My peppers and tomatoes

Annabelle and Daniel

Paul and David..

Daniel and Annabelle like to play Pictionary Jr..

Another fun thing we do is play with PlayDoh

Paul 3 worked on Lego projects.. he's soooooo good at that!

One of Annabelle's favorite things to do is dress up. I have a tub of fun outfits for her.. miss princess here.

The 4 younger kids came for a sleepover a couple weeks ago.. David and I played Skip-bo. He generally wins at either this or Uno..

II Corinthians 5

1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,
3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7 For we live by faith, not by sight.
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Hungry for spaghetti today.. maybe for lunch- that way the blood sugar should settle down by morning and since we would be using the low carb spaghetti, it won't be too bad.
Raining today.. I may not make it to the hospital with all the deluge.  Jane is doing well post hip surgery.. perhaps I'll just give her a call if it's still pouring after supper tonite.  No point in visiting before that- she has so much going on with rehab during the day.

"We are to make God's sovereign rule, and a right relationship with Him, the highest priority in life. Worry is inconsistent with this priority; it doubts the sovereignty or goodness of God and distracts from the true goals in life. God will meet all the needs of those who risk all for Him." - Reformation Study Bible notes on Matthew 6:33

Fruits of the Spirit

It's gonna be a busy week.  Not much time to just sit at the computer and play..  :)
This morning after breakfast I decided to read my Prof Horner study- I was going along just fine when I hit Genesis and the story of Joseph in Egypt.  You know, that is such a great story (piece of history).. I couldn't stop.  I put in the remainder of my 10 chapters on Genesis- I think it was 3-4.. didn't matter.. I loved reading how God puts things together to make the future.

Have been doing some reading on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit.. or how do I know if the Spirit of God lives in my heart?
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us about the characteristics of believers who are "filled with the Spirit"..

 Love
Peace
Joy
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self Control

The Holy Spirit causes these qualities to be evident in His own elect.  Sometimes they are sort of hidden in Christians who aren't actively pursuing Christ.. backsliders?  The Holy Spirit is the teacher and also the one who 'nudges' a person in the direction of Jesus. 
Galatians shows us examples of what we would expect the Christian to develop over time as they walk their walk with Christ.
Christians are not perfect, but they are forgiven and saved by the grace of Jesus. 
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:28-30

I've been a busy little bee.  I love to can.  So I'm canning the only thing that is really available to me at this time of year- meats.  Today we have 10 jars of ham, 1 sweet Italian sausage, and 5 pts of kielbassi.  Yummy!   I did chicken and beef the last time I used the canner.. I should think about doing that again.

It's a rainy day today.  The water delivery caught me off my guard.. but I got the jugs out in record time and the delivery man put the new bottles in the closet for me.  He's a nice guy.

As I said, it's raining today.. and about 45*.. chilly.  The daffodils are blooming, the forsythia too.. and my little hyacinths are sooooooo fragrant!!!  Wish I could make that into a perfume!
Rainy weather makes me so sleepy.  I'd like to take a nap, but it looks like hubby beat me to the bed.  Hrmph. 

Prayers of the Saints

The prayers which the Lord accepts are not the chantings of functionaries, the litanies of priests, or the devout tones of a mechanical service; they must be the prayers of saints: in the life, the character, the soul, the sweetness lies — the acceptance comes not unless they be the prayers of saints.



And who are the saints? They are men whom the Lord has made holy by the power of his Spirit, whose nature he has purified, whom he has washed in the precious blood of Jesus, and so sanctified unto himself, whom he has filled with his Spirit, and so set apart to his worship. These persons loving him, praising him, bowing before him with solemn awe, lifting their whole Souls up in adoring love — these are they who can offer sweet incense; their thoughts, their desires, their longings, their confessions, their pleadings, their praises — these are sweet to God: this is music to him, this is perfume to his heart, delightful to his infinite mind, pleasant to his sacred spirit, for God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth, and after no other fashion is a spiritual God to be worshipped.


