Heart Gifts

Quit Supposin'

 

Don't start your day by supposin'

that trouble is just ahead,

It's better to stop supposin'

and start with a prayer instead,

And make it a prayer of Thanksgiving

for the wonderful things God has wrought

Like the beautiful sunrise and sunset,

"God's Gifts" that are free

and not bought-

For what is the use of supposin'

the dire things that could happen to you

And worrying about some misfortune

that seldom if every comes true-

But instead of just idle supposin'

step forward to meet each new day

Secure in the knowledge God's near you

to lead you each step of the way-

For supposin' that worst things will happen

only helps to make them come true

And you darken the bright, happy moments

that the dear Lord has given to you-

So if you desire to be happy

and get rid of the "misery of dread"

Just give up "Supposin" the worst things"

and look for the "the best things" instead.

~ Helen Steiner Rice

They Just Don't Make 'em Like They Did

Well it seems as though this headache that I have been having was the beginning of a sickness. I am not quite sure what exactly - all I know is that my throat hurts on one side. I am having drainage and some coughing- and now my chest hurts - sore and feels heavy. I have an appointment to see my Dr tomorrow morning. I sure wish I could have got it set up for today- but it just did not work. I want to get well because my son gets his daughter this week end - and I want to be well. And I had hoped if I had gotten to the dr today and started meds - I could be better by tomorrow. Oh well. I am trying my Emergan C stuff and Vit D3 these are really suppose to help with your immune system. I just want to feel better. This headache for the past 6-7 days is getting old. And the chest hurting is no fun at all.

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

I have always loved Fisher Price- well the toys made long ago that is. I just had kind of forgotten about that love until about 2 months ago while I was at a favorite little thrift store - I found a bag that had the camper shell- with a couple of cars, an motorcycle, helicopter, and some accessories for the camper! It was only a dollar - if that. And when I got it home and started going through the bag and noticed all the cool things- that spark had began again in my heart. I looked on ebay to see a camper and to see what the truck that went with the camper looked like. The very next time that I was able to make it back to that thrift store(it is only open on Tuesday and Sundays) as I was looking in the toy section - guess what I found!?!? I found the truck that went with the camper I had bought! I was so excited - it was only 75 cent or a dollar! Well worth the money!!! At the same time I found a mini mart and bought it also- maybe a dollar for it!

 

So at this point I did not have any people - so I got on ebay and got a little set of six people. But once I found the camper - it was obvious to at least my granddaughter and myself that more people were needed so I found this cute little white with red trim car and it came with 4 people and a dog.

 

My very favorite fisher price toy when I was a girl was my garage! I love it! I still do. In fact, I have been keeping my eyes on many of them on ebay looking for just the right set to add to my collection. Oh I would have loved to have found one locally - that would have saved me a little money on shipping - and we have gone to 2 different antique malls in the area looking- and I have looked at the thrift stores in the area. But as I began to think of it- in all the years that we have gone to thrift stores and to antique malls - I have never seen a fisher price garage - older one that is. SO the likely hood of me finding one locally was/is slim. So like I have said I have looked and watched to see what prices that they garages went for. And I was surprised because it looked like you would have to pay at least $80.00 for one plus shipping, even for some rough looking ones. Even ones without any accessories at all.

Well today was my lucky day- my husband has worked quite a bit of over time lately- so we had a bit of extra money - plus I had a some of my Christmas money left over from my MIL. So today I found one- it came with 9 people and 8 cars and the lift - plus the garage looked like it was in very nice condition! And it was a buy it now deal. I looked it over very well. And then I called my husband and ran it past him. I don't like spending a lot of money without talking to him about it first. It's just the considerate thing to do. He knows how much I have wanted one and he knows that I have been looking and trying to make sure we get the best deal - but a good quality item as well. And so he said yes!!! I was so excited! Now it is going to be mailed here on the economy shipping rates- meaning it cost me less for shipping and will take 7- 14 days. It would have cost me more than double to get it here in 6-9 days. But I will be patient - I have been patient for this for a couple of months now- so I can wait another week or two. I can't wait for SweetPea to be able to play with it - She will love it!
Seriously I can't want to play with it! I know I love it!

