4 Months Post Chemo

So if my figures are right - Friday marked 4 months post chemo. I figured you might be wondering how my hair was growing. I know the photo is fuzzy - sorry about that. But at least you can see how my hair is doing. It is only about 1 3/4 - maybe close to 2 inches by now. The color seems to be the exact color it was before -dark brown with red highlights. And I still have my cowlicks. One at the front right side and at the back of my head at the top. Not quite sure why - but my hair is doing little flares above the ears. I guess to add a little flare to my hair!

Coming up this week:
Oat Groats - it's what's for breakfast
To Change Us
Stagnant

Be sure to check back to read them and more.... :O)

Love With All Your Heart - series chapter 4

Love With All Your Heart

 

4

Love is lowly; Love is not boastful. Love does not exalt itself or display itself haughtily.

Jerry had always been a scrapper. He was short and had had to defend himself against bullies as a young boy. And now, although the physical skirmishes were over, he still felt he had to play "kind of the mountain." He was compelled to prove that he was someone of significant importance. And so, he had discovered subtle (and some not quite so subtle) ways of letting the world know just how wonderful he was. His possessions were one way he displayed his superiority; his car always had to be faster than anyone else's, and his clothes were flashier and more expensive. With his loud, boasting voice, he would tell stories about himself designed to 'wow' the listeners. And everyone knew that Jerry always had to come out as the winner. Often he would put others down in order to make himself look good. Whatever it took, Jerry was intent on exalting himself.  

 

Then one day Jerry came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible:

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 
1 Corinthians 13:4  

with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.   
Ephesians 4:2,3

Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.   
Proverbs 27:1,2

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.   
James 4:16

They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.   
Psalm 94:4

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.   
James 3:13,14

Love admires, prefers, and honors others above itself.

Love is not proud, arrogant, or haughty.

Love does not brag about itself or its accomplishments, or point out its good qualities.

Love will keep one from seeking to exalt itself, it will be willing to take the lowest position, to serve unnoticed, and to direct praise and rewards to others.

Love will not seek promotion at the expense of others or try to make itself look good at the expense of others. 

Love only does good to please others, not to impress them. 

Love does not compare itself with others, always trying to out-do them.
Love will make one easy to get along with and a pleasure to be around.  

 

 

Getting on a Different Wagon

~ Lookie here- a second post again today!! ~

Before I had my hysterectomy a friend of ours shared with us that after his wife had a hysterectomy she had about doubled in size- maybe not exactly but went from a size 8-10 to a size 16. I had worked hard to maintain my weight after my surgery. Then I got the news that I had cancer and would have to have chemo. Every single time that I had chemo - I was given steroids prior to getting the chemo. After one of my chemo treatments - I am thinking about 3-4th one I noticed I have splotches of red on my skin here and there. And when I told my Dr - she thought it would be a good idea for me to take a round of steroids with my next chemo. Apparently pretty strong steroids. I had to take 2 the day before, the day of and the day after. Taking the steroids made it hard for me to sleep good. And wouldn't you know it I ended up gaining some weight probably about 8-10 pounds. I decided I would do my best not to have to take any more extra steroids and so I did not. Of course - I still had to continue to take the prior to chemo steroids. Well overall I ended up gaining about 15 pounds. And I am not happy about it. I was already overweight, but I had been happy to be able to at least maintain where I was till I could get to a place that I could lose weight. It has always been VERY hard for me to lose weight. That is why when I changed my diet several years ago and was able to lose weight - I had been so thrilled about it. Only problem is that it was very hard to continue with what I was doing and still maintain taking care of my family and such. So I fell off the wagon.

I have decided to get back on the wagon; however, this time it will be a different wagon. I am incorporating more fruits and veggies. I have gotten myself some more oat groats - and I am cooking them and eating them for breakfast along with 2-4 pieces of fruit. I will probably share a post later at how I do my oat groats. I am also trying to eat more healthfully over all. This means that I will still be eating some normal foods that I prepare for my husband, but I am hoping to just eat smaller portions of those foods and focus more on the veggies and salads - when having those meals.

I have decided to cut way back on my consumption of sugary drinks. By the way speaking of that - Today marks the one year anniversary from me giving up caffeine! I am so thankful that God helped me let that go. Once I gave up Coke - I had allowed myself a rootbeer now and then. But over the last couple of months I have been slack in that area and have drank a rootbeer or some koolaid or limeade maybe even every day. So I am focusing on drinking more water. I may do a drink ever so often for a treat but it will not be every day.

One thing that I am doing that I wanted to share with you all - just in case it would be helpful information for you is how I am doing my salads. My husband does not like a lot of the extra stuff on his salads that I do. Well I used to cut up lettuce and carrots and keep that in a bowl in the fridge, but I have found an even better way. I cut up my lettuces (I am using more of a variety of lettuces to get more vitamins) and then after I let them drain I am putting a paper towel into a gallon sized ziplock kind of bag and then putting my lettuce into the bag and sealing it. I keep it in the fridge like that. Then I cut up what ever veggies I have that I want to put into my salads- and I put each individual thing in to separate zip lock bags. That way each time I made a salad I am able to get out what I want to put in that salad! It has worked out SO well. I eat SO many more salads now because I love to have the variety! I am trying new things and adding them to my salads to add more nutrition to my salads. Here is a list of the things I use - Not all at one time - just more of what I have at that time:

