mowed, low carb, b-in law

I was suffering this morning but I persevered and I completed the front yard.  I can only think that the rain that came a few days ago has caused mold and mildew and  I am allergic to those plus a few other things.  ''''''''''''

I have been low carbing a few days now and I am enjoying the wide diversity of foods that I can have. It is restrictive for the first week but it is worth it when You consider that I have lost almost 4 pounds since Thursday.  I don't go hungry and I don't have cravings. 

My brother in law is in the hospital and we have no idea what is wrong.  He has had heart surgery 2 yrs. ago and today he started shaking and sweating and huting in his chest.  I hope he does not have to have surgery again he kept saying last time that he wished he had died.  

Speaking of sick people, a friendofmine has a grandson that has bone cancer (I have talked about him before-his name is Josh)  He goes in the hospital in NC next week for a bone marrow transplant,  the dr.s are only giving him a 50-50 chance of survival.  PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR HIM.  

In the morning I start on my garden the weeds are taking over. and I think I will plant some more cucumber seeds.  I know it will be a late crop but my first ones are not doing too good and I love cucumbers and home grown is so much better than store bought.

I am looking forward to doing the new 30for30 challenge next month.  I am going to try to follow the low carb every day.  I will look up how many carbs I should have a day and then stick to that for the week that I am on.  Each week you get to add a few carbs to your menu.     That will be my challenge and I will continue to do the exercises every day.  I should say I am going to do it 6 days a week, that was if something happens that I can't do it one day it will be ok.

If anyone reading here wants to join us -you an find details here>>>>
http://apjosie.blogspot.com/2011/05/challenge-30-days-of-eating-well-in.html

I am hoping and praying for the success in our chosen challenge next month.  I will keep trying to post in Josies blog but if I can't please everyone know thaqt I am praying for each of us.



Hope.
A simple word that brings light into darkness.
It is not just wishful thinking, but an earnest expectation.
Often times, when the whole world seems to be against us, hope can appear to be really dim. It is at these times that we often feel helpless and depressed. Yet, we forget that even IF the whole world is against us (which often isn’t the case), God is still there for us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, and will always be there for us no matter how bad we may have messed up.
In fact, His Word continually declares how much He loves us and wants the very best for us. We can be encouraged in His Word as they show us how much God desires for us to succeed and achieve great things in our lives.
Therefore, let us be joyful in His presence, and be encouraged in our hearts, knowing that He desires to see us accomplish our purposes. We can trust Him and hang our hopes on Him as He has promised to fulfill His plans for us.
As you read through the quotations on hope recorded below, remember this - not only is God our Help in the ages past, He is even more so our Hope and Strength in the years to come.

UNKNOWN

Sleep well everyone
God bless

30 for 30 for June

Josie I don't know what happened but I can not comment on your blog anymore.  So I guess I will have to either post everything on my blog, or just sit this one out.   OH I can't post on Debs blog anymore either.  I don't have a clue what has happened.  I can defrag and reprogram but sometimes a computer just confuses me.

Sorry about this,  Love you

frustrated, trying something different, grandson went home

I am just slightly frustrated that when I try to post on my friends blogs I get this pop up and I have to put in my email address and I do and it says url is invalid and I try so many ways to get it through and I cant. 

Has anyone tried   low carbs dieting and if you did -did you have success?

I have several friends and some relatives and lots of people in my church that is doing something called Synergy, they get shots and vitamins and shakes ,  I am not sure of all that they get.  But what i got out of it was it is basically low carb.  So I did a little research adn I decided tht I would try this.   I take a good multivitamin and I eat just low carb vegetable and no grains and no sugars,   My sister in law gave me some of the shakes and while they are nopt delicious they are acceptable.  I have lost a small amount of weight in a few days and I am eating more than I was when I was counting calories and not getting anywhere. 

My grandson was here yesterday and I had everything arranged to go to go to church but he woke up sick.  Oh well I am glad he felt better today.  I was looking something up on Utube and I started looking for things from my childrens childhood to show him and I found this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlVqfC8-UI

Grandbaby loved it. and he loved it at least 5 times.  lol

He has gone home now and my house seems empty.

I exercised after he left.  so another day dune.

I love getting movies from feature films for families and recently I ordered a movie called Beautiful Dreamer.  It stars Brooke Langton and Colin Egglesfield, and it was a most beautiful love story about a husband and wife, the man had to go off to war and was injured with a serious head wound.  He had total amnesia. His dog tags got mixed up and he was thought to be someone else.   It was very good.

“"Patriotic families do more than fly our country's flag and vote. They pray for the brave men and women, including their families, who serve our great country. No greater service can they give, than to be willing to give their lives for others. May God be with them, as we pray daily for their safe returns." ~Tom Baker”

Tom Baker aka The Pondering Man

Sleep well

God bless

Baby is here, exercise

I spent time today with a pot lid in my hand as a shield and rolled up socks as my ammunition. lol  We would run and then sneak up on the other and attack with the sock.  It was a lot of fun.  I love to hear him laugh.

I did laundry and ironed his church clothes.  I cooked and straightened and then decided it cfould just stay messy.  He will go home on Monday, and then I can get my house neat.  I do not want to spend the time with him doing things that can easily be put off. 

While he was playing the playstation, I put a video in my computer and exercised for an hour.  Twice he snuck up behind me and hit me in the backside with socks.  He is so funny.

Things that I did today that makes me feel happy,I prayed and read my bible, I held hands with dh while we watched tv.  I played with baby and laughed with him.   I exercised,  got my hair cut, ate healthy,  Picked home grown cucumbers from my garden.

Each of us has a different idea of what makes a perfect day, and for me this day was perfect.

Psalm 138

¹I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
²I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
³In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
⁴All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
⁵Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
⁶Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
⁸The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Sleep well everyone
God bless

 

less processed food, mowed,

My phone rang so much this morning, a dear friend of mine  just needed to talk.  I am so glad that I was here.  She was heartbroken so please be praying for her that things will work out.  Her husband is handicapped and she is legally blind.  And right now the two of them is having soem problems.

I noticed that when I was eating less processed food some time ago I seemed to have less aches and pains.  I realized that lately I have been experiencing some minor discomfort in my joints and I am going to see if it has anything to do with how I eat.    I hope so because otherwise I may have to accept that I amgetting older.  Which is true but I want to go out like Jack LaLanne-I know he is dead now but even one year before he died ( I think he was in his 80's) he was exercising an hour a day!!!!!   I was told that my bones are as strong as a 20 year olds.   That has to count for something.

I mowed today-usually I can do the backi in aabout 45 minutes but today I cut a little farther to the back.  I love it when it is fresh mowed and when the weeds are cut it makes the grass a little less appealing for snakes and other small creatures that like to hide in the tall weeds and grass.  So I pushed the mower for ab out 70 minutes.  I came in and rested for about an hour then started cleaning and doing laundry .  

So that was my day

Nothing exciting

------------------------------------------------------
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.
-Richard Bach 

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

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.
-Mary Pickford
*************************

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces,
never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.
-Flavia Weedn 
***************************

When you feel like giving up,
remember why you held on for so long in the first place.
-unknown 
**************************

I was looking for a quote that would inspire us and I found many.  They all seem to fit exactly what I needed to hear. 