 I will continue to keep my eyes open for other Fisher Price - vintage toys- I would like the Air Port and they have these little school buses and also the school house(never had one of these- but think my granddaughter would love it) so I am keeping my eyes open - if I find any treasures - I will certainly get on here and let you guys know.

 

Also when I get my garage - I will take photos and I will let you all know!!! I can't wait!!

Hello

Ok- so I was sick on Friday. I had a migraine. So I was not able to go get groceries and such. So that is priority for me to do today. I just wanted to check in and say Hi! I hope you are all doing well. Take care! :)

A Test You Can Take

I am making changes - and have been for a while - in order to head in the right direction. I have not lost any weight - but I hope that the changes that I have made have me headed in the right direction to be more healthy and to eventually lose some weight.

I learned something important this week and I wanted to share it with you all - just in case extra weight and not being able to lose it no matter what you try is something that you are dealing with.

We can do everything thing right in order to lose weight
and not lose weight
IF our Thyroid is not working properly.

 Did you get that?

If your Thyroid is not working properly -
even if you are doing every thing right -
 you will not be able to lose weight.

So you say that you have had your thyroid levels tested and you were told it is normal.
Well it seems that because we do not eat alot of seaweed - many people in the USA are deficient in the area of iodine (the site that I read about the iodine test that told us to use a 3 inch circle on our stomach's says about 90% are deficient.) Which when our blood tests are compared to hundreds and thousands of others- of course our levels will be in the normal range because we are all lacking in that area.

I learned a way to test yourself of your bodies need for iodine.

For this test you will need:

a  q-tip

betadine

your arm

and 24 hours

*A good time to do this test is in the morning after your shower
 or just in the morning if you shower at night. *

First of all pick a spot on your arm that will stay dry mostly.

Take the qtip and get some betadine on it and paint about a quarter sized spot on your arm.
Like so:

If you have a phone that takes photos- take a photo of it - and mark the time that you put it on your arm.

The betadine should stay on your arm for about a 24 hour period.
The faster that it is absorbed into your skin the more your body is in need of iodine.

Here is a photo of mine just about an hour or so after I applied mine.

And if I remember correctly that the betadine was totally gone within 4 hours or so.

If you are low on iodine- Kelp is a great source - you can get kelp pills. And you can take them. If you very deficient - you may want to take an concentrated iodine type supplement. I was told about some at a Nutrition store but forgot to get a photo of it. I thought if I was low I would go get me some.

The kelp is a lot cheaper than the concentrated iodine supplement - but the idea is that if you are really low in iodine - that you will take the concentrated form for a bit till your levels come up and then go to the kelp to maintain your thyroid.

So right now all I have is the kelp - so that is what I am taking. I may go back and get the more concentrated stuff - haven't decided. I thought I would try just the kelp for a week and then do the test again and see if maybe my body is doing good enough to just keep doing the kelp - if I still seem to be low - I will then get the more concentrated form of iodine.

I was told once your thyroid is working better- then your body will be more willing to release the weight. So I am hoping that my choices to be healthier along with my time on m treadmill and walking outside when possible - will result in a weight loss and I am hoping for a 20 pound weight loss. I am hoping that my December - if not before I will be able to get come on here and share the good news that I have been successful.

For now though - I am working on getting my body into better working order- while making better choices and exercising and working towards a more healthier me.

*******
Ok - So I looked up this test on the internet and one of the places that I saw this test - said to paint a circle 3 inches in diameter on your stomach and then watch it. SO you may want to try that as well. I will be.

 

Power of Prayer

So maybe our quiet times need to begin and end in prayer. The prayer at the beginning- a prayer asking for the Holy Spirit lead us into truth and for wisdom to understand what we are studying. And once our study is over- our prayers with include praising God for who He is and what He has done...and praying for our daily and friends and that the gospel be spread to the ends of the earth. 