Lettuce~ I use some iceburg lettuce, romaine hearts, and then I also get some other lettuces - this time I got a contain from Aldi's that had some little baby lettuce in it. I would only do about enough lettuce or less that fits into the gallon bag- usually only about half way at a time. Lettuce tends to get brown and yucky - so if you will just cut up a little at a time - your lettuce will last longer.
carrots~ peel them and chop them and put them in a baggies.
bell peppers -green, red, yellow, and orange ~I love to get the multi colored packs when I can- was able to get 2 packs today Aldi's has them for $1.99
cucumbers~ I have used regular ones, mini cucumbers and the seedless ones - that are long and individually wrapped - I love them all.
kale ~I cut it into small pieces and pull out what ever I want for each salad
purple cabbage or green cabbage- I just chop up a section of it at a time so it will last longer.
tomatoes ~ Praise God I am still getting my sweet100's cherry tomatoes from my garden - have really enjoyed them!
purple onions ~ I keep some chopped in an onion keeper in my fridge all the time - I love them in salads - this is another thing that I get the best deal from Aldi's - I buy them by the bag and just use them till they are gone - then another bag I get!
celery ~ When I get my celery home from the store many times I will process it then. Some of it I will chop up for salads, and then I usually cut some into sections that are 2 - 3 inches - that way I can put peanut butter on them to have with a meal.
Olives~ When we have taco salads - what ever we have left - I put into a bag and use for salads. When we have taco salads - I just have a regular salad in the taco salad shells because I don't like hamburger meat.
Bok Choy~ today I bought some bok choy for the first time. I just got a leaf(they are big) washed it then cut it up. I took the stem of that piece and I cut it into pieces and added it to my salad as well. Until I read up on it more _ I will process it as I need it. It actually was pretty good. 
Garbonzo Beans ~ this adds protein and helps it be a more satisfying meal.
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts

This past week end when we did our taco salads- my husband remembered that we had some roasted corn on the cob left over- and so he got one out and he cut the corn off of the cob and added that to my salad. And we opened a can of black beans- drained them and added some to my salad- it was VERY good. I will be doing that again.


I do use low fat ranch dressing- I try not to use too much- I like to put the dressing on after I put the lettuce in the bowl and then mix it around and then add all the other stuff to my salad. Then stir again. This helps there to be dressing flavor all the way through the salad.

Anyway all of this to share with you that I decided that I need to be healthier. And I would really like to lose some weight. I don't have a huge amount that I want to lose because that is just over whelming and since it has been so hard for me to lose weight in the past - I just have set a low goal for now. I would like to lose at least 15 pounds. Now I know how much I weighed at my last Dr appointment and I am hoping to be down a least 3-5 pounds by my next appointment in November. But I am not putting a whole lot of pressure on myself.

I want to lose weight to feel better and so that my clothes will fit better. And I am hoping by making a few small changes here and there -  I will get to my goal.

I am thinking that I have forgotten some things- but just can't think of anything else at this time. Oh well - this post is just to help encourage you all to add more raw foods into your diets - it's good for you. And I am hoping that by sharing with you all - at how easy it can to have a good salad maybe you too will try it. Ever so often it will take a little time to process your stuff - but on a day to day basis you will be so surprised at how easy it is to come up with a great salad! Please pray for me that I will be able to lose this weight. I know that only with God's help will I be able to be successful! Thanks :O)

Double Longing and the 80/20

This week I found what I thought was going to be an excellent book. Actually I found 4-6 great books. And had been trying to decide which one to start with. Well the one I decided to read first was one about our hunger for a deeper relationship with God.

Here is an excellent quote from the book:

"As Thad Rutter put it so beautifully, we discover the double longing. We learn first that we have a longing- a deep hunger for God and a sense of His presence. As we we begin to pursue that intense desire, we encounter a second even stronger longing. God's heart desperately longs for us. That increases our desire for Him, and the spiral of communion continues to grow." 

 

And I thought it would be a great place to start. I mean seriously, we all have a place in our hearts that only a relationship with God can fill - so what could be wrong with the book, right? 

 

After I found the quote above and I was feeling like oh what a great book. I decided to go look for a photo online of the book- I was going to write up a post about the book and share a photo of it. When I did - I just happened to notice an entry in the google search that I knew I needed to check out more. I clicked into it and I found a great write up of the book. And in it I found that this book actually pulled an 80/20. What is an 80/20 you ask? Well it is where there is a good deal of truth but there is also error. Just enough truth is in the book to lead truth seeker to check it out - but throughout the book is error. So while a person with a true desire to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ reads this book. They get counterfeit ideas of how to go about developing that relationship. And in the end it does more harm than good.

 

I found that this book did not fall under the 4:8 principal at all- it was not truth. And I want truth. I am not looking for the counterfeit. There is enough counterfeit in the world and we need to be on the outlook for it.

So my suggestion to you today and everyday is to be sure and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you with truth. To give you the wisdom you need to discern truth and error.  As I shared yesterday....

 

    Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

 

This book will not be read by me.

I will continue to follow after truth. 

I have a pile of other books to read through. In fact, I had actually started 2 books- and I am thinking that tomorrow I will share with you some about the other book that I am reading.

May God lead you in all truth 

 

        Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.   

