One Man's Trash.....

My son has gotten into scrapping. He picks up metal and such that people are discarding and he takes it in and gets money for it. Several times a year they do a bulk pick up in this area and that is when he can get a whole lot of stuff!

It can be a lot of work because some of the stuff has to be taken apart in order to get the best deal. More money comes from certain metals - so he has to sometimes take the tires off the rims and things like that. Sometimes they get dis guarded washer, dryers and fridges. One time he got really lucky and when he was picking stuff up the older lady came out and told him that the dryer he was picking up ( which was in excellent shape just needed a new belt - and less than $10.00 later he had a new dryer to replace his much older dryer that wasn't very energy efficient.

I enjoying him scrapping because ever so often I get a treasure. This bird cage is so cool and I love it so he let me have it. I will find something awesome to do with it! :O)

I love it when people put things they don't need/want out so that others can pick it up because truly one mans trash can be another mans treasure- or in my case - woman! :O)

When I first composed this post I actually had no idea that God would led  me to adding this next part. I had this post already typed up and in the queue ready to be posted when the time came. But God started speaking to my heart about this and then as I was pondering this topic it just totally worked out to put this altogether because it really does go together. 

Have you ever felt discarded?

Looking in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary we find the definition for Discard

DISCARD, verb transitive

1. To throw out of the hand such cards as are useless.

2. To dismiss from service or employment, or from society; to cast off; as, to discard spies and informers; to discard an old servant; to discard an associate.

3. To thrust away; to reject; as, to discard prejudices

DISCARDED, participle passive Thrown out; dismissed from service; rejected.

 Have you ever felt discarded? I know I have and it doesn't feel good. But the good news is that the same is true of people as it is with things - some people may think of you as no longer useful but there will always be One who will never discard you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. You can count on Him when no one else seems to care. Others may discard you but to God you will always be a treasure~ You can count on that! And just as the scrap metal is valuable- so are you! 

 

Sabbath Praise

I hope you all are having a great week end. :O)

More Creativity From My Sewing Room....series

A funny thing happens when I get into my sewing room and work on projects. I enjoy it so much I make more time for it and I get more things done. 

Sometimes I don't have a lot of time so I just work on getting my fabric iron so I can more easily come and get stuff cut out. 

And then sometimes I just get the pieces cut out and ready to go.   

And then the fun part comes - putting the pieces together to form the block. 

I am slowing getting these blocks make up for this Block of the Month. I think I have 3 more in this set to put together. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will be able to get those finished and able to share here. 

What projects are you getting done- I would love to hear about them. It might help inspire me. :O) 

Money Saving Tip

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Today's post is gonna seem like a no brainer but I think it is something great to be reminded of from time to time. We can not fall into a rut of getting what we get because it was the best deal at the time we bought it. Prices change and new products can be found that could be a better deal. 

The milk on the left is from Sprouts- it is about a 35 minute drive or so from my house to the local Sprouts store. I found this shelf stable Almond milk for $1.79 for 32 oz. It was a great deal at the time and so I kept getting it. Since it is shelf stable - it was easy to keep it around. I would pick up a few extras when I went to the store. 

Well one day about a week or two ago I was running low on my milk. I did not have a trip planned to Sprouts so while I was at Aldi's I decided to look and see what choices they had for me and that is when it happened. I found this carton (on the right) that was the exact same price - but double the size as the one from Sprouts! 

I had shied away from buying the bigger carton for a while because I did not know if I could use it all before it went bad - but I am SO thankful that I checked it out and bought it because it has worked well and saved me money! And I like to save money!!

So just remember - what you are buying might be a great deal - but ever so often you may want to compare and make sure you are still getting the best deal. :O)

Healthy Tidbits...useful information for prediabetic, diabetic, or not

Today's healthy tidbit post will actually take you to another page - where you will find some great information - especially if you are prediabetic or diabetic. They use the acronym PILAF  to help you better measure your insulin resistance. Lots of great information. I hope you find it useful. :O)

Construction Comparisons

For many years we have had an empty lot next door. It belonged to our elderly neighbors. After the husband passed away a couple of years ago they started cleaning up the land and then sold. Then it set empty for a couple more months.