Heart Gifts

Thank God for the Little Things

Thank you, God, for little things

that often come our way-

The things we take for granted

but don't mention when we pray-

The unexpected courtesy,

the thoughtful, kindly deed-

A hand reached out to help us

in the time of sudden need-

Oh, make us more aware, dear God,

of little daily graces

That come to us with "sweet surprise"

from never-dreamed-of places.

~ Helen Steiner Rice



And I Thought I Was Fat...

As I looked at the photos of me from 20-25 years ago I noticed that not only was I younger but much thinner than I am now. And a sad thing occurred to me - that even though I looked so nice- at that time I thought I was fat. And why was that? Well it was because I was comparing myself with other people. And that wasn't fair. I wasn't created to be someone else, only to be myself.

Now as I look back at the photos, I like what I see. And I wonder why I couldn't be happy with myself then.?

 

Now I am carrying around the 15 extra pounds that chemo and steroids put on me, plus about 5 more pounds that I have gained since then. And I know that I need to lose this 20 pounds or so. I am much more comfortable when I am 20 pounds less. I would still be over weight by the world's standards. Still over my "ideal" weight that the world sets not realizing that we are all different and therefore shouldn't all be expected to all weigh the same.

 

It is really sad what comparing ourselves with others does to ourselves. I have spent way too much of my life unhappy with myself because I did not fit the criteria that this world has set.

 

I should have loved myself and accepted myself just as I was. And I should have forgotten about the box that the world wanted to put me in. I now look at those photos of me and I just can't believe that I could not accept myself.

 

I think that I need to learn to accept myself - just the way I am. I have probably written about this before- and I hope that maybe each time I write about this that a layer of the onion is being peeled away and that I will be able to work towards having a more healthy attitude about myself in this area as well as many others.

 

I am still going to continue to make the good choices in order to lose weight. I am still going to put exercising as a priority and eating healthier. It's all about those good choices that we make. Although I have not lost any weight as of yet - I will not give up. I will stop allowing the world's criteria of what is acceptable influence me whether I like myself or not. This is a journey ~ I have not arrived- but I am headed in the right direction.

 

*****For any of you that struggle with weight lose stay tuned because I have a very important test that you can take that might just help you lose weight- once you make some adjustments to your bodies chemistry that is.

Bless or Curse...

Ok - so I had other ideas of what I was going to post today - but I can not get blogger to allow me to get my photos for my other blog posts so I will share with you a little something neat that I learned this week.

I am reading a new book. It is called "Saints and Sinners~ an insiders guide to bible people and their times" this is an awesome book and I highly recommend it. It has given me new things to think about. Today I will share this though/quote about Job's wife that I learned this week:


Sometimes Job's wife gets a bum rap because of her "Curse God, and die"(Job 2:9) statement but ~
"The original language actually says, "Bless God, and die." The Hebrew barak is ambiguous in this section of Job, sometimes standing for its usual meaning of "bless," other times implying "curse." Clearly, though, she is urging Job to tell God to take his life and get the cruel punishment over with."
Quote from the book "Saints and Sinners~an insiders guide to bible people and their times"

We often times forget that she too, had lost all of her children in one day - not to mention all the animals and servants. So much lost in such a little amount of time. Then on top of that now her husband was hurting. Who of us likes to see our husbands suffer? When our spouses suffer - we suffer. So we can understand just a bit of what she must have been going through.

The book went on to day that Job's response to her may have seemed a bit harsh - but it pointed out that Job saw that his wife was spiraling to discouragement and depression and he wanted to stop that from happening.

I have so enjoyed this book. It is really a great read. Helping me see how God uses willing people -We often times get fooled into thinking that we are not good enough to be used by God but if we are willing He can use us no matter what mistakes we make along the way.

