It is in the Giving Up, that lead to Failure..Part 2

I know that the title to this post and the last one was not really the best one for the last post but the sentence really spoke to me and I wanted to get that sentence out there if nothing else. I have shared how the last 2 months or so have been a real struggle for me. I have just stayed in about a 2-4 pound range. This is good to a point because it is good practice of maintaining - which is exactly what I want to do once I lose a bit more weight. But it is frustrating when I want to lose the weight now. I was going along at such a good pace - not real fast but pretty steady and then came the Wall. Where it's like no matter what I could do - I could not penetrate that wall. Well I have hope now that this plateau is about over. I have looked at what I have been eating and I realized I had gotten a little lazy on making a good pot of something - like the Black Bean with Corn Chili, Bean Salad, or Thai Style Curry or Coconut Curry with Greens in order to help me feel satisfied. It is really important to have some great recipes of healthy things that taste great - and when you have good, filling foods - you are more satisfied and you eat less of other stuff that is not as good for you. So I will be making sure that I make at least one of these each week to eat on during that week. And I also think that it is important to keep track of what you are eating - maybe not all of the time but at least for a few days and then if you are being successful at losing weight than you can just keep making the good choices but once you hit a wall - you can go back and look at what you were eating and compare to what you are eating now and see what you might need to do to get back on board with losing weight. So back to the title - Don't give up - even if you are not losing weight as fast as you would like - don't give up. Every time in the past - I would work hard at losing weight and then I would come up to where I could not lose weight any more and I would fall off of the wagon and instead of just working at maintaining - I would give up and give in - only to gain my weight back. And the whole idea of losing weight is to lose it and then to keep it off. They say that losing weight and gaining it back and being on that vicious cycle is not good for your body. Anyway we need to keep at it - give our bodies time to adjust to the weight that we have reached - then when it is ready it will release more weight. Just do not give up. I have typed up the word of the title "It is in the Giving Up, that leads to Failure" and printed it up - then I cut it down and have taped it above my computer so that I can be reminded of it as many times as I need to be. Losing weight is not a destination - it is a journey that will last the rest of my life. I do not plan on working towards losing weight the rest of my life but I would like to get to onederland- as many people call it and then work at maintaining it the rest of my life. So basically I would like to lose about 31 more pounds. It may take me the next 6 months to a year to lose that weight but it is doable. :o)

It is in the giving up, that leads to Failure- at least in Weight Lose

Do any of you watch "The Biggest Loser"? Well I do and I just have to write about last nights episode, well and of the show in general. I understand that our country has a big problem with a lot of overweight people and this show thinks that the are helping people in general - well that do help the people that make it on to the show and then in a round about way - when the people on the show go home and "pay it forward." But what they have failed to realize is that when people need to lose a lot of weight and they watch the show and they see these people lose 5,10,15 pounds in ONE week, it can be discouraging for those of us that are just losing a pound or two a week and especially those that are struggling to lose any weight at all. It is not even realistic to expect to lose more than about 2-3 pounds per week - even the Dietitian's tell us that. Well I could go on and on about those type facts but I am sure that anyone that has tried to lose weight knows of the problems that I see with the show, so I will get to what bothered me about last night. Well for those of you who did not see it -I will give a short summary. There was a challenge and the team that finished last - had to pend a week off of campus. And not only that they had $1,000 to spend on what they would need from a special menu. They could choose to do their own shopping for the week $300. or a couple other choices - like have the biggest loser food stocked already - for a lot more. They paid for a gym membership and they had luxury thing like call family and friends, massage and so forth. Now they could also pay for their trainer - $200.00 a day and I think that would have taken $400. out since it was times 2 *2 ladies on the team. Anyway they did not pick the trainer a day because then they could not have called family and so forth. Well of course the show really made a big to do about this and guess what happened? Well they get to the weigh in and one girl lost 2 pounds the other one lost 0. Well then they really made a big deal about that. This is where it really bothered me - See there are a lot of people out here in the real world who can not afford to get a gym membership - let alone a trainer. I mean really there are thousands - maybe even millions of people that join weight watchers and pay money - I think it is per week. And they get help losing weight and also you have a support group which I think is a big part of the success. Well there again - many people can not afford to pay that money. I know for me - after I finished my seminar - I decided I would rather have the money to buy more healthy choices than to pay for a membership. Anyway so my big problem with last nights program was them making a big deal about them still needing a trainer and that is why they failed. Well truthfully there are other reasons - Courtney has said she had hit a wall already and Jennifer has lost quite a bit of weight and could have just hit a plateau. There is no telling. But to put out there for everyone that they need a trainer in order to be successful at weight loss is not a good thing to do. There are a lot of people that could not do it. Besides - most of those same people that are overweight - if they just slowly started to walk - a little more each day - or do some exercises and build up, along with making a few changes in what they eat or how much could slowly start losing weight. And for the show to make such a big to do about that really discouraged me. And I am hoping that it did not discourage others out there that are struggling with losing weight. Oh and by the way - Courtney had lost about 100 pounds before she even got onto this show - so the girl knows what she is doing and more than likely just hit a wall. If you are trying to lose weight, don't get discouraged - even if you have a couple of weeks of struggling and not losing weight - your efforts will pay off. In order to continue to lose weight we have to just stay at it. Don't give up - because if you are anything like me - it is in the giving up that leads to failure. :o)