Sleep well
and
God bless

exercise, ironing, frustaration

Today I exercised and I truly enjoyed the workout.  I used weights and I used stretchy bands.  Those stretchy band are something that I started using a few days ago and it really challenges my muscles.  In my video  she uses the bands but I did not have any and I thought that using the weights would give the same results. Don't you believe it.  When I used the bands I found muscles I did not even know I had.  It felts good -you know what I mean? using muscles that you don't normally use, but I am sore today.That part always feels good.

I wish that I could get a grip on my appetite,  I wish that I could control that part of me that seems like a roaring tiger.  I did fair today I did ok I ate moderately but I had to use my emotional muscles to keep from indulging.   Will this ever get easy? Or will I be fighting myself the rest of my life?  Will I ever be able to take a deep breath -glad that the worst is over with?

I ironed today, and I ironed and ironed and still have ironing to do.    I let it pile up until it is almost overwhelming.  Not all the time I mean most of the time I iron once or twice a week.  But I got kinda lax about it and it piled up.   OH well  I looked it up and I burned 85 calories an hour and I ironed close to 2 hours.  Not bad.  I would have preferred burning off a couple hundred -now that was wishful thinking.

Baby is coming to spend the weekend with me.  My dd and her husband has to work.   He came a little while today with my son in law and we played charades. You can't get too detailed with a 5 yr. old  so I did a clock with one arm going slowly down like the "seconds" hand and he says the sun. No darling not the sun.  Are you God grandma.  No darling (laughing almost uncontrollable)I'm not God. 
How did he get God out of one arm going down. 

That was my day-Looking back over my day-I really am satisfied with all of it.  It has been a beautiful day that the Lord made for me.

THE JOY IN YOU
GOD CREATED YOU. HE KNOWS YOU AND
EVERY ASPECT OF YOU.  HIS LOVE FOR
YOU IS BOUNDLESS, AND HIS JOY
IN YOU COMES FULL CIRCLE EACH TIME
YOU CALL HIM INTO YOUR LIFE IN
PRAYER.

KAREN MOORE

(FROM THE BOOK-WHISPERS OF JOY)


 Sleep well
God bless

new video-clothes, sermon tonight

We had a young preacher at our church tonight and he preached on them dry bones.  This young man was only 15 yrs old and he did a wonderful job preaching about dry spells, and dry bones. 

Last night while we were at sister in laws house she gave dh some clothes of her husbands, lots of clothes.  Now there was probably75 shirts and 15 suits,  and 30 pairs of pants, 3 windbreakers, and 10 sports jackets.She said she wanted my husband to have them.  So many things with tags still on them, never worn.  A brand new pair of boots, never worn, shoes and socks never worn and ties probably close to 70 ties.  some still folded and with tags.  So today I had to start washing them.  I trust her, she is a clean woman but dh is allergic to so many detergents and fabric softeners and so I have to wash them.  Tomorrow I have to start ironing.

I bought a new Leslie video today, it is called Leslie Sansone Walk at home-5mile FAT BURNING Walk
It is divided up into the five mile, and every few minutes it will have written on the bottom of the screen things like "boosted walk"  or Tummy tightener" things like that .  My other 5 mile walk is called 5-mile walk at home with Leslie Sansone  ADVANCED  .  I like them both Now I have been doing Leslie for many years and so in order to get my heart rate up I always carry 3 pound weights.  I like the way it is toning my arms.  While I do have the old lady flapping underarm, when I tighten my arm you can see a lot of devinition in the upper arms across the shoulders and in the area between my elbow and my wrist. 

I am not even going to talk about my eating for today. I will not give up, one of these days I will get it right.Tomorrow is another day.

Another day that I can love the Lord.  \\

One day as I was going about my day, dd and her son came to visit, it was not expected and when I saw them I got a burst of pure joy and happiness that they had come.   Grandson ran to me smiling saying grandma here Iam,  he was very happy, dd wrapped her arms around me and we just hugged because we were all glad to see each other.  I got to thinking I would love for everyone  to be that happy when I come near to them.  Perhaps not to that point but at least be happy that I am there.  I want them to greet me with real joy, 

A little self examination-do I act in a way that people would be glad to see me?  When I come into the prescence of the Lord is He glad to see me?   Do I treat others as nice as I want them to treat me?    The Lord said for us to love everyone,  it must be possible or the Lord would not have told us to do  it.  BUT there is some very unlovable people out there. Lord help me to see people as you do. -Help me Father to see the bitter and the angry as lost and lonely people -remind me Father to pray for them instead of finding fault. Amen.


Title: Faith

Author: John Oxenham

Lord, give me faith!--to live from day to day,
With tranquil heart to do my simple part,
And, with my hand in Thine, just go Thy way.
Lord, give me faith!--to trust, if not to know;
With quiet mind in all things Thee to find,
And, child-like, go where Thou wouldst have me go.
Lord, give me faith!--to leave it all to Thee,
The future is Thy gift, I would not lift
The vail Thy Love has hung 'twixt it and me.


[The end]
John Oxenham's poem: Faith



sleep well
God bless

Not a very interesting day at all

I exercised,

I cooked,

I cleaned,

I talked on the phone,

and then I got a cal from sister in law, the one that her husband just passed away.  She asked us -dh and me-to come for supper, I told her we would.  So off we go and the place where she worked had prepared a huge (really really huge) meal for  her and brought it to her.  Fried chicken a big ham big pot of southern butter beans, a crock pot full of mac and cheese and biscuits, and desserts, and on and on and on. Eating like that I am never going to lose weight. 


  When we went to leave she asked us to pray with her and we did.  I could feel the Lord there.  I asked Gods protection on her, there is a family member that is already trying to cause problems. 

And that was my day. 

Storms are doing damage in the mid USA continue to pray for those people.

This is a beautiful song,  I hope it is on Utube, 

THE ANCHOR HOLDS

i have journeyed
through the long dark night
out on the open sea
by faith alone
sight unknown
and yet his eyes were watching me

CHORUS
the anchor holds
though the ship is battered
the anchor holds
though the sails are torn
i have fallen on my knees
as i faced the raging seas
the anchor holds
in spite of the storm

i've had visions
i've had dreams
i've even held them in my hand
but i never knew
they would slip right through
like they were only grains of sand

CHORUS

i have been young
but i am older now
and there has been beauty these eyes have seen
but it was in the night
through the storms of my life
ohh thats where God proved his love to me

May the Lord keep you safe

30 for 30 for this week

I did good on the exercise but terrible on the eating.   ( Blueberry mini wheats)  I did something everyday,  I forgot to mentioned that I aloso hoed in my garden one day,  I really don't have aproblem being active, I have a lot to do and I do enjoy being outside a LOT more than being inside.  I hate housework and I love pulling weeds inbetween my plants.  I hate laundry I love to weed my flower borders.

 I had some yoghut today and it has been a few weeks since I ate yogurt.  lets see I also had some sausage been a while ssince I had that too.Oh guess what I fixed today-grilled cabbage.  I read this recipe and it sounded so very good I decided to try it on my george forman grill.  You just cut slices of the cabbage about the size of a slice of bread and lay it on the grill salt and pepper and then put small pats of butter on the cabbage and  cook on medium about 8-10 minutes -check it to see if it is tender according to your own preference. Add more minutes if needed. delicious.  dI'll say it again-I could lose weight if I did not like food so much.
\

The Psalms

131

Childlike Repose in the LORD
A Song of degrees of David.
1	LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
2	Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
3	Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.

