier but we can not afford that. I keep my bottle and refill it any time I need it. It is a good way to keep track of how much water I am drinking. I drink out of it all the time even here at home. The main reason I drink out of it here at home - is I have a cat that loves to get into what ever I am drinking and he will stick his paw into the glass and get water and continue to do this and sometimes he knocks the glass over trying to get a drink.

Now sometimes when we are out and about, I really miss my large sweet tea. It had the crushed ice which I loved. But I am so thankful for the changes that I have made and I am thankful that it does not cost a lot to eat healthier. You would be surprised at how much cheaper eating fruits and veggies, whole grains and nuts are for you to eat. Many of the processed foods and meat are the things that really add a lot of cost to your food budget. Well I am not lucky enough to be able to go without buying those things but I am watching and trying to get the best deals possible on those things. And another great thing is that things like fresh fruits and veggies and dried beans and canned bean and such are nontaxable - which save a lot of money as well. I have been so surprised at the fact that I can eat good for not a lot of money.

I am glad that I finally decided that I was worth taking care of and worth making the changes even if no one else in the house made these changes. There will be times in our lives that we have to stand up for what is right - even when our families do not make the same decisions that we make. When God speaks to our hearts - we need to obey God.

"But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29

Sabbath Praise

Metabolic Syndrome

Wow- I was so close. I had not realized how very close I was... to getting Diabetes. I watched a program today about pre-Diabetes and was so surprised at how very close I was to actually getting Diabetes. My Dr. had told me that I had a lot of the signs of pre-diabetes but I had not totally understood how close I was to getting it.

Some of the warning signs are:
1. Waist circumference more than 35 inches for a female (what is so sad is that I have lost 3+ inches or so in my waist and I am still quite a ways from being under 35 inches-that is discouraging)
And for men- 40 inches
2. Fasting blood sugar - 110- and over( I was not this high yet but very close)
3. HDL - for women - if it is less than 50 - and for men - less than 40 (mine was about 38 the last time I had my blood tested)
4. Triglycerides over 150
5. Hypertension ( BP over 135/85)

My Dr. explained it to me like this - that this syndrome causes the pancreas to overwork, putting out excessive amounts of insulin to deal with the glucose load. When about 50% is depleted, the blood glucose will rise to over 200 an that is when the diabetes diagnosis will be made. What is really sad is that at this point the pancreas will continue to deteriorate even when the best medical treatment is given.

There is some good news though - I caught this situation in time. With the lifestyle changes that I have made, I have a great chance of preventing Diabetes. Yay!

Some of the positive changes that can be made are - adding 30 - 45 minutes of exercise to your daily routine. And losing just 5-10% of your body weight can also help delay or prevent diabetes all together. And lifestyle changes such as eating a plant base diet along with exercising is the very best thing that you and I can do to prevent diabetes.

Just in case you may be looking at this kind of a diagnosis in your future - Dr. Barnard's book "Reversing Diabetes" if you are interested you can go to this link - it tells about the book plus has some down loadable pdf files on the left side of the page.

So for me - I am feeling a little overwhelmed for knowing how much improvements that I need to make in my weight and waist measurements. But I am so thankful that God lead me to the seminar that I went to - because without it, I don't know if I would have had the information needed for me to make the positive changes in my life. And I am thankful that even though I feel like I have a mountain to climb - I know that I can give God the control of this and with his strength - I can continue to make the necessary changes needed. :o)


"Let medicine be thy food, and food be thy medicine."

— Hippocrates of Cos, Greece, 460-377 B.C.

Importance of Exercise

Last night as I watched "Biggest Loser" I was very surprised when the Dr. told young Sarah from the Pink Team that she had the biggest percentage of fat. What? She weighed in at 261 and even though that might be a lot of weight - compared to a lot of the other people on the show she is actually one of the smaller ones. Could it really be true that she had the highest percentage of fat?

