March 5, 2011
Do you love to read blogs? I do. There are so many really good blogs out there. I could get lost in "BlogLand". Most blogs have a "My Favorite Blogs" or "Places I Visit" area on them with a list of other blogs. I often will go visiting and I've found some gems out there. (Just check out "Other Blogs That I Enjoy".)
Today, Michelle at Thrifty 101 is hosting a "Mingle". I've linked up, but, you might want to check out all the fun blogs over there! There are some very interesting and talented people in "BlogLand".
Have a great weekend!
"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:2-3
3.05.2011
3.03.2011
He's Got a (game) Plan!
March 3, 2011
Do your kids like to play video games? Mine sure do. Not only do we have the ever popular WII, we also have a PS3. I must be such a girl because, for the life of me, I cannot figure out WHY we would need two gaming systems, not to mention their Nintendo DS's and computers! My kids have so many games to play on these devices. I don't even want to know how much money we've spent. So, when I find these game discs lying around, waiting to be scratched to the point of being rendered junk, it maddens me! I know that they are young, but they are certainly not too young to appreciate the value of having nice toys. Especially when I've clearly warned them that they would lose the privilege of playing video games if I found ONE more game out of it's case. I just don't understand why it is so difficult to follow simple instructions.
You know, God gives us simple instructions, too. And time and time again, I ignore something He's asked of me. Why do I this? Was I not listening when He spoke to me? Is it not important enough in my opinion? Am I being belligerent? Am I too lazy to do what He's asked? Is my short-term memory shot from too much aspartame? (Yes, I know, lame excuse. But you can't blame a girl for trying.)
Listen, we are going to mess up. That's why it was necessary for Jesus to die. But, come on. Let's be honest. There are plenty of times that we, well, at least I, disobey with full knowledge and conviction. I'm just asking for things to turn to junk. "So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 7:19
I have to be careful to pay attention to God. I have to make His word a priority. There will be times when it's necessary that I put my tail between my legs and give up my own will and follow His. I am going to have to put forth effort to be ever mindful of the things that God wants for me to accomplish and then move in obedience. I'm going to have to give up Diet Coke... oh, wait, never mind. "My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5
Once I accepted the ransom that hung on the cross, I began to change. I now want to rely on God. It makes no sense to me NOT to. " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13 He's the Man with the Plan and He promises me hope! When I think of living my life without Him, I can see just how hopeless it is. When I think that following Him is too hard, I think of the alternative and I'm slapped up side the head with the realization that living without Him is harder!
"And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead, so they will obey my laws and regulations. They they will truly be my people and I will be their God." Ezekiel 11:19-20
Do your kids like to play video games? Mine sure do. Not only do we have the ever popular WII, we also have a PS3. I must be such a girl because, for the life of me, I cannot figure out WHY we would need two gaming systems, not to mention their Nintendo DS's and computers! My kids have so many games to play on these devices. I don't even want to know how much money we've spent. So, when I find these game discs lying around, waiting to be scratched to the point of being rendered junk, it maddens me! I know that they are young, but they are certainly not too young to appreciate the value of having nice toys. Especially when I've clearly warned them that they would lose the privilege of playing video games if I found ONE more game out of it's case. I just don't understand why it is so difficult to follow simple instructions.
- Remove game from case.
- Insert into device.
- Play game.
- Remove game.
- Return to appropriate case.
- We all live happily ever after.
- The End.
You know, God gives us simple instructions, too. And time and time again, I ignore something He's asked of me. Why do I this? Was I not listening when He spoke to me? Is it not important enough in my opinion? Am I being belligerent? Am I too lazy to do what He's asked? Is my short-term memory shot from too much aspartame? (Yes, I know, lame excuse. But you can't blame a girl for trying.)
Listen, we are going to mess up. That's why it was necessary for Jesus to die. But, come on. Let's be honest. There are plenty of times that we, well, at least I, disobey with full knowledge and conviction. I'm just asking for things to turn to junk. "So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 7:19
I have to be careful to pay attention to God. I have to make His word a priority. There will be times when it's necessary that I put my tail between my legs and give up my own will and follow His. I am going to have to put forth effort to be ever mindful of the things that God wants for me to accomplish and then move in obedience. I'm going to have to give up Diet Coke... oh, wait, never mind. "My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5
Once I accepted the ransom that hung on the cross, I began to change. I now want to rely on God. It makes no sense to me NOT to. " 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.' " Jeremiah 29:11-13 He's the Man with the Plan and He promises me hope! When I think of living my life without Him, I can see just how hopeless it is. When I think that following Him is too hard, I think of the alternative and I'm slapped up side the head with the realization that living without Him is harder!
"And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead, so they will obey my laws and regulations. They they will truly be my people and I will be their God." Ezekiel 11:19-20
3.02.2011
Let's Eat: Week 1
March 2, 2011
Watching My Weight "Wednesday"
I hope I didn't lose any of my followers just now. (By the way, I'm up to a grand total of 18 now! WooHoo! If you're not one of the 18, I'd love for you to click the Follow Me button on the right side of the page a little further down.)
If you read my post yesterday, you know that I am on Day 3 of a new "low carb" diet that my friend's husband, Steven Speyrer, suggested. (He's a personal trainer.) I'm hoping to drop 15 pounds. I am in constant search for low carb food options, so, I figured that I would dedicate Wednesdays (at least for a little while) to recipes I've discovered. Ironically enough, it's Mrs. Steven Speyrer who turned me on to today's recipe. You really should try it. Brant & Aubree both gobbled it up for lunch today- Brant even asked for a second helping!
