Test Msg

Trying out Live Writer … not sure what I think yet … but looks promising!!

 

I Love It When This Happens:

No, I don't love that my migraines are back with a vengence.  I was just telling someone yesterday I haven't had one in a while ... and if I believed in superstition, I would have regretted not knocking on wood after making that statement because last night I had a HORRIBLE migraine.  Just incredibly painful - non-stop throbbing and blecky nausea to go along with it. 

My husband came in to check on me in the dark, quiet bedroom, and I asked him for some water (dehydration can be the cause of headaches), and I asked him for to pray for me, which he did.  I finally felt better around 2 a.m. and spent a restless night half-awake, half-dreaming, half-thinking-too-much.  I finally caught an hour of sleep just before Miriam woke up for the day.

When I checked my email this morning, my Daily Text had the following verses and prayer for the day (the application of the verses today is what I love):

Monday, January 30
Psalm 18:16-24

Genesis 29:15-30:24; Matthew 11:1-10
O Lord, restore me to health and make me live. Isaiah 38:16


She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and

touched his cloak, for she said, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be

made well." He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well."

Mark 5:27-28,34

God of wellness, we know fear when disease strikes us hard. We seek


cures from doctors and pray for healing. Most of all, we lay our lives


in your hands. Make us whole in spirit and touch our bodies. Amen.


Today I am so thankful to be feeling better ... and thankful for the prescription meds I can take to tackle my migraines even thought when I hesitate to take them and my migraines get really bad, it takes them a long time to work.  4 or 5 hours of non-stop pain last night reminded me of the many who go through suffering of pain and chronic illness every day.   I am thankful today to be FEELING WELL and pain free!!

Miriam had her 2 year old well-child check up today with her pediatrician.  She got a wonderful report that she too is healthy and doing great!   And best of all, NO SHOTS today!!  :) 

Courtesty of Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

I am still plowing through this book this week ... and LOVING IT!!  Such wonderful insights on the state of the church (and the people and the political situation) in Germany before (and during) World War II (right now still reading about ca. 1934/35) and inspiration from those who stood up for The Truth (as in for Jesus:  the Way, the Truth, and the Life!). 

It is said that Dietrich Bonhoeffer read the Moravian Daily Texts each day .... and thus, I am having these daily devotionals delivered to my email box.  There is always a Scripture from the Old Testament and from the New Testament and then a prayer that ties them together and applies them practically.  Today's text is: 

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear. Psalm 46:1-2

Paul wrote: Whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

Heavenly Protector, when we are threatened by the world around us, watch
over us. When our fears weaken us, be our strength. When discouragement
squelches the joy of life, shine your light into our lives and into your
world. Amen.

Psalm 18:1-6
Genesis 27:30-28:9; Matthew 10:17-25

The Moravian church has roots all the way back to 1457 as a result of the work of Czech Reformer John Hus (who had been martyred even before the church was "established").  The church was persecuted and exiled ... but then revived by Count von Zinzendorf (in his refuge of Herrnhut) in the mid 1700s when many of the congregants also came to America.  Ultimately, they settled on George Whitfield's estate in Bethlehem, PA though they have spread all over by now, having reached out with the Gospel particularly to Native Americans around the time of World War II.   You can read more about their history on their website.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wasn't Moravian; he was part of the traditional German Lutheran state church until he began helping establish the "Confessing Church" (in the early-mid 1930s) when the state church began to be ruled by Hitler's leaders.  This was also motivated by his own observations and his firm belief that the state church was entirely too rote and traditional, making Christ's death on the cross flippantly and generically for every one's sins, a "cheap grace" (not at all what Martin Luther intended when he taught, "The just shall live by faith."!).  Yes, of course, Christ died for every one's sins, BUT it was an "expensive grace" - it cost Christ something ... and it will cost a believer something to follow Him!  Christ gave us His all so we could have eternal life if we accept His redemption plan - but we should then give Him our all in return - even if it costs us our very lives. 

I wonder what - on January 27, 1934 - Dietrich Bonhoeffer meditated on (and he was a huge advocate of reading a Scripture and MEDITATING on it until one gleans how this verse applies to you personally and to listen for God to speak through His Word) as he probably read the very text I copied above ... and how it comforted him as he saw the future of his country, Germany, following a very evil man and many of its "Christians" following right along ...

For me, I am reminded that I face my day as a weak, sinful human.  To have a joyful day, I need to rely on God's strength.   