Love you all
sleep well
God bless

My Lord, and Father

As we go through our days, please everyone be praying for the people that lost so much yesterday.  We all need to be praying for them, just as we would desire prayers if this happened to us.  The devastation was unbelievable.  So much damage done in such a short period of time and again people have lost everything,  loved ones gone forever, 

Please pray but also help in other ways if you have the opportunity.   

I found these prayer and it says  just how I am feeling

A Prayer for these times of natural calamities

Posted on March 19, 2011 by desertfishing

Dearest God,
these are very uncertain times,
times of suffering for the people of Japan and the rest of humanity,
times triggering our deep-seated fear of death,
of the pain of losing,
or being swallowed into the immeasurable vastness beyond our space-time;
times fed by our human interpretation
of fire, water, earth, and wind going berserk
in their Biblical cataclysmic sense.

Our minds cry for clarity,
but we know not how Nature will move, reconfigure
in the coming days, months, years.

Our bodies cry for safety,
yet Nature shakes us, reminds us in a painful way
the fragility of human life,
for we are like “flowers quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow,
waves tossed in the ocean; vapors in the wind.”

Have mercy on us and our human folly of arrogance and self-importance.
Help us toss into the vast humble Silence of Your self-giving love
the deceiving obstinate desires to become successful, popular, secure, important,
needed, ever-calculating Supermen and Superwomen.
Have mercy for we do not even know what really is worth-desiring – You and You alone.

Our hearts cry with the suffering, the grieving, the homeless, the orphaned,
the wounded, the hungry.
We cry for mercy with them.
We cry with them,
for their humanity is also our humanity,
the very earth they trod on is also the earth we trod on.

As we approach Your altar of Bread and Wine,
we bring our tears,
and our cries for mercy and forgiveness as our offering,
hoping that as the host is raised and the cup of wine consecrated,
our tears be transformed into our bread of steadfast faith in You,
our cries into our wine of deep trust in You,
that they may become our prayer with the Psalmist:

“Impregnate us with Love, O Comforter!
Let our fears be transformed;
let all that keeps us separated and confused flee!
As smoke is blown away, so let our fears rise up before You;
as wax melts before fire,
let our fears be melted by Love!
Then we will be released from bondage;
we will exult before the Beloved;
we will be jubilant with joy!

As the earth quakes, as floods strike without warning,
let your Presence be near.
As the mountains tremble and volcanoes spew forth ash,
let your Presence be near.
As rain falls in abundance on desert floors
restore the lands that they might flourish,
that the flocks may roam and graze on fertile fields.
In your Mercy, O Beloved,
You provide for the needy.
You are with us.”

Amen to your Presence…

Doing the "I won" dance

Went to a singing this morning at my friends church , and it was a most wonderful service. God moved in such a remarkable way. A member of thast church gooes into the hospital this week to have his only remaining kidney removed. It is deseased and that is all that I know about it. How does one live without any kidney?

After the singing we had a meal in the fellowship hall and while I ate accorcing to what Ishould eat, I still ate too much andwhen I got home I did not feel I should exercise. Tummy was still full so then I went to the evening service, and I knew I needed to exercise BUT I did not want to, so back and forth went my thoughts. "missing one day won't matter-but I really need to work off some of those calories-sometimes your bady needs to take a break-but exercise speeds up the metabolism-but it will be too late when you get home-so what yeah so what ---so I get home change clothes and start exercising with a leslie video and dh came in and joined me for one mile. I won the battle=I won I won I won. It don't take much to make me happy. I am mentally doing the "I won dance"

Josie-the giveaway is sponsered by the church that mydd goes to.  I love the people there and the service is always moving but it is too far away for dh and I to go to regularly.  So I just try to be involved with things that go on there as much as I can. When times got hard a few years ago several of the women in the church were moved to start thegiveaway because there were people that had lost their homes and there jobs and were sleeping in dumpsters.  I started helping as much as Icould. 

When the storms were so bad a few weeks ago those same women started collectiong clothes and food and toiletries to take a huge 18 wheeler out there to help out.  I don't have much but I was able to send a box of canned goods and a box of toiletries.  I don't have much but some of those people lost everything.  I will never miss the items i sent and can you imagine how much you would appreciate a bottle of sanitizer or a container of wet wipes.  paper towels or toilet paper if you were in their situation?  Anyway they could use those items more than I could.  



This is a beautiful poem by Francis Ridley Havergal


Take My Life": Frances Ridley Havergal by Amos R. Wells

Frances Ridley Havergal wrote so many helpful books, and lived a life so earnest and devoted, that she has had a very deep influence over the hearts of Christians.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing,
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee. 

Sleep well everyone
God bless

giveaway, aldis, yard sale, clothes, dds, sister, friends. gospel singing

This morning dh and I went to the clothing giveaway.  I had a lot of grandsons clothes he had outgrown and some things that dh got out of his closet, and some Billy Graham books that I was finished with to donate to the giveaway.  I found a few tops for me to wear and a few things for my dd and a few things for my sister.  I love giving to help others out and I love getting things that I can use.    I found a few shirts and shorts for my grandson.  If I had not been led to help others out I would not have gotten some things for myself.  God is good.

We left there and went to aldis for some groceries.  I feel like I get such good deals when I shop there.  We got the equivalent of 7 plastic grocery bags full of groceries and it only cost us 44 dollars. 

On the way home we stopped at a yard sale and I bought a beautiful honey brown skirt with yellow flowers scattered randomly over the skirt.  It is so pretty.
I aloso bought grandbaby 3 movies and five books all for 3 dollars. GOOD DEAL  One of the books was "the old woman that ate a bat"  It was so cute and when I took dd the things I had picked up for her I had to read the book to baby.  It talks about all the things this old woman eats and on the last page she says 'BURP"  and being a typical male child he thought that was funny.  

My sister and her family and me and dh and my friends all went to the gospel singing tonight.    It was very good time and then the church invited us all to eat with them and the only thing that I could eat was beans.  The chicken was fried,  chicken and dumpling were made with flour of course. all the desserts were made with flour, biscuits and pies, so the only thing I could eat was some beans.  I was disappointed of course but on the other hand I surely didn't overeat or eat high fattening foods.   I suppose it is true that there is a silver lining behind the clouds. 

Tomorrow is sunday and some of our dear friends is singing in the area and dh and I are going to hear them.  I will be in church just not the church that we are members at.  I don't have a problemwith that and I hope no one else has a problem either.

Sleep well everyone
God bless

The Beatitudes


3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,  for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES

This morning dh and I went to watch our grandson graduate. All of the 5K class were on the stage and  He was so excited he could not keep still. He was bouncing all over his seast and when he saw dh and me you could hear him say thats my grandma and granddaddy We were sitting beside dd and her husband and he was so happy to see us all there.  He had been chosen to give a speech of appreciation to the 5K teachers and their aides.  He did not write it but he did have to memorize it and he did wonderful.    We are the typical PROUD grandparents.  We gave him some money for a gift because he loves to go shopping for toys. 

I came home and did my exercise early because dd was going to bring baby to me for the weekend but something came up and so instead of enjoying grandson, I ate m and ms.   It did not take the place of grandson visiting me. sigh. (and while it is understanble that I am  disappointed,) why in the name of everything logical,  would I even try to calm my feelings with candy. 

I think there may be a significantly important screw loose in the deep part of my brain. :)

Something is wrong with a person that eats m and ms,  and then trys to counter balance that with unsweetened tea.