After she explained to the Dr about being in a car accident and then not being able to exercise -I understood how it could be true. And it got me thinking - in our society we put such a high value on a skinny body. But even though a body might be thin does not exactly mean that it is healthy. Skinny does not equal healthy.

Then I started thinking back to the last time that I lost weight - I worked so hard for that year and lost 52 pounds and then had been so discouraged that I had gained the weight back - plus I ended up gaining about 12 more pounds on top of that. But not all is lost- during that year I walked a lot and exercised and got into better shape and even though over the next 4-6 years(can't remember exactly how long ago it was) I gained all the weight plus more and got more out of shape -I am sure that the exercise and the walking had done me a lot of good.

After hearing the conversation between Sarah and the Dr. it helped me realize that I really need to make it a priority to get exercise at least 3-4 times a week. I try to do more things to add a bit more exercise into my routine every day - but I want to make sure that I am making time at LEAST 3 - 4 times a day for a set aside actual exercise time.

Walking is great for you -walking outdoors adds several other healthy things to your day, fresh air and sunshine, both of which your body really needs. And if you can not get outside to walk - there are always exercise tapes to use. My favorites are from Leslie Sansone. This is actually my favorite right now. I only have 2 of her DVD's. I had more VCR tapes but of course things have switched to DVD's. Anyway I really like the walk and kick routine on here.

This morning I was feeling cold so I went ahead and did the "Walk and Kick" section. And felt much better. It is suppose to get up to the upper 50's today and have some sunshine. I am hoping to get to the park and walk for a little bit as well. Tomorrow will be cold and yucky so I have to take advantage of the sunshine while I can.

What I really like about these exercise tapes is that they are fairly easy to do - and if you adjust what you do with how you are feeling. There are a lot of exercise tapes out there that you really need to be in really good shape in order to do them and that is fine- they are needed by those in a lot better shape than I am in. But thank goodness for people like Leslie Sansone who make exercise tapes for those of us that have not arrived yet.

So today - I challenge you - to the best of your ability try to get some exercise - even if it is just a few minutes here and there. Move your body - your body will be happy you did. :o)

My Closet is Getting More Sparse

I hope that everyone is doing good. Things here are going pretty good. We actually have had a little bit more sun the last couple of days, which I have been very thankful for.

This morning I spent some time going through my closet. I have periodically went through certain things and gotten rid of things that were too big. I have gotten rid of quite a bit of stuff. This morning I went through my church clothes and weeded out all the things that were too big. I took a few bags to a local small thrift shop. I am hoping that someone that really need them is able to get them. This thrift store has some really cheap prices. They are only open a couple of hours a couple days a week. I am hoping to make it there sometime in the next week or so to check out what they have. Maybe someone else has been blessing them with clothes that would fit me.

So now that I have gone through my church clothes and gotten rid of stuff - I am noticing that my closet has less and less clothes. And truthfully I did not need as many clothes as I had - that is for sure. There have been times that I used to buy things out of desperation - like I need the clothes and I don't buy this I may not have anything to wear. There also was a time that I would have just boxed up clothes and saved them just in case I gained weight. But this time I am not even leaving that an option. What I am doing is a life style. I am learning a better way to eat. Moderation is what it is all about. Not depriving myself of things that I would want. No - that would only cause me to feel deprived and not happy. And many times when I did that - I would end up eating all sorts of things trying to fill that want - only later to actually eat what I really want to begin with.

I am thrilled to report that it has been over 4 months since I have had a soda. I am one pound away from losing 40 pound and that is since Sept 1st, 2010. If someone had of told me 6 months ago that I would actually lose that much weight in that amount of time period - I would not have believed them at all. In fact Dr. B told us that we would be surprised of how much easier it would be to lose weight - and I did not believe him at all. I just felt pressure and thought there is no way - that might work for others but Dr. B does not realize how hard of a time I have losing weight. I shared before about how I had worked hard for 1 year and had lost 52 pounds - but I am telling you I worked hard for it. This time I allowed God to be in charge and let Him fix the things inside of me that not only held onto the clothes but also held onto the fat. I am learning to let go - learning to let God.