Guess what? I just found where you can go read at least the first chapter of this book online if you are interested! Click HERE. I wish it shared more - because the 2nd chapter on "The Betrayers" talks about Judas and Peter and it makes some awesome points! Maybe I will do another post about the comparison. See you next time. Hopefully I can get the photos to upload soon so I can post these other posts that I would like to share with you all.

One post is about a test that you can do to help your chances of losing weight. See you soon. :O)

An Unexpected Source

"Thank you for having Jesus in your heart"

 A blessing that my husband and I received yesterday from such an unexpected source.

 Keep your eyes open, you might be surprised who Jesus uses to touch you today!

 And also be open to see how He can use you to touch others as well! 💗

2 Years Ago Today....

It's been a while since I have shared an update on the growth of my hair. And since today is the 2 year anniversary of when my husband shaved my hair because it was dying, I decided this would be a great time to give an update.

 

As I type it seems like it just happened. It was a hard time. On Thursday - my hair felt bouncy and healthy - actually felt a little healthier than it had been. It gave me a little false hope because I thought, "Oh I might be the one that does not lose my hair" - I think it is VERY rare not to lose your hair when you are on Carbo/Taxol chemo regimen.

 

By Sabbath morning in the shower when I was washing my hair I noticed there was quite a bit of hair. And Sunday - when I was taking a shower- I actually gasped at how much hair came out with just a swipe of my hand across the side of my head. I decided I would not be shampooing my hair at all. I just wanted to make it through the day.

We had our granddaughter and I wanted to wait till after she left for us to shave my head.

If I remember correctly - we watched SweetPea for a couple of hours that day - and when my son came to pick SweetPea up - he had shaved his head. He knew what I was fixing to have to do. As soon as I saw him - I cried.

 

They left our house at about 5pm - and shortly afterwards would be the time to shave my head.

There were tears and there was laughter. I laughed through tears that if we were ever on The Amazing Race - that we know we would be able to shave our heads for lots of money - if we faced that challenge. In these times of sadness it is best to try to find the humor in things. Laughter is good for the soul.

 

Anyway so without further to do- Here is my hair 2 years later!

 

Sorry that the photos aren't real clear - but they give you an idea of what my hair looks like. My hair is about the same color as before - it used to be more coarse - not it is more fine, which makes it a bit thinner than it used to be. But thankfully I can still style it the way I like to. And hey - it's great to have hair again.

 

I am still having some issues with my eye lashes. But I have found a mascara that it helping a bit - so I will try to do a post about it. I think it is some fabulous mascara - oh and it is one of the cheap ones- like $5.94! And I have tried more expensive stuff and it hasn't done as well as this one has. I will try to type that up later this week.

Come What May...

Today, in America, Martin Luther King, Jr life is celebrated with a Federal holiday. This morning as I was walking on my treadmill I just happened to hear this awesome quote and had took note of it. And then when I checked Facebook -just a little later- I found it! I really like this quote. And many of his other quotes. I think that he would be disappointed with some the behaviors that are found today- not at all in line with peace and seeking to do God's will as many of his quotes share.

Really Look It Over

There is something else important that my sister and I have learned while thrift store shopping. And it is something we have learned from experience.

It is a very good idea to really look over each piece of clothing that you are thinking about buying. We have learned from experience that people donate clothes with stains, holes, and even clothes that they have altered that may not work for us.

And of course, it is a great idea to try things on. There have been many times that because we tried a piece of clothing on - we have noticed a stain or hole that we may have missed had we not tried it on. Also button - buttons and zip zippers. Sometimes clothes come with extra buttons - so if it is missing a button you may be able to replace it with one sewn into clothing elsewhere. And sometimes it would work to just replace all the buttons.

Having a bad zipper is a harder fix indeed - so be sure and make sure they work.

One more think to take notice of is the design on the top - check it out. I bought a cute top once that was really cute. It even had new tags on it! I though I had gotten a great deal. Once I got home - I noticed that on the back by one of the arms there was a distinctive flaw in the design. I was disappointed. That is why I say be sure and just really look each item over.