 Have a wonderful evening
God bless

"I swear I'll never be hungry again"

I love Gone with the wind, and it has been several years since I watched it. Sooooo today I popped it into my little tv beside my computer.  I put a leslie walk away the pounds video  in my computer and I watched Scarlett and Rhett and Ashley and Mammy and Prissy . When she stands there in the garden at Tara and she says "I swear I'll never be hungry again, no and none of my kin." That is heart wrenching.  I have watched it probably 10 times all togeather and I cry everytime.  It is the same way with the Titanic.  I cry every time when that mother is telling her children bedtime stories as she waits on death to take her babies.  and as the old man and woman lie togeather in the bed knowing that not even death can separate them..  I am such a softie.   and I loved the movie  "The Love Dare" with kirk Cameron. 

I read something about serotonin and vitamin B6 this morning.   Itwas interesting.  If you crave carbs a lot you might be deficit in b6  Look it up -----and something about serotonin + weight loss.  That was interesting too.

I hoed this morning for an hour in my garden.  I got my exercise in.    Every time I sould slide the hoe just under the dirt to get the weeds. I noticed that my upper tummy would tighten up,  then I noticed that my legs would tighten a little.  And of course my arms were flexing and relaxing.  I got a good workout,  Remember Tom Sawyer, and painting the fence.   Well that really was a good workout,  and I enjoy it a lot but if you want to Iwill let you pay me 5 dollars and I will let you enjoy hoeing too:)

My eating was not realy bad today, I kept it below 1800.  I would be so much happier to tell you  it was close to 1300 but I have to be honest.   I don't eat beef I know that is one of those foods that I enjoy.  I prepared caramalized onions and hamburgers and I had okra and brussel sprouts.  Don't that sound yummy.
You know I could lose weight easier if I did not like food so much!!!!  lol

Here is a few interesting things that I found on the computer-I don't know if they are true or not  just a few things that I read

You can burn 1 calorie every 30 steps (roughly depends on how small or big you are)
A 200 pound woman can aburn approximately 120 carlories walking 1 mile

a 200 pound woman walking at 2.5 MPH will burn around 300 calories every 65 minutes.



Psalm 73-------
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.


24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Sleep well
God bless

complaint of the day

Not that I have a complaint everyday-but this happens often and for some reason today it just got to me.  I have been married -in December it will be 36 years ---and in all that time I don't think my dh has filled up the salt shaker once.   I have no idea why this morning it seems to bother me more than it usually does but this morning it seemed like if he had been here we would have argued over this very minor thing. I am glad he had already left for work.  

Thought of the day, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF


Anyone else get slightly twisted about something so minor and unimportant?

He knows my name

Rebecca Hansen He Knows my Name Lyrics:

(Tommy Walker)
I have a maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hand
Chorus
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
I have a Father
He calls me his own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go
Chorus
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
Copyright ©1996
Doulos Publishing
Lyrics: He Knows my Name, Rebecca Hansen [end]

I love this song-itjust reminds me that He is not a distant God, He is right here beside me, He knows who I am, He knows my hurts, sorrows, joys, heartache, strengths, and weaknesses,  He know what brings me happiness and what brings me sadness.  He knows me by name.  I am His child just as my children are my children.  He wants whats best for me just as I want what is best for my chldren.

God has given me a new day.  I have a day to be, do, act, say, live in a way that brings honor to the one I serve, What I eat impacts on my health, my body and as the vessel of the Lord I know it is my responsibility to eat healthy.  I will make mistakes, I am not perfect, I will fall, I DO NOT HAVE TO STAY DOWN. I will pick myself up and praise God for being a forgiving God.  If God forgives me for my failures (whatever they are), if God is the God of 2nd, 3rd and 4th etc chances then I should be that forgiving of myself. 

Today is a new day, yesterday is gone. It rained yesterday and it stormed and lightening flashed.  Today all that is there to remind me that it was stormy is water in mudholes and wet grass.  But the sun is shining and soon it will be dry outside.  It is not raining today. 
Yesterday I overate, and I was miserable, today is a new day, I feel great and the Lord is with me.  The only thing  that is left of how I ate yesterday is a couple of pounds on my scale. Today is a new day.
I am so glad that the Lord gives us a new day and we do not have to live with the yesterdays of our lives.

God bless you all

It's no use crying over spilled milk

You just can't change what has been done.  You know?  I ate too much  today-my stomach feels tight. I do not like physically feeling like this and I do not like emotiionally feeling this way. If I was two people I would feel like I had betrayed the other me.  I ate a healthy breakfast and a fairly healthy lunch and I had some applesauce (still doing good) and I had some pork loin and some veggie sides. andI drank a lot. I got overheated mowing the grass. And I have been thristy all day. I know I overate today, I feel swollen in my stomach.  It is most uncomfortable.

Years ago I read a story about a frog that fell in a well and he tried to jump out.  He would jump three times and then he would fall back two.  Of course eventually he is going to get out of the well. 
That is pretty much what I am doing.  I succeed in my goals two days out of three,  Or five days out of seven but I feel like what I am doing is spinning my wheels in the mud and getting nowhere. 

I am praying for a better day tomorrow. 


My Prayer--
Dear God, I want to be healthy and lose weight.
but I keep on eating, and eating.

Help me to understand why I do this.

Help me understand why I eat when I am not hungry
Am I trying to cover up an unhappy childhood with food?
Am I trying to stifle my need for affection as a child,

affection that will never come to that lonely child.
Am I eating to get strong so that I can fight back against the abuse that I suffered.
Am I confusing a feeling of weakness as a child with hunger as an adult?

Am I trying to smother my feelings of helplessness and rage with food?
Please Father,

give me the peace of heart I need in order to understand me.

And help me to to deny myself of the things that I do not need ,

to control my urge to put something in my mouth,

to acquire some self discipline.

Help me to accept that saying no to excess food is saying yes to health.

Strengthen me to say "no" to myself and "yes" to You.



Amen.


God bless each of you.

This thing has turned into a run a way train

by Roseanne Cash

Her song is all about love but as I atput piece after piece of  the chocolate that one phrase kept running through my head.  I supppose I was calling my appetite a runa way train it is today anyway.  I can't seem to capture this tiger and get him back in his cage--so many metaphores fit. He is running free and only distruction is left behind him. 

I got a call yesterday file://i/ know it is confusing but the woman that called was the mother of my my dead brother in laws wife.  Now she started off saying she knew I was a Christian and she needed to talk to me.  I being polite said ok.  She started telling me that BIL was a drug dealer and that is how he made a;ll his money (yes he was wealthy BUT he worked all the time,.  )he bought houses and fixed them he drove a bread truck for a local bread company worked himself up in the company and he did mechanic work on the side and he was a Chritian since I knew him.  I do no believe he dealt drugs.  She put him down and put her own daughter down.  I do not understand-she asked me hadn't I heard these things and I said no the only thing I ever heard about BIL was that he haed  aquick temper.  That was it.

Well dh came home about 5 minutes before I got off the phone with her and he heard some of my side of the conversation,. 

Ever since then all I have wanted to do is eat and eat, I do not handle controversy well,  I used to drink bad and I would turn to alcohol and cigarettes,  I have no desire to go back to that, but the one addiction that is acceptable is eating and that is what I what to do.  My heart is hurt and I want to comfort me.