A Coat- Provision From God

Yesterday as I walked around the park I had plenty of time to think. I spent some time thinking about the things that I was thankful for. The sun shining sure helped me with that. This morning it is foggy and dreary and even some light rainfall - even though there had n0t been anything on the weather report talking about rain for today. I was sure wishing for a bit of sun today as well. But it is only 9am so we still could get some today.

I was wearing my nice warm coat and being very thankful for it, when the thought came to my mind that my coat was a great provision from God. Several years ago, I had found this coat at Ross for only $13.90. When I bought it - it was tight around the stomach area but I thought - well hopefully I will lose some weight. Last winter - it was still as close fitting but I still wore it every now and then. This year it fits great, all the snaps will close and there is even some room to move around. This coat is SO warm and there have been several times this year that I have been SO thankful for this coat. And for only $13.90 - it has been worth its weight in gold to me. It is true that by next winter it will be too big but then it will just be time to bless someone else with this warm coat. And I will trust that God will provide a great coat for me then as well. And in the meantime - I will continue to be thankful for and enjoy this blessing from God. :o)

The Sun - The Son

Today I went with my husband to a nearby State Park. There is a pond there that just got stocked with a bunch of rainbow trout. Last Friday my husband had went and fished in the cold for hours. He enjoyed it so much that he wanted me to go with him today.

When we first got there is was cold. So I sate in the truck while I ate my lunch. Then I read some on my book. Oh speaking of the book - last Friday on my way to get groceries I stopped by a local Goodwill and guess what I found - a book that I had been wanting to read- " Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. And for only $1.00 I was able to add this book to my collection. So anyway I read some on this book. It is a very good book.

So there were quite a few people at the pond today. And it is no wonder - it was actually in the 50's - and the sun would actually peak out ever so often. I spent some time down at the pond with my husband and then decided that I needed to take advantage of the beautiful weather. So I walked around the area for a good walk. The sun kept peaking out and then hide again. It felt good to be walking and I wished that I had a park like that near my house so I could walk around it and maybe even some of the hiking trails ever so often. Today those trails were closed due to rain over the week end. I am hoping that the next time that we go to this park that I can walk on the hiking trails. I was reminded of something that Dr. B had said at the seminar- He said to try to fit exercising into every day. Make choices to get into better shape. And even if you have a hard time getting around - to do a little bit every day and then try to do a little bit more the next day and before long you will be surprised at how much you can do - but just start - start today.


I went and sat in the truck for a bit after walking, because there were quite a few people at the dock around my husband. As I sat in the truck I decided to do some writing. As I wrote the sun shown down on my hands and it felt so good. The warmth from the sun. I had not realized how much I had missed the sun. It has been quite cold for us here in Texas and we had not seen the sun in quite a while.
Just as the sun is good and we need it - I am reminded that we need the Son even more in our everyday lives. So I hope that even if you are not lucky enough to have some sun in your day that you at least have the Son. :o)

I am not God, and neither are You

Last night I watched the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love." What a long movie it was. My DVD player in my sewing room - will not let me pause for very long so I was only able to take a couple of short breaks. I am not used to sitting that long.

I had been looking forward to watching this movie. I had thought that it would be a good movie and very though provoking, but I was disappointed. I think that part that disappointed me the most was when she was learning that God lived inside her and she was God- WHAT? No we are NOT God. We may be the temple of God but we are NOT Him.

Movies and even TV shows have all sorts of messages that they are trying to send to the audience, sometimes they are clear as day and sometimes they are hidden in between the lines. It is sad to think that there are people that do not have a relationship with God, that will watch this movie and think that they are God.

And think - when the message is given that we are God then no wonder we have people going around shooting people and killing people. And there are so many other dangerous things that this message can lead to.

Satan uses what ever means he can to bring people down. And what is so sad is that so many people fall for his deceptions.