From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Golden Vials Full of Odors," delivered May 19, 1872.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Cyrus I. Scofield enlisted on May 20, 1861 in the Confederate Army and served with the 7th Regiment of the Tennessee infantry. Twelve years later Scofield committed perjury when he took an oath to become the United States District Attorney for Kansas and stated that he had never voluntarily born arms against the United States.



Scofield did not last very long as a District Attorney, and by 1877, he was making a living on scams and writing bogus checks. He was taken to court several times and even served jail time.


Prior to his time as a district attorney, Cyrus had married a Roman Catholic woman by the name of Leontine. They had two girls, Abigail and Helene. About the time he resigned as a district attorney, Cyrus abandoned his family, leaving his wife to support herself and their two girls. Eventually the marriage was dissolved in divorce. Fundamental Christians are very hardnosed on divorce, and if a minister’s marriage ends in divorce, the minister will be forced to resign and barred from being in the ministry. Scofield’s supporters ignored this matter and kept it a secret for a long time in order to make Cyrus Scofield a licensed minister of the Gospel. While Cyrus was still legally married to Leontine, he began to date a young woman in his congregation by the name of Hettie Van Wark. They were married on March 11, 1884.


The Bible version that bears his name is a tainted version produced by two British clergymen, Westcott and Hort. These men are hailed as Bible scholars, but what is not brought out is the fact that both men were devoted Satanists and very active in occult rituals during their lifetime. The Devil must laugh his head off every time he thinks back on this coup. Think about it, the Fundamental Christians in the United States preach out of a Bible that Satan’s disciple’s doctored up and perverted. Here is a quote from page two of the Introduction to the 1945 Scofield Bible edition: The discovery of the Sinaitic MS, and the labours in the field of textual criticism of such scholars as ...Westcott and Hort, have cleared the Greek Textus Receptus of minor inaccuracies...


One of his backers was a well-known Jewish lawyer from New York, Samuel Untermeyer (1858-1941). He was a criminal attorney, but he was more well known for his political connections, bribery, and for being a fanatical Zionist. In 1901, Scofield was offered a membership in the Lotus Club of New York, a prestigious club in the literary circles of the United States catering to non-Christians. This was not a club in which one applied for membership, rather, you had to be invited and have a sponsor. Why would a wealthy German Jew like Untermeyer living in America sponsor Scofield and spend money on a man who was working on a new Bible translation and preaching Jesus Christ?


Jewish leaders had long ago recognized the bonanza for them if they could force the teaching of an imminent rapture on the Christians and move them to abandon their moral hold on society. John Darby had been financially supported earlier, and since Scofield was the successor to Darby, they could influence him to work hard and make this teaching central in all Christian churches. Removal of Christians from politics and public schools would leave the door open for liberal Jewish writers and political leaders to move in and remove the Bible and prayer from public schools and political institution. Remember, the ACLU is a Jewish organization, having only a few Gentiles in it for window dressing.


The Zionists were already working on capturing the land of Palestine and establishing the State of Israel. They knew in advance that unless they had the backing of the Christian churches in the West it would not happen. Therefore, Untermeyer made sure that Scofield presented a teaching in which Jesus was coming back shortly but also that the Jews were to have their land restored to them. This was the birth of Christian Zionism, which today is dominating the Christian churches in Western Europe and North America.


By 1948, Christians in the West fell like ripe plums for the propaganda that God was opening the door for a Jewish state. The hype in the Fundamental churches, even Pentecostal churches, went into overdrive and a number of prominent ministries began pushing hard for Israel. Oral Roberts, Rex Humbard, Jack van Impe, Kathryn Kuhlman, Hal Lindsey, Jim Bakker (PTL), Pat Robertson (the 700 Club), Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority), John Hagee, Paul and Jane Crouch (TBN), Ulf Ekman from Sweden, and many more became fanatical supporters of the State of Israel. In 2006, the hype has gone into overdrive with a new theology being pushed that Jewish people do not need to come through Jesus, God has a special salvation plan outside of Christ for them. Christians are support them financially and send as many of them as possible to Israel but do not preach Jesus Christ crucified to them.