I told dh what she said and he said that he did not think that his brother would do that.  He simply did not believe it.  He would have heard soemthing in the last 10 yrs -some whisper of it if it was true.  She said that BIL had been selling for about 10 yrs.   I don't believe it either. My spirit says he was a good man.    I can understand why this woman would say all these things the day after the mans funeral.


And now I have stepped onto that runaway train.

I got this in my email this moring

Psychological Effects of Exercise


The psychological benefits of aerobic exercise are numerous: mood enhancing, reduced anxiety and depression and also stress reduction.
In this article, I will explore the many benefits of aerobic exercise, but specifically, I will talk about the psychological benefits, which to my (healthy and happy) mind are almost more important. After all, an unhealthy mind is an unhealthy body!

But, what IS aerobic exercise??

According to the definition from the Global Healing Centers website, “Aerobic exercise is a type of movement such as running or cycling that gets your heart pumping faster and increases your oxygen intake.” Fine examples of aerobic exercise are running, dynamic yoga, cycling, fast walking, circuit training, skiing and rollerblading.

OK, so we are all told we need to partake in aerobic exercise to obtain many benefits, such as weight loss and better skin and muscle tone. But that’s not all! There are psychological benefits of aerobic exercise too!

So, what are the psychological benefits of aerobic exercise? In short, the benefits are improved mood, reduced anxiety, reduced depression and a buffer against stress.

But let’s go into a little more detail…

The Psychological Payoffs

Mood Enhancer

When we exercise aerobically, our bodies produce little chemicals called endorphins Scientifically speaking, endorphins are polypeptides, which are able to bind to the neuron-receptors in the brain to give relief from pain. Endorphins are not just produced from exercise; they are also triggered by deep-breathing, meditation, eating spicy food and deep laughter. Just don’t do all five at once!



Endorphins are believed to produce four key effects on the body: they relieve pain, they reduce stress, they enhance the immune system and they postpone the aging process. It may be worth your while to stock up on some fitness equipment—it might make things easier for you. I prefer to exercise outside but I do have an indoor stationary bike—that way, if it’s raining, I have no excuse not to exercise.



Reduced Anxiety and Depression

Depression and anxiety can lead to a feeling of isolation. By partaking in aerobic sports, one can choose to join a running club, swimming club, gym or any other sports club. These activities get you out an about and can put you in positions where you HAVE to speak to people.





Aerobic exercise offers a distraction. For an hour or so each day, you can put yourself in a position where you are too busy worrying about the prospect of having to run another two miles before you can stop.



Burning excess fat and toning up can boost anyone’s confidence. Clothes fit better, and you receive compliments from friends, which often is enough to begin to lift the heavy cloud of a mild depression.



Stress Reduction

Do you feel like the whole world is collapsing on top of you? I think everyone does at one stage or another. If you keep positive, it will pass. Aerobic exercise is a great way to keep positive. When you are stressed, it is important to get enough sleep. Exercisers actually go to sleep faster, are more refreshed when they wake up, and have sharper memories. Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain, bringing extra sugar and oxygen, which can help when concentrating. And once again, the little endorphins can make you happier, making you feel like maybe it will all be OK after all.



So, in conclusion, exercise! There are too many benefits that you will be missing out on if you don’t.









--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





About the author:

Ciara Carruthers is an aspiring raw foodist. She has created a website dedicated to raw food at http://www.rawfoodhealth.co.uk/, where you can find her raw food blog, health related articles and raw food recipes.

30FOR30

(1)I can't remember exactly what I did I could go look but I know that I exercised everyday. I really don't have to struggle to do the exercise. I think I must be a bit unusual in that I actually like the way I feel when I am lifting weights and my feet are moving and my blood starts pumping and my breathing starts speeding up-it is like I am on a high. So I don't have to struggle to exercise.Plus I have been doing it for about 7 years. I always enjoyed it on some level.




(2)One side of me feels great, I am glad that I have the energy that I have and I really think it is because I speed my heart up when I exercise. I am glad I am able to face life in the middle of our hardships and sorrow I still am able to see the glory of God all around me. (I think I just got off track):)



(3)Honestly I can't see next week being any different-I will exercise-Sometimes I will do more than other days. I love to use a pedometer when I exercise, and I try to get it up to 10,000 steps a day. That is just a personal challenge that I do not meet every day but I still try.



Summary-The purpose of me keeping a blog and having blog mates is because it keeps me accountable. I want to be healthy, and of less importance I want to lose weight. However, the blog does not keep my craving for certain food  down. When I am hungry I eat healthy, when I prepare a meal it is well balanced. Once a month or thereabouts, my craving gets uncontrollable. I really have to fight myself to keep it managable. Sometimes I lose the battle, I insist on winning the war. I will not give up. I just wish that controlling what and how much I eat was as enjoyable as exercising.
 
----
Josie I am  really enjoying the thinking that I do when I answer the questions.  I don't think I do very good on keeping the answers on topic, because there is so much I want to say and it seems like all the thoughts are screaming type  me- type me.
 
Today I mowed for almost 95 minutes.  I loved the way I felt in the fresh air, and it was cool and my heart was beating in a good controlled way.   Tomorrow I will either finish my mowing or I will hoe in my garden. 
 
My other garden is doing really good.  The deer is leaving my plants alone since I sprinkled hair down.  Mr. Jack told me in a few weeks to soak some rags in ammonia and put the rags out around and the deer will leave the vegetables alone.   Someone else told me to sprinkle our urine at the end of each row in the garden and that will keep them away.   Sure is some interesting home solutions out there.  I can just hear grandson now pointing to a huge jar of stinky yellow liquid "grandma what in the jar and why does it smell so bad?"
 
BE SILENT
HOW CAN YOU EXPECT GOD TO SPEAK
IN THAT GENTLE AND INWARD VOICE
WHICH MELTS THE SOUL, WHEN YOU ARE
MAKING SO MUCH NOISE?
BE SILENT AND GOD WILL SPEAK AGAIN.
 
FRANCOES FENELON
 
Sleep well everyone
God bless

Been a long day

It has been a long day and a very sad one.  The funeral was at 3 pm and dh is always so quiet and strong and he broke down andcried.  I felt so helpless, I just held his hand there was nothing else I could do.


I ate after the funeral, not a lot but still I feel like I went over the calories and so I exercised when I came back home.  I only meant to do 30 minutes but I started feeling more energetic and exercise really does seem to destress (is that a real wowrd???) me so I kept going until I finished the entire video.  The church that my brother in law attended had prepared a huge meal for the family.  I left off a lot of things like chicken and dumplings and fried chicken and macaroni salad and about 10 differents cakes andcookies and pies.  I ate sweet peas and green beans cooked with cubed red potatoes, and lean baked ham and a small piece of baked chicken and some kind of green jello with marshmallows and pineapple. 
They told me the name of it but I forgot and it was delicious. 

Some one told me once that if you want to dance then you have to pay the fiddler.  So I suppose that I danced and then I had to pay for it. :)

DO NOT FEAR
DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU;
DO NOT BE DISMAYED, FOR I AM YOUR
GOD. I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU AND
HELP YOU': I WILL UPHOLD YOU WITH MY
RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND.

ISAIAH 41;10 NIV

Thank you for all of your prayers,
I love each of you
God bless

exercise, visitation, relatives, son in law & candy bar

Today I exercised,  I really did not think I would be abloe to work it in but I was determing=ed to do something-I hate to exercise but I think I am addicted to the endorphins. lol So I told myself I would do at least 15 minutes and once I got started I kept saying to mayself 5 more minutes.  I got a phone call in the middle of the exercise and I just toned it down a little but would not stop moving.  I knew that if I stopped I would not start it back.

