Just a Couple of Life Hacks

I actually have a little bit of time this morning- well I am taking a little bit of time this morning to write a little post. I have learned a few things lately that I want to share with you all. And I also wanted to just let you know that I have still been busy but I am doing alright. I am still struggling with being tired- but it could be partly due to all the stuff I have going on- plus all the things I really need and want to do that I am trying to do here and there as I am able.

First off I wanted to share a little addition that has made a meal of Spaghetti go from a good meal to a delicious meal!! Really! This little tip will make a huge difference! I cut up an onion into half circles and then I sauté them in a skillet with olive oil until some of them begin to brown. Oh my goodness!! They are so yummy. And so I put the spaghetti noodles on my plate - I put the sautéed onions over the noodles and then I put the spaghetti sauce over the top of it. Now I know that many people combine the sauce with the noodles - and this idea would still work - by just adding the sautéed onions to the mixture or adding it on the top of spaghetti on each plate- of those that want onions.  We keep them separate because some people in our family really don't like the spaghetti sauce and some (me) don't like meant in my sauce so a little sauce is taken out into a small bowl before meat is added. Anyway I really think you guys will love the addition of sautéed onions to your spaghetti sauce- give it a try!!

Ok- this morning I got my Crockpot Pepper Steak going. I had pulled all the ingredients out on my cabinet to make it easier to get this going in my crockpot. Once I was done- thankfully I took just an extra effort to think through each ingredient to make sure I had put it into the crockpot - sure enough I had missed on of the important things. So I added it. So my tip for this is to take that extra time to make sure you have used all the ingredients.

This last tip has come from necessity. Over the last couple of months I have had all sorts of things going on. My husband appointments, my mother in law's appointments, and my own. So there was all sorts of things written all over my calendar. Well I knew that I needed to figure out a better way to do things. To help keep tings straight and to make the calendar look better. So I have picked a colored marker for each family member- so if my husband had something going on - I write it in blue, if my Mother in law has an appointment - that is written in green. And my own things - I write in purple. Our Granddaughter I put that in Pink - because it's her favorite color! Anyway my calendar looks so much better now. Anyway I am sure many people already do this, but it is something that I have just figured out and I am happy I did. My calendar looks much better.

Well I have an appointment to take my Mother in law to this afternoon. And I have a few things I want to get done before I go - like weed our garden boxes, trim tomato plants and get rid of the branches that are more parasite type instead of helpful to the plant, and I have a pile of branches that I cut off of a tree on Sunday - it started raining so I was not able to finish the job that day. So I would like to at least get the branches picked up and taken to the burn pile. And if I have time I would love to get some more branches trimmed from those trees. They are trees that I have never tackled before so its a bit bigger job - but it will be well worth the time. I am working on cleaning up a new area in my yard. Hopefully this area does not have poison ivy like that other large job that I tackled a couple of years ago. SO anyway now I am off to get some things done.

Oh one quick note- thank you so much to each of you dear readers for your kind comments - I love each of you and hope that you are all doing well. <> to you all. :O)

God's Promises...series Isaiah 1:18

We are continuing in our small book by John Bradshaw called "God's Promises."

This week Isaiah 1:18 will be our verse:

**********************************

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord,

 "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

 though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18

 

One thing I love about God's promises is that they are all-encompassing, God makes large, sweeping, all-inclusive promises that connect any believer with His goodness and grace. In Isaiah 1:18, God makes a remarkable statement: "Come now and let us reason together....though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

 

In its immediate context, this promise is addressed to Judah, a prodigiously wicked group of corrupt evildoers who had narrowly escaped the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. And yet God says to this sinful people that their sins can be washed away and become "as white as snow."

 

I've met some people who have done some very bad things- people in prison cells who will remain there for the duration of their lives. Yet they may obtain the assurance that while they must pay their debt to society, God can consider them to be clean from their sins. If you're carrying burdens brought about by sins and bad choices, you can know that no matter what you have done, God is both willing and able to take away your sin and make you completely clean. He has promised!



Cuteness and Beauty

 

 Ok - So I promised some cuteness- and I am hoping that the cuteness was captured in these photos!  

Introducing Peanut and Whitie! 