Quilting Corner

Well this week-end we did not accomplished even half of what I really wanted to get done, but instead of dwelling on that, I will choose to focus on what I was able to finish. A quilt top. I was able finish up my 30's quilt. It worked out so well. I had cut the solid blue fabric out for the binding and then when I was going to sew the border on - I got one side(of course the long side) of the floral fabric sewn on and realized that I needed something in there to separate the floral squares with the border - so I decided to use my binding fabric to be my first border. Then sewed my floral fabric on. It felt good to get this project done. Today after work, I will go to my Quilt Shop and get some fabric for a backing. I also need to see if I will have enough binding fabric since I used it as my 1st border. If I don't have enough - I will have to get some of that. And I also need to get some fabric for my sons Red,black and white "Turning Twenties" border - and binding and backing. Lots of fabric to get today. But I am so thrilled to be finishing some projects because I have a very special project in mind that I really want to get started on but I need to get a few of my projects on my unfinished projects done before I start a new project. You did notice I said get a couple of them marked off my unfinished projects list - I have a few more projects that I need to work on but they are not priority right now so I will work on what I think is a priority now. I hope that you all have a great week. :o)

What Kind of Camera?

Ok - I have a question for you fellow bloggers, What kind of camera do you use? We have a camera but I just don't think it is the best quality because I will try to take photos and it takes a few seconds to adjust to actually get the photo. I would like to have a photo that can catch a good photo when I click the button. I am tired of trying many times and getting a lot of bad photos. Anyway I would love to get an idea of what I need to be looking for in a camera and what kind of camera's you guys use and enjoy. Thanks so much Today we got to spend about an hour or so taking care of our precious Granddaughter.She is such a sweetie! It was fun spending time with her. Here is a photo that my husband took of us today. :o)

You Put the Love in My Heart

I know it is Sunday and don't usually post a song several days in a row but this is a favorite song of mine and I just had to share it today. God puts the love in our hearts and I am so thankful! Have a great day! :O)

Sabbath Praise

I had a whole post typed up and switched from edit to compose or something like that and the part I added to this disappeared. I don't know if I wasn't suppose to post it or what. But anyway - here is a great song I wanted to post and a verse.

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

Encouraging Poem

This Too Shall Pass

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

...Helen Steiner Rice

Crossing Things Off of My List

Today has been a very productive day. In the photo above you can see one of the things that I was able to do today. When we enclosed our back porch, my husband built a porch onto the end of it so the birdbath ended up being like about 1 foot or so off of the porch and it was just too close. So I had wanted to move it back a couple of feet. Well today I was able to get it moved! It felt great to have that done. I also mowed the yard -front and back. I weed-eated the front yard. And I picked up a pretty good pile of little branches that had come off of our tree in the front yard. And I also broke off a pretty big dead branch off of the tree and carried all of that stuff to our back yard. I had to get the chickens fresh water. And this list only includes the stuff that I did outside today - well that and also went on a pretty long walk with my Mom.

It felt great to get all of that stuff done. I have some weed eating and such to do in the back yard but I will work on that later.

I have found that if I will write a list of things that I would like to get done - daily, weekly, and long term that when I have free time - that I can refer back to list and pick something to do. Then I am able to make progress. And it feels good to be successful with finishing jobs that need to be done. I have been able to cross off some jobs lately that I have been putting off. But by having it on a list and seeing that it is important to get it done has made me more diligent about getting to it.