Many times thrift stores have policies that once you buy the item you can not return it so check those clothes out before you buy them. You will glad you did.

Power of Prayer

"I will bring the one –third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ” (Zechariah 13:9 NKJV)

 "The traumatic process of testing and trial will result in the remnants being established in a special relationship with God." notes for this verse in my Andrews Study Bible.

When we go through various trials we get new revelations into who God is, which in turn draws us into a deeper relationship with Him!

And prayer just happens to be a very important part of the whole process of getting to know God more and more. It is also a great tool to help us to hold onto Him through the trials.

Heart Gifts....series

God's Jewels

We watch the rich and famous

Bedecked in precious jewels,

Enjoying earthly pleasures,

Defying moral rules-

And in our mood of discontent

We sink into despair

And long for early riches

And feel cheated of our share-

But stop these idle musings,

God has stored up for you

Treasures that are far beyond

Earth's jewels and riches, too-

For never, never discount

What God has promised man

If he will walk in meekness

And accept God's flawless plan-

For if we heed His teachings

As we journey through the years,

We'll find the riches jewels of all

Are crystalized from tears.

 

~ Helen Steiner Rice

 

A Blessing 3 years in the Making

About 3 years ago - I was blessed with a juicer. A Jack La Lanne's Juicer and it looks a lot like this:

Photo borrowed from internet.

I had thought how cool it would be to have the book that went along with it that had all sorts of recipes. I looked some up on the internet and just did not want to spend the money - $ on book plus shipping. Anyway I thought someday I will find one at the thrift store. Well this was the week that I would find one. On Tuesday I was at one of my favorite thrift stores nearby and I found the book! Not only did I find the book but it was only 50 cents!!!

I am not big into juicing - probably never would have bought myself a juicer - but since I was blessed with one - every so often I use it. One of the recipes that I have used is in this link to Magic Potion a post I did on a juicing recipe that I have used.

Today I made myself a juice called - One Potato Sweet Potato basically because I had all the ingredients on hand. Here is the recipe just in case someone is interested:
1 orange (peeled)
1 pear
2 carrots (tops removed)
1 sweet potato

Be sure and wash your produce before you juice it.

And one little thing before I close - so I understand that by juicing a person gets lot of nutrients, but you don't get the fiber from the food that way. Another thing is that it is pretty expensive to juice and you tend to waste(I give my chickens the waste that is left over.) So if the budget is tight- I would suggest buying the freshest produce that you can and eating it- that way you get all the nutrients from it.

But because it was a blessing from God that not only I got the juicer - free- but I got the book for cheap. And that is certainly a blessing from God!!! And I praise Him for all the blessings that I have.

Black Bean Hummus

So I have already shared the recipe that I use to make a Hearty Hummus. I really like it a lot. Today I tried something a bit different and I really like it as well. I would like to share the recipe because I think it is great and think others would enjoy it. It is hummus made with black beans. Yep- black beans! Just another way to get a little more variety in what you eat.

Black Bean Hummus

1- 15-oz can) black beans, drain and rinse

1/3 c. water(I ended up having to add just a bit more water- like 1 T.)

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. tahini

1-2 cloves of garlic(I used 2 but think I will probably only use 1 next time- it was a little more garlic than I am used to eating)

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

dash of celery seed-(all I had was celery salt so used that)

Combine in blender.

Whiz until smooth.

Serve with cracker or chips.

For a real flavor hit, combine a recipe of black bean hummus and regular hummus.

* To make regular garbanzo hummus, just replace black beans with garbanzos and increase the lemon juice to 2 1/2 - 3 T.

I found this recipe in a new cookbook that I found this week for 50 cents! And it is in brand new condition. The name of it is: Vital Vittles by Heather Leno. I have had a challenging time finding the book online. But I was able to find a site that actually has links to a good amount of the recipes. If you will click HERE you will be taken to the site and you can just scroll down and read the recipe titles and see if anything looks like something you would like to see the recipe for- then click and check it out.