Showered dressed quickly and off to the funeral home.  I don't handle crouds well,  I start to panic a little, (I am much better than I  used to be but there is stillo a little bit of the anxiety still there.)So as sthe people came in I kept moving to the side until I was in the backof the room right in a doorway at the side.  I could keep going backwards if I had to.   Sister was there and she saw me and she came over to buffer me from people.  All of this is a small hold over from the robbery.  I really am better than I used to be.  I saw some of hubbys relatives that I had not seen in 20 years.  Itwas good seeing them all again. 

When dd and her family left I went with them so dh could spend more time with his family,  I told son in law that I was stressed and anxious and I needed some comfort food and to stop andget me  a candy bar.  He wouldn't do it.  He laughed at me, so at this timeI amgoing to write himout of my will.  My two children have laughed about my will for years.  I told them one day when they were children that I had 3 dollars in a jar buried in the backhyard and each of them could have on dollar and they would have to fight over the 3rd one.  My dd told son that he could have it all cause she was not going to dig holes in the backyard looking for the jar just for a dollar.

My neighbor came over today she brought a roasted chicken, a bowl of potatoe salad, a loaf of honey bread, and a soda.  She said she wanted to do something for me and hubby.  And she knew that we would need to eat and maybe not have time to fix anything because of visiting our sister in law and the visitation and all that needs to be down at times like this.    I was absolutely touched by her thoughtfulness. 

Matthew 5:13-16 (King James Version)

13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I am glad that I have such wonderful friends.  And I know that unsaved people can be wonderful friends but to tell you the truth,  I did not have such loving and giving, and caring friends when I lived an unsaved life.  The world just did not give to me what a God filled life has given to me.Such peace and contentment, such joy, I have the secureity of knowing that I have a Father that I can run to when I am sad or happy, I have a Father that is there when I am sick, sad or lonely.  He is with me on the mountain and He is with me in the valley.  He is my God and I love Him.

God bless you

sad news, birthday, chinese food, double exercise

A little after midnight this mornign wegot a phone call and just about anytime we get a late phone call we always think the worse.  So far it has always some drunk  saying somehting in a hugly slurred phone like thessi my thessi Ilove you let me come to you-me saying in my most angry voice, sleep it off buddy, don't drive, get in your car lock the doors and sleep it off-no thessi you know I love you we can work this out.  Usually I just hang up.  BUT this time we got bad news.  Hubbys brother died and it was just so sad. he died before midnight and that means that he died on my hubbys birthday.  His wife came in from working late and she kissed him on the forhead and he was dead.  Visitation tomorrow night funeral Sunday afternoon. DH is destraught over it.  This brother was only two years older that dh, and dh  just turned 60 yesterday.

My daughter took dh out for a late lunch today to celebrate his birthday, grandson was there along with our son in law.  The baby was at his cutest, he kept saying Happy birthday granddaddy over and over, people were wishing dh happy birthday-people that he did not even know.   It was just a cute time with the baby and I am glad because it took his mind off of his brother.

Chinese food always puts so muchg weight on me and it takes me days to get it off so I did double exercise today,  I know that exercise speeds up your metabolism  so I exercised this morning and then I went to eat with the family and then dh and I went to his brothers house and visited with that family.  That was a very sad time;.   When we left I came home and exercised again to keep the metabolism speeded up.  I hope that it will negate some of the damage I did today.  I really did not eat much of their food.  I kept it to broccoli, sesame seed green beans, sugared sweet potatoes, mushrooms in some kind of sauce, and just a few pieces of meat.  But even though I ate moderately it does not take much to accumalate calories when it is chinese food..   

I must remember that I do not do this often and it was a special occasion and tomorrow is a new day to get it done right.

Father God, how your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, must have suffered for us!
Yet here we are with our petty complaints about life, not realizing that
we could have it much worse. Today I would like to pray for the inner peace
that only you can give and for the well being of others.  I'm grateful to know
that I can overcome anything with your love, God, but now I would like
to assure others of that some love, which is available to them anytime
they go to you and ask for it.  May they be brought back home to you in faith.
AMEN

Sleep well everyone
I love you
God bless

Lots of reasons to exercise

I was searching for something this morning and I "fell" into this site.  Now a lot of these I knew from personally exercising.
I seem to think faster and clearer when I exercise everyday,
my recovery rate from arobics is about 1-2 minutes
I used to hurt in a few of my joints and now not so much in fact rarely do I have arthritus.
Exercise produces endorphins endorphins is a natural feel good chemical that is produced when you exercise-so I am happier and I smile more
I get up in the morning and I hit the floor ready to get started with my day. 
I am alert


Anyway here is the link   I hope you  thinkit is as interesting as I found it to be.

http://www.busywomensfitness.com/exercise-benefits.html

Have a good day everyone

my day-my evening

I ate very healthy today, a few almonds for a snack, and for my dinner I fixed an oriental stir fry.  It came with a sauce but I could not use it because it has flour in it.  Wheat flour  causes me to have hives.  I just used some soy sauce in it and it was good, then I cut up some turkey breast in it and then it was delicious.  Tomorrow I am going to add some fresh onions to it and then it will be indescribably scrumptious.

I used weights with my arobics today.  I was huffing and puffing but I got through the workout and I felt good.  Amazing how good you feel when you challenge yourself.

My garden did ok through the storm.  -the tomatoe plants were blown over and the cucumber plants looked like they had been twisted by the wind but I think they will be ok.  My pepper plants were not eaten by the deer last night but that could be becasue it was raining to hard for them to come into the garden and nibble on the plants.

Preacher preached tonight on the first 4 verses of Jude.  He did an excellant job.  There were not many people there but i think we were all blessed.


Habakkuk 3:

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--
 
 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
 

--------------
Sleep well everyone

God bless

storms are coming

Yep storms are coming again.  My dd lives about 30 miles from me and she already called and said hail had covered the ground.  Everyone say a prayer for our safety.

Josie I know it was hard to understand how I could pour so much dressing on my salad without realizing it, but dh and I have a small kitchen and we were working in there togeather.  We used to do that all the time when we were first married=sometimes I look back and i really miss those first few years of marriage.  I soppose real life just got in the way.  But anyway yesterday it seemed we stepped back in time for a little while and we were laughing and bumping into each other, at first by accident and then we both started just acting silly and bumping on purpose..  It was a lot of fun.

Today I have really had to battle myself -I had to mentally refuse to let it get to me. I called my pasor and talked to him for a few minutes.  I told him nearly everything,  I told him that evernone needs to be nurtured and mothered and I feel like I have been cheated.  He prayed for/with me and I feel a lot better.  It is not gone but it is sorta like when I used to have migrane headaches, the day after I had them I would not hurt but it would feel like Iwas going to start to hurt.  I always called that the echoes of the hurt and that is a good way to describe what I feel--- I am having echoes of my past pain.

I cleaned and did laundry and ironed for about an hour today.  I only iron our church clothes,  and even though most of them say something like permanent press or cool iron if needed,  the clothes simply look better if they are pressed.

I also did a 5 mile leslie video. 