Well I just wanted to check in for a bit and let you know that I have been busy and crossing things off of my list. :o)

My Walking Trail

I went on a walk today at a nearby park. This is my favorite place to walk. There is a nice walking track - kind of a figure eight shaped. This first photo is the ending of the first round and then you go across a bridge and I normally turn to the right and walk up the hill. Oh and if you will look at the top left of this photo you can see where the track comes down the hill when you are on the upper circle and if you look really close you can see it going to the big tree which is covering up where the bridge is that connects the two circles.

This is about halfway up the hill, probably a bit more. I like that there are nice shade trees a few places along the track. And benches along the way as well. I have seen some elderly come to the park and they walk from bench to bench- resting a bit before moving on to the next bench. I am so impressed that they are out and know that it will do them a lot of good.

This is up on the upper circle after I came down a bit. I couldn't get the photo at the top of the hill because there was someone else walking there.

Now we are back down on the lower track. I did not get a good photo of how it goes but this at least gives you an idea of what the track is like. The upper part is about 1/2 mile and the lower track is 1/3 mile. By adding exercise, I am able to see quicker results- may not always be pounds lost- sometimes it is inches. And I really don't care what the scales say in the long run if I am feeling better about myself. And that is another things that is so great about exercise- you get fresh air and sunshine - both of which are so very good for you. And it releases endorphins- I think is what they are called and that helps with your mental out look. That is only to name a few of the positive result from exercise.
The sun was shining brightly and it felt so good. The wind was blowing a nice breeze. The temperatures were in the lower 80's. I love days like that. You know when the windows are open and fresh air is blowing through. I think we are different than some other people cause there are people I know that have already began to use their A/C's some off and on. We have not turned it on yet - even though the temps have gotten up to about 80 in the house. I leave the windows open at night and hope that it will be cool enough to cool the house own - then it does not get as bad in the late afternoons when it gets so warm.
After I got home from my enjoyable walk - I took a quilt out to the line to dry. And of course my chickens wanted me to throw them so feed. So I tried to get a photo of as many of them as I could. Have I told you guys lately how much I love my chickens?!

Now I need to get supper going for my family. :O)

Jesus - Carries us Through

I have 4 indoor cats. Two of them do not get along. Tiggy which is the biggest and a few years older than Stewie.(black kitty in 2nd photo)




The black one is Stewie. He is about half the size of Tiggy. For some reason they do not like each other.

My husband has to leave at 5am - When my husband leaves for work - I feed my cats their canned food - breakfast.

So this morning I fed the kitties, like usual. Then after they were done - Stewie was wanting to go back to my son's room(where he sleeps at night.) Well big Tiggy was standing in the way. I tried to stand between them and let Stewie know that I would protect him as he went by but he stayed still. I then decided to pick him up and take him past - the danger. As I picked him up - I realized that this is something that often happens for me. There are times in my life when I just don't seem to be able to make progress in an area in my life and when I allow God to carry me(turning my will over to Him) then he is able to help me to be successful. God is there and is willing to help us, we just have to be willing to ask for help.

Recently I have shared how I have had a struggle with losing weight. In the past, when I would hit a plateau - I would give up. But I am learning that during these times I need to hold on tighter to God and turn the problem over to Him and then trust Him. It does not always mean that things change instantly- sometimes they do,but sometimes you have to just have faith and wait on the Lord. :o) (photo borrowed from Jesus Photos)

What Life is About

"Time is not measured
by the years that you live
But by the deeds that you do
and the joy that you give-
And each day as it comes
brings a chance to each one
To love to the fullest,
leaving nothing undone
That would brighten the life
or lighten the load
Of some weary traveler
lost on Life's Road-
So what does it matter
how long we may live
If as long as we live
we unselfishly give."
— Helen Steiner Rice

Acceptance

"Texas beauty queen denies ballooning to size 6"

I think it is so sad that someone who was picked basically to represent our state - is given problems because she gains some weight. They say that the average women in America is a size 14. So in the first place the woman that they chose to represent Texas is much smaller than the average woman. (I think they said she had been a size 2 when they picked her-how many women in real life are a size 2? I don't know if I know anyone that thin?..) And then when she gets almost half way to what an average woman's size then they give her a hard time and want to take her crown away her.