Psalm 119:105

 

A Public Service Announcement

Just thought I would share a public service announcement of sorts. Most of my life I have had the habit of looking over my receipts after shopping. That way I can review what I bought and make sure things were priced right. Well over the last 8 months, I have not done as well with this. But thankfully I have gotten back into doing it.

Yesterday I went to Aldi's. Once I got out to my car I decided to look over my receipt - and I am REALLY glad I did! I noticed that I had been charged $12.67 for a bunch of bananas! Yep you read that right - $12.67 for about 6 bananas. I was happy I had checked while I was still in the parking lot. I went back in and showed the cashier- for some reason the bananas were scanning that amount of money. Wow! When she redid it the way it was suppose to be done my total for my bananas was only $1.02. Much better, indeed!

So be sure and take an extra couple of minutes to check your receipt before you leave the parking lot. I sure am glad I did - I would have hated to have to drive all the way back to Aldi's to take care of that.


(Second post for today - don't miss the other one posted earlier)

Continuing with our Philippians 4:8 Guidelines

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

 

Ok - So I have been talking a lot about the Philippians 4:8 principal about how we think. Many times our thinking is where we are attacked the most.

 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about

 like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.   

1 Peter 5:8

 

And because of this, I would like to share a great quote that will give us a good idea of where our thinking should go - especially when we are tempted to think outside of the Philippians 4:8 guidelines.

 

"It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross."

 "Desire of Ages" pg. 83

 

I hope that this quote blessed each of you as it blessed me.

Here is a link if you would like to go check out the whole chapter in which this quote was found, Or if you would like to start at the beginning of the book - go to the bottom of the page and you will see several choices of where to go - Table of Contents is on option. This book has been a real blessing to me and I see myself reading it again in the future. God bless. :O)

This and That

It has been awfully warm around here. It's funny when we are looking forward to it being a bit less hot. We are continuing to add triple digit days to our list of how many for the year. I have not heard an updated number but I am guessing it is over 20. I will try to share once I hear something to clarify that. Anyway even though we have had such hot weather believe it or not - our yard was pretty green for this time of year. And that is only because a week ago from Sunday - we got at least an inch of rain and it was wonderful. Haven't gotten any since then. The weather forecast for this weeks shows at least a couple of days where we at least have a chance of rain. Since had had gotten the rain, I actually needed to mow again this week. Sunday I got the front yard mowed. It is pretty big and since I am using a push mower - it is tiring - especially with our temps being has high as they are. I try to go out and do my mowing in the morning when it is less hot outside. So this morning I finally finished up mowing our yard. I have some weed eating I want to do but I will wait and do that tomorrow morning.

Yesterday I finally got around to making another batch- actually 3 batches of Gluten. I had not made gluten in over 9 months. And believe it or not my husband who was raised eating meat at every meal - loves my gluten! He had actually said something about missing gluten. So I decided to get busy and make up some gluten. You can click on the button above to go to the post that I did about gluten. I did have to add a step in there that I had not realized I needed to do. Which is once you have kneaded the dough and rinsed it in water - till the water about runs clear- it you will set the dough on a cookie sheet - and let the water drain from it. It actually makes it work better. Glad I decided to read through the directions again!

The Broth and Breading for the Gluten can be found here. These recipes - can be changed up according to your likes and dislikes. Sometimes I do different things with min.

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So yesterday was the first day of pre-k for our Sweetpea. Sad thing about divorce is that often times the Father and the Father's family are left out of the loop. We found out Sunday night that she would be starting school. We had no idea that they were even thinking about putting her into school. And of course, we do not have a photo of her first day of school. It was hard on us all yesterday because everyone it seemed were sharing their kid's first day of school photos. I wish that when people got a divorce they would use the golden rule - would you want a photo of the first day of school for your child? Yes - ok then share that photo with the parent that does not get to experience it. We are left out of so much.

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So on Facebook I "liked" a page that posts these cute - why my cat is sad- photos. And this was one I saw this morning!

Oh I could sure relate to his feelings! So much so that I shared it on Facebook. I have tried to find as much humor in my circumstances through this whole "adventure." It is the best way to go...seriously. Life is hard - and it is best to find the positives and or humor in circumstances. It helps make life more enjoyable.

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Oh another thing I did yesterday was make a turmeric paste - in order to make golden milk. It is suppose to be really good for you. If you are interested in it - you can google it. I also made up some golden milk with a bit of my past - and I think it is going to be bearable. It will take a bit of tweaking to get the flavor to where I want it but at least it is doable. I had wanted to try this for a long time - glad I finally did it. Wasn't that hard. I just found a video that showed how to make the paste and then the milk. It happened to be one Facebook - under a posting about golden milk. Anyway wish I had have saved a link to it so I could share it here - but did not. Did not know if I would like it or not at the time so did not know if I would even be posting about it.

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Well that is about it for today. I have a list of things I want to get done today so I better get off of here and get busy. Ya'll have a good one! :O)

 

 

Forgetting to Ask

Ok - so talking about wrong thinking, I wanted to share a little more about that. You all know so very much how very hard this whole - losing my hair and how slowly my hair seems to be coming in, has been for me. Well that is an area that I have struggled with - with my wrong thinking lately. And before I was reminded to think better thoughts - I had gotten really discouraged about it all. And when I am discouraged about it - it seems to be much harder to be out in public.

