First Steps

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Those two adages being accurate - I decided to post to my blog. As you can see from my last post - it is about time. I have lots of thoughts and ideas - but getting them down here - well that is another story.

Oh, I have good reasons! Okay, excuses. But, alas, they are just that, excuses. Basically, it has not been a priority.

So what has been happening in my life? Well - basically, I returned to work as a nurse. December 29 of last year, I started working in home care again. I absolutely LOVE my job - but... isn't there always a but? Well, mine is that the job is full time and it seems that is all I do.

I know it is a matter of time management and not procrastinating. Just haven't got it mastered yet. In my dreams, I am organized, don't procrastinate.... oh, yeah, skinny, a great singer, and, and.... Yet, I am still me. And I have not fully aclimated to the new (6 months is still new, right?)schedule and become self-disciplined enough to "Fly" so as to have my life and home in order.

Okay, it is late - I have to get up early - to finish work from last Friday, sigh - is there no end?

In the mean time - any who read this - be blessed in the Lord - for no matter what messes we create for ourselves - HE is good - ALL the time! uh huh!

A New You

I thought I would share something I wrote for our church bulletin for the New Years edition. 

 

        And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

        I love the new year—it represents a new beginning.  Old things are done.  Whatever happened be it good or bad in the past year is over.  We can look forward with renewed hope. 

        We all have areas in our lives we would like to change—speaking kinder to those we encounter, being more diligent in working towards our goals, praying more, losing weight, finally breaking the chains of addiction, , keeping our room cleaner, being more generous in our giving, being the mom, dad, husband, wife, daughter, son, employee, etc., that I should be …  This list goes on and on.

        One of the biggest lessons in the Old Testament is God’s faithfulness and mercy.  Time after time, the children of Israel disobeyed, openly rebelled, turned away to serve other gods, and just rejected the Almighty God.  Yet, for every time they failed and then repented, He showed them mercy and accepted them back.  Not only accepted them, but went to great means to avenge any wrongs done them.  The heartaches, battles lost, and sorrow were exchanged for great things—great victories, great blessings.

        It is no different for us today.  Bad things happen, some of our own doing, some just a consequence of life.  But each new year allows us to step back, refocus and start again. 

        This fresh start usually involves some repentance.  There is nothing more refreshing than a clean house.  A couple years ago, we purchased a new sofa for our living room.  Before it was delivered, I not only wanted to sweep the wood floors, but vacuum and mop and polish them.  Much to my dismay, that was the time our family became sick and I was unable to do this.  I could not rest on the new sofa, though, until I knew the floor was spotless underneath it.  The same is true in our lives.  The old grudges, sins, weights, failings—time to get rid of them.  We can not really move forward with the “new man” until the old has been thoroughly cleaned.

        So what are your dreams, goals, desires?  Do they include drawing closer to God?  Maybe it is time for a total recommitment.  Possibly you have never repented or been baptized in Jesus Name or have you neglected to receive the Holy Ghost - the Spirit that brings the new life?  Whatever your situation, there is no time like today to start again.  Time to make all things new.

 

 

 

In with the New

Someone once asked me what my favorite holiday was. Unequivically, New Years! I love the concept of new, fresh, starting over. Likewise, Monday is my favorite day of the week. I love Sundays for the refreshing in the Holy Ghost and the presence of God - but it is also so busy as to get bumped from the number one spot. So that leaves Monday, nice quiet, slow paced Monday.

So is it any surprise that anticipation is building for another "new" in our lives. We should be in our new church within about three weeks. To that end, there is all the final work to be done - cleaning.

So we have started spending some time at the new facility. Cleaning, scraping, vacuuming. It is unreal how much dust can accumulate in a space. I mopped one floor four times and it still did not look acceptable by my standards.

On the other hand, as a space is completed and it begins to shine and the furniture is set in place - all of a sudden, this is so very real.