The Incredible Scofield and His Book is a must read for all Christians who are hungry for the truth and not afraid to face their false doctrine. If the young people of today are going to have a future on this earth, they need to be set free from all lies, and know that Jesus commissioned us to go out into the whole world making disciples and teaching them all things Jesus taught his apostles. Look at these words Jesus spoke:


“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” ~John 17:14-21

Having one of 'those days' today.  No sleep last night, and feeling nauseated all day today.  I'd blame some of this on the Glucerna I drank late last evening, but also illness contributes to high blood sugar- I was 169 this morning.
I managed to take back the dolly I bought a couple of days ago.  I struggled to get it in the car after the purchase, then when I got it home, I tried to move some groceries with it, and noted it wouldn't move across the hard wood floor.. ugh!  Both wheels were flat.  I asked Paul to bring his compressor to inflate the tires, but when he looked at it, he said it was missing bearings.  Ugh! again.  So today I loaded up the dolly and got the receipt ready and headed out to the store where I bought it.  The stock boy unloaded it from the car and went to find another dolly to exchange.  They had none of the one I bought- 600# limit.. but for $5 more, I could have the 800# limit.  He checked the tires for me and they were inflated.. and then he loaded it in the car for me.  AMEN.  I had to go to Butler for one of my scripts, and as I drove down the road, I noticed the light for the back door was on.  Good grief!  So I pulled off and closed the back door securely.  I could just see me driving down the road and the back door opening and the dolly rolling back down McBride Hill all by itself!!  Acckk!
I made it to Sam's Club and got the strawberries I needed to make jam.. but before I got through the store, nausea hit and I felt so flakey, I decided to get out of there as quickly as I could and go home.
Happy to have a working dolly, I pulled it out and loaded a case of water on it along with a case of Glucerna.. and promptly dumped them both on the walkway- upside down of course. 
Like I said, it's been one of those days..
..

Spurgeon

"We hold -- we are not afraid to say that we believe -- that Christ came into this world with the intention of saving "a multitude which no man can number;" and we believe that as the result of this, every person for whom He died must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, be cleansed from sin, and stand, washed in blood, before the Father's throne. We do not believe that Christ made any effectual atonement for those who are for ever damned; we dare not think that the blood of Christ was ever shed with the intention of saving those whom God foreknew never could be saved, and some of whom were even in Hell when Christ, according to some men's account, died to save them." - C. H. Spurgeon, from the sermon, Particular Redemption, Delivered February 28, 1858, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens

"Beware of manufacturing a god of your own: A god who is ...all mercy but not just, A god who is all love but not holy, A god who has a heaven for everyone but a hell for none... Such a god is an idol of your own.. The hands of your own fancy and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible." - J.C. Ryle

We missed our outing to the museum and train display today.. I feel badly that we did, but maybe it's better to have the problems I had today now.. rather than tomorrow when I  desire to be at worship. 

Catch up day.. April fool!!!

Seriously.. it is catch up day.  I have too many projects going here and I'm being buried by one in particular.  I need to put groceries away from yesterday's shopping trip.
That involves cleaning out a cupboard to receive the goods.. but first:    breakfast!  Wendell is patiently waiting.
Have a wonderful day all..!!

It was chilly and yet beautiful today.. another full day .. shopping for pantry items.  Bible study tonite was super!  more tomorrow perhaps?  very weary tonite.