Several months ago they began the long process of building. I enjoy watching the show "House Hunters" and "House Hunters International." Many times people bypass a house for the main reason that there is construction nearby. Now I some what understand why. It disrupts the peace and serenity but it isn't all the time that they are working so it has been bearable. In fact, I have learned some lessons by watching them build the house.

I have learned that a good foundation is important and that there is a certain order that things are done. I have also learned that sometimes they have to stop working when weather conditions are not favorable. They finish much of the out sections of the house before working on the innards of the house. Many of these things are also important in the Christian life.

It is very important in the Christian life to have a solid foundation.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 NLT 

The work is not done all at once but done one step at a time.

 "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6

Having a house built next door can be noisy and unpleasant at times but it won't last forever. And not only do I get to watch the process, I get to learn valuable object lessons by watching and listening to the Holy Spirit. We can learn many lessons in life if we are listening. Whether its a house being built, watching my chickens, working in the garden, or what ever we are doing - there are lessons to learn. So let's be still long enough to hear.

Stay tuned there are several more post to come about the comparison between the construction of a house and construction of a Christian. :O)

My Best Deal...series

Today I want to tell you about my most recent best deal. In fact, I did not realize how good of a deal I got till a couple hours after I purchased this dress: 

This "Danny and Nicole" dress was found at my favorite little thrift store. When I say little I mean little. Lately they have gotten so many donations that they have had great sales to move things along. That is why I was able to get this great dress for only $1.00!! Yep! $1.00. I was SO thrilled. Already felt I had gotten an awesome deal. A couple of hours later I looked up the brand on google - since I had actually never heard of it before- and in the process I found the exact dress for sale at Sears.com 

And this is when I found out what a great deal I got - it is $75.00!! 

By the way these photos don't do this dress justice. If you were to pull out the hem on each side - you would find it come up to half circle and the design is beautiful. There is a black lace panel - but the flowers roll up and down on the top section of the black lace. The dress has a zipper up the back of it. And originally came with a belt. I did not get the belt, but I know what it looks like so I will be watching the thrift store for it - just in case it shows up. If it does not - its' not a big deal to me - I don't have the thinnest waist so it might be better not to draw attention to it. 

I am so thankful to have such a great dress to add to my closet and for the best deal every $1.00!!! :O) 

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Beauty in the Yard on a Budget

A couple of years ago I found this cute castle planter. It is divided into 4 sections. I always envisioned planting these flowers in it. But until this year I had not found them for sale when I was looking. 

This year I lucked out and found them. They were sold in little containers for 1.49 a piece  - I bought 4. It took about a month or so but I am getting beautiful flowers now.  

It has brought a lot of joy into my life.  

I am glad I found the flowers that I wanted to plant in this cute planter and I am happy with how well it has worked! The white metal stand I bought at my favorite little thrift shop for less than $5.00 - what a deal! :O) 

Sabbath Praise

This is such a great song I couldn't help but share it even if it may have been shared before. I hope it blesses you. God knows everything about us. He loves us an accepts us and I am SO thankful for that!! :O)

70X7 or 3 strikes you are out

During my growing up years we moved around a lot. In fact, it seems that I didn't ever go to a school more than 2 years in a row before we moved away.

Back in those days we did not have the technology we have today so we were not able to keep in contact with our friends. We made friends and then left friends behind.

There are some valuable lessons that are learned in long term friendships and the one I want to talk about today is that of forgiveness. Being friends for a long time means there will be disagreements and there will be hurt feelings and in order to make it through them there had to be forgiveness. And sometimes it is making it through the tough times that has strengthened friendships.