Another thing that I was reminded of when I had finally come to realize that I needed to change my thinking is that I had forgotten an important thing. A very important thing. I had forgotten to pray and ask God for grace - for me to like what I saw in the mirror. He has been faithful to help me through this whole journey- aka "adventure."

While my husband was shaving my head- I had prayed and asked God to help me be ok with what I saw and he gave me the strength and courage to look in that mirror and the grace to accept it. It was not easy, but I felt the strength and courage to look and to handle it. And I continued to experience it.

Anyway so once I figured out that I needed to change my thinking - I also realized I needed to pray and ask God to help me like what I saw in the mirror. And wouldn't you know it- it worked and I felt so much better when I looked in the mirror. And as I went to church and other outings I felt more confidence.

God is there to supply all of our needs. We just need to remember to ask for what is needed. Sometimes we may not even know what is needed and that is when the Holy Spirit comes in to play in a much stronger way.

    Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

For we do not know what we should

pray for as we ought,

 but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us

  with groanings which cannot be uttered.  

Romans 8:26 

 

Wrong Thinking

Over the last several months, no.. probably the last year, well maybe even my whole life, I have struggled with wrong thinking. You know that kind of thinking that leads you to doubt, worry, fear, and anxiety?

Well over the last week or so- God has really been trying to work with me on this wrong thinking. I've really been struggling- dwelling on some negatives in my life and it has not done me one bit of good.

As I've been struggling, a certain verse keeps coming up. I was looking through a journal that I have that I started a couple of years ago. In this journal I write great quotes from books that I read. That way when I am struggling, I can read through the quotes and find encouragement and guidance.
Here are a couple of great quotes that I found:

"Any permanent progress in life starts on the inside and spreads to the outside."

 

"Remember that joy is an outward sign of inward faith in God's promises."

(both quotes from The 4:8 Principal by Tommy Newberry)

 

After reading the quotes already written, I remembered a good book that I had read and had a fair amount of excellent quotes in it. Quotes that had been go to quotes when I was discouraged.

So I went and got my Loving God with All Your Heart book by Elizabeth George. 

 

One of the first quotes that I came across was:

 

"Thoughts about things that are untrue and unreal will drain our life and our energy. Obeying the command of Philippians 4:8, however helps keep our bucket full and our energy available to serve God. Thinking on what is true and real frees us to be used by God."

 

This was when I realized without a doubt that God was trying to remind me to live by the 4:8 principal. I had already learned this several years ago, but I had allowed that truth to slip away.

 

 

 

So I learned I needed to change my thinking pattern. And not allow the negative things to take up so much space in my brain. I need to keep Philippians 4:8 in mind and when I am beginning to feel anxious, worried or fearful- I need to remember:

 

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

 

When we surrender our lives to Him - He is faithful to continue to work with us and to complete the work that He has begun in each and everyone one of us. We just have to be willing. We need to be the clay and allow Him to mold us. Without God we can do nothing(John 15:5).

 

So I am going to print this verse out and tape it tape it a couple of places around my house as reminders of what I need to be thinking about and hopefully I can begin some new habits of thinking on these things:

 

    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

 

Love With All Your Heart.....series chapter 3

Sorry for such a LONG break - over two months of a break. But anyway - Now I plan to continue this series and continue on with this book. I hope it is a blessing to each of you. :0)

Love With All Your Heart

 

3

Love is contented: never envious or jealous.

Susan came from and impoverished background, and she was still deprived of the luxuries of life. Her husband couldn't seem to find steady employment, and they were struggling financially. Susan somehow felt she deserved better. It seemed as though all her friends had an abundance of material possessions. They wore the latest fashions, had their hair done, drove new cars, and were able to entertain with elaborate display. But Susan had none of these luxuries, and she was miserable. She spent hours pouring over mail order catalogues, imagining what it would be like to have this or that fancy item. Because she was embarrassed at her simple home, she never invited anyone over. And she definitely avoided anyone in her same financial status because she wanted to be identified with the "successful" crowd. The entired thrust of her energies was spent on trying to make a good impression and present an illusion of affluence.

Then one day Susan came face to face with the claims of God's love as found in the Bible.

 

Love does not envy. 1 Corinthians 13:4

 

 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

 

 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

 

    For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.   

  James 3:16

 

      Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.   

Philippians 4:11,12

 

    A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.   

Proverbs 14:30

 

Love is contented and thankful in all situations.

Love is not envious of others' good fortune and jealous of others' attention, recognitions, or accomplishments.

Love is not covetous of others' possessions or status in life.

Love brings with it no resentment or bitterness.

Love always rejoices at the blessing of others and earnestly desires their happiness.

Love does not take advantage of others.

Love is not greedy, dishonest, or underhanded.

Love will bring a restful, contented state of mine and willingly promotes the welfare of others without resentment and selfish motives.

Love is freedom from the destructive bondage of envy and all that it brings.