Am very sleepy today, though I had a good 8 hr sleep last night.  I wonder what's up?  Spring fever?  I have things to do.. places to go.. yet, I'm so tired, I think I'll take a nap.... zzzzzz

The grace of God is proclaimed in the Gospel (Acts 20:24), which is to the self-righteous Jew a 'stumbling block', and o the conceited and philosophizing Greek 'foolishness'.  And why so?
Because there is nothing whatever in it that is adapted to the gratifying of the pride of man.  It announces that unless we are saved by grace, we cannot be saved at all.
It declares that apart from Christ, the unspeakable Gift of God's grace, the state of every man is desperate, irremediable, hopeless.
The Gospel addresses men as guilty, condemned, perishing criminals. 
It declares tha the chastest moralist is in the same terrible plight as is the most voluptuous profligate; and the zealous professor, with all his religious performances, is no better off than the most profane infidel.
AW Pink-The Attributes of God

Canning is fun

Good day to all!!  It's a cold and sunny day here in WPA.. I got up late this morning after my marathon canning session yesterday.  We now have 30 sealed jars of meat.  10 beef and 20 chicken.  Yay! for canning.  It's so rewarding to see those little jars on the counter- I almost wish they didn't have to be put away.   After I got started last evening, I realized I wouldn't have enough jars to accomodate all the meat, so I ran out to Trader Horn and bought 3 doz more jars.  They aren't quite a pint- 12 oz.  Perfect for Wendell and me.  The sides are straight , no shoulders , so we can make cake or whatever else we want later.  I hope to keep this going- I would like to purchase a ham and preserve it too.  It's great just to put on a relish tray with other things.  I had bought kielbassi and when I do the ham, I'll try that too.  I think it should be just fine.
If you are thinking of canning meats, I would like to make one suggestion- don't try hot dogs- yechhhh.  They come out soft and mushy and really, not very tasty.
Use your imagination.. can what you are able to get the most of.
Wendell and I have decided to just buy veggies and fruits as these are much easier to handle and there are places one can purchase them at very low cost. 
I know it's easier to freeze meats, etc.. but if the freezer goes.. everything else goes too and the loss would be horrific.  Canning eliminates this problem. 
Anyone want to join in ?  I'll can if you buy the meat/produce.. or I'll teach you how it's done.

Coffee filters

Thanks to Nancy Kneesocks for this valuable piece of information on how to use coffee filters..

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.  I agree..



2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling  I have yet to try this


3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.  I have actually done this.. and it works beautifully!


4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.


5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.


6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.


7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.


8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.


9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.


10 Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.  Yes yes YES!!!  It works perfectly and is biodegradable too!


11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.


12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.. ??


13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them.. It soaks out all the grease.


14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."


15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.


16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.


17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.  Gotta try this 


18 Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.  Wonder how this is done... 


19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.


20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.


21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.


22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.


23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a zip-lock plastic bag until they sprout.


24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..


25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.






OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS

I'm a busy bee here .. tonite I have canned 10 jars of beef (london broil)  and am listening to the canner chugging happily away with a load of chicken- 10 jars.. I have to do 10 more tonite for a total of 30 jars of meat.  Yay! 

Beautiful day

Good morning family and friends.. Today is the Sabbath.  I will shortly be heading for New Kensington to worship the Lord who alone made all of creation.  It is an honor and privilege to do so.
Counting my blessings today- I'm in good health, I desire to hear the Word spoken/preached from the pulpit, God loves me, I have reliable transportation and I have a Bible and can read. 
Hope to see you there at worship..

Yay for me!  I stepped on the scales this morning and found I'd lost another pound- that's a total of 13# since Feb 10 when I started the ADA diet.  Wonderful news!!