I think it is because of moving so much and not learning the lessons of forgiveness that I tended to be a "three strikes you are out" kind of person. If someone hurt my feelings then I didn't want to give them a chance to hurt them again so I built walls. But I hadn't been asking myself the three important questions that I talked about last week. You can click on the link above if you missed it. Anyway I hadn't asked myself what would Jesus do? or What did Jesus do? or What did Jesus say to do? Because if I had have I would have seen Jesus forgiving over and over. I would have remembered the conversation between Peter and Jesus - when  Peter asked Jesus how many times he needed to forgive.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Matthew 18:21

"Till seven times? It has been suggested by some that the rabbis limited the times one should forgive another to three, on a false interpretation of Amos 1:3. Fully away of the fact that Christ always interpreted the law in a broader sense than the scribes(see Matt. 5:17,18) Peter here seeks to anticipate the degree of patience Christ might be expected to recommend, seven being the number generally thought of as representing perfection. But forgiving a person "seven times," and no more, would be a mechanical sort of forgiveness.
Forgiveness, on the part either of God or of man, is much more than a judicial act; it is a restoration of peace where there had been conflict (see Rom. 5:1)." SDA Comm. volume 5 page 448-449

22 "Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Matthew 18:22

"Forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics or legal regulations, but and attitude. He who harbors within himself the idea that at some future time he will not forgive, is far from extending true forgiveness even though he may go through the form of forgiving. If the spirit of forgiveness actuates the heart, a person will be as ready to forgive a repentant soul the eighth time as the first time, or the 491st time as the eighth. True forgiveness is not limited by numbers; furthermore, it is not the act that counts, but the spirit that prompt the act." pg449

I may have moved around a lot during my growing up years but I have been blessed to be in the same general area for 26 years and during this time I have slowly been learning this lesson of forgiveness. In fact, I have one friend in particular who helped me learn this lesson when we had a disagreement and worked through it. And I am thankful that God brought her into my life. Sadly she has moved to Amarillo but I have hope that one day she will move back to the area since she has children who live about 30-45 minutes from me.

We may not have had the opportunity to learn some of the important lesson growing up. But if we surrender our lives to God, He is faithful to finish the work He has begun in us.

 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 

"God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sins, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart." MB114 

My Best Deal...series

It seems as though lately I haven't been finding great deals so when I found these two pairs of jeans in great shape for only $1.00 a piece I jumped at it even though I did not have an opportuninty to try them on. I had my granddaughter with me and had promised to take her to Walmart for her to get her Daddy a Father's Day gift. She was being as patient as she could be but I didn't want to push my luck so decided to just buy them. I knew I could take them to the consignment store and sell them if they did not work for me. Luckily for me they fit - one pair fit better than the other but by the time fall rolls around and I am wearing jeans again - I am sure they will fit! Both pairs are a bit too long for me but that it totally fine because I like long jeans and don't mind hemming them- but I decided not to do any hemming until fall just in case jeans are too big for me at that point and in which case to the consignment store they will go. 

I love dark blue jeans so this was an even better score for me! 

One pair of Rider by Lee and the other pair was Cato. $1.00 each! What a great deal!! 

Have you gotten a great deal lately? I would love to hear about it! :O) 

Healthy Tidbits ~ beans

K


This video is less than 30 minutes. It is about beans.  You might be surprised at what you learn about beans. Please take some time to watch this video. :)

Goals, Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones

(as of yesterday) 

Every year I set a goal on my runtastic app on my phone- 210 miles is what I have set the goal for the last two years. Last year - I barely made it. This year I decided I was gonna have to push myself to do better.

During July when I take care of my granddaughter all month - it is hard for me to get my walks in. We go to the park and we may do some walking but its shorter walks than I usually do by far. So I knew that I needed to set a goal to be at before July got here so that I could still easily reach my goal by the end of the year. And I actually have not only reached that goal but went past it and continue to log miles towards my yearly goal through the rest of this month.