Or you can click on the link above for another great recipe for Hummus.

One Simple Trick

Today I want to share an important thing to remember when buying clothes used. It will seem very simple but many do not do this one simple trick.

I believe for a long while I missed out on some great items because I did not try stuff on. Mostly because of what size the time said it was. But one time I was shopping with my sister and she pulled out a pair of really cute jeans and said, "hey try these on. I think they will fit you." When I looked at the jeans, I noticed that they were a size smaller than what I wore. Well thankfully I listened to her and tried them on. They fit and I learned something important that year, I learned that a size in one brand may be called another size in another brand.  I also learned that over time some brands have actually changed how they size things. I know for sure that both Wal-mart and K-mart have done this. Because of these reasons it is important to keep an open mind and when looking for clothes- be sure and try them on- especially the things you really like. You may be surprised at what you find! I know I was! In my closet right now I have several different sizes of jeans and tops and that is ok - as long as the items fit me and I like them.

So remember - be sure and try things on. You may find favorite pieces just because you took the extra time to try stuff on. Also you will see how it fits you and that is a great thing. Not all things are made the same. And just because one things fits you good doe not mean that everything will.

Menopause Help

Today's post will be a bit of a public service post. Something that I had read about, but was a bit skeptical about until I had an experience that proved I to be true.

You stay cooler when sleeping on satin pillow cases. About 6-8 months ago- I bought 2 satin pillow cases. And we have been using them since then. Well on black Friday - I found a great set of sheets for our bed. They are a paisley print and I love them! Well with all my trying to get used to my new cpap mask- I have been changing between my pillow with the satin pillow case and to a softer pillow with the paisley pillow case. Well one night I ended up using the pillow with the paisley pillow case and even though the temperature in the house was the 68 degrees that we keep it at - I was hot. I had a rough night trying to get comfortable. As I lay there I remembered reading about how the satin pillow cases - but you know you can't believe everything you read. Many things claim amazing things - not all are true though. But now I am a believer in the satin pillow cases.

So if you are having issues with being hot at night - you may want to try a satin pillow case. I can't promise anything - because everyone is different - I just know it worked for me. Good luck. I you do try this out and find it to be true for you as well- please let me know. Thanks so much!

Power of Prayer

Prayer is powerful- but you might miss out on how powerful it can be. If you do not keep track of your prayers either by a prayer journal or recording your prayer request in a spiral notebook. Then periodically read through your prayer request. When you come across prayers that have been answered be sure and mark it some how so that later you are able to see how many of your prayers are answered. Try it! You might be surprised to see many more answers to prayer than you ever realized!

Organizing Mess

"I'm organizing," she said as his eyes surveyed the mess that encompassed several rooms.

This one sentence explains my week, well the part of the week that was left after Sweetpea had to go back to her momma.

My sewing room/playroom had become a mess! And I knew that it, plus other areas of my home, needed attention...and soon. So this week I made sure it was a priority! I am very happy with how much I got done. I still have quite a bit to do but I have made wonderful progress.

I have gone through things and I have thrown some things away and other things-I am finding just the right new home for them. I have quite a bit of stuff going out of the house. This is a very good thing. It means that the house looks nicer and it is easier to organize.

Do you see anything missing from this photo?

Well we also decided since it had been 9 1/2 years since I got my nice sewing machine and we have not had it serviced at all during that time - that it was time to have it done. My machine has been a wonderful machine. Well worth the money that we paid for it. The only problem that we have had is that the thread cutter stopped working about a year ago. And let me tell you - having a machine that cuts the thread saves you ALOT of thread. It has been sad how much thread is wasted while that feature has not worked.