Be very careful of what you watch and what messages you allow into your mind. I know that this is something that I am working on and it is an on going thing.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Some Good News

Good Morning~ I hope everyone is staying warm. It has been quite cold around here - at least for us Texans. There was a couple of days that I could not even do laundry because it had gotten so cold at night and did not get very far out of freezing temps throughout the day. Our washer and dryer are in our garage, which just happens to face the north. And we have an outside cat so we keep the garage open at least a foot or a little less for him to get in and out of. So anyway several weeks ago I did a load of laundry after it had gotten below freezing and when I went to switch the loads out, I found water all over the floor. I was worried that I had messed up the washer. My husband checked it out and we never did figure out where the water had come from. So anyway ever since then when it gets below freezing we try not to do laundry - or try to do laundry till it is above freezing for a while so for a couple of days I had to let my laundry just pile up. And I really do not like to do that. I like to keep my laundry done up. It sure makes it an easier job when you do your laundry as you have a load or two and not wait and do a hundred in one day. Doing as you have a load or two helps you to have a lot less sock to have to match up as well - one more reason to keep the laundry done up.

So I got some really great news last night!! My sister had some blood work done in Sept, before we changed our lifestyle. And her Doctor had set her up to have blood work done again in December because her Cholesterol was high. So yesterday she got the results! Her numbers had come down. The total Cholesterol number came down 58 points. And that is only in 3 months of eating a plant based diet! And remember Thanksgiving and Christmas were in there as well. I am so proud of her. Her Doctor was surprised that she was able to do that much different with just dietary changes and exercise. That is funny that he would be surprised.

What really got me is that when she told him what she was doing, is he made some comment about being careful about not eating too much fruit cause something about that it is better for you than coke but still it could make you fat. haha - My sister and I eat at least 2-4 pieces of fruit for breakfast every morning. And if her cholesterol coming down so much was not enough proof that what she was doing was good - her blood pressure has come down, her weight down by 25 pounds and her blood sugar number has come down. What she is doing is GOOD and it would help if Doctors would get off of the band wagon that tells people to be careful of how much fruit and vegetable that you eat - you could get fat. Fruit and Veggies are the best thing that you can eat - along with whole grains and nuts. Yes - even nuts. Our bodies need nutrition that comes from all those foods. And getting the nutrition from food is the best way to get it.

I read a thing the other day that said that while eating a diet high in Vitamin A can protect smokers from lung cancer( not totally but really help) taking supplements of Vitamin A did the opposite. So try to get your nutrition from your food. It's the best thing you can do. :o)

You Learn Something New Every Day

I learned something new recently. This is something that many, if not all of you probably already know. But just in case there is someone who does not know - I will share.
See this gauge above? This gauge tells when the engine is warm. So why is this bit of information important? Well when I get into my car and it is COLD outside - I like to have my heat off and even the blower off. Because even though you turn the heater off - air will still flow through if you have the blower on. And I for one, do NOT want the cold air flowing into my car. So I will go for a while till I think that the heater will start blowing warm air. Well now I know that if you will watch this gauge - you will know when your engine is warm and when warm air will flow in to the car. Isn't that cool? I know, I figure a lot of you already know this but I wanted to share - just in case there were other ladies out there that may not realize this. I hope you guys stay warm and cozy through this cold weather. :o)

By the way, You really do not want the gauge to show any hotter - cause if it does then your engine could be over heating.

One..Already?....

Someone had a birthday today - Our grandbaby turned one today! Can you believe it has already been a year. This year has flown by..it really has.

When the cake was put in front of her - she directly reached for it and grabbed some icing. She knew exactly what to do with it too! And within just a few minutes she had cake all over herself and the table. A BIG mess..big enough that she had to change.

Her Daddy made her cake for her. :o)

It Pays to be Organized!