Although I have not reached my 50 by 50 goal yet - I am making progress - for which I am thankful.Over the last 3 years I have come face to face with many stumbling blocks. Sometimes I have to face the same ones more than once. Some issues are harder to resolve than others and so it takes more time. Sometimes it comes down to me trying to face the issue in my own power~ big mistake.

A year or so ago I received this message from the Lord:

"I have given you the victory"

And I continue to hold onto this promise. It is truly through the power of Jesus that I can be successful and reach my goals. But I con be assured that at every turn I will be confronted with stumbling blocks. But there is good news! Each time you press on toward the goal- that block has less and less power over you. It may show up again but you will remember the success of getting past it the last time and you can again call on the strength and power from God that resulted in success that last time to help you again.

God has promised to complete the work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6) It is an ongoing work. We can tell that because it says "Will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

So yest we will have many stumbling blocks on our way towards our goals But we can rest assured if our goals line up with the will of Jesus, we can trust that through His power we will reach our goals. And one day we may see that those stumbling blocks were actually stepping stones leading us home.

Creativity From My Sewing Room ....series

Good Morning! So I have decided that I need to spend more time being creative in my sewing room. I will do my best to share at least one thing a week that I have done to be creative in my sewing room. Now the month of July I may not do so well since I will be spending a lot of time taking care of my granddaughter - but I will do my best before then and after that to be sharing something that I am doing. And as you have already figured out it may not all be sewing. 

Today's creativity is a dress that I bought that I ended up feeling was a bit too short for me. I really like my dresses to go over the knees - if not half way down my calf. Anyway so I loved this dress - the fact that it has pockets made me think outside of the box and figure out something to do to make the dress work for me. That is when I decided to get some lace and sew it to the hem. I went to Hobby Lobby for the lace and after my 40% coupon - I paid just over $8.00 for the piece of lace that not only went on the bottom hem - but I also ended up adding a strip of lace at the neck line. It brought the whole look together nicely! Between pinning the lace to the hem and then sewing it on only took about 15 minutes. Hand sewing the lace at the neck took a little more effort and time but the outcome was well worth the extra time and money. 

Sonoma Dress ~ $3.50 

Lace~ $8.07 (with some lace left over) 

Total cost~ $11.57 

What I love about thrift store shopping is that I can invest a bit of money into a piece of clothing and still get it cheaper than what I would have paid for it brand new. And it's even better when the item is in pristine condition as well! 

I think I will get plenty of use out of this awesome dress - well worth the time,effort and money to have a dress that works well for me! 

Have you altered something to make it work better for you? I would love to hear about it :O) 

Will You Permit It?

This is a recent Streams in the Desert devotional that I thought was too good not to share with you all. This is my favorite devotional book ever. I think it is because it was compiled by someone who, she herself went through a great deal of suffering and so she understood the suffering heart and what would be encouraging to it.  I hope it blesses you as well. :O) 

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...because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith. (1 John 5:4)

At every turn in the road one can find something that will rob him of his victory and peace of mind, if he permits it. Satan is a long way from having retired from the business of deluding and ruining God’s children if he can. At every milestone it is well to look carefully to the thermometer of one’s experience, to see whether the temperature is well up.

Sometimes a person can, if he will, actually snatch victory from the very jaws of defeat, if he will resolutely put his faith up at just the right moment.

Faith can change any situation. No matter how dark it is, no matter what the trouble may be, a quick lifting of the heart to God in a moment of real, actual faith in Him, will alter the situation in a moment.

God is still on His throne, and He can turn defeat into victory in a second of time, if we really trust Him.

“God is mighty! He is able to deliver;
Faith can victor be in every trying hour;
Fear and care and sin and sorrow be defeated
By our faith in God’s almighty, conquering power.

“Have faith in God, the sun will shine,
Though dark the clouds may be today;
His heart has planned your path and mine,
Have faith in God, have faith alway.”

“When one has faith, one does not retire; one stops the enemy where he finds him.”
—Marshal Foch

Three Important Questions to Consider

Do you remember back a few years the question "What would Jesus Do?" was all over- even used on bumper stickers. It's a great question to consider but recently I heard of another question we should consider and then as I was pondering these questions came up with another one.