Cooking Thursday: Salad Dressing

Joining Sandra today for Cooking Thursday.

My Mother-in-Law's
FRENCH SALAD DRESSING

1 can condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cup salad oil
3/4 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 T. salt
1 T. prepared mustard
1 t. ground onion
1 t. pepper
Garlic salt to taste

Mix w/ hand mixer on low speed for 10 minutes.

When All Else Fails ... Go Shopping!

So, today was the fateful day of my blood work (aka triglyceride check).  As I entered the doctor's office, eating the last piece of my cinnamon-crunch bagel (my recent attempts at low-sugar dieting aren't working out too well - I have $10 in Panera gift cards to use up!), the receptionist immediately asked me if no one had told me I was supposed to FAST before this bloodwork?  Well, apparently NOT!  In fact, I don't think I fasted the last time ... which she said may explain why my triglyceride numbers didn't GO DOWN very much at last check!  *sigh*

So, I have another appointment for February 1st. NOTE to SELF:  no driving thru Panera Bread that morning!! 

Since my doctor's office is located about 60 miles from home, I decided I may as well GO SHOPPING!  :)  Since Miriam had endured the long drive very nicely, only unbuckling her car seat harness ONCE (another dilemma with this child - she knows how to work the car seat chest harness buckle!!!), I first took her to Pet Smart, and we "talked to the animals". 

At Marshall's I bought a wonderful, big suitcase (on mark-down) for our upcoming travels.  I was kind of reminded of George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, seeing his suitcase from Mr. Gower after talking about his dreams for his future travels:

" I'm shakin' the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and I'm gonna see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum. Then, I'm comin' back here to go to college and see what they know. And then I'm gonna build things. I'm gonna build airfields, I'm gonna build skyscrapers a hundred stories high, I'm gonna build bridges a mile long... "

Actually, I've been to Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, and the Colosseum ... and I spent 4 years in college ... but I guess I was kind of thinking more in terms of my own son getting to travel internationally this Spring! 



After a quick lunch, we went to Target.  I had already printed out and planned my coupons for this stop - and while I'm no extreme couponer, I finally got a few things for free or practically FREE!!  Not that they are that exciting - but for me, it is pretty good:

Band-aid coupon - $2 off 2 Band-aid brand items; got 2 $0.97 trial size Bandaid packs for free.  :)

Bounty coupon - $1 off any Bounty Basics product; got 1 $0.97 roll for free.  :)

Merona clothes - $3 off any item; found a clearance tshirt for $3.60 and got it for $0.60.  :)

The rest of my couponing was less spectacular - but never the less I came home with toothbrushes, cleaning products/detergents, razors, and M&Ms ($1 off any M&M product!) among other things.  :)

And thus I would say our day was successful afterall!  And I'm always up for a good excuse to go up to my doctor's office again so I can get to this area for more shopping.  ;) 

SERIOUSLY, America??!

Many of you by now know my story ... I was a fairly comfortably-situated, somewhat - though unwittingly - spoiled brat, too often ungrateful and selfish Army wife for the first 12 years of my marriage.  I became a Christian at a young age and always wanted to - intended to - serve the Lord, but usually on my own terms and for my own convenience.  Then God got a hold of my husband's heart while he was deployed to Iraq in 2003-04.  He soon left the Army for an open door of ministry in a Christian school. 

In these last 7 years in the ministry, while we have increased immensely in our faith (speaking probably more for me - as my husband has always had very sure trust in God's provision), we have done what many Americans would never ever ever consider doing - because it really isn't normal in the scheme of American thinking:   we have gone  financially backwards.  It wasn't so different when I worked full-time for 3 years, but then my health and well-being required that I reduce my hours - and eventually I had a baby and now I work a few hours a week from home (and am incredibly thankful I can!!).   Over time, we've given up our kids' college funds, contributing to our Roth IRA, and any extras we didn't absolutely "need".  We decided to depend on God for those areas instead. 

I don't regret our choice, and we did it willingly and knowingly.  Well, I wasn't always willing - and much like the Israelites who after the Exodus dreamed of "going back to Egypt," I sometimes resented having to pinch pennies and try to live on a tight budget.  BUT it has been so good for me -and I am so incredibly thankful for being allowed to see God provide our needs when we knew we couldn't!  He has even provided so many of our "wants" over the last few years that I've been amazed at how personally God knows my heart. 