I am in the middle of working on organizing - underneath the kitchen sink and the top shelf of my pantry. And I just had to come and write a post because again - I have been reminded of God's provision.
I have been wanting to get some small - 4 gallon trash bags that have the scent - to use in my trash cans. But because I am watching money and because I am trying to use what we have - when I can - I have been using Wal-mart bags. Which - truthfully they work great! I am so thankful that I have the option of using them.

So today I pulled some things out from under my sink and guess what I found? A 100 count bag of those 4 gallon vanilla scented trash bags - half full so at least 50 of them! Isn't that cool? So not only am I learning that God will provide not only my needs but sometimes even my wants.

I also am learning that I need to be more organize so that I know what we have and where it is so that we don't go out and buy things that we already have. It pays to be organized. :o)

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies - Edit

Yesterday I shared the recipe for the Chewy Oatmeal Cookies - well I had meant to add that I had misread the diced and thought that it had said dried fruit - so at the end instead of putting in any diced fruit - I put in about 1/4 of a cup of dried dates - that was all I had other than raisins that were dried fruit. Well my cookies turned out great. I will have to try them again some time and actually follow the directions. Anyway I wanted to share this information to show that these cookies are pretty versatile. Anyway - if any of you try this recipe with some diced fruit - let me know what you used and how they turned out. :o)

Snow did not stick and Recipe

Well we ended up not getting any snow sticking. Like I said I made up stoup for lunch and supper. I also made up cornbread - both regular for my family and my special recipe for me- that has coconut milk in it. Well the recipe only uses about 1/2 of a cup and I always have one cup of coconut milk left over so today I got the same cookbook out that I got my cornbread recipe from - figuring that since she used coconut once that it was probably not the only time it was used. I was not disappointed. I found a great recipe. So now I will have to make a note that once I make the corn bread - that I can make the chewy oatmeal cookies - recipe below. That is a great way to save money. When you make one thing and you have left overs - figure out what you can do with the left overs. I think I have shared this in the past - but here are a few examples - when you make roast - what ever meat you have left over - you can use to make beef tips over noodles or rice. When I make up my toasted Ravioli's recipe - I serve spaghetti sauce with them- usually you just spoon a little over the Ravioli's. Well the left over sauce - is usually used to make up a pizza in the next day or two. These are just a couple of examples. But I have this information in my Home Management Binder and so when I am setting up my menu I can refer to this information and know better how to plan to make my menu work better. And not only that but also save some money. And that is a good thing.


Chewy Oatmeal Cookies(page 93)



3/4 C. brown sugar

1 C. coconut milk

3/4 tsp. salt

1 C. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. Ener-G Baking Soda OR

1 tsp. regular baking powder(yep-powder)

1 1/2 C. quick oats

3/4 C. raisins

1/2 C. sliced almonds or chopped walnuts

1 C. diced fruit such as peaches, apples, pears, crushed pineapple



1. Combine brown sugar and coconut milk in a mixing bowl, stirring until creamy. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir just until mixed. Add remaining ingredients, folding in the fresh fruit last.



2. Scoop onto a cookie sheet with a spoon or small ice-cream scoop. The mix should be soft, but firm enough to stay in small mounds. Flatten slightly with a fork or rubber spatula(dip in water to avoid sticking.)



3. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350* or until lightly browned on top and bottom.



*Makes about 24 cookies.

It IS Snowing in Texas

News people are saying we could get 1 - 3 inches. It is just barely starting to stick a bit here - the temps are 36 degrees - but suppose to be falling as the day goes on. I will try to get some photos later to share.

I am making a big pot of Stoup - My family would call it stew - His family called it soup - so we compromised. And then will make some cornbread. Yum yum - it will be lunch and supper. Love when I make a meal and it takes care of both meals. Hope you all stay warm and dry! :o)

Sabbath Praise

If...

If you never felt pain, then how would you know that I am a Healer?

If you never had to pray, How would you know that I am a Deliverer?

If you never had a trial, how could you call yourself an overcomer?

If you never felt sadness, How would you know that I am a Comforter?

If you never made a mistake, How would you know that I am a forgiver?