We wonder why so many young girls have eating disorders? And for that matter - I have heard that there are quite a few older women that have eating disorders as well. There is so much pressure to be a certain size or you are not acceptable.

For me- I will never be a size 6 - I am lucky to finally be getting very close to a size 16. And that is amazing for me. I was a size 16 when I got married and only made it back to that size 2 times since then. This time - I am hoping that since I am working on not only the outside of me but also the inside of me that maybe- just maybe I can get to a size and stay. When I got to my heaviest - size 24W - I was able to maintain that size for a long time. I think I sat there for several years.

Now I am working slowly to get to where I am suppose to be. I don't know where I will end up but I do know that where ever God thinks is the best place for me - will be the best place for me and I will be happy.

I am learning to like myself and be happy with myself. Those negative thoughts don't do us any good - and in fact they drag us down. So let's get in the habit of looking into that mirror and saying - I like me. I am beautiful- God made me and therefore I am beautiful. You are beautiful! :O)

Change your Brain, Change your Life

Brain Training
You can train your thoughts to be positive and hopeful, or you can allow them to be negative and upset you. Learn how to change your thoughts, and you can learn to change the way you feel.

Negative thoughts are like ants at a picnic—very annoying and can spoil the day. Automatic negative thoughts (ANTS), such as those listed below, need to be crushed or they will ruin your relationships, self-esteem, and your personal power.

•Always/never thinking: Repeating such words to yourself as always, never, no one, everyone, every time, and everything.
•Focusing on the negative: Seeing only the bad in any situation.
•Fortune-telling: Predicting the worst possible outcome of a situation.
•Mind reading: Believing that you know what others are thinking, even though they haven’t told you.
•Thinking with your feelings: Believing negative feelings without ever questioning them.
•Guilt beating: Thinking in words such as should, must, ought, or have to.
•Labeling: Attaching a negative label to yourself or to someone else.
•Personalizing: Investing innocuous events with personal meaning.
•Blaming: Accusing someone else as responsible for your own problems
******************
Isn't this great information? We really need to be careful of what habits we get into. I love how we have great instructions in the Bible of what things to think on. God knew that since we live in this sinful world, that we could fall into traps of bad thinking and He also knows the damage it could do to us.

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things." Philippians 4:8

This(top part) along with the rest of the article is in the March 2011 issue of Signs of the times. If you are interested in reading the rest of the article you can go to http://www.signstimes.com/ and scroll down to "Romancing the Brain." Many other great articles are there as well. :o)

Sabbath Praise

Friday Update

Edited to add: a link to a great recipe for Hummus - which would be great with these raw veggies. :O)

Well it has been a while since I have talked about my weight loss journey and journey towards being healthier. There for a couple of weeks to a month - I had a hard time. I struggled more with being hungry. And I figured out that I needed to make sure that I was getting enough fruits and veggies and to try to make sure that I had a good amount of raw veggies too. So here is something that I have done to help me be more successful. I take my veggies and cut it up and put it into individual serving bags so that when I need a snack or an addition to my meals- I can just grab a bag. Today I cut up carrots an celery to have in the fridge.

When I have these easily accessible -it is much easier to keep eating healthy. And by adding raw veggies - especially with a crunch - it really helps you feel as though you are getting more to eat. I like to start with my raw veggies or fruit and then move onto the rest of the meal. It works better for me that way.

And now that our weather is getting back to Texas normal temps I am trying to get out and get more exercise. This week I had a few extra shifts and then went shopping with my sister so I was not able to exercise as much as I would have liked to -but still got more in than last week. And that is good.

I have lost a total of 42 pounds and I am just letting my body get used to this weight loss and making good choices - most of the time - and hoping to see some more weight loss soon.

Well I said that I was going to meet my sister at one of the local GW's - it was half price day! Well I found 2 great tops for $1.83 each. And they were like new. I also found two pairs of capri's - I really need capri's. Earlier in the week - I had stopped by another GW - and found a great Cato's jean skirt- for $5.99 - s0 my outfit today only cost me $7.82. That is SO cool. That is the way I like to shop.

