"Florals" or "Neutrals" That is the Question

Good afternoon friends~ I hope you have all had a great day. Mine has gone pretty good, mostly. I was thrilled when I found olives at Aldi's for just 99 cents a can! Yep - that is a good deal. Walmart has them for 1.28 and that was the cheapest ones we had found lately. HEB had them for 98 cents a can for a while but increased the price to higher than what Walmart was charging. I was also thrilled when I saw the 4 pound bags of sugar for 1.09 a bag(limit 4) still. Flour - 95 cents- 1.64 was the cheapest price for flour at a store other than Aldi's - Aldi's usually run their flour for 1.28- which compared to the 1.64 is a good deal. Can you tell that I love to find good deals. They also had their family packs of skinless, boneless chicken 1/2 off - so less it ended up being about 94 cents a pound or so- I have gotten the skinless, boneless chicken for 1.49 a pound - at Albertsons ever so often but that is the best deal I have found for them in a LONG time. I bought 2 packages - and froze them. I would have bought more if we had more money but things have been tight. My son's hours have not increased yet - so we have been paying his vehicle payment -every two weeks for a while and sometimes have to come up with money to pay his water bill too. Or help with gas. He just hit his three month time period at his job so we are SO hoping that it will be soon that he gets increased hours.
Things have been tight but God has provided. And I am so very thankful.

I am disappointed that butter is so much more expensive than margarine. I have noticed that when making cookies, when I use margarine that they are not turning out like they should. A friend says she uses unsalted butter - so that is what I did today and I was very pleased with the out come. It is unfortunate that the unsalted butter is like about 3 times higher in price. I am going to have to see if butter freezes and if it does hope for some sales on it and try to stock up. Any of you ladies know if butter can be frozen and still work well? I used to freeze my margarine so I am kind of guessing that butter will too.

I have a pile high of sewing projects - well I am talking about sewing on a couple of buttons, hemming a couple of pairs of pants, and  taking up a dress. My sister gave me a dress but it is a bit too big and looks a bit sloppy- so I am hoping to be able to figure out how to take it up a little to make it look nicer. My only problem with getting this pile done is that my son has been working 12 hour shifts over night and so he gets home about 6:30am - and then goes to sleep - so I can't really go into my sewing room and work while he is trying to sleep. My sewing room is right next door. I just don't want to bother him that much. It is hard enough for him to sleep during the day as it is. Anyway I am hoping that I can work my schedule tomorrow that once he wakes up I can get in there and get busy. Oh on top of those things - I have 4 things that need to be ironed. And I also have a few quilting blocks that need to be made. This is my last month of this years BOM. So I'd really like to finish up the 2 for this month and then catch up on the other 2 that I am behind.

October will begin the new Block of the Month year - and I will only be doing one of the blocks. I just can't justify spending the extra money on the second one when things have been so tight. I am hoping to add a photo to this post to show you the options that I had for this year.

Please keep in mind that my camera for some reason is not taking very clear photos any more. Wish I could figure out what the problem is. So any way  - these blocks are much prettier than what they appear to be.

These next two photos are the fabrics that they have as some border fabric for the quilts - if you choose to use them. And these are the fabric which inspires the blocks.

This first one is called "Florals"
























This one is called "Neutrals"


 See ya soon. :O)

Building Up or Tearing Down

So do you remember me telling you that my mother in law sent her Nuwave Oven home with us a week or so ago. She wanted us to try it out and let her know what we thought of it. Well we have tried several different things and have really enjoyed it! Well my husband thought it would be nice to invite his mother over today for Chicken Parmesan - one of the recipe we have tried and liked. So we had her come over and had her watch how we put the meal together. At one point while my husband was opening up a bottle of salad dressing- his hand was shaking and his mother asked him, why his hands were shaking...I wanted to freeze the situation and then unfreeze her and say, "because he has Parkinson's......remember?" But I did not. I did not say a word. I was too busy trying to fight back the tears. I mean seriously- what part of "Mom I have Parkinson's" did she not understand? And how insensitive can people be. I am already a person who tries to be careful with my words but after that happened - I think it is even more important for us to be careful with our words. We can build people up or we can tear them down - with just words.

Anyway the rest of the visit was very nice and I am glad we invited her over. I just hope that she can be more tactful in what she says to him in the future.

So my take away from this day is - do I want to build people up or tear them down? We each have the choice to make. Let's make it a good one.

Salt in my Kitchen...series

Salt in my Kitchen

by

Jeanette Lockerbie

 

Love Thyself

 

Bible reading:

Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near--at the doors! 30 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.   
Mark 13:28:31

"Come over for a coffee break," invites a friendly neighbor. But the reply comes, "Not this morning, thanks. I'm not fit company. I don't even like myself."

This young woman had hit a crucial truth. How could she be good for another person when she was in a self-despising mood?