Beautiful day here in WPA.. and chilly also.  Today's project is to plant seeds in my little flats and then take them to the back room to let them germinate.  It's exciting in spring when the plants start to grow.
I've been praying for help with preparing soil for our mini garden this year.  We shall see.  First I need to get gas for the rototiller.  I'm so glad Paul loaned them to us.  It makes plowing the soil so much easier.  I have plans for more flowers this year in other places.. and then I bought a blueberry bush and a hummingbird bush to plant also. 
I found gooseberry bush seed and have purchased these to plant by Amanda's bushes so they will give fruit- maybe this year?  Maybe next.  I'm excited about this nonetheless. 
On to Professor Hoffman.. :)

Hello Dreamfields!  This is delicious pasta that is low glycemic factor.  We tried it last night for supper.   1/2c dry = 1 serving.  It makes 1c cooked.  Imagine how excited we were this morning to find that blood sugars were stable.. and 4hr after Wendell ate his, his blood sugar was 100.  YAY! 

It's chilly today- 23* at the moment 11am.  But it's sunny and beautiful.  WOW! what a gorgeous blue sky!!  God is blessing us in so many ways.

Speaking of God's blessings- I attended my first Women's Bible Study at Gibsonia last evening.  It was wonderful!  What a lovely group of ladies.  I learned a lot about the Philippian church.. it's first members were Lydia the wealthy lady, a jailer, and likely a girl tormented with a demon until Paul cast it out.  Notice, there weren't a lot of "official" type people.. just regular folk.  Paul loved that church dearly.  They were faithful to supply him with the things he needed while in prison.  Prison there was not like prison here.  If you wanted to eat, someone had to bring you food.  If you needed a change of clothes or a blanket, someone had to supply that for you too.  The church at Philippi did that. 
I felt blessed to go to that meeting.  Looking forward to the next one on next Thursday.
I'm also reading a book called The Sovereignty of God by AW Pink.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know about your relationship to God.  WOW!  Once again I find myself so very blessed by this book. 
On to the day.  I have worked this morning on the photo project.  I should take a picture of the mess I've made while working on it.  Ugh.  But there is progress and that's really encouraging.  I don't want our families to ever have the problem of identifying anyone in the family.  All the photos are marked and I'm also mounting them according to person or family.  Once this project is done, All the families will go into a file according to their family - in albums.

Soon time for lunch.  Am tempted to make that macaroni again today for lunch.. a tuna macaroni salad sounds appealing.

I think I have spring fever.. I have worked on the 'picture project' for hours today and now I feel like I need to take a nap to finish up the rest of the day.  It's gorgeous outside.. warm and lovely.
The picture project is moving right along.  I'm amazed at how many are in these boxes.  I'm determined to get the best of the best mounted and give back to others one day.  Time consuming.  Yes.

Welcome welcome spring!!!!

I absolutely LOVE spring!  It's my favorite season of the year.  I love to see the new growth coming and then watch things turn green again after a long winter's nap.  Glorious spring!!  

Doing well here physically.  Am scheduled to see the surgeon tomorrow afternoon for a final checkup after the gall bladder surgery.  I feel good.   Blood sugars are moderating well.  Most all are below 100, and I can note what foods cause spikes for me.  We overdid the portion of angel food cake (though it was a correct portion) with fruit.. that caused the blood sugar to splash over 100 on Sunday morning.  Live and learn- literally.

I've been working on a photo project for the past week or so.  I'm making some progress, but get bogged down periodically.  Right now, I need the mounting tabs before I can go on.  I got archival safe paper and mounting tabs.  These go fast when you have over a thousand photos to mount.  It's so enjoyable to go back through photos and see how everyone has changed..  even myself.

As I was raking the other day, I accidently pulled this hyacinth out.
I replanted it in the planter beside the back porch.. and this morning
it seems to be moving along ahead of the others.. !! I LOVE hyacinths!

More signs of spring- daffodil bud noted here..

Look what I found along the driveway this morning!!! Crocus blooming. I'm glad I thought to take the camera with me.

It's a full moon tonite.. a glorious and beautiful one!!! I have no clue what the red spots are in the photo.. ???

this is precious to me... it's a new bud on the burning bush that I rescued last fall from a pile of brush.. It's a healthy start!

When I pulled back some leaves and debris today with my rake.. I found my hyacinths growing beneath! Yippee!!!