Well I better close - I have a more things that I would like to get done today. I hope you all have a great week end! :o)

Favorite Things

Today I just wanted to share some thing that I try to keep on hand all the time. Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover. This stuff works great. You have stains on your carpet - just spray it on - use a wet wash rag and scrub the area and then normally I get a dry cloth and lay it over the spot and step on it and let it sock up the excess cleaner.
We have 5 cats - 4 that are inside cats and believe me - this stuff cleans up the messes that they cause- throwing up and hairballs. You can spend a lot of money on a lot of different products but I think this one is most worth the money spent on it. :o)

A Great Poem of Encouragement

The Bend in the Road
Author: Helen Steiner Rice

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And we view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And he knows that it's only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger,
Let go and let God share your load
And have faith in a brighter tomorrow-
You've just come to a bend in the road.

Life is Good but Busy

This week is going to be very busy for my family. My nephew, that also works for my MIL, is on vacation till Monday so my son and I will be working more than we usually do. My son will work a couple of 14 hour shifts and a couple 12 hour shifts. He is look forward to this busy week being over. I am not having to work near as many hours but I do have to work at least the next 2 maybe 3 days on the grill- since my son is working the front. It is not my favorite thing by far but I need to step up to the plate and help plus it is extra money.
And speaking of extra money - yesterday I went by Lane Bryant and got measured for a new bra. I got some great news - while my band size went down by 4 inches - my cup size went up a couple of sizes! Yay! That is unusual for when a person is losing weight. Usually woman lose there. Well I am thrilled. And I bought 2 new bra's- in the correct size. They are very expensive but I have not found any other bra's anywhere that I like any where near as much as I like these. Anyway - I was really excited about this information. To me - it confirms that I am doing the best thing for my body.
And by the way - ladies - be sure and and look up the right way to find your bra size - I think there are a lot of women out there that have the wrong size. It will surprise you how amazing good they fit when they are the right size.
Well I hope everyone is doing good. Life is good but busy. This afternoon - I am hoping that my sister will be able to meet me at a local Goodwill - it is half price day! :o)

Being Ready for that Day

On my way home from church this week-end - I came upon an accident scene. At a major intersection near our home there had been a wreck - probably just a few minutes before I got there. Someone was standing out in the road directing traffic. As I waited for my turn to make my turn to go home, I saw a man laying on the road with about 6-8 people standing around him. He did not move. I noticed that he had been on a motorcycle and that there had been another car involved. With the way the car and motorcycle were - I could not figure out how the wreck happened.

When I got home -I posted on Facebook for my friends to be praying about it. Many times when you see that a motorcycle has been in an accident - it is very serious for the person on the motorcycle. I think I am more concerned now about motorcycle riders now that my husband owns a motorcycle and my husband and my son both have ridden them.

Not too long after I posted my request - we heard Careflite flying overhead. It is a good thing that there is a good sized field right there next to the intersection. The traffic was backed up for a while.

We later found out that he passed away. How sad. The family and friends of this young man( I think he was 33) are in my thoughts and prayers. We are not promised tomorrow - we need to make sure that we are right with God. Are our priorities in line like they should be? These are all things that this accident has made me think of. Our relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important thing - and when it is put at the top of the priority list - we need not fear death. Because the very next thing that we will know is Jesus will raise us from the dead when he comes again for His children. I want to be a part of the group that are resurrected on that day(unless He comes before I die.) Don't you? :o)

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

A Sunday Afternoon

Well today the weather has been great and we have taken advantage of it. My husband had bought some peat moss and some soil and so today we worked at getting the stuff spread over the garden and then got it all tilled in. While they did the tilling I had to go around and pick up rocks - The bucket above is just one of several that I have gathered full of rocks. And there are still a bunch more rocks in our garden. I pray that God will bless our efforts and help our garden to grow well.

While my son was tilling - he had to rescue a little fellow from our garden. He hopped away happy to have his life spared, trying to decide the best place for his new home.

I threw some grass clogs over the fence to my chickens. Some of them loved it while others were busy with their own conquests.

Our garden area is closer to being a real garden. We probably still need to bring in some sand and see if we can loosen up that clay.