If you knew all, How would you know that I will answer your questions?

If you never were in trouble, How would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken, Then how would you know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem,How would you know that I can solve them?

If you never had any suffering, Then how would you know what I went through?

If you never went through the fire, Then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things, How would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you, How would you know that I love you?

If you had all power, Then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect, Then what would you need me for?

Love,
Jesus

This was sent to me in an e-mail. It had some gorgeous photos but I could not get them to copy over to here, but I love the thought provoking questions here. So much to think about here. :o)

Always Changing

I used to be so resistant to changes. Now changes are not always my favorite thing but I am learning to try to see the good in the changes and not just automatically assume that the change is for the negative.

This morning I was reading a blog that I have read for years and as I was reading I was thinking about how much this person had changed and then as I was thinking I thought, maybe it is not them that has changed - maybe it is me that has changed and I am just not as inspired by this blogger as I once was. It really does not matter who changed -she or I. I realized from this line of thought how we do change - no matter how much we try to hold on.

Whether we like it or not WE are always changing. And those changes depend on the choices that we make. Are we making choices that will in turn bring us into a closer relationship with Him or are those choices taking us further away from Him? Those are very important questions to think about. These are questions I will keep in mind when I have choices to make. God bless each and every one of you and I hope you have a great week end! :o)

Home Management Binder

Now that I have found that I have a lot more free time, I have been trying to get myself more organized. One way I am doing that is setting up a notebook - with helpful information in it. In my menu planning section I have printed out a monthly calender so that I can keep track of what I am making and then I can refer back to it for help. You can find an awesome monthly calender for 2011 here. One thing that love about this calender is it has the holidays, day light savings time, and extra stuff like that already printed on the calender.

I do not plan specific foods for specific days usually. Normally I just plan out about 8 meals that sound good and then I make sure that I have the ingredients to make up said meals. Sometimes I do have a specific day that I want to make certain meals - especially those things like a roast that I need to defrost the meat ahead of time. Anyway it sure makes things easier to have the food on hand for meals and so when meal time rolls around - you just look at the list and decide what to fix.

So on the calender - I write what we actually ate. That way I can keep from over doing certain meals. Sometimes if I make the same thing over and over my family gets tired meal. My Onion Pie recipe is one that they got tired of because I liked it so much that I kept making it. It has been a while since I have made it so I might try it sometime in the next week or so.

There are a lot of ladies out there that have set up a Home Management Binder and I am so glad that they shared some of the information with me because it inspired me to work towards getting one together for myself. I have not decided what all information that I want in mine yet - it is a work in process. I know that I am working on a master list of things from the grocery store - I think it would make it easier make out a grocery list if I had a master list to make sure I had everything that I need. I am also working on a schedule of keeping my home in order. Basic jobs to do certain days. There are times I have let certain areas of my home go cause I did not make time to take care of it.

What I really like about having a Home Management Binder is that it is very nice to know that I have the information that I need - right there, handy and easy to reference. :o)

What a Beautiful Day

Today we needed to go pick up our granddaughters birthday present from Toys R Us - the closest one is about 20 plus miles away so we decided to make it into a date by stopping by Souper Salad for lunch. It was so good. With the new way that I am eating it has limited the places that I can eat. I know a lot of places have plenty of good food, but they have a lot of ingredients that I am wanting to limit or stay away from and to be honest they are not very filling. I like to eat healthy food that is filling without a lot of added fat to it. Anyway we had a very nice lunch. Oh another cool thing - if you have a Souper Salad in your area - be sure to go to their website and look for a printable coupon. It saved us about $1.80 - I know it is not a lot of money but every little it helps.