 

 My Mother in Law and her brother have some sheep- and this year - as of last week end they had a total of about 22 baby lambs. These two were the favorites on our visit to the "farm." One of the reasons they were the favorites is because since their Momma's refused to nurse them- they are bottle fed. So when they saw us walking out in the pasture - they came to greet us! And stayed with us the entire visit.

Oh my goodness! They will steal your heart. They are so tiny and adorable. Oh an interesting fact- the white one was only 1 week old in these photos- the brown one- Peanut was about 2 weeks older than the white one but is so much smaller.

I would have taken these guys home with me if I could have- especially if they would have stayed this small. In fact, when my husband and I were out in the chicken yard discussing putting up a temporary fence in order to keep the chickens towards the front of the yard till they are bigger(to protect them from hawks). I mentioned that we could put the fence up and put the lambs in the bigger open field and then just allow keep the chicken pin smaller. Anyway I don't think it will happen but it was fun to dream a bit. Especially with how cute and sweet these guys were!

I loved that they let us all and especially our granddaughter pet them.

Our baby chicks are growing! This past week end marked them at 2 months old. Just a few more months and we will begin to get eggs. I can not wait to share that special day with you all! I will try to get some better photos of them as soon as I can. They have grown so much and are very cute. If you will notice in this photo - the white chicken to the right - is our extra chicken that they threw in - it has feathers on it's legs - hence it's name "Feather."

Next I want to show you some beautiful things in my yard!

 

These flowers I planted several years ago. And I have been thrilled every year when they come back in. I was so thankful that I did not pull up the old dead plant- because had I done that - I would have never realized that they would come back every year and bring so much joy.

 

 

By any chance do any of you know the names of these flowers?

I am trying to find out  so that I can be on the look out for more of these. That is a way that I am trying to design my yard - is by using as many flowers that come back from year to year. Pay for it once and enjoy again and again.

Oh by the way - there is another magical reason to have these flowers! They attract hummingbirds. I can see these flowers from my sewing room window! And there are many times that I look out my window to see hummingbirds enjoying the nectar of these flowers. I am trying to get a photo to share with you all. It is amazing to see - you can tell just how small hummingbirds are when you see them eating from these flowers.

The purple flowers in this photo was bought the same year - and continue to come back as well. I believe they are called Salvia.
They are another great flower to have!



Here is a photo of my herb/rose garden. I have rosemary, oregano, sage and parsley. Most of these were planted several year ago- Parsley was planted last year.

 I love my parsley plant for a couple of reasons:

1. I use parsley for some smoothies that I make in which I use pineapple juice, spinach and parsley - blend it up and drink it. Start out slow with the amount of parsley and then build up.
2. Monarch Caterpillar's love to eat parsley. In fact, we have to compete for it for a while. But once I realized that one day soon I would be able to enjoy Monarch Butterflies - I changed my attitude and decided to share with the little guys. If you would like to learn more about Monarch Caterpillars and Butterflies click HERE.

I have a great dvd~ called Homestead Blessings The Art of Herbs by The West Ladies that I need to pull out and watch again. I am sure I need to review the pointers and info that they share. Watching their great videos really inspire me. I am glad I made that investment several years ago.

If you are interested in learning more about The West Ladies and the awesome videos they have made click HERE.  This link will take you to their blog- and from there you can click on learning videos. As I looked through - I noticed that they have a few new ones since I got mine so they will be on my wish list for sure.

Anyway there you have it the cuteness and beauty that has been in my life lately. I hope you enjoyed seeing it all. God bless you and I hope you all have a great week end.

By the way - our "God's Promises" will be on Isaiah 1:18, Come back by and check it out.
 

The Anniversary of What...

Well Good Morning! Yesterday I was able to get quite a bit done but not everything that I wanted to get done. I had wanted to mow the front yard but the sprayers ended up going on before I could get out there to turn them off so the yard was too wet. But I worked on other things instead.

 

I mentioned a couple of days ago about an anniversary that had just went by - well the 18th of April marked the one year anniversary since my very last chemo treatment. It felt great to be that far from it - especially since it means my hair is slowly getting longer. It actually gets to the collar and may go a bit past the top of the collar. So I thought I would share a photo.

 

This past week I noticed that I had pretty dark circles around my eyes. I had not noticed them so dark and obvious before. I know I have been pretty tired lately. I have been trying to get to bed earlier the last few nights- trying to get more sleep and hoping that by getting more sleep I will not feel so tired. It worries me a bit. I know we have had a lot of things going on around here and there are some stressful things that still persist, but just don't think I should be so tired all the time. Last night I was so tired I could have gone to bed about 8pm.