While they tilled - I spent some time weed eating around in the back yard. We are tired now and ready for a break. Hoping you all are having a good week end! :o)

Lesson from a Bird

I have a window in my bathroom. I love it. It is so convenient because as I stand at my sink to get ready when I look at my mirror, I can easily look outside. This morning as I was getting ready the prettiest bird I have seen in a long time landed on the fence right outside my bathroom window. As it sat there in the sunshine - I noticed the beautiful shade of blue on him. How I longed to turn around and try to get a closer look, but I knew that the movement of me turning would scare him away. Then the little bird hopped to a spot on the fence that did not have the sunlight shining down on it. As the bird sat there in the shade, the beauty did not shine as brightly and all of a sudden I realized that the bird had been sent to teach me a lesson. I was reminded that when we are in the light of the Son our beauty - our true beauty shines through. I was reminded that when we get away from the Son - our beauty fades. Because true beauty isn't really able to be captured in photos -no our true beauty is on the inside.
I think it is so cool how God uses nature in order to teach us lessons that we may not get any other way. Be sure to take notice of the nature around you - what does it tell you of God's Glory?! :o)

*Not actually the bird but a photo close - but you would have to imagine bright sunlight shining on the blue and much closer! :o)

Seeing Myself Through HIS Eyes

Today my Mom posted a photo that was taken at Christmas time-it is a photo that has a history. You see this photo became a family tradition the year that my Mom and Dad got a divorce. When people would go to take our photo - my sister and I would stand on either side of our Mom. And after the first time that this photo was taken it just became a tradition. Here is probably the second one taken:

This photo was taken when I was like 12 years old. The year before this photo was taken was a rough year. There was no more time to be a little girl - I had to grow up. That is what divorce does to children- that is the plain truth. Adults think it is their life and they can choose to do what ever they want but what they do not understand is what it does to their children. Well that is really not what I meant for this blog post to be about but felt like I was suppose to write it - like someone needed to hear it. And for no other reason - I needed to get it out. You hold on to pain - pain that is so deep that you don't always realize it is there.

So what was this post about - I am still trying to figure that out. But it started with my Mom posting the photo from Christmas. And me - not being smart enough to pick out a slimming outfit. No- I go with a shirt that has fabric that feels so good - but that is sloppy looking on me - I did not figure this out until after I saw the photos. So what have I learned- anytime that I am going to my Mother's house for a holiday - to pick out a great outfit that is slimming, that don't mind having my photo taken in.

I have debated on if I wanted to use this photo or not. But I guess it is part the facts and so I should just post it - even if I don't feel like it is very flattering I need to be real.

Whoops - that is not it- that is just how I feel when I look at the photo.
So here it is- I actually wear a size smaller than my sister at this time - but the photo makes me look like the biggest one in the photo.

I did not like how I felt about myself when I saw this photo. I wish I could learn to accept myself better. I wish I would not be so harsh on myself. So I have a long ways to go on this journey. But putting God in the driver's seat makes it a much better journey. And if God is in the driver's seat then I need to keep in mind of how He sees me - with love and acceptance. And THAT is how I need to see me. :o)

A New Favorite Show/ What I Have Learned

"Fat things shouldn't happen to skinny people." a favorite quote from Drop Dead Diva

Good Morning everyone. It has been a while since I have updated my blog. Well I have a good explanation - good to me anyways. I was on Netflix updating our Queue and was looking at what other movies were available - when I came across what I thought was a movie and thought that it looked interesting, so I started watching it. I soon discovered that it is a series. Drop Dead Diva. I love it. What an awesome concept - a skinny actress has an accident and hits the "return" button and is sent back into the body of a plus sized lawyer. Maybe it is because I have always been on the heavy side - well at least since I was 12 or so- maybe was not fat but did not ever feel skinny.
So the idea of a skinny person getting the shock of living in the body of one not so skinny is kind of funny to me. So I loved it so much I had to watch at least a couple more episodes each day. I had my list of things to do and would work hard to get a few things done then it was time to watch another episode!

You know that is a good way to get things done on your list that you really need to get done but just haven't felt like it. Speaking of which, speaking of which - I finally got my fish tank cleaned. We had let it go for a while. I had realized that it needed to be cleaned pretty badly but then we had a fish that was not doing very well and I did not want to stress it out. Anyway it passed away so during one of my breaks - I cleaned the fish tank and have promised myself NOT to let it get in that bad of shape again. It is not that bad of a job - if you do it when you are suppose to and not put it off time after time.