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this photo- it's the fruit basket that Sandi and Rick sent when I was hospitalized. The fruit was perfect and the cyclomen is gorgeous.. I'll post another photo of it later. Thanks to you both. I love you.

Here comes spring!!!!

Get ready.......   Get set........      Here it comes!!!!  We are to be at mid 60s today!!!!  and tonite will go down to the mid to low 40s- and that, my friends, is spring !!!

down 12#

I'm walking on air today.. see my Downsizing Blog to see why... woohoo!!!
Beautiful day today , though it feels like it could rain.  I took a walk around the house, but expanded the walk up into the garden.  The dear have been snacking on my blueberry bushes again.  gotta get some clear plastic bags over them to see if that will deter them.
Saw another groundhog on the edge of the woods.  If it's not raining today, I think I'll get the trap out again and see if we can catch one.
Thomas' bowls were topsy turvy this morning leading me to believe we had company last night- likely a coon.. even more reason to get the traps going.  Ugh.  They make such a mess.  They are opportunistic feeders, but then Thomas needs to be fed too, and I have nowhere but outdoors on the back porch to do so.  If I move it off the porch, the wild animals take over quicker.  Wish I could bring him in to eat, but can't risk it.
Having fish for supper tonite.. cod.  I have found a recipe to try and then will make the decision whether it's gonna appear on the menu again.  :)

Blessed Lord's Day to all

36* this morning and I'm anxious to get going to worship!  It's not every day one can attend and know that the King of Kings is present with us.  I want to look the best I can, yet not call attention to myself.. this IS the Lord's day.. and I'm thankful.
After much thought , have decided to go to Manchester after all.  I have some bags of goodies for the family, and then, I really want to be there anyway. 

*note- Ensure is safe for me to drink, but apparently not Wendell.  He tried a bottle last evening to see if it was palatable, and though he liked it, I believe Glucerna is a better choice for him judging from the spike in glucose this morning.  :(

* prayer- Wendell is not feeling well.  I think he needs a trip to the doctor .. but then, he has an appointment for this month's weigh in.. so I think he'll be okay till then.  He has no energy and sleeps a lot.  Last night he bearly got supper in, and when he was done, he got up and went back to bed.   another :(

* Remember Jane too with her upcoming hip surgery- Keep praying all will go well and her anxiety would be at a minimum. 

*I suspect that tomorrow will bring me to a new weight level- but I'll wait to make that statement till then.  More fun that way.  But I am looking forward to it..  :)  My diet is going well obviously- and I actually feel better on it- low fat ADA. 

Remembering the Sabbath day ..

Psalm 13 music video-Tim McCracken

The 3d dancing pig

Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy

It's dark outside, but 6am nonetheless.   I'm planning to attend public worship this morning.  I'm always happy to do that- though this morning I'll be traveling alone as hubby was ill last evening and I suspect will not go today.
It's chilly out, but not cold.  Wondering if I should attend at Gibsonia this morning instead of Manchester - distance and time factors here- traveling alone.. hmm

Life is an Education

Today is a chilly, but not cold, day.  Snow is melting and I'm thinking it would be a good day to take a trip to Sams Club to stock up on Ensure and look for that paper I need to continue the photo mounting here.  I have pictures to copy there and if there is no one at the machine, I'll give it a whirl.  I used our last strawberries last night and so I'll be searching for more .. yum.