Anyway my next post "Cuteness" will take a bit of time and I am hoping to be able to get it taken care of soon - I can't promise it will be tomorrow but I am hoping to be able to have it together by then. See you soon :O)

Getting stuff done while I can...

So I know I promised a couple more posts for this week - and they will happen; however, not this morning. We have had really nice weather the last couple of days and I have been spending time out in my yard working. This afternoon it looks like we are in for some rough weather and I would like to get some more stuff done out in my yard. So working in the yard will come first and then I will try to get back on here later and work on some of those postings I told you about. I am happy about how the yard is beginning to look. Last year I did what mowing and such that I needed to do - but I kind of let some things go because I did not have enough energy for it all. I am getting more energy and along with some determination - I am getting things done around here- slower than I would like but at least I am able to mark some things off the list.

Well I am off to start getting some of my stuff done. Hope you all have a great day! :O)

Refreshment for the Soul

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of last week - God blessed me with a very neat experience.

 

While we were waiting on my Mother-in-law to be called upstairs for her heart Cath- I noticed a sign that pointed the way to a meditation garden. And made a note that I wanted to check it out before we left the hospital.

 

When she was taken back for her procedure - we knew we would have at least an hour before she was done and so I talked my husband into going to the garden with me.

When you first go into the garden- it has this plaque on the wall.

 

 These are the verses on the plaque in the photo above:

                            

1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 

2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant,

 and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

 a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 

10. I have seen the task, which God has given to the sons of men to be occupied in it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4,10

 

 

I love waterfalls. The sound of water flowing over a waterfall is so relaxing and refreshing to the soul. What a great addition to any garden. I would love to set something up like this in my yard.  

 

This was a little memorial tree- that people have put different little mementos on the tree. I wish I had  have taken the time to take a few close ups of some of the things.

 

This stone wall was so cool and added so much to the garden.

 

I loved how at this point you could see the waterfall from the first photo at the far end. I forgot to take a photo - they had a little bridge that you could walk over the water over at that other end as well.

There were a few different options of places to sit down in this garden.

Another kind of waterfall.

I loved these great big rocks!

This is where you walk in - but the view walking out.

 

And here is a few down to the garden from the floor we were on - as we sat in the waiting room.  

 

This garden refreshed my soul. Inspired me to continue to work towards a more beautiful yard. It is a slow go- but slowly making some progress. I am learning the plants and flowers that work the best here in Texas and that is very helpful. Especially learning the plants that will come back from year to year.

 

I hope you have enjoyed the little taste of this relaxing garden with me. It made the long day at the hospital much more doable. :O)

 

My AHA Moment

Yesterday I mentioned that I had an AHA moment this past week- well actually I have had several but there is one that I wanted to share with you this week. It is something that may not seem as much as an AHA moment to some of you - but to me- it really was.

As I was driving home from a meeting, I was listening to the radio and something was said about a suicide bomber- and it just hit me- I serve a God who sent His son Jesus Christ down to our sinful world to live a sinless life and to die for our sins, while many serve gods who expect them to sacrifice themselves. It is the ultimate counterfeit- that we could do anything to save ourselves. It is through the blood of the Lamb- Jesus Christ that we are saved.

Well there it is folks- my AHA moment. I love it when something so beautiful is brought into my understanding! If we will listen God will give us wisdom and understanding - but we have to ask for
it and we have to take the time to listen.
Oh about my MIL - I have not sure a lot yet - because we don't have any for sure answers yet. So as soon as we do know more - I will share. The only thing we know for sure is it is Lung Cancer we just don't know what stage it is.

I will be sharing some of the other things that I listed throughout the week - so be sure and check back by.

Lots to Share but No Time Tonight

I had an AHA moment today - and I am planning on hopping back on the computer tomorrow to share it with you all. I had thought I would have time to do it tonight - but after paying bills it is getting quite late and I still have a few things to do before going to bed.

Oh and I have some cuteness to share with you all this week.

And an important anniversary was meant this past week end as well. So as you can see - I should be back on a couple of times at least. The good news is that this week does not look full of appointments like my last couple of weeks have been. There could be a pop up appointment - I am thinking we should hear something tomorrow about it.