I went out to check my peppers that I planted yeasterday and the deer had eaten the tops out of two and had eaten all the leaves out ofone.  SO  I called a friend  she runs a  barber shop and I asked her to save all the hair.  She did and late this afternoon I got the hair and placed it all around my plants. Deer does not like human hair.  That won't work long and next I will get some amonia and put it on a rag and put the rag on a post and that will keep the deer away for a while. 

This afternoon I also fertilized my tomatoes and cucumbers.  
My neighbor gave me some fresh home grown onions.  I like onions but truthfully the ones you buy in the stores are not nearly as good as fresh ones. 

Now I waited until the last paragraph to put down my eating-that way you might be done bored with reading and just skip over my eating for today.  It was bad-I stopped keeping up with it when I hit 1600+

Rough estimate I am thinking close to 2200. BUT I DID EXERCISE

The Good Shepherd

Is any name more comforting to weary, needy children
of our God, than Jesus' name of the Shepherd?
Feeding, leading beside the still water, watching
over all our wanderings, bringing us out of the
wilderness over the Jordan into the land
of peace and plenty.

CHARLES E. HURLBURT AND T. C. HORTON

Stay safe
Sleep well
God bless

round and round the mulberry bush

My thoughts attack me as soon as I wake up.  I feel so cheated.  The last time mom verbally attacked me was about 2 months ago.  My brother told her that I had put her name and his name all over the computer and they were know from coast to coast.  My brother is a drunk he served time in prison for molesting his daughter, he has no where to go so he stays with mom even though she does not want him there.    He is constantly stirring up some kind of trouble.  When she accused me of doing that I told her calmly that I did not do it over and over again I told her respectfully never raised my voice finally I told her I had to gfo. 
I cried for days over that.  Dh finally told me not to call her again.  I did-two days later just to get it worked out calmly told her that I really did not do such a thing and she started again.This has been the way it always has been,

When I grew up I hoped things would change
when I got married I hoped things would change
when I moved 100 miles away I hoped things would change
when I moved closer to her house I hoped things wouldchange
when I got saved I hoped things would change
when she had her strokes and I stayed with her and helped her I hoped things would change

it never did-it never did-it never did

I have prayed that my heart would stop hurting-please  pray with me that I will stop missing what I never had. 

I got this in my email this morning-it is profound and I pray that I can put the pain and sorrow behind me that it will stop tormenting me.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Randall was only trying to do what the boss wanted him to do but he found his colleagues talking behind his back. They didn't like it that the boss confided in Randall instead of them.


Amy faithfully brings her children to church. She does this although her husband constantly criticizes her.

Sam's parents constantly criticized him. Although he was a good student, they thought he should be making straight A's.

How do you deal with unfair criticism? What happens when you are doing the best job you can do, you are giving 100% or yourself to your job and someone criticizes you? How do you react?

Think about how the Lord reacted to the cross. He didn't curse and rail. Sure, it's tempting to think, "Since I can't possibly react to criticism as the Lord did, then I don't even want to try."

Don't forget one crucial difference. The Holy Spirit. While your own strength is woefully inadequate for the job, His strength is enough to handle whatever criticism comes your way. Why don't you take a moment right now and appropriate some of that strength?

Lord, help me to handle criticism without getting a critical spirit.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

God bless

talk and talk

This morning when dh got up I just talked and bless him he just listened to me.  He is such a rock for me.

Then dh and I went to buy groceries and visited our daughter and -wonderful news for me-someone she works with is pregnant and this woman wants me to watch her little girl after she is born.  I love babies and children.  This woman has only known me from going in the business where they work and just listening to my dd talk and seeing how grandbaby acts.  She said she wants that for her child.  I actually felt honored because   I know they could find a babysitter closer to them and,, like it is, she will be traveling almost 40 minutes one way to bring the baby to me, and then of course 40 minutes to come back and get the baby.

Afterwe got back I planted my sweet peppers and replanted some okra and replanted some squash seeds.  

I did something really dumb today,
When dh and I got back from groceries we both wanted a salad and we worked togeather to make the salads.  I wanted honey mustard dressing and he wanted ranch.  so I poured my dressing and tossed my salad and decided I needed a bit more.  I did not realize the I had poured almost 1/2 bottle in my salad and I noticed it after I ate the salad and was putting everything away..   I don't even want to think about how much calories there are,  I only use that occsionally because it is high in calories. 

That was my day. 

Your word reminds me that my body is the temple of you holy spirit and that you dwell within me.  It is from within this temple, dear Lord, that I find myself thinking about your love.  I remember how you have revealed your love for me time and again in the many ways you have cared for me.  You are my provision with your healing, protection, salvation, comfort, peace, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, gentleness,and faithfulness.  There are so many ways you have made it clear to me that you love me.  As I continue pondering your great love, make me aware of how I can show that love to those around me.

Sleep well everyone
God bless

church, exercise -thoughts first then the rest

I went to church this morning.and I really had to fight myself not to get depressed.  I am very fortunate that I really am not  a person to get depressed easily and when Ido it mostly lasts about 5 to 10 minutes.  I am a positive person for the most part and just usually do not let things get me down.  BUT BUT BUT The sermon this morning was about  mothers and how special mothers are and we should respect our mothers.  I do respect the position that mom holds she is my mother.  I show her respect and I talk to her with respect. 
I set behind her while the sermon was going on and he said such glowing remarks about our moms and none of what was being said fit her at all.  Then they sang songs about how wonderful moms are and how ----,,,,People in the church were crying and I looked at her and she looked like she was so angry.  I have no idea why she was angry.  ok ok I know it does no good to go on about it.Anyway when the people went up to be prayed for I walked out.  Dh caught up with me later and he knew what I was going through.  I think the best way to describe my feeling is  "I feel cheated" I remember my grandma hugging me.  My mom never hugged me -I have been thinking a lot about my grandma lately she has been dead for a little over 25 yrs.  I can remember her hugging me.  I made sure I hugged and kissed my children often. 

ENOUGH

When I got up this morning I let dh sleep in (I can cook a bit better than him)and I fixed breakfast
I made some home made potatoes and small pieces of hillshire turkey sausages and scrambled eggs So that was my Mothers Day breakfast.  and coffee of course with International coffee creamer(got a new one, called peppermint mocha, yummy) went to church and after church dh wanted KFC  -what is it with that man and grease? I ordered grilled chicken, the place was swamped with people.  When our order came it was fried chicken so I just ate potaoes w/gravy and cole slaw and a diet soda.It was good, and if it had not been so busy I would have taken the chicken back but anybody could make a mistake with that many people in there. I brought the chickenhome and dh ate it later.

Later, i had a some turkey in the refridgerator,  so had a low calorie bread, and turkey and mustard sandwich and then I had 2 small pieces of cantaloupe. Calories for today is just  a bit over 1400 calories.

Then about 2:30 I exercised for 30+ minutes.

I ate fair, and I exercised ---so far so good.

That was my day'

Here is a prayer that is in my new book.  I love it and it seems to speak to my heart today.

O heavenly Father, even on a short journey it's one thing to have a map and an entirely different thing--a far better and more assuring thing--to have a guide.  Thank you for being my guide in this lifelong journey, for taking up the road with me and giving me the benefit of your wisdom and the pleasure of your  company along the way.  I would be lost and lonely without you, but because you walkwith me, I am confident and content.  Amen

Sleep well everyone
God bless

What a wonderful day I had

Dd came and picked me up and we with grandson, went to the beach. My son and his family joined us and we went out to eat where I made a proverbial pig of myself.  (Said with a guiltless and very satisfied smile).  Then later,I was taken to an icecream place.  They make their icecream on the premisis and it was the most expensive ice cream I have ever eaten and it was probably the BEST ice cream I have ever eaten.  Then they took me shopping.  Now dh had given me a beautiful card and he said in it that he would marry me all over again.   He also told me to go shopping and so I bought two beautiful blouses.  (I love to shop)  I love my family, without them I would not be able to celebrate Mothers day.