Makes me think about this journey we are on. We have been hearing for years, "Jesus is coming back." And yes, we believe it, but it is easy to relegate it to "someday." But as we see the happenings in our world and we recognize them as fulfillment of prophecies in the Bible - it is becoming very, very real! Time to really kick in and get to work - time to clean (up our act), make sure everything is where it should be in our lives. Is everything working? Is the power on in our lives?

I watched as we polished the outside of things. We scraped the windows, washed the walls - getting everybit of dust removed that we could. The carpet layers were making sure this covering was secure - no visible seams. The tile layers made sure there was a good sealer present on the grout so moisture wouldn't get in and undermine thier work. And we cleaned. Then someone else would be in to fix something, and guess what? We had to clean again.

We need to examine our lives. Check the inside and outside. Polish, clean, seal. Make sure there is no cracks for sin to seep into our souls. Make sure we are spotless. Invariably something will come along and we will have to cleanse again. It is all part of the process.

You see one day soon we will be meeting Him. There will be an inspection and everything must be in order. I want to pass that inspection most of all.

By the way - December 7 is the projected move in date. Check out our website at www.upc1.org

There is hope

Let me preface this by saying after I blogged today, this was in my inbox.  My,  aren’t friends helpful to the cause?  I guess we should keep all things in perspective and balance.

”Health Benefits Of Being Overweight”

 

A new report suggests that being overweight is not as

harmful as is commonly believed, and actually confers

some surprising benefits.

 

Being five to ten pounds overweight could protect

people from ailments ranging from tuberculosis to

Alzheimer's disease, research indicates.

 

Those carrying 15 to 25 extra pounds are better able

to recover from adverse conditions such as emphysema,

pneumonia, and various injuries and infections, states

the report.

 

Thirty to forty pounds of flab could help fend off

breast, kidney, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancer.

And an extra fifty pounds on the scale may improve

eyesight, reverse baldness, cure the common cold,

and reduce global warming.

 

In general, the report concludes, overweight people

are happier, more successful in business, smarter,

and friendlier.

 

The study was funded by a research grant from

McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Taco

Bell, Domino's Pizza, Starbucks, Haagen Dazs,

Sara Lee, and Krispy Kreme.

Inspiration

So my dear daughter has guilted me into updating here. But isn't that what daughters are good at? Guilting their mothers? It is an inherited thing, although I am sure I don't do that to my mother. Okay, maybe to get visits. But, it is reciprocated! Boy if that is not a lousy rationalization. Time to move on....

I guess the newest and greatest thing in my life right now is success! You see, July 29, I embarked on a new journey. I was going to get healthy. Of course, a primary focus was weight loss, but beyond that, making healthy choices.

Although I have not hit the "50" mark, it is very close and if I am not going to be totally useless in a few years - I had better do something NOW!

So, we (yes, my dear husband has joined me in this quest) are drinking water instead of other drinks. Okay, yes, coffee remains - but it is decaf now. We are eating fruits and vegetables (at least 5 a day). Limiting drastically the simple carbohydrates - especially white flour items, and being conscious of calories taken in. This is accomplished mainly through portion control and making wise choices through out the day.

The nice thing about this is it allows for treats periodically, just not a massive amount of them.

So what have I discovered on this journey?

1 - Hunger is good. Oh, not starvation hunger. But I get hungry now. I never did before. I always ate frequently enough that I can say I never felt that feeling of needing to eat. Now, when I get hungry, I know it is time to eat. And, guess what? It is usually right at meal times too - meaning enough hours have passed that this is a natural sensation.

2 - I love fish! No, not just tolerate it - not even just like it. I love it. I am selecting fish as an entre' when we go out now. Okay, my favorite is the Guiltless Grilled Salmon at Chili's, sans beans, with double broccoli. Oh, my makes me hungry just thinking of it! I now fix it regularly at home - much to the dismay of my son. So, I limit that for his sake.

3 - I love water. At first I added flavoring to it and guzzled the stuff. But I found it left a dry taste in my mouth and didn't seem to quench my thirst. The plain water now is so refreshing. My usual plan is: 2 bottles of water before work, then at least 2 - 3 more the rest of the day.