So I hope you all are doing well. Will be back on as soon as I can to share these things with you all.
:O)

God's Promises...series... Philippians 4:19

God's Promises

by John Bradshaw

"And my God shall supply all your need

 according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

In a certain sense, God puts His reputation on the line in Scripture. He frequently makes promises that are emphatic in nature and broad in scope. But sometimes these promises call for careful consideration on the part of the one who reads them. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say God will provide "some" of your needs" or "most" of your needs. It says God will provide all your needs. That has to include food, money, companionship, direction and peace of mind, to name but a few of our basic needs. So we can therefore trust that God will do what He say He will do. The God who opened up the Red Sea and fed His people with manna in the wilderness knows your needs and can provide them in abundance.

But also notice what this verse does not say. It says God will supply all our needs, not necessarily our wants. It is easy sometimes to get the two confused. You might thing you need an extra few thousand dollars to buy that "certain thing," whereas God might know you don't actually need it at all. You might be certain you need a spouse, when God knows that perhaps- for reasons you might not discern- you need no such thing right now. This suggest to us that His promise calls for trust on our part- trust that God will do what He says, and trust that He knows what we really need and what we really don't. As you trust God to do only the right things in your life, you can be certain that God will provide your needs. He has promised!

A Treasure Found

Hello~ So sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here and share what we found out.

Right now it looks like my MIL has Lung cancer- stage one. However, she has several tests that will be run this week to see if the cancer has spread. It will be a busy week for her and I for sure. I will be taking her for her PET scan on Wednesday and then Friday she has to have a stint put in- so my husband and I will be taking her for that. If she has to have a stint- (not 100% percent - or just the Dr not wanting to tell her for sure that she is having to spend the night at this point. But if she does ( which she probably will) get a stint put in she will be spending the night.

Anyway I have an appointment to get my hair cut this week. It has only been 5-6 weeks - I am certainly ready for a hair cut. It seems that the hair in the front is growing much faster than my hair in the back. I will be asking why that is. And maybe it's not but it really does seem like it is. My hair is about collar length- like if I wear a top with a collar the hair hits the collar- it's great- but man - I miss my longer hair. And it seems that I notice everyone with long beautiful hair now. It's like they are coming out of the wood work....

 

Ok - So I wanted to share a blessing with you all.
Last week I went to a favorite little thrift shop in a nearby town and I found a really great deal. Something that I had not even been looking for but so thankful that I found it.
It is upholstery fabric! That will work perfectly for our antique chairs for our kitchen table. We got my husband's grandparent's table- the kind that has two drop sides- we believe it is a Duncan Phyfe table and the chairs that we have for it- have been reupholstered by us - but not by as luxurious fabric as this is. This is thick, great quality fabric- and I was able to get enough fabric to take care of the chairs- for only $5.00! I was thrilled with such a blessing. I had not idea that I was looking for something like this but I am so thrilled that I found it.

 

 

Well in just a few days our baby chicks will be 2 months old. They are growing so fast. I will try to get a photo of them soon to post so you can see how cute they are - they are like small little chickens.

 

Well we are slowly getting things done around here. This week end we wrote out a list of short term and long term things that we want to take care of.  By having the thing written down - I am hoping that we will be able to slowly work through the lists. Today I was able to get our carpets cleaned - and marked off of our list.

 

I feel like I am missing some things that I wanted to share - but if I have I'll try to get on soon as share.

 

I hope you all are doing well. I am doing pretty good. Will get on again as soon as I can. :O)

 

God's Promises.....series... Proverbs 3:5,6

 

God's Promises

By John Bradshaw

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Proverbs 3:5,6

 

One of the great longings of the heart of the child of God is to know God's leading. There are times when God's leading can seem mysterious, and His will hard to know. What should I do with my life? Which college should I attend? Should I marry this person? Which house should we buy? What does God want me to do in a given situation? It is encouraging to know that God promises to lead us. Here is what Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5,.6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

 

"He shall direct your paths." There is no question that God has a plan for your life, your family and your career. It isn't always easy to know just what God's plan is. But if we trust God with all we have, choose not to trust our own wisdom and acknowledge God in all our ways, the promise is that "He shall direct your paths." God doesn't always lead at the speed we would like, but He leads. And if you're looking for direction in your life, expect God to make it clear to you. He has promised!