We found the present that we wanted to get for the granddaughter. We had seen it at Christmas time and we were hoping that it would still be there. It was. Here is what we got our her for her birthday next week:

Here is another photo of the little package of some additional animals, since you can not see them very well here.
I think my granddaughter will have many years of enjoyment from these cute toys. And I think that it is so neat that Fisher Price made such a neat toy - to do with Noah's Ark and the animals. I also think it is a neat thing that I was able to buy these toys and support the idea of making toys like this. Just like when a the makers of the movie Fireproof - make wonderful movies - I will buy them and add them to my small library of great movies. It is a good thing to support good causes that are trying to support Christian living and Christian ideas.

It was a gorgeous day here in Texas. The sun was shining and the temps were up to about 60. My son and I worked on getting some more wood into the house and also to our wood pile. There is a lot of wood in the back of my husbands truck. We also loaded our new wagon that you can see
here at TSC's website, loaded with wood to put out in the garage so we will have easy access. I am so glad to have this job taken care of - it is something that we needed to take care - especially since next week we are suppose to have a COLD spell and maybe even snow. So we are trying to get ready the best way we can. Tomorrow is suppose to be a beautiful day as well. :o)

This and That

Hello~ I hope you all are doing well. Things here are going good. Yesterday I spent a good amount of time filing papers that had stacked up for too long. In fact - my little cubby hole where I put the papers to be filed was filled up to the top. So I got all of those papers filed away. And it felt great to have it under control finally. I also worked at getting my bank binder in order. It is set up so that each month you put your bank statement in that special area for that month- and I am hoping that when my bank statements come in I will take the time to get them filed away neatly and orderly.

Now that I have everything filed - I think that sometime later this week - I will take my filing drawer out of my desk and go through each folder - getting rid of those things we do not need. Yes - this would have been easier to do before I put the fresh papers in the files but I just did not think of it. Anyway it does not matter - the only thing that matters is that I am working towards being more organized. And that is a good thing.

I also organized the area that I put our bills in when they come in. There had been a pile of mail in there that was not important but needed to be disposed of in the proper way - like credit cards that I do not even want.

Today I had an appointment to get my hair cut. And while I was in town - I got gas, mailed out some payments, and went by two of my favorite thrift stores. One of the thrift stores has started a new system that each week a new color tag is on sale for 50% off - next week that color will be 75% off and then what ever is left the next week will be .50. And then the really cool thing is that like this week blue tags were on sale for 50% off - next week a new color will be 50% off and the blue tags will go to 75% of and so forth. I found a pair of jeans, a church shirt, a long sleeved "cowboy" shirt and a short sleeved shirt for my son, a 8X10 brand new shadow box - just waiting for someone to fill it up, a card, and some rolling pin socks for $15.75. I had not gone there looking for my son but it just happened to work out that way. Then I went to the Goodwill - there I found 2 adorable dresses for my granddaughter, 2- 3/4 sleeved tops for me and a tank top all for $16.? . I have shared this with you all before but I love to shop at Goodwill because every time you spend at least 10 dollars you get a stamp and once you have 10 stamps - you get $10.00 off of a purchase that is $10.00 or more! Isn't that cool? I was surprised that I found anything today - because tomorrow they plan to be closed to do inventory and they had let the stock run really low.

And let me tell you -my sister and I have found some great clothes at thrift stores in fact - I rarely buy things new any more. Especially now that I do not know where I will end up in sizes. So what I buy I might get to wear for a long time or it just may be things I use for a season or so. God has really blessed and clothes have continues to be wearable. I have went down about two size so far and I am much happier at were I am today.

Also an update - I had shared that I had gotten discouraged because I had gained about 2 pounds or so over the Christmas to New Years week - well I have lost it again. And it helped me learn a VERY important lesson. It is easier to lose 2-3 pounds than 20-30 pounds..And you may be say yeahhhhh???duh... Well the reason why it is profound to me is because I have have fallen off of the wagon before and I have gained all of the weight I have lost because once I have fallen off - I just start to ignore the scales and pretend there is not a problem or that I don't care. Well I am learning that not only is my new lifestyle of a plant based diet is a long term - the rest of my life decision -but that I have to continue to monitor my weight and not let it get out of had. Being in denial might make you feel better temporarily but it WILL hurt you worse in the long run. So continue to be real about your life and the choices you make - those choices all add up to the direction in which you are going. And each of those decisions are important - they really are. :o)