 

 

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow but slowing returning

Before cancer, I had the luxury of going out in public when ever I wanted and did not draw unwanted attention to myself. Now- I am not so lucky. There are days that I can go do what ever I want to and the looks and stares don't bother me too much, but other days..... Other days - it is very draining to me to deal with it. And I am so happy to get back to my car and be a little less available to be stared at. I know some people would think - what is the big deal? I have even had people tell me that I should not let it bother me so much. And yes that is from people that still have hair- and have as much hair as they would like to have. It DOES make a difference to those of us who don't have the "hair style" we have by choice. My hair now is about 1 1/2 inches - maybe a bit longer in places - not sure. And it seems to flare backwards just over my ears. One day this week I even got some of my Paul Mitchell products and try to use my blow dryer and round brush to help it look nicer. Guess what? I still don't have enough hair even to try to style it to make it look nice. That is discouraging.

Anyway I am trying to stay positive about everything and remember that at least I am on this side of chemo and that every day I am closer to my hair being more of a style I would like it to be.

I know you guys might get tired of hearing me complain about my lack of hair- I am really trying not to complain about it too much. I am so very lucky that my husband is very understanding and has listened to me complain about my hair - many, many times. The reason why I wanted to share about this today - is for one reason - today was one of the tough to be out in public kind of days. And two- I am hoping that by me sharing if any of you ever end up with friends or family in this situation - that you will have a better understanding of what they may be going through. I know that some people going through chemo and hair loss that the hair loss may not be a big deal to them. But for me - because my hair has been one of my best assets - it has been a very tough thing to deal with. And the fact that even though I am 3 months and 2 weeks out from having chemo - this effect just keeps having around and hanging around.

One day - my hair will be a length that I can style it and enjoy it and be happy with it again. I just continue to pray that God will give me the grace, patience, and courage to get through each and every day till then.

Finishing Up a Set

I have shared before how I really like some of the older Avon things. And that I had a couple of pieces of a set and I had really wanted to find the other pieces to the set. I have kept my eye out for these pieces- while I was at thrift shops and at the Antique Shops. And had not come across the pieces that I needed

Well a couple of months ago a friend of mine who lives in Arkansas had told me that she had found the pieces for me.

Well today we had lunch together - at Cracker Barrel. And look what she remembered to bring with her~ The pieces that I needed to finish out my set.


Not only did she bring me those pieces but she brought me the whole entire set!!! The tall piece- that I have - has the lid missing so I use it for a vase. Now I have one that has the lid! And by the way - I don't know if you can tell or not but the lids have a cute flower design on them!


What a thoughtful thing for her to do or me. I am so happy to have all of this set.

When it comes to Avon pieces - I am being quite selective about what I get. I don't like everything they have - plus my perspective on live has changed a bit over the last year.

Anyway that is how my day has gone. I am still quite tired- thinking that I might be tired cause I did not sleep very good while my husband was gone. Last night - I went to sleep at about 10pm and slept straight through till 5:40am - did not even get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night like I usually do. I am thinking I will be going to bed early again tonight. Hoping to get caught up on sleep so I can feel rested. Hope you all are doing well. :o)

Little Things That Bring Us Joy continued

Well I guess this first thing did not bring me joy but what I wanted to write about was expanding on the last post and then sharing some other things that bring me joy so that is the reason for the title of this post.

Ok - remember I have shared about the Forever Faithful Camporee going on in Oshkosh, WI this week. Well my husband is the deputy director of the Pathfinder club at our church and so he has been gone since about 2:30 Monday morning. He will be home later tonight. Anyway - just for safety reasons I have not mention that detail here on my blog- and really not on my facebook either. It's just better to be safe than sorry. Anyway I have missed him and will be so very glad when he is home!

Ok- now on to the joys. I guess it is pretty obvious in the photo but I wanted to expound on it a bit. In the field across the street - it actually has a bit of a hill - that was built up for a pond or water storage or something on the other side. So we only get to see the cattle when they make their way to this side of that hill - which does not have a lot of land on this side. So - so far that was the only time I have seen the cows out there. But it was great to get to see them and I am hoping they come out sometime while we have our granddaughter here.

Speaking of joys- this morning I woke up to it raining and it rained off and on till about 1-2pm. We have not gotten that much rain in a long time. Praise the Lord for the rain!!

Another joy that I had this last week - was going on a Mental Health Day - with my sister. We love to take these days. Mental Health Day - is basically a day that we go thrift store shopping and have lunch together. She works full time so we don't get to spend a whole lot of time together. So these special days are a real joy. This time we both lucked out with some really great buys. Over the years of thrift store shopping - we have learned to really look things over, to be selective in what we get- trying to limit what we get to those things we love. And this shopping trip - I found a few things that I loved! I got a cute red and white sleeveless top - that was exactly what I had been looking for. I had wanted a couple more cute sleeveless tops - and this one was perfect!! And for only 4.19! I also found a black denim jumper - for only $2.99! A pair of new black jeans - $2.92! And a great pair of Gloria Vanderbuilt capris - $7.57. They were a little more but I am sure they will get a lot of use and be well worth the money! These were my favorites! I am always on the look out for great jean skirts - but I don't want the thick, stiff jean skirts- I want the jean skirts with the fabric that is flexible and flows nicely. Haven't found what I am looking for yet - but hoping to find one soon. I will probably let you know when I find one. Notice - I wrote when and not if? Because I am going to pray about it and trust God to lead me to one! Before this past shopping trip - I prayed and asked if He would help us both to find some great buys. And we both did!