I'm learning more and more every day.  I'm glad for any suggestions anyone has for our diet here.  Any thing that works for YOU?
So far, we have noted that Ramen noodles and any pasta causes a noticible spike in blood sugar the next day.. so we are eliminating these from our diet.   Wendell asked for instant oatmeal, and at noon, he had a majorly giant spike in blood sugar. . so , no more instant oatmeal at this house.  I'm gathering the foods together to pass on since we won't be using them. 
Of note, those Peanut Butter crackers you can get in a vending machine are so high in fat, I nearly had a stroke when I read the label.  Wendell eats 2 packages at a sitting...  24Gm fat!  YIKE!  I will not buy these again, but I have peanut butter here and saltines to replace them if he wants them.  Thankfully he doesn't eat them often, but when they are gone.. amen.  They will be gone.
I'm reading labels more closely all the time.  At the same time, I've noticed that I'm not buying a lot of 'prepared' foods either- not that I ever did use a lot, but I see the labels and cringe.  I enjoy buying and choosing my own fruits, veggies and meats.  Canned foods are okay- We like peas and carrots.. and some green beans by time.  I'd rather fresh, but I've learned how to season the canned ones so they taste better.   Peas must always be the baby peas or le seuer type.. these are tiny peas and very tender and sweet.   The carrots are always doctored with a package of Splenda and Butter Buds- a tsp or so.  Nuked, and delicious! 
I have learned that a dollop of SF Cool Whip is tasty and low fat.  YAY!

I took the last of the dressings off my incisions (4 of them) and they do indeed look like keyholes.. hehehehe  Now, my belly has 4 bandaids to cover them- I look like I have a 'thing' for bandaids..
No pain, and just itchy.  Healing.  I notice a little bruising around 2 of them, but that's normal.  It's a wonder I don't have a whole belly full of bruises after being on Plavix.   All worked well and is having a very happy ending.

On to my day...

Japan Quake

Just to let family and friends know, Gretchen and her family finally contacted her family and they are safe.  She says there is no electricity or heat or lights.. but they are all okay.  Many thanks for prayer for them.

Special Prayer Request this morning

Asking for prayer this morning.  My cousin Gretchen and her family are in Japan with the US military.  The earthquake earlier this week was extremely frightening to them at 7.0.. this latest quake was a historic 8.9 with many deaths in Japan.  Our churches seem to be safe as witnessed by the Covie-Net.  No one has heard from Gretchen or her husband since this last quake.  Please pray.  I know how frightened she was earlier this week- this has got to top that.
Pray for peace and calm for her and for her family.  Pray for their safety.  Thanks all..

Winter advisory

Weatherman says 4-8".. they keep changing the amount they suspect we will receive.  I hope it's on the lower end.  I used to hate driving on nights like this- snowy icy roads and then if the buses didn't run in the morning, the road crews were soooooo slow to catch up.  Lots of rain tonite.  It's 36*.

I'm allowed to take my dressings off tomorrow.  I took one off tonite because I was itchy.. interesting- it actually DOES look like a keyhole.  Hehehehe

I baked a tray of chicken tonite that I'm going to freeze tomorrow.  It was the best chicken I've made in a long time.  Perfect - juicy, tender and just perfect.  I made Wendell a hamburger patty- I actually poached his burger, but don't ever tell him that.  I drained it pretty good before I gave it to him, and Thomas got all the drippings, water and all.. he LOVED it!!

Heading for my bed.. weary here.

Another good day..