What did Jesus do? 

We need to live by the example that Jesus gave us. And it is really easy to find out what He did. All we have to do is spend some time studying our Bibles. And if you have a red letter Bible - it is even easier for you. You could open up the Bible - and head to the New Testament check out all the things written in red. You can find glimpses of who Jesus is all the way through the Bible. We just need to spend more time in the Word of God. And if we do we will more easily be able to answer the question "What did Jesus do?"

But I don't think we need to leave the question "What would Jesus do?" behind. It is an important question to consider.

And as I ponder these questions another one comes to mind, "What did Jesus say to do?" We don't always have an example of what Jesus would have us do in the Bible but thankfully we have many examples of how people in the Bible did the will of God. And in some cases we see how they did not do the will of God and the consequences that followed - along with an idea of what should have been done. If we have a Bible we have all sorts of answers - just waiting to be found. I am thankful that God loved us so much that He made sure we had a love letter from Him. A love letter than included all sorts of examples of how best we can live our lives. 

Last night after prayer meeting I saw a glimpse of what Jesus would do. A majority of the people had made their way out of the building as I was visiting with a friend. As we talked I just happened to see something that blessed my heart. Our pastor was across the room conversing with a couple of people when he noticed someone trying to help an older gentleman up and into his wheel chair and he instantly went to help. Not only help but said words to lift the mans spirits and make him less embarrassed about needing help to get up. I have to admit that this scene totally captured my attention and gave me a glimpse of what Jesus would do. Funny little note here he was the same pastor that I had heard the question "What did Jesus do?" Not only is he preaching it, but he is living it as well. 

Every Good Gift

"Thank you for waking us up in our right minds?" 

Words spoken by a gentleman that prays at our church. I have heard him pray several times and I always am reminded it is him by these words. I think it is a great idea to pray these words. Something that many of use take for granted. We need to spend more time in praise to our heavenly Father. We need to thank Him for the blessings we have. Many times we fail to recognize that He is the giver of good gifts - even the gift of being in our right minds. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

Will this matter.....?

So yesterday I had a very productive day! The weather was beautiful when I went and let my chickens out at about 6:30am - so I decided to go walking. I went to my favorite nearby park and walked a little over 3 miles. It still felt awesome outside so when I got home - I proceeded to take care of things in my yard. I had 7- good sized bags of mulch that needed to be carried to the back yard and spread out around where my cantaloupe plants are growing. I got that done and I weeded my garden. I also needed to get some wood that we had in the back of our truck taken out and stacked up nearby for an upcoming camping trip. My husband and son will need the truck for a special job this afternoon. So I got all of that done and had over 8,000 steps in already for the day and it was only 9am. Anyway so since I was so productive I was able to get a couple of blog posts typed up and ready to go. I really like being able to do that. I do so much better when I just write when I am inspired to write. Sorry that it makes my blog a bit sporadic but it is what works for me.

As the day progressed, I too proceeded to get a lot of things done - things on my to do list for the day and even some extras. So by 4pm I decided that it was time for a break. I am always saying I want to spend some time out on my deck reading and allowing my feet and ankles to get some sunshine to even up my tan. I wear tennis shoes and socks that go over my ankles most of the time - so I have white feet and ankles. I want to change that...lol. Anyway so I picked out a fun book to read and set up my umbrella so that it covered me except my legs and feet. It felt so good sitting out there. I found a quote in the book I was reading that really spoke to me. It is something I needed to read. 

The book I am reading is called "Thirty Chic Days~ practical inspiration for a beautiful life" by Fiona Ferris.    Click on her name to be taken to her blog. 

In the chapter titled "Adopt a low-drama way of being" I found a great quote I would like to share. 

"You may have heard the saying 'will this matter in ten years' time?' It's such a wise question to ask and helps me not be so sensitive about things people say and, for the most part, let their words pass by without affecting me." 