This week I also had lunch with a friend who is dealing with a cancer "adventure" of her own- hers is breast cancer. Please keep her in your prayers - her name is Carol - and she just stopped a chemo regimin cause it was too hard on her. She is suppose to go back to the Dr this week and find out what they plan to do next. Praying for wisdom for the Drs. And speaking of the breast cancer Journey - I have two other friends - Lisa and Anne - Anne is experiencing a reoccurance right now. She tried 3 rounds of chemo and it was not doing any thing so now she is participating in a clinical trial. Please keep both of these ladies in your prayers.

Well I better close for now. I would like to work on doing a little cleaning so the house will look nice when my husband gets home - late tonight. :O)   

It's the Little Things That Bring Us Joy

A couple of years ago - the view across our street was very different than it is today. There had been many more trees and there had been cattle grazing in this field. But the cattle had been gone for a while. Then the property was worked on and a better fence was put up. Then today when I went out to get our trashcans from the street- what did I see- Cattle!!

 

Oh they were so pretty. This photo does not do them justice. Their brightly, vivid colors against the green- well kind of green grass was great. It thrilled my soul to see them there again. When I made it to the street - I snapped a couple of photos of them. They were as interested in watching me as I was in watching them.

Anyway I just wanted to share that the cows are back and we can enjoy them again!

 

It has been VERY warm here still- I heard on the news today that we have officially had 10 days of triple digit temperatures. And of course, on the 7 day forecast - 4 of them look to be triple digit days. Oh but before you get too excited for us about the weather for the other days - they are all listed as 99. Anyway the triple digit weather is here for a while longer. Usually it is pretty hot here - through all of August and sometimes it is quite warm even into the middle (maybe later) of September.

 

I did not sleep good last night so I am VERY tired tonight. Hoping to sleep better. I have some fun planned for tomorrow so I need to get some rest. I can't remember if I mentioned that I was able to get our whole yard mowed this week with our new push mower. And I sure love this mower. So thankful for an easy start mower- I don't think I have the strength right now to be trying to get a regular start mower going. And if I did - I would be so worn out by the time I got it going- I would be useless - and unable to mow.

 

Ok - I am getting off of here and getting things ready so I can go to be. I hope you all are doing well.

:O)

 

 

You, too, can see Forever Faithful

I just found out that you can go to this page and watch last nights program any time. And tonight at 8:00pm - tonight's program will come on. They are great programs. I hope you will check them out.

The Theme for the Week

Have you ever noticed that sometimes there seems to be a certain theme of what God is working with you on? I have noticed that over the last week. I have known that this was something that I needed to learn but there seems to be more and more of it lately in what my devotions are telling me and then when I start doing further study it just keeps popping up.

So to be honest with you all (and I don't think this is the first time that I have admitted to this) over the last 9 months or so - I have struggled with the idea that maybe God does not love me. You know sometimes when we have bad things come into our lives it tends to be harder to trust that God still loves you.

Early on in this Cancer "adventure" - a dear family member was telling me her cancer scare. Here are the basics. When she went in for a well woman exam - a very aggressive cancer cell showed up. In fact, the Dr said that the best thing for her to do would be to have a hysterectomy - and as soon as possible. The surgery was done and no cancer showed up. The Dr. told her "Someone upstairs must really love you!" And as I heard the story instantly what popped into my head was - well then he doesn't love me because not only did they find the aggressive cancer - but it had grown enough to have to go forward with chemo.

Over all I believed that God loved me - but I went through bouts of feeling unloved by Him. Another area that I have struggled with is in the area of believing God's promises. Sometimes I just question if the promises were meant for me- or just to the people in the Bible - for example

"As your days, so shall your strength be"

 Deut. 33:25b

    Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God

 blessed the children of Israel before his death.

Deut. 33:1

So as you can see this chapter is about the blessing that Moses blessed the children of Israel before his death. So I had a hard time at first claiming this blessing for myself. But it has been a mainstay of versus that have tremendously helped me over the past year - and not only me - but I have shared this verse with MANY people.

Over this past week - my studies in the Bible took me to:

    and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."

 Romans 4:21-22

 

And as I was looking in my commentary to dig deeper - I came across some information that made me stop in my tracks. I knew that this was an important lesson for me to FINALLY get.

 

"Abraham gave glory to God by his firm confidence in God's promises. Thus he acknowledged God's omnipotence. In this way all who believe in the divine promises do honor to God. They bear testimony that God is worthy of confidence. Abraham also gave glory o God in action as well as in thought by his prompt obedience.(Gen. 17:22,23)"

 

"Real faith means conviction. The life of faith is a life of confidence and assurance. Thus Paul could say, "I know whom  have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim.1:12) It is an error to suppose that lack of such conviction is an evidence of humility. On the contrary, to doubt God's promises or His love is to dishonor Him, because to doubt is to question His character and His word. It is harder for many to believe that God can love and forgive them, notwithstanding their sinfulness, that it was for the aged patriarch to believe that he would be the father of many nations. But confidence in God that He can do what seems to us impossible is as necessary in the one case as in the other."

 

"Abraham's knowledge of God and trust in God were such that the patriarch was ready to accept all that God said and to obey all that God commanded."  

 

This really convicted me - that I need to have faith in God's love and in His promises.

 

So the theme of my week is:

Trust God's Love for YOU

And

You Can Trust His Promises!

 

And these truths are true for you as well. :O)

 

 

Forever Faithful

I just got done watching an awesome program and I just had to come here and tell you all about it.