Anyway it will take 7-10 days for it to get serviced. And probably about $100.00- maybe more. I will let you know once we get the machine back. For now - my space on my desk is bare. Which is a good thing - only because my sewing cabinet has too much stuff on it and I am going to be moving stuff off of my sewing cabinet and placing the stuff onto my desk and then find homes for the stuff that I do not want on my sewing cabinet. I will be happy when this job is done. It makes it a much more pleasant place to walk into when it is organized. This job will probably have to wait till Sunday or during the week - because I just don't have time before sundown to tackle such a big job.

Oh and I am excited about something - this months block of the month - actually has where is I change a white piece to a matching yellow piece- I can have a block with 4 hearts on it. I am planning on doing a post about this block for that very reason! So be watching for that. But I will not be able to put this block together till I get my machine back - unless I want to use one of our other less fancy machines. Anyway so be patient for that post.

Heart Gifts...series

 

God Is Never Beyond Our Reach

No one ever sought the Father

And found He was not there,

And no burden is too heavy

To be lightened by a prayer,

No problem is too intricate

And no sorry that we face

Is too deep and devastating

To be softened by His grace,

No trials and tribulations

Are beyond what we can bear

If we share them with our Father

As we talk to Him in prayer-

And men of every color,

Every race and every creed

Have but to seek the Father

In their deepest hour of need-

God asks for no credentials,

He accepts us with our flaws,

He is kind and understanding

And He welcomes us because

We are His erring children

And He loves us every one,

And He freely and completely

Forgives all that we have done,

Asking only if we're ready,

To follow where He leads-

Content that in His wisdom

He will answer all our needs.

Cpap Saga From the Beginning

Ok - obviously this post should have come before the last one, I thought I had posted this- I have no idea why I hadn't.

1st night: I had a hard time getting comfortable, but I slept a bit better than either of the nights at the sleep study center.

2nd night: On my second night with the cpap machine - the time it took me to go to sleep and then get back to sleep once I woke during the night was shorter than the night before.

3rd night: On my third night of sleep - I realized that maybe my soft pillow would be a better choice and make it easier for me to get comfortable with the mask. I had been going back and forth between my favorite pillow and a softer one.

4th night: Friday night was my forth night with my cpap machine and I just have to say it was a rough night. I kept waking up and have the hardest time getting comfortable - even with the softer pillow.  This ended up being a blessing...

Which takes us to the 5th night. My husband also uses a cpap machine, but he only uses a mask that goes over the nose. Well since Friday night was so rough on me - we decided that I would try one of his masks and it worked SO much better. I could get comfortable on my stomach even!

This helped me decide to call and request them to send me the nasal pillows mask that I actually tried at my sleep study. I think the decision for me to use a full mask was because I tend to breath through my mouth but -I think I will learn not to do that. And if I continue to have problems - there is a mouth piece that I can get and use in order to keep my mouth shut at night.

Stay tuned for the next part in our Cpap Saga.

Holding out for Favorites

Over the years my sister and I have learned to hold out for favorites when it comes to buying clothes. By that I mean that when we are shopping we try hard not to buy something just because it will do. We want what we buy to be things that we love.

In years past we didn't do such a good job with holding out for things that we loved. Many times we would get things because they meant a certain criteria. One main criteria for tops that I buy are tops that are long enough. I don't like short tops. And so sometimes when I found tops that were long enough - I would get it even if they color or design was not something that really spoke to me. But as time goes by I/we are really doing better at waiting for pieces of clothing that we really like. For example we try to hold out for great colors, favorite designs and favorite styles. There are times- that we might slip and buy something that doesn't fall under favorite category, but it is much less often now.

I am hoping by using a book to record what I buy, that I can also record and keep track of how many of my purchases are actually favorites. I understand that something things that seem like they are going to be favorites- end up not hanging right or what ever-  but overall I hope that I see a trend to more and more holding true to myself and getting things I love.

Stay tuned because I have a little more to share about things we have learned about thrift store shopping.