This is something I needed to read. Sometimes I am a bit too sensitive to what people say. My pride gets injured and sometimes I make a bigger deal out of things then I should. This quote helps remind me that I need to look at the big picture and ask myself 'will this matter in ten years?' And I then I can process things privately without causing problems around me. 

Anyway I hope you all are doing well and now I am going to get busy for the day. I have a Dr. appointment today and am hoping that my bloodwork came back good. I had hoped to be able to get the results on line before appointment - just in case some of the numbers are not so good I could process the information before hand but sadly that did not work out. It's gonna be another busy day with a couple of appointments and errands to run. Ya'll have a good one! :O) 

More Creativity From My Sewing Room

Last week I shared about how I have gotten back into being creative. And it has done me a world of good. Sewing/quilting is not the only thing I have been doing in my sewing room. 

Last week, I found a Ikea shelf brand new at a local Goodwill. It cost me $2.99. 

After I got home I looked it up and found out that it was the: 

Ikea Spice Rack 

Brand new it runs $4.99 from Ikea. 

With this tool provided in the packaging - I put the shelf together by myself. 

As I was looking up the link to add above I noticed that there is a youtube video that shows how to put this shelf together. 

It's cool how we have resources like that if you need it. Thankfully I was able to figure it out. It was actually pretty easy. But it felt great to be able to put it together by myself.  

Not quite sure how this will be used yet - but I am sure that very soon it will have a great use. :O) 

What are you doing that is creative? 

Something to think about...

Last week when I was looking at my calendar for this week I thought~ oh- it's gonna be an easy week. Then my eye twitching reminded me that I needed to get my eyes checked- I had wanted to get the apt for the next week(sin pace I already had a Dr apt for this week)  but he wasn't seeing patients that week.i also scheduled an apt to take a batch of clothes into the consignment store. I highly recommend doing that if you have one nearby. It's easier to get rid of pieces of clothing that "will do" when we can make a little bit of money from it in order to put toward favorite pieces of clothing. So the week I thought would be an easy one now has like 5-6 things planned. It will be great to get these things taken care of and the next week should be an easier week. I will be spending time over the next couple of weeks planning activities for Our granddaughter to do while she is here. 

And now I want to leave you with something worth pondering. It has been floating around Facebook. Hope you all are dong well. :0)

Happy Sabbath

Just wanted to share a special promise with you all today. 

Hope you are all having a great week end! :O)

Another Strategy

Yesterday I talked about the Strategies for Dealing with the Struggles of Life    you can click on the link if you missed it. There is some really good information, if you missed it you may want to check it out. 

Today I want to share another little secret that I discovered this week. So I had gotten into a rut. I had not spent any time sewing in my sewing room. I forgot that quilting/sewing can be great therapy. So this past week end I pulled out a Block of the Month baggies and started working on it. 

I had been spending time in my sewing room - but I had been watching TV doing little this and thats but hadn't actually quilted in over 6-7 months. 

It felt good to look at the pattern and then get supplies out and cut out all the pieces. Then - because I am visual - I like to lay the pieces out to see what the finished block will look like. This also helps me see how best to sew the pieces together. And yes - there are some blocks where it is very important to sew it together the way the directions say - otherwise you get reacquainted with your seam ripper. 

I was reacquainted with my seam ripper - but is was because I got one of the dark blue triangles pointing the wrong way - too back I did not notice it till I had that corner square sewn up- and had to undo a good amount of it. Thankfully it wasn't too bad and it quickly came together once I fixed my mistake.

It felt good to get this block finished. I realized that I need to work on more projects in my sewing room and not spend as much time just sitting and watching TV. By doing projects - I feel accomplished and more successful. 

So I would add to the strategies to help yourself deal with struggles would be to find some hobby/ craft or project you can work on. It helps occupy your mind and at the end you will have that feeling of accomplishment. And that will help you deal with stress. 