When I got back home it was 6:30 so I changed clothes quick and went outside and started mowing.  My front yard really did need it so i did that for my exercise for the day.  It took me almost an hour.  and even though you can burn off a lot of calories mowing,  I really think that I could have mowed 3 hours and still not burn off all the calories I took in today.

DD bought me two books also one is called Walking With the Lord and the other is calledMy Daily Psalms and Prayers.  I love them both.


SPREAD LOVE--

SPREAD LOVE EVERYWHERE YOU GO;
FIRST OF ALL IN YOUR OWN HOUSE.
GIVE LOVE TO YOUR CHILDREN, TO YOUR
WIFE OR HUSBAND, TO A NEXT -DOOR
NEIGHBOR....LET NO ONE EVER COME TO YOU
WITHOUT LEAVING BETTER AND HAPPIER.

MOTHER TERESA

Sleep well everyone
love you
God bless

garden, beach, ross

I good today=I kept my calories to below 1500 I think it was 1430  (I am getting lazy about chicking that before i sit down and start typing.  I used to have it beside me so there would be no mistake-I KNOW that it was in the 1400's .  

Igot out this morning with my hoe and worked the soil and made holoes in the dirt and I planted 5 rows of okra (not real long rows) and then I worked two rows of squash.  Dh said that Monday we might put down some cantalope seeds and ,like I said I want some sweet peppers.  Now I know that some people freeze their peppers but frankly I don't care for the texture of peppers that have been frozen. 

Even though hoeing and bending is not traditional exercise -it did take me almost an hour, so can I count that as my exercise for the day?  Not only did I bend and stoop and dig but I walked  the rows 3 times, once to dig holes again to drop seeds and again to cover the seeds up.

In the morning dd and I and little grandson are going to the beach.  we are going to meet my son there and have breakfast togeather and then we will go to Myrtle beach.  I am not going to get in the water I love seeing the water,but not getting wet.  (I know I am weird)   I lived within 5 miles of the beach for 15 years and probably got to the beach 10 times. I used to love it, but once I could get there often it lost it's appeal.  

Have a great evening, and to all the mothers out there,  I hope you have a wonderful mothers day.

Love you all
God bless



Praise of a Good Woman


10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth [1] it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. 19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. [2] 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

My busy day

Today I seemed to stay busy all day long.  I cooked and did laundy and pushed my mower in the back (50 min) caqme inside and finished cooking our dinner.  Then I worked out with my weights.  I get plenty of lower body exercise and I forget that at least 2 - 3 times a week I need todo something for my arms and chest and stomach. 

Dh and i are going to go to a revival tonight.  I love hearing this man speak.  I love going to church -I would rather go to church than anything else that I can think of.

My neighbor gave a piece of land to dh and me for a garden area.  So in the morning I am going to plant some more vegetables.  I have two freezers and I would love to have them both filled with okra and  beans and squash and berries, and corn, and tomatoes. Last year people just loaded us up with these things.  I don't expect people to do that this year.  I have the place to plant a good sized garden.    Can you tell I am excited?  I love fresh vegetables and growing your own and working with it makes it even better.  I know what is being used on the vegetables and I can pick it and it is put up the same day. It does not get any fresher than that. I want some sweet peppers too, We'll see.  i might not have room for that.

When this growing season is over I  will replant  broccoli and cauliflower and brussel sprouts. I told  My neighbor that I was not a farmer and he might have to give me advice, and he said hewould so, he has been farming all his life and he is close to 70.  I think he would know what he is doing by this time.

Time to get ready for church,
have a wonderful evening
God bless.

I fixed it

spyware--I called dell and they said i would have to pay extra to get it removed, I called the local geek squad and they said 149.00 dollars. I said there is nothing on my computer that I really need to keep SO I  reformatted and reinstalled and now I only have to remember to put my favorites on .  If I can't remember then they were not really favorites after all---right?

I still did an hour of arobics.  and I ate about 1400 calories. I do have it wrote down in the kitchen just too lazy to go get it'

NOW

I have a very serious prayer request-everyone that reads this please pray.

Josh is a 7 yr.old little boy and he had leukemia.  He went through all the treatments and was cured and now it has come back.  I think he was free of it for a year.  But our God is still in the healing business.  He still performs miracles.  He is our omnipitent Father and He can do all things,  Please help me to pray for my friends little grandson.

Have a good night everyone
God bless

GOD IS IN CONTROL
God is still in control of every
situation.  The universe belongs to
 Him, including all the people in it.
At such times as this, He may be
 planning something wonderful, a
mere step beyond the problem we
 face.  Just because we don't see
the blessing yet doesn't mean it
 isn't on it's way.

yesterday

Yesterday evening my dd came for a short time to use my computer. Hers is in the hospital.

She had a bag of chips and I reached in the bag and got one, with the thought that I would just have one.  I see it in my mind in slow motion, like a movie slowed down.My hand came up to my mouth and my mouth opened, and there-before the chip made it in my mouth-I stopped- and I thought

ONE CHIP IS ONE TOO MANY
BECAUSE
ONE CHIP WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH 

and I put the chip back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the next time I may not be this strong--The next time that chip may find it's way home.  But maybe -just maybe-this time made my "leave it in the bag" muscle just a little bit stronger.

God bless

what a wonderful ending to this day that the Lord gave me

I just want to sing His praises. I went to a revival tonight and a man got saved.  This man drank really bad and he started coming to church just a few weeks ago, he had to have been seeking for more in his life.  God touched him in such a wonderful way, He became a Christian and this man shook all over almost like vibration.   What a wonderful God we serve.  God is just so merciful and so full of Grace and He loves each of us.


My eating was less than 1350 and my exercise was over a 5 mile leslie sansone. 




Psalm 36:5-10





5 Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains;

Your judgments are a great deep;

O LORD, You preserve man and beast.



7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

9 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.


-----------------------

May God bless and keep you

My Sunday

Church was good this morning.  Dh and I joined the church we had been going to. I do realize that everyone needs a good church family andI know that dh really does enjoy that church.  But mom and sister go there and we get along better when we do not have to see each other so often.  I know that maybe the Lord is trying to teach me to be patient and loving even in the face of family difficulties. Dh does like it there and he is spiritual head of household and I do respect his decisions, so I joined with him.  I will do my best and I will be praying about my dissatisfaction. 

I ate very good, plus I exercised today.  Usually I don't exercise on Sunday but I just felt like it would help me with some of the stress that I had and it did,  IT WORKED.

I kinda lost my appetite after I exercised so I only ate 1245 calories for today.  That is ok I will eat a healthy breakfast.  I am thinking oatmeal and blueberries, and a couple of strawberries and low calorie toast w/low fat cream cheese, and 1/2 apple slices on top.  Doesn't that sound good. 

Does everyone spend time thinking about their next meal?

DO GOOD
DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN, BY ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN,IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN, TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN, AS LONG AS EVER YOU CAN.
JOHN WESLEY


Sweet dreams everyone
God bless