*Disclaimer: I am a Cajun. I do not "do" measurements as most people do. I do measurements in splashes and sprinkles. Please allow me some grace.*
Egg Rolls Minus the Roll
- 3 pounds of ground meat (I use turkey or pork)
- 2 packages of cole slaw (green & purple cabbage and carrots)
- 1 TBSP of sesame seed oil
- approx. 1-2 TBSP of ground ginger
- approx. 1/4 - 1/2 C of soy sauce
- 1 - 2 TBSP garlic powder (according to taste)
- approx. 1 TBSP cayenne pepper (optional)
- approx. 1 TBSP olive oil
I heat my olive oil in a large pot and then add my ground meat. Once it begins to cook, I add my sesame seed oil (do not add too much, it IS strong), ground ginger, soy sauce, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix it well. and continue to cook. You should taste your meat once it's cooked to see if you need to add more soy sauce. If you add too much, it can get too salty, but if you don't add enough it will be too bland. Once it's seasoned the way you like it, add in your cole slaw and continue cooking it only until it is evenly mixed together. You don't want to cook it too long to the point that it starts to get soft. You want it to still have a little crunch to it. By the time it's mixed, it will be done. Remove it from the heat and enjoy!
(If you're not watching carbs or dieting, you can spoon the mixture into egg roll wrappers, roll, and fry. They are scrumptious!)
"You say, 'Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food.' This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them." 1Corinthians 6:13
"Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won't. And those who won't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them." Romans 14:3
3.01.2011
Dieting. Again.
March 1, 2011
If I'm starting my second diet of the year already, does that mean that I've failed? Or does it mean that I'm doing really good on the journey of my year of "GROWTH"? Okay, so gaining physically was not what I had in mind when I said I wanted this year to be a year of continued growth. I actually want to shrink physically and grow in character and spirit. But, I'm sure you already guessed that. Plus, I may or may not have mentioned it in a previous blog. Anyway, the first diet I tried was simplyworse than Chinese Water TORTURE counting calories. I was "allowed" 1200 calories per day. Okay, I could easily eat 1200 calories for breakfast! The first week I lost about 3-4 pounds! I was PUMPED. "This is not so bad." I told myself. But, at the end of the second week I found myself starving to death, barely able to muster up the energy to sit up very hungry and I lost a grand total of NOTHING! Immediately, I quit that diet. I need to eat people!
I am not into going through pain for nothing. It's not that I'm weak~ I've gone through labor and delivery four times without so much as a baby aspirin for pain. But, at the end of that experience, I was handed a warm, wet, pink, dirty, slippery, bundle of LOVE! They were each worth every ounce of suffering I went through, from conception to present day torment. But, not only am I not weak, I'm not crazy. I'm not gonna deprive myself to the point of distress in vain. It's just not gonna happen.
Which brings me to today. I've started a "new diet". Today is Day 2. I am having sugar/chocolate detox. It can get pretty ugly at times. My kids found me curled into the fetal position in a corner rocking back and forth mumbling something about me eating my foot if it were covered in chocolate. But, I'm okay right now. I'm going to Wal-Mart to see if I can find some low carb, sugar free chocolate candy. If not, someone might have to call 9-1-1! Oh, Lord, help me!
"The king assigned them a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court." Daniel 1:5
"But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead." Daniel 1:8
" 'Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water, Daniel said.' 'At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet.' " Daniel 1:12-13
"At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king." Daniel 1:15
What does all of this mean when applied to me? I'm not sure. I know it doesn't mean that I will be eating only vegetable and water!
If I'm starting my second diet of the year already, does that mean that I've failed? Or does it mean that I'm doing really good on the journey of my year of "GROWTH"? Okay, so gaining physically was not what I had in mind when I said I wanted this year to be a year of continued growth. I actually want to shrink physically and grow in character and spirit. But, I'm sure you already guessed that. Plus, I may or may not have mentioned it in a previous blog. Anyway, the first diet I tried was simply
I am not into going through pain for nothing. It's not that I'm weak~ I've gone through labor and delivery four times without so much as a baby aspirin for pain. But, at the end of that experience, I was handed a warm, wet, pink, dirty, slippery, bundle of LOVE! They were each worth every ounce of suffering I went through, from conception to present day torment. But, not only am I not weak, I'm not crazy. I'm not gonna deprive myself to the point of distress in vain. It's just not gonna happen.
Which brings me to today. I've started a "new diet". Today is Day 2. I am having sugar/chocolate detox. It can get pretty ugly at times. My kids found me curled into the fetal position in a corner rocking back and forth mumbling something about me eating my foot if it were covered in chocolate. But, I'm okay right now. I'm going to Wal-Mart to see if I can find some low carb, sugar free chocolate candy. If not, someone might have to call 9-1-1! Oh, Lord, help me!
"The king assigned them a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court." Daniel 1:5
"But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead." Daniel 1:8
" 'Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water, Daniel said.' 'At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet.' " Daniel 1:12-13
"At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king." Daniel 1:15
What does all of this mean when applied to me? I'm not sure. I know it doesn't mean that I will be eating only vegetable and water!
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