I could get used to this.. another mighty fine day.  Feeling good.  Breakfast was tasty, but next time I'll stick to a  half slice of bread as I have for the past few days.  It just sort of was too much.  This is a good thing though.
Lunch- I wasn't quite ready, but Wendell was.  I made him wedding soup (from a can, natch) and served it with a deli meat sandwich and half of a tangerine .. thank you Sandi and Rick.  He told me he really doesn't care much for wedding soup.  Oh, no.  I reminded him that every time Amanda served it, he said "Oh, good!" and ate it with relish.  I thought he liked it.   He really doesn't care for it much.  Good thing I only bought one can.  I got it as a treat for him.  LOL... the joke is on ME.  or maybe HIM.  No matter, I won't buy it again.
I had ham tidbits from last night's leftovers- about 2 oz warmed in the microwave.. the other half of his tangerine, and some tapioca pudding.. I drank my entire bottle of Ensure which normally lasts all day long. 
Today I walked up the driveway to get yesterday's mail.  It was very pleasant- it's 52*.. and the rain had stopped.  I noticed trash up nearer to the road at the end of the driveway.  It's not from us- I never go to Starbucks, and the milk jug left behind was from whole milk, and the container is yellow- something we have never bought.  I wish my neighbors would pick up their trash that blows out of their garbage cans.  They don't realize how hard it is for me to "police" these days.
Bad storm coming tonite- they estimate over 6" of very wet snow.  I know it won't last, and I'm so very thankful that God has given us a glimpse of spring to come.  It gives me hope.  I'm already making plans for a day outdoors to clean up and get my mini garden ready.
This morning when it was very comfortable to be outside, Wendell and I sat on the deck and watched the wildlife- 9 hen turkeys marched by in a line along the driveway.. while at least 8 squirrels danced in the trees behind them.  We watched the honking geese fly overhead looking for a pond on which to alight.  Then the deer- lots of deer roaming our little woods.  yesterday we spotted a groundhog- gotta get the traps out again.  I think I'll get another trap for this year and set 2.   Oh.. Wendell said the bunny was here this morning too- he's almost as big as Thomas.
It's been a wonderful day so far.. thankful to be retired and enjoying our surroundings for as long as the Lord will permit us to do so.
I think I'll go take a nap- I can do that- I'm retired and have nothing on my agenda.
I was planning to go to Bible Study tonite, but with the snow coming.. it's best I stay put, I think. 
My sister's hip surgery is scheduled April 14th.. prayer would be very appreciated on her behalf. 

A good day

It has been a most wonderful day.. really.   As far as being post op 5 days, I think we can leave that phase of my life now.  I feel very good.  There are restrictions , of course, till I see the doctor again in about 2 weeks.  No lifting, pulling, or pushing.. not that I could if I wanted to.. yesterday was enough when we went to the grocery store. 
I've had one pain med today- this morning- but not for anything related to surgery- just that back pain thing I live with every day.  The pain pill kicked in and after breakfast I decided to set some goals for myself to get the house cleaned up before the weekend hits.  Breakfast dishes were done, so I looked around me to find the 'hottest spot' I could, and that is the kitchen table.  Yep.. it's a cluttered mess.  I did pretty good for the first few minutes.  I actually got things put back where they belonged.  And then I spotted the box my friend Sandi sent me a couple weeks ago.. I hadn't really been able to go through everything carefully, so I opened the box and enjoyed the contents all over again!  I spent the first 30 minutes going through every recipe in that 'taste of home' cookbooklet.. trying to figure how to make the recipes there edible for Wendell and me.  Hahahaaha.. it was when I put that one down that I spotted the cake decorating book.. Oh, man.. another hour down the tubes...That was when Wendell thought maybe it was lunch time and I had specific ideas for that.
Cream of mushroom soup- first of all, if you buy the really cheap stuff, it has far less fat than the higher priced soup- I normally add more mushrooms and some crackers, but today we would open one small can of soup.  I took 1/2 cup and added hot water to it and it was very very tasty.  Wendell had the remainder of the can and his too was made with water.   That saves calories... unless you put a half a tube of crackers in your little bowl... oh, ugh.  Not for me.
I made us each a grilled cheese sandwich.  He is using the 35 cal bread and I chose the 100% whole wheat without high fructose corn syrup- I think it's worth the calories.  We each had a slice of farmers cheese  on our sandwiches.  Farmers cheese is low fat and very soft to handle.  You have to have it sliced thick at the deli counter or when you get home you will have a cheese ball instead of slices .  (experience speaking here).  
Wendell's sandwich bread was spread with butter.  I chose PAM for mine.  Okay.. I have to agree, butter is much more flavorful, but I only wanted a half sandwich- he ate the other half.
We had home made tapioca pudding for dessert- fresh fruit on top.
I only ate half, and then I had a bottle of Ensure too.. Hedging on overload.  I'll finish the Ensure later.
It was a good afternoon.  I went back to clearing the