Oh!! I forgot. I worked on another project in my sewing room - not a sewing project but it did challenge me just a bit and I was very proud of successfully finishing it. I will try to get a post typed up about it as soon as I get a chance - Right now I need to get going on the rest of my day. Have a good one!! :O) 

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Probably won't post until Monday - It will be a busy week end. Hope you all have a great week end! :O)

Strategies for Dealing with the Struggles of Life

I'm guessing you have noticed I have been kind of quiet lately. The truth is I have been wrestling with  what feels like many issues, many of which I have no control but hey affect me none the less. Sometimes I deal with t his stuff better than others and on my walk this morning I figured out some of the strategies that help me deal with life better and I want to share them with you. This is not an exhaustive list by no means, it's just some of the top important things to help me deal with the struggles in life.

As I was nearing the end of my walk I checked to see how many steps I had in for the day-and at 8:00am I had over 7.000 steps- this was after my 3 mile walk and taking care of my chickens. Wow! I thought as I click eked over to take a look at my steps for the week, month, year and I noticed something interesting. Something that I think is key in dealing with the ups and downs of life. I noticed over the last couple of weeks I had fewer days where I got 7,00 steps or more. I looked further back and noticed more days with higher step counts and realized that by getting out and getting not only exercise, but also fresh air and sunshine really helped me a lot!

Another thing that contributed to my struggles was that I had not been making as many good choices of what to eat as I know I should. Good nutrition is vital in our bodies functioning properly. I had not worked to get a variety of good, healthy food. When your body is not getting the nutrition it needs, you suffer in many different ways.

Getting enough sleep is another important factor to good health mentally and physically. And because of some issues I had not been getting adequate sleep. So I made a few changes and have added a bit of time to my sleeping. I need to try to adjust my schedule a bit more to add a bit more sleep, but I am already feeling the difference with the added sleep.

And lastly, but certainly not least important is our relationship with God and trusting Him. As human beings we thing we need to solve our own problems and many times instead of solving the problem we make more problems for ourselves. This is what I have done on many levels lately. I have had to step back and re-evaluate my life and what things I need to leave with Him. I need to leave His job to Him. I am not qualified to do it. Putting my I trust in Him helps me release the baggage that I carry around. I am still working in this area as well. Some bags are harder to let go of and some bags I pick back up from time to time.

These are the main things I am doing in order to help me deal with life's struggles in a much better way. And I am doing my best to allow God to give me the wisdom to make better decisions in all area of my life.

I am writing this post on my iPad and for some reason I have issues with proof reading it on this device. So please excuse any typos one weird words that may have been written. Next time I am on my desktop I will try to proof ad it then.

I hope you all are have a great week. :0)

Healthy Tidbits - Inflammation and Natural Blood Thinners

Today I am going to give you a couple of lists of foods - these foods help with inflammation and also natural blood thinners - you will notice that many of the foods are on both lists. This is not a complete list - this just gives you an idea of things you can do natural to help with inflammation and also to thin the blood if needed. You don't always have to go straight to using baby aspirins or prescriptions.

Inflammation: 
ginger
garlic
berries
apples
pineapple
turmeric
Vit E - sources - nuts, seeds, and olives
 Omega 3 - flax seeds walnuts


Natural blood thinners: 
kiwi
almonds
walnuts
chia seeds
cinnamon
avocado
onion
garlic
ginger
turmeric
pineapple

thankful

I am so glad that I spent so much time last Sunday and Monday working in my yard- mowing,  weed eating, and weeding the garden because we have ended up with over 1 1/2 inches of rain over Friday, Sat, and Subpnday. I was happy the yard had been mowed and I could enjoy it. I did something this weekend that I haven't done in over 6 months and I can't wait to tell you about it. Hopefully ill get a chance to get on here tomorrow and tell you all about it! :)

Jesus Lover Of My Soul - Hillsong (with lyrics)

I don't know if I have ever heard this song before this week, but I think it is beautiful.

A little side note that maybe interesting to some of you~ this was one of Ellen White' s favorite songs.