Cpap Saga Continues

When last I wrote - I had decided to ask for the nasal pillows mask to be sent to me. On Wednesday I received the nasal pillows. And 2 hours into the night I woke up because around my nostrils was hurting - they were very sore. Thankfully my husband helped me switch the mask out to his nasal mask for the rest of the night.

The next day my husband and I talked and we thought - well maybe the nasal pillows is something that a person has to get used to using. So I decided to try it out a few more nights. By Sunday I decided that I would probably not get used to the nasal pillows mask and went back to the nasal mask. And I slept much better. In fact, the last couple of nights I have only gotten up once to use the bathroom. And that is surprising. I feel like I am awake a lot less during the night. And it feels good to be getting some rest. It is still going to take some getting used to using but I think I am on my way to this working out for me.

So yesterday I put in a call to my supply company to request the nasal mask- one of my own- a new, better design has come out and it makes it easier to get on and off.

I will probably write again in a week or so to let you all know how things go with it.

Record Book

Sometimes I get my best ideas from other people. today I am going to be sharing an idea that I have gotten from my sister.

So you know that my sister and I do a lot of our shopping for clothes and such at thrift stores? Well a year or so ago my sister began to wonder how much she was spending on clothing. So she bought a small notebook to keep in her purse so that she could keep track of her purchases.

Then she set a budget for herself. Then for the entire year of 2015 she would record what she bought and how much money she spent. And by the end of the year she discovered she had not only stayed in budget, she had some money left over!!

So I decided that I would like to see how much money I spend on clothes and such each month and for the year. So I went and bought a little notebook for my purse and I will begin keeping track of my purchases. Here is my record book:

 I am kind of thinking that I may want to keep track of other purchases as well. It will be interesting to keep up with how much money is spent.

I may do some posts about my purchases throughout the year. I am not sure yet. 

So I am just wondering - do any of you keep track of what you spend and what have you found the best methods?

God's Mysterious Ways OR No Excuses

God works in mysterious ways. This was something I was reminded of again this past week end! I had always wanted an exercise machine - just did not know if I had room. Once we figured out that our plans for our sunroom are put on hold till we can take care of a few extra things- it was obvious that it would be a great space to exercise.

Well you all remember how just a couple of years ago- God provided this awesome elliptical for me? And at a great deal too!

 Well I tried and tried to use it but it really took a lot of work at it as hard for me to use it more than a 2-3 minutes at a time. Let me tell you - it did a great job of reminding me I was out of shape.

I decided I was going to have to go with something that I could handle and that I could actually exercise on for some length of time. I shared on Facebook about wanting to sell my elliptical and my sister in law said she had a treadmill that she was wanting to get rid of - could we trade? Why YES! That would be a great idea! It took longer than I had really wanted to get the trade made. But on the morning that we were going to have our family Christmas get together- God gave me a brilliant idea- we each load up our machine in our trucks and then trade out. That way no one had to go out of their way to make the trade. And just like clockwork - it worked out great!

Here is the treadmill that I got:

And I love it!! It's what I have always wanted!! When it is cold or hot outside I can now walk in the comfort of my home! And this morning I was able to walk for the first time. I have some goals for this year and getting in better shape is one of them. The other one is to lose the 15 pounds that I gained with chemo. And I know a lot of New Year's Resolutions go by the wayside shortly after the first of the year. But I intend on keeping these. I intend on being successful. I have NO excuses now.

 

Crazy Weather

Ok - I thought I would share something that has traveled around Facebook - at least on mine.
This is a prime example of how crazy our weather can be here in Texas! The Friday - was Christmas Day. Seriously - this was our weather.

 

We woke up to snow on Monday morning! Thankfully it was not very icy because Monday at noon - was the set time for us to get our sweet granddaughter.

Poor thing ended up with Strep throat on Thursday - and is slowly feeling better.

Well I just wanted to pop in for a few minutes and share this with you all. I hope you all are doing well. Take Care :O)

Power of Prayer

"Confess your trespasses to one another,

 and pray for one another

that you may be healed.

 The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

James 5:16