It would be a fallacy to suppose that anyone entirely avoids having such days. But take heart. There is a cure for depression. But it is not to be confused with the "pep pills" sold at the corner drugstore.

"Love thy neighbor as thyself," said the Psychologist of the ages, the only One who can, in an instant, probe the deepest recesses of the mind and heart.

"He could read men's hearts" (John 2:25b, Amplified).

Self-love is akin to self-respect. When the day comes that we are "down in the dumps," that is the day to get on our knees. We should pray:

"Lord Jesus, the devil is tempting me to believe I just don't count in this world. Please show me that I'm Your creation. Help me to feel I'm someone for whom You gave Your life's blood, that I am important to You."

What "mood can last in the light of such a prayer?

And, your self-love restored, you can enjoy fellowship with your neighbor.

Shaped Stones

I had a wonderful devotional this morning and wanted to share. Actually lately I have had several great ones. If you do not already have this book "Streams in the Desert" and you get a chance to get it - do. It is so encouraging. It would be a great gift to give to someone going through a tough time. A really good friend of mine gave me a very nice leather bound one for my birthday last year and it has helped me tremendously. It has been such an encouragement to me.

Streams in the Desert

  by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

	Shaped Stones
	"I will lay thy stones with fair colors" (Isa. 54:11). The stones from the wall said, "We come from the mountains far away, from the sides of the craggy hills. Fire and water have worked on us for ages, but made us only crags. Human hands have made us into a dwelling where the children of your immortal race are born, and suffer, and rejoice, and find rest and shelter, and learn the lessons set them by our Maker and yours. But we have passed through much to fit us for this. Gunpowder has rent our very heart; pickaxes have cleaved and broken us, it seemed to us often with out design or meaning, as we lay misshapen stones in the quarry; but gradually we were cut into blocks, and some of us were chiseled with finer instruments to a sharper edge. But we are complete now, and are in our places, and are of service. You are in the quarry still, and not complete, and therefore to you, as once to us, much is inexplicable. But you are destined for a higher building, and one day you will be placed in it by hands not human, a living stone in a heavenly temple. "In the still air the music lies unheard; In the rough marble beauty hides unseen; To make the music and the beauty needs The master's touch, the sculptor's chisel keen. "Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hands; Let not the music that is in us die! Great Sculptor, hew and polish us; nor let, Hidden and lost, thy form within us lie!"

MOST Important Work

Bible Marking 2nd series

There are also some quotes from the book~ Bible Marking Guide - an easy Bible marking system that chain-references texts for 38 Bible topics! by John Earnhardt

The second study in this new series is -
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Deity of Christ (DC)

"Christ can save us only because He is fully God."

1.   Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."    Genesis 1:26

2.   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.    John 1:1-3

3.   And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

4.   But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.    Hebrews 1:8

5.   But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."    Matthew 3:15-17

6.   And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.    John 17:5

7.    "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting."    Micah 5:2

8.    I and My Father are one." John 10:30

9.    For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.    Matthew 16:27

10.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  Colossians 2:9

11.  And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

12. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.    Hebrews 2:17

13. for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."  John 16:27-28

14. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.    John 17:4-5

The Choice is Really Yours

I have shared these Health Laws before, but because of a WHOLE lot of added stress over the last two years or so - I had kind of fallen off the wagon- ok really fell off the wagon. Anyway - I am now taking steps to get back on the wagon and take better care of me. It really comes down to the choices that we make. You have the choice to take care of yourself- or do what ever  you want. I am taking that choice back and am doing what I can to live a more healthy lifestyle.

The Eight Health Laws:

1. Eat a healthy diet of nutritious food. Try to get plenty of fruits and veggies and eat at least some raw fruits and veggies each day. (I like to say that I eat a plant based diet)


2. Exercise adequately - at least 30 minutes - 1 hour everyday -if you can not exercise this much at one time split it up into 3 sections of time of 10 minutes at a time. Something IS better than nothing.


3. Rest properly. (7-8 hours of sleep is ideal) (Trying to get to bed by 10:00pm)


4. Try to get at least a little sunshine each day - when the sun is out.


5. Drink at least 8 glasses - or more of water each day.. sodas and coffee are actually a diuretic - which means they can not be included in the 8 glasses.


6. Get plenty of fresh air every day.


7. Live a balanced life


8. Trust in God. Good Spiritual health really does contribute to good physical health.


When I follow these guidelines, I feel better, I am happier and I have a better outlook on life. So even though my carnal self - keeps fighting against doing the things that keep me healthier - I am choosing to claim these verses below:


"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own,
20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20


My body is the temple of God and my desire is to glorify God. And the way that I can do so -is to follow the 8 principles above.

So now my part is to continue to ask God lead me and to give me the strength to make the right choices. And when I fail - not to give up but to get up and try again.