This week there is an International Pathfinder Camporee going on in Oshkosh, WI. There are thousands of Pathfinder clubs from all around the world in attendance. And we are so lucky that Hope Church Channel is broadcasting their main programs each evening and even though we have not been able to go - we have the opportunity to watch from home. And so do you.

 Clicking HERE will take you to Hope TV's website - and you will notice that to the right you will see a "Hope Church Channel to Broadcast 2014 Pathfinder Camporee- Forever Faithful"  - button.
I believe that you will come to a page where it asks your name and email address. And once you do that - it will take you to the live streaming programming. Please note below the timing for the programs.

Here is some of the information from the website:

Pathfinder families and friends unable to attend the Camporee will be able to watch daily broadcasts streamed live at hopetv.org/camporee, Tuesday through Friday, August 12–15, 8 p.m.–9 p.m., Central Time and Saturday, August 15, 9:30 a.m.– 10:30 a.m. and 8 p.m–9 p.m, Central Time.

The broadcast will feature the day’s drama presentation, an inspiring sermon by Sam Leonor, highlights of activities and honors, and interesting stories of what the Pathfinders are doing and learning throughout the day.

Hope Channel is glad to bring you the best of the 2014 International Pathfinder Camporee.

A Yard Divided

For Mowing that is! LOL

So a little update. You know I have shared about our mowers being out. And then my husband had gotten our push mower fixed. Well we were able to mow the entire yard once and then when we started trying to mow it again our mower started acting up. He would be able to mow for a bit and then it would die.

Well we have a friend who does a lot of work on mowers and such so we took it over to have him look at it and found out some bad news. What ever was wrong is beyond his skills of fixing. I forget what he said was wrong. Anyway we really needed to get the yard mowed so we went to Home Depot and bought a mower. Thankful they have the no interested for 6 months thing going on. It sure does help.

Anyway so Monday morning, I was able to get most of our front yard mowed. But my goodness - I was so hot and sweaty by the time I was done. I took a shower in cool water hoping that would help but it still took quite some time for me to cool off.

This morning - I was able to get out and mow a bit earlier and I was thankful that our temps were down a couple of degrees. So my mowing experience today was not quite as tough on me. I only have 1/3 of our back yard done, but that is fine. I knew that by using a push mower I would have to divide the yard into sections and work on it for a few days. No Big Deal. I just get up and put on my clothes I wore the day before - I mow - then I shower and get ready for the day. And I am getting a lot of exercise as an added bonus.

I have a few errands to run today, so I better get off of here and get my stuff done. :O)

"Therefore"

Today I want to share my devotional (from Streams in the Desert) that I had yesterday morning. It goes right along a theme that I have been having the last few days. And I might be finally getting it. I will share more about this tomorrow. See ya then.

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When he had heard therefore that he was sick,

he abode two days still in the same place where he was.

 John 11:6

In the forefront of this marvelous chapter stands the affirmation, "Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus," as if to teach us that at the very heart and foundation of all God's dealings with us, however dark and mysterious they may be, we must dare to believe in and assert the infinite, unmerited, and unchanging love of God. Love permits pain.

The sisters never doubted that He would speed at all hazards and stay their brother from death, but, "When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was."

What a startling "therefore"! He abstained from going, not because He did not love them, but because He did love them. His love alone kept Him back from hasting at once to the dear and stricken home. Anything less than infinite love must have rushed instantly to the relief of those loved and troubled hearts, to stay their grief and to have the luxury of wiping and stanching their tears and causing sorrow and sighing to flee away. Divine love could alone hold back the impetuosity of the Savior's tender-heartedness until the Angel of Pain had done her work.

Who can estimate how much we owe to suffering and pain? But for them we should have little scope for many of the chief virtues of the Christian life. Where were faith, without trial to test it; or patience, with nothing to bear; or experience, without tribulation to develop it?
--Selected

 

Loved! then the way will not be drear;
For One we know is ever near,
Proving it to our hearts so clear
That we are loved.
Loved when our sky is clouded o'er,
And days of sorrow press us sore;
Still we will trust Him evermore,
For we are loved.
Time, that affects all things below,
Can never change the love He'll show;
The heart of Christ with love will flow,
And we are loved.

 

Perfect Love

For a recovering perfectionist - This spoke healing words to me.

 God speaking when He first made man- and how they were perfect.

 Then sin came into the world and we were no longer perfect

 But He loved us enough to send His only Son to die on the cross for our sins.

I am not perfect

 but I am loved! :0)

A Weight Off of My Shoulders

This morning I went for my first 3 month check up. I am happy to report that everything looks good. We do not have the results back from all of the test yet but everything that we have has come back good. I am SO happy to have that behind me.

I also had some blood work done- and I was a little disappointed. I had wanted everything to be back to normal ranges, but they weren't. I had a few of improvements - but I do still have at least 4-6 of the things in either the high or low range. I guess it goes to show that it does take our bodies a while to recover. And also over the month of July I was not able to put as much focus on taking care of me- as I would have liked to do.

I am thrilled to have that appointment behind me and to be doing well. Three more month till my next appointment. It's like a weight has been taken off of my shoulders!

Anyway I wanted to check in here and let you all know what was going on. I am hoping to be back to more regular posting next week- but it is all up to what God lays on my heart as what is important for me to share.