SO Very Busy...

So it looks like it is about time for an update. I have been so very busy. I am having a hard time keeping up with everything I need to do and everything I want to do. And sometimes I just spend time doing what I want to do - rather than what I need to do - because I need the "therapy" of it. That is what happened yesterday- I had a lot of stuff I needed to do - but after I got some of the list done- I decided to go buy flowers for a lot of my containers in the back yard. So I did that. And today - I spent time getting everything planted and arranged how I wanted. Then mowing my yard took precedence because there is a good chance that we are going to get rain tomorrow. So I at least got the front and a section of the back done. With the rain - I am having a hard time getting the entire yard done. I am at least trying to keep certain sections of it done. When my husband gets home we will be getting our garden plants planted. Going to have to use our raised beds and garden boxed again this year. We have had too much rain to bring the big equipment that would have to come in and square up our garden area and the bring in dirt. So when it dries up enough- we will at least get it squared- hopefully and then hopefully by next year we can get the load of dirt hauled in. It will be nice to be able to get our veggies planted. This past week I spend time getting all of our beds and boxes weeded and ready for the plants - so we won't have too much work to do- which is great because I am quite worn out from all I have done today.

 

Tomorrow will be a big day - and I will need lots of prayers. I am claiming and holding onto Deut. 33:25b-  "As your days, so shall your strength be." I am not feeling that strength today- Before I mowed I was feeling very emotional. It all stems back to my cancer adventure was so recent and now my MIL having to go through the same thing. And it just feels like the scab is being pulled off slowly- too soon. Oh tomorrow will be the day that I will take her to see the oncologist- we will find out what kind of cancer she has- I am not certain it is lung cancer- they found a tumor in the lung - but there is the possibility that the cancer spread there from some where else. But we will find out tomorrow. I will certainly appreciate any prayers we can get. I am sure it will be hard for her. Earlier I was thinking I don't even think I can be as strong as I was for my own diagnosis. - a lot of pain stems from the aftermath - what it actually is like going through chemo- the loss of hair(the worst part for me) I am not sure at the point if she will face all of that so I am having to leave all of that in God's hands and trust Him. A friend shared this verse earlier and it was very encouraging to me as well.

 

And we know that all things work together for good

to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

 

Good news is that I was able to get my garden planted as well. Now I am very tired so I will close for now. I will check in as soon as I get a chance. Hope you all are doing well.

 

 

                            

God's Promises....series--- Jude 24

God's Promises

by John Bradshaw

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

and to present you faultless before the presence

of His glory with exceeding joy."

 Jude 24

There's no question that God understand the needs of the human heart. The book of Hebrews says that Jesus is able to "sympathize with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15) and "aid those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:18). And in one of the smallest books of the Bible, we find a promise of God especially calculated to encourage the weak and the tempted. The book of Jude, found just before the book of Revelation, says in verse 24, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Take a moment to let that sink in. He is "able to keep you from stumbling."
This means that if you're prone to lose your temper, Jesus is "able to keep you" from doing so. If you've been sorely tempted by alcohol or tobacco or some other habit that continues to get the best of you, you can know that Jesus is "able to keep you" from yielding to that vice. The Spirit of God is powerful enough to clean up a corrupt mind and smooth away the roughest edges on the hardest heart, God really is able to help you love what you used to detest and hate what you used to love. Through the power of Jesus, you really can be kept where He wants you. He has promised!

Kneel and Walk Away Free

Nail it to the Cross- a beautiful song by The Whisnants


Is there something in your heart?
Between you and the Lord
Are you drifting apart?
Not as close anymore
There's nothing you can do
That He will not forgive
Bring it to the cross
Let it die so you can live.

Nail it to the cross
Get it under the blood
Drown your pain
And every stain
In the mercy flood
Nail it to the cross
Find hope and forgiveness
Kneel at the tree
And walk away free
Nail it to the cross.

Is there a burden you bear
That's got you battered and bound?
Struggling for strength
Do you long to lay it down?
Don't take another step
Just kneel where you stand
Lay it at the cross
And take the hammer in your hand.

Nail it to the cross
Get it under the blood
Drown your pain
And every stain
In the mercy flood
Nail it to the cross
Find hope and forgiveness
Kneel at the tree
And walk away free
Nail it to the cross.

I hope that this song blesses you as it did me. :O)