That doesn't mean I have gotten everything I've wanted - in fact, I'm still waiting for God to answer my now over-2-years-in-waiting prayer for a minivan ... and sometimes going "shopping" is so frustrating because I feel horribly guilty when I buy something that I think we probably can't afford.  But in the end, we have everything we need - plus many conveniences like a laptop computer with moderately-high-speed internet and electric heat that kicks on whenever the thermostat tells it to!  I have a dishwasher and washing machine.  And if I don't watch too many commercials on TV or look around at what my friends have that I don't, I am very content with my life as it is.  Mostly I am thankful my children are learning their happiness should NOT come from material items.  FAMILY TIME is more important than any gadget or video game - and that said, believe me, my kids don't lack for electronic devices such as a Wii, digital camera, DVDs, or hand-held video games ... while they don't have the MOST recent version, they are happy and thankful.  (at least I tell them to be! ha!) 

And so, we live contently without DVR on our bulky, old TV, without satellite radio, and my husband and I share one simple cell phone (non-smart-phone!).  We still use many of the bath towels we got for our wedding 19 years ago, our bed sheets are very low thread count, and some things we have are hand-me-downs or bought at Goodwill.  But I'm not saying that to complain.  While I can let my mind go when I get on-line and wander to wishing I had a fancier home or a nicer vehicle ... I can honestly say I am thankful that we have as much as we do!  Best of all, we have a happy marriage, healthy children who seem to have a heart for God, and a toddler in our home again who brings  us so much joy and laughter each day ... We have extended family who support us and dear friends who have stuck by us for years and years!  In the light of eternity it is the PEOPLE and the TIME spent with them that will last - not all the "stuff" we accumulate here on earth.  

While I think as long as you can afford things, by all means, enjoy the modern conveniences this world provides.  I don't think iPhones are wrong or having a fancy vehicle that practically drives itself - in fact, honestly, I'd love to someday experience both of those things!!  But I realize by living with less that modern conveniences sure make for a spoiled generation of people!   I saw it the clearest when I worked at a school office for 6 years ... it is AMAZING how pampered some children not only are (and I'm all for treating our children with kindness and surprising them with an occasional indulgence or treat!) but EXPECT their lives to be.  I think there have been many studies done on how young people today are leaving their parents' homes much much later than they used to - or coming back to the family home after puttering aimlessly around - trying college, trying a job, "finding themselves" by traveling ...

Even in our church, if the temperature isn't just right, it is amazing how many people complain that they are too hot or too cold ... In fact, the rampant COMPLAINING in almost every situation is amazing and overwhelming to me!!   Just work with people for a little while, and you will hear it. 

So, before I step off my soap box for the day, I want to share with you what triggered my essay today ... It was a commercial I saw the other day for 3 PLY TOILET PAPER:

SERIOUSLY, AMERICA??

Are we THAT spoiled that we need 3 ply toilet paper!?  Two ply isn't enough???  In fact, just a few years ago, our school purchased 1-ply toilet paper by accident - and the complaints we received left us with an excess of 1-ply t.p. that I brought several rolls of home with me because we were practically forced to replace it immediately!  My kids didn't notice there was a difference. 

And there are actually TOILET PAPER RESEARCHERS ... and there are marketing strategies in place for toilet paper!!  In fact, I am almost at the target audience for 3-ply t.p. because supposedly this toilet paper is for "women 45 and older who view their bathroom as a 'sanctuary for quality time'."  Of course, if my bathroom had a garden spa tub with jets, a shower with a TV in it and multiple, multi-faceted streams of water, and a heated tile floor with vanity table with just-so lighting and surround-sound stereo - yeah - maybe I'd consider my bathroom a sanctuary that required 3-ply toilet paper too??!! 

What is it about me & diets?

I can't blame my mother ... I can't blame my Oma ... I'm not so sure that I have anyone to blame except MYSELF ...

but I love chocolate.  And I love homemade food.  And I love comfort food.  And I love restaurant food.  And I really do love food that is good for you like most fruits and vegetables (even brussel sprouts and broccoli!).

I have often said my love language is food.  At this point in my marriage, if my husband offered me a diamond necklace or a meal at some nice-ish restaurant, I'd pick the restaurant every time.  When my friends and I go out, it usually includes lunch or dinner somewhere "nice".  I just enjoy it - being served, eating something flavorful and delicious, and just sitting around a table with someone I love being with.  Even though I know that in a few hours, I'll have absolutely nothing to show for the money we spent, it is so worth that experience and that pleasure of indulging in good food and good company!