I hope you all have a great week end. Ours will be hot - with triple digit temps.

A Tiny Box

Good Morning~ I hope you all are doing good this morning. I am good. I changed up my schedule this morning, hoping that by going to the park earlier to walk - that maybe I would not get as sweaty. It did not work. But I was able to walk longer than I had the two days before. I am trying to walk about 1 1/2 - 2 miles a day.

 

My devotional today was really good and I thought that I would share it in order to bless you as well. Here it is - from "Streams in the Desert" devotional book for today.

 

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Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south, blow upon my garden,

 that the spices thereof may flow out!

 (Song of Solomon 4:16).

Look at the meaning of this prayer a moment. Its root is found in the fact that, as delicious odors may lie latent in a spice tree, so graces may lie unexercised and undeveloped in a Christian's heart. There is many a plant of profession; but from the ground there breathes forth no fragrance of holy affections or of godly deeds. The same winds blow on the thistle bush and on the spice tree, but it is only one of them which gives out rich odors.
Sometimes God sends severe blasts of trial upon His children to develop their graces. Just as torches burn most brightly when swung to and fro; just as the juniper plant smells sweetest when flung into the flames; so the richest qualities of a Christian often come out under the north wind of suffering and adversity. Bruised hearts often emit the fragrance that God loveth to smell.


I had a tiny box, a precious box
Of human love--my spikenard of great price;
I kept it close within my heart of hearts,
And scarce would lift the lid lest it should waste
Its perfume on the air. One day a strange
Deep sorrow came with crushing weight, and fell
Upon my costly treasure, sweet and rare,
And broke the box to atoms. All my heart
Rose in dismay and sorrow at this waste,
But as I mourned, behold a miracle
Of grace Divine. My human love was changed
To Heaven's own, and poured in healing streams
On other broken hearts, while soft and clear
A voice above me whispered, "Child of Mine,
With comfort wherewith thou art comforted,
From this time forth, go comfort others,
And thou shalt know blest fellowship with Me,
Whose broken heart of love hath healed the world."

The Golden List Revised

Well since I have written about the Golden List - I have gotten a couple of comments which have got me thinking. Some of you already work on a thankful list. Some of the numbers were less than 10 things. And that is fine. I think that getting into the habit of writing down things that we are thankful everyday is a good one.

I think that I will do a little of revision to what I will be doing. I am thinking that I will leave myself a little more freedom on the amount of things that I add to my list each day. Maybe set a number more like 3-5 things. But I do think that what ever number I decide on - on the days that I don't feel like adding hardly anything to my list is the day that I will make sure that I write down not only the amount that I set my goal at but also to write down at least one more. To challenge myself on those tougher days to notice the things that I am overlooking.

It's always a good time to praise God. And I think that by being more focused on what I am thankful for - I will stay in more of a mind set of praising God for what I am thankful for. When we are feeling discouraged - it is a great time to praise God. I know of several people who have told me that - when they feel low - they praise God and that is what brings them out of their discouragement.

During the time that I knew that I would be losing my hair - many times I found myself crying in the shower. I finally had to come to a point of when I started feeling that sadness overwhelm me - then I would sing this chorus a couple of times until I felt stronger.

However you decide to do your Golden List is fine as long as you get into a habit of focusing on what you are thankful for and praising God. You will grow an attitude of gratitude and that will be golden! :O)

Starting My Golden List

Last night my husband and I watched a movie that had been on the Hallmark Movie channel lately. It was called "The Ultimate Life." It was actually the sequel to "The Ultimate Gift." Both of these are very good movies. And point out what is really important in life.

There was a very important habit that was introduced in "The Ultimate Life" and it was called "The Golden List." The golden list is basically writing down 10 things that you are grateful for each day. This helps you keep a grateful attitude. I suggest that each of us need to get ourselves a spiral notebook - and start our own "Golden List," if we don't already have one. Right now would be the perfect time to get our spirals since they are only about 25 cents at Walmart. This time of year - I usually pick up several of them to have around the house. They are very useful.

Anyway - this is something that I want to start today. I hope you will join me. :O)

My Dilemma

Today I want to share a dilemma that I have. This week end in my SS class - before our class got started - a lady commented on how fast my hair is growing. Oh and by the way my husband measured my hair again yesterday - one week from the last time we measured it and there is a chance that at least some of it had grown 1/8th of an inch since last week. Anyway back to my dilemma. So one of the other class members said I should put product in it and spike it and have fun with my hair.
So this is where the dilemma comes up for me.

So right now- as my hair grows out - if someone has a problem with my hair, thinks it looks dorky - what ever - it is not my fault. But if I try to style it and it looks dorky - it would be my fault.  And maybe it would not bother me quite so much if I had a thinner face. I have always liked having at least shoulder length hair in order to help my face look thinner(at least I thought so).
Anyway I know it might sound like a trivial problem to some, but I am sure I am not the only person going through this that has struggled with this.

I am thinking that tomorrow after my shower I might play with my hair a bit and see what I come up with. Maybe part of me is afraid that if I style it then people would be more likely to think that I chose to have my hair this short. Anyway that is what my dilemma is for this part of this "adventure" along my journey.

I also wanted to share some wonderful verses that I was reminded of this morning in my devotional time.

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.

I Corinthians 16:13-14 NKJV

 

There it is ~ another call to be strong and courageous!