To Glorify God

I have to admit that when I first went to the Health Seminar that I went to - that my main goal was to lose weight. I had been convicted of the fact that I really needed to lose the weight when we went to Granbury for the week-end. And as I have shared before 1 week later -God lead someone to share with me the information about a special Health Seminar going on. As I went through this seminar - I knew that this was information that God had led to me and that I needed to be open to hearing what was said and willing to make the changes needed in my lifestyle.

The benefits have been awesome! My blood pressure that was bordering on High(and sometimes in the High range) has come down along with my heart rate. I have lost weight and I am hoping that my Cholesterol numbers are coming down - that is, all but the HDL number - and I am hoping it is going up. I have also been able to give up an addiction that I had to sodas. I had tried and tried many times but just could not do it for any length of time. But there are other benefits as well - I am thinking better and I feel better. My immune system is really enjoying the changes I have made. I am more sensitive to eating meals with high fat content( because I am not used to this at all any more) and also to cigarette smoke - which helped me to come to the place on not subjecting my body to those HARMFUL substances that are in the smoke.

I am so very thankful that God led me to these choices for my life. And as I think about everything that has happened in the last 4 months I am reminded that our bodies are not our own - they are the temple of God. And therefore I had an obligation all along to be taking care of my body in a way that would glorify God.

And what is great about realizing that I need to be taking care of my body because it is the temple of God helps me to realize that there is such a greater purpose to what I am doing - yes I wan to lose weight but I will not see weight loss every day but I can realize that when I am following God's will for my life that there are benefits no matter what the scales say.

Here is a review of the 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. (I like to say that I eat a plant based diet)

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.

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20

When I Almost Fell Off the Wagon

Several days ago, I shared how I was discouraged and even though I realized that I should be thankful for the fact that I had lost a good amount of weight - I was discouraged. And I almost fell off of the wagon.

This past week has been a tough one for me. I think one of the biggest factors was the fact that Friday evening we had our Christmas Dinner Get together at my Mother-in-laws house. I was worried about this since this would be the first time since my husband or I had seen her since she let me go. And I just did not know how she would act - or if I could be on my best behavior. So I did not make good choices half of the time. And then came the dinner - Let me tell you this - my MIL cooks with a LOT of butter and cheese. So things like broccoli and carrots that would normally be good choices of things to eat became fat traps. So after eating that fatty meal - my body kind of rebelled - yesterday I had a head ache. I have not had headaches like that in a while and I again made some bad choice - not really in what I ate this time, more in how much and also for the wrong reasons. Over the past week - I had gained about 2 pounds or so. And I was discouraged yesterday evening.

Well I went to my sewing room to finish up a Block of the Month block that I had and turned on a program that I had recorded. The program is called "Wonderfully Made" and it is on 3ABN. We have Dish Network and it is on 9393. Well the episode that I watched just happen to be about the benefits of a plant based diet and how even though the weight loss can be slow- that it is a more permanent weight loss since there has been a lifestyle change. This was so encouraging for me. I was so thankful that God had that program play - just when I needed it. And let me tell you - yesterday I felt like I was at the point of falling off the wagon, I was discouraged. I had not thought that I would face that feeling with this lifestyle change. But I did and I had a week or so of not making good choices and I am hoping that I have worked through these feelings. In the past, having that feeling and then making bad choices and gaining weight - would have been all it would take for me to totally give up. But I am not that person any more. I have help - I have a resource that is there for me when I need Him and when I choose to ask for help. I am going to ask God to give me the wisdom to make better choices and to strength to stand up to temptation. There are too many benefits to staying on this healthy new lifestyle - and so even if the weight loss slows - I will stick to it and take care of my body the way that God intended me to. :o)

Sabbath Praise

What a great theme song for this New Year! :o)