Yesterday I mowed our yard for the first time this season. Part of the front yard really did not need it yet but the part that the aerobic system spray onto had gotten pretty tall and was making the yard look tacky. Anyway it felt good to have the job done and get to enjoy a pretty yard.

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I have shared in the past how I go to a 12 step program that is held at my church - We go by the 12 step books and some others - like "Hunger For Healing" which is a great book - it is about the 12 steps but from a more Christian point of view - none of the referring to God as your Higher Power - or questions of what your Higher Power would be. Anyway yesterday I finally figured out that when I am dealing with food - I am going to have to apply the first three steps.

1.We admitted we were powerless over food — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2.Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

This was kind of hard for me to accept. Because somehow I had the image that those that were powerless over food - were like standing at the refrigerator door gorging on food till they could not eat another bite. And I knew that- was not me. But being powerless over food for me - means that when I crave chocolate- going to get it every time I want it. Or eating when I am not really hunger - those things finally helped me realize that I am powerless over food. I am SO thankful that we have a God who understands us and who loves us so much that we can call on Him when we are powerless over things. And when we can become humble enough to admit our problem- we have so much power available to us - through Jesus Christ.

If you are having a problem with something today- He is there waiting to help you - just ask. :o)

Plateau's~ Can they be helpful?

This past week or two have been tough in the weight loss area. I have really struggled. And my weight fluctuated about 4 pounds. And I actually left the month of February the same weight that I had entered it - had lost and then gained it back. But I have not given up. I am thankful to be losing again- I am still about a pound and a half or so from where I had been at the lowest point last month. I guess each of these battles that we get through just help strengthen us for the long haul. Vigilance is what is needed to not only lose weight, but to keep it off and we are in training right now to not only be able to lose the weight, but to keep it off. And if we can successfully get through the plateau's and get back on board without too much ground lost - then when we get to the maintenance part of this - we will know exactly what to do. So really the plateau's can be very useful and helpful! It is a good way to think about it, isn't it?

"Long range goals keep you from being frustrated by short term failures." J.C. Penney, Retailer ; )

Tears of Joy

Sorry I have not posted for a few days. Life got really busy. Friday I went and got groceries. And while I was at the store - I noticed the price of the Roma tomatoes - usually the cheapest tomatoes that you can buy were only about 97cents just weeks ago but look at them now?

That tells you that prices are going up. The prices of gas and of groceries can really discourage a person. And you have to remind yourself that God is in control. And ask Him to help you make good choices to best use your money.

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Sabbath we took care of our granddaughter - all day(for 10 hours)! This is the longest we have ever taken care of her so we were both kind of nervous about it.

So while my husband went to pick her up - I finished getting ready for church. When he got home - I walked out into the hallway - and at the same time he had SweetPea(granddaughter) walking with help. I got several feet away from her and put my arms out for her and he let go of her and she took some wobbly steps towards me. Let me tell you what - I totally understand what the phrase "tears of joy" mean now. I almost started to cry. It was so neat to see her walking. It just made my day!! My husband was as touched by it as well - since he had not seen her walk before either.

My husband was also happy because he was able to take her to Sabbath School. He loves to take her to Sabbath School and she loves to go. She loves all the songs to Jesus and doing all the cute little activities that the dedicated teachers come up with. We took her by to see Jason's Mom because it was very cold outside and we figured once we got her home we would not get her back out into that cold wind and because the store that my MIL owns is just up the street from our church.

We were even able to get our granddaughter to take a nap- only about an hour but that is about what she normally takes.

Once SweetPea's Daddy picked her up - I got things picked up and did my few chores for the evening. And then we settled in to watch a movie, "The Tooth Fairy" with The Rock. It was a cute movie an we enjoyed it. It was so luxurious to be able to just sit and watch the movie and enjoy it!

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Today we are hoping that it warms up a bit since we really would like to go get some sand and peat moss and such to add to our garden area. Our soil is so clay like - we really need to add somethings to it to help it be healthier soil and easier to work with. It will cost some money but this is an investment - because each year it will be in better shape and able to help us produce some food for ourselves. And with our economy being the way it is - I think that is a great investment.