4 - It really isn't hard to make these right choices. Okay, sometimes it is, like last night with a huge pan of Sis. Emma's banana pudding at the ready! And I was dishing it up for everyone at the dinner. So, I put 2 tablespoons in a cup and left! That way, I didn't get tempted to dip in for more after I tasted it and went to heaven! ha ha.

So what has been the results? Forty-seven pounds gone thus far! Woo Hoo! I can climb a flight of stairs without getting winded. I can put on my shoes without getting short of breath! I am beginning (note that word!) to think (note that word also!) about exercise. I have actually done some strengthening activities, just not faithfully or regularly. I believe this will come.

Oh, and my man? He is now at goal! And my does he look fine! He got his old wardrobe back. All the pants I had removed from his closet to give away? Well they are back and no belly paunch. And, he is thinking along the healthy lines too. Making choices to include vegetables and fruits, also.

Okay, there is other stuff going on, but I will save it for another day. After all - if I am to meet the expectations of my daughter, I must continue with this.

Be blessed in the Lord today, and rejoice!

March - in like a lion.... that is definitely the case here! Several trips, lots of projects and a busy schedule all keep me looking over my shoulder to see what I missed.

We went to northern Indiana last week - to see Paul's mom, see our daughter and son in law (on leave from Iraq). Of course I said I didn't want to go if there was snow - After being assured it didn't look like there would be much - we got 2 - 4 inches every day. Argh!

So we got home, and got right back into the swing of things here. Saturday was a birthday party for a friend, Sunday was church and jail service in the afternoon, and Monday was a trip to Nashville airport and some shopping.

The good part of this is that I did find an outfit for the wedding. Oh, yeah. Chana and her husband Keyonsay are reaffirming their wedding vows on the 15th of this month. A year ago, when they married, they just went to the court house. So they are having a wedding this year. Chana and her friend Ronance came by and picked up the flowers to make the girl's bouquets. I still need to sew two little girl's dresses and the capes for the bridesmaid's dresses.

Today, the house was cleaned so it is ready for company - and my sewing room is straightened (you can't sew in a mess). So now it is time to get to work. I do have a couple quilts to attach borders to, though as they are scheduled to go to the quilter this week.

The sewing classes from a couple weeks ago went well. Here is one of the patterns I had one of the ladies do. it is called the split nine patch and really looks great - and so easy. One lady had never sewn before and did an excellent job on hers.

So that is what is happening at the Spites. Of course we leave Thursday to go to Virginia. Joseph graduates from his Advanced Training course with the National Guard. I believe he will officially be a helicopter mechanic. It will be good to have him home, though, after being gone almost 7 months.

I will have more projects to post after the wedding. And of course some pictures of the kids.
So till later - blessings on all.

My Space

Okay, I had some friends signed up with My Space and suggested I should to. So, I think, why not? What a mistake! Fifty million emails - somebody tagged me, somebody added me, sombody wants me to join this or that.... It was never ending - so I unlisted myself. After all - I already was quite involved in My Space! I didn't need the online version.

So here are some pictures of My Space.

This is the closet. My daughter, Sarah organized it for me. All the bins hold either fabric or projects. Each are labeled with what is in them. The fabric stash is divided by size.

My layout/cutting table is to the left. The PVC extensions on the legs save my back from major pain.

this is my sewing machine table. Although not large, it works quite well. To the right of the table is a small book case. On top of this, my threads and notions are kept quite handy.

Now this has changed somewhat, but basically it is similar - just more. You can see a dresser on the left of the above picture. This is the dresser we bought with the crib when Sarah was born (24 years ago). The top folds down into a changing table or makes a small shelf when in its current position. It holds my fusible products and odd fabrics.

I will need to take more pictures of the current lay out, I thought I had, but can't find them. So enjoy the short tour. There is also my favorite Queen Anne chair in here - great when a quilting buddy comes over for quality bonding time.