I don't really cook well - but I am learning - and while I know we could offer a standard fare of "spaghetti, hamburgers, tacos, mac-n-cheese, repeat," I really enjoy a meal that tastes good and isn't just something processed out of a box.  This is one of my inspirations in my quest to learn to cook - to make flavorful, preferably healthy, and cost effective meals for my family.

 But my problem is that I also need to LOSE WEIGHT ... I need to get my triglycerides down (I had an appointment to get my blood drawn today but I chickened out and canceled it).  I have a history of high blood pressure, insulin/glucose resistance, and thyroid problems.  It is all culminated in what is called "poly-cystic ovarian syndrome" which has been the root of my infertility issues and the metabolic syndrome that I blame for the fat around my waist (though also exacerbated by stress and the bad hormones and chemical balances it aggrevates!). 

 I have been told numerous times by trainers and people I've exercised with - and most recently by my Wii Fit analysis - that I have a good "muscle core".  That is probably the only thing that keeps me from being obese - this I can thank my genes for!!  I am, however, overweight.  My oldest 2 children are overweight (according to growth charts) - and my husband is borderline overweight though he has recently lost 30 pounds (in about 2 weeks, it seemed, which is why I hate him ... just kidding!!!!!). 

Oh, and I forgot to mention, though I have tried various programs in the past and once joined a gym, I hate to exercise.  The closest I've come to enjoying exercise was when I was a member of Curves (an exercise facility for women) or when I can walk - but around here, we don't have any really nice, close-by walking tracks like we've had in the past when my husband and I would walk in the evenings - which was also before our children started school and life got so busy that we prefer to sit on the couch at night instead of move our tired, old selves IF we are even HOME at all...

I keep hoping one day I'll get serious about my health and diet!  I have tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, and Slim Fast with very little success.  I have tried low carb diet - and am currently convinced that a low sugar diet would probably be very good for me.  BUT I keep getting drawn in by cookies, chocolate, ice cream, and creamy, saucy pastas and buttery breads.  How can I give those up?  This is why I like the Weight Watchers concept - you don't have to give them up, you just have to eat them in MODERATION!  But even then, like the Lay's potato chip slogan, I can't eat "just one." 

So, I've tried not having sweet or my temptations in the house, but then I pick them up when I am at the store or go thru a drive-thru.  Fast food is NOT really my love language - and I am thankful I don't have an attachment to salty foods or greasy things like french friends ... but I can always find something at our local Panera drive-thru!!  A bagel, a pastry from their bakery (because I am a Panera Club member, I often have a discount!!) ... mmmmm!!

I am sad that at my age, I still have such a lack of self control in this area.  I know my habits have been formed and indulged since I was a child ... I spent summers in Germany where my Oma let me eat practically whatever I wanted, thinking she was doing me a favor.  My parents were more of the opinion that I should eat healthy -and they did not at all allow me to eat this way.   Thinking that finding a balance between eating healthy and eating treats, I have allowed my children to have cookies and desserts and snacks along with the healthy stuff (they too love fruits and veggies) - but I've seen how that has backfired and isn't best for their health either. 

And if you've read my blog for a while, you know I hate drinking water.  I am a recovering diet coke addict, slowly weaning myself from the stuff because - yes - I do know how detrimental it is (google the effects of aspartame sometime and it won't take long to convince you the stuff is LETHAL!!!).  AND YET:  I don't do the right thing, I don't make good decisions.  I've had friends offer to diet with me, keep me accountable - and it works for a while ... but in the end, I panic and return to my old habits.

Lately, I've decided that the only way I will finally conquer my eating habits and stop going down this pathway to ill health is with GOD'S HELP.  I think for years I've tried to diet and exercise and be good on my own.  I obviously can not.  I need supernatural help!  I need God's help.  And prayerfully, each day, I am working on surrendering my flesh and its desires for food - and while I know I will never give up my love for a good meal at a nice restaurant with my husband or friends, I know it is time to STOP this "sin".  While I don't think I am a glutton, I think my poor choices of food is sinful because it is not good for the "temple" of the body that God has given me. 

I sometimes joke that I will die fat but happy ... but really, I don't want to be fat and unhealthy.  If I am destined to be fat because of the sturdy German genes that I have been given, that's ok ... but I just want to be healthy.  I want to be a better example for my children.  I want to lose 20 lbs!  Please say a prayer with me that - with God's help - I can do that over the next few months.