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

Gardening/Quilting...Just a few of the Hobbies that I Enjoy

Well I just ordered what looks like a very informative book - The Encyclopedia of Country Living
by Carla Emery. Sorry for such a tiny photo- I borrowed it from the Amazon page and did not realize it would be so small. So I set up a link so you can check out the book. It is 922 pages long and has all sorts of cool information in it! And I was able to get it for half of the price that was in the seed catalog that I actually found out about it from. These seed catalogs are very informative! I am looking through the Territorial Seed Company. I am trying to decide what we will want to get. We are just now getting into the Heirloom or Open Pollinated seeds. And so the varieties that we are used to getting - are probably the hybrid seeds so we have to pick new things to go with. I am also been trying to decide what herbs I would like to grow. And trying to decide if our flower bed would be a good enough place for the herbs - is there enough sunshine for them? I don't know. I guess this is a try it and see situation. And it is interesting because I have found out that there are some herbs that are annuals, biennial, and perennial.

Well tomorrow morning is my Block of the Month meeting. Here is the block that I just finished last night. This is the first month that I did not finish both blocks. That has a lot to do with us having to postpone our February meeting a week because of the bad weather.

I loved the color of the block and I was pleased with how well it went together!! :o)

Corn Spaghetti

I shared this recipe a while back but since I made it for supper and could get a photo of it, I thought I would post it again. I found the recipe in a Parade magazine several years ago. I know it is not the healthiest recipe but sometimes you need comfort food and this stuff is yummy.

Corn Spaghetti

1 - 14 3/4 oz can Cream of Corn
1 - 15 1/4 oz can Corn with liquids
1 Cup broken spaghetti - uncooked 1/3 pound
1 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 T. butter, melted
2 - 4 T. chopped onions
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl -except 1/2 C. mozzarella cheese - to be sprinkled over the top. Place in a 9X13 baking dish. Cover with foil. Cook for 30 minutes. Then uncover and cook an additional 30 minute. Enjoy! :o)

100%/100% NOT 50%/50%

"Love is tolerating someone long enough for them to mature to a point where they are tolerable."

This was a Facebook status of one of my friends. What a true statement!

You know, sometimes my husband can be hard to live with. And he would probably say the same thing about me. It is hard to live with someone else that was raised differently than you were.

And I think that this helps explain why we have so much divorce. People fall into love and as long as they are in the passionate part of love - they are happy but once their relationship loses that newly wed excitement - they think that the love is gone. They were in love with the feeling rather than the person.

Another important thing that people need to remember about marriage is that you each need to give 100% - not 50%/50%. We do not live in a perfect world so I know that many people find themselves in relationships with someone who barely even gives 50%, but I don't think that this relieves this person from their responsibility. And the way we do that is by building a relationship to the one who loves us the most and makes it possible for us to love without expecting anything in return. I know that is hard but we are held responsible for our actions - and I really doubt that God wants to hear us say - well he didn't give 100%. Did it work for Adam to say "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."(Genesis 3:12) Did that excuse him from disobeying what God had said? No- and other people not living up to their responsibilities does not excuse us from living up to ours.

Thank you for letting me share with you all lessons that I learn. This was something that I know I needed to learn and it really helps me work through learning that lesson when I need to type it out for others to understand what I am trying to say.

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

Following the Nudges of the Holy Spirit

I did something last night that I don't like to do. I stepped outside of my comfort zone. The Women's Ministries at my church had a meeting last night. It was about Prayer and Praise. Well at the end of the presentation, the lady asked if anyone wanted to share a verse that has meant a lot to you or a praise report about something God has done for you. Well I felt a nudging to share what God has done for me recently. I think it is easy to forget what God has done for us and allow ourselves to think we have done the things on our own. So I thought it was very important to praise God for bringing the information of the seminar by Dr. B. and for what all God has done for me since then.

Stepping out of my comfort zone was not something that I would have chosen to do but I had felt a nudging from the Holy Spirit and it is best to follow His leading. And once I was done - I was glad I did it. I need to have reminders of the fact that the things I do are not because I am so strong or so good - it is only because of the strength that Jesus gives to me - that gives me the ability to do anything good.

I do not like to talk in public to groups of people. I really don't. In fact, even after I had shared half of my story, I started to hear my voice quiver. Anyway I wanted to give God the Glory. He deserves so much more praise than what He gets.

Each time that we follow that nudge and do what we feel we are suppose to do - I think that God gives us the strength and not only that but the next time it becomes a bit easier to do that which we are suppose to do.

"I can do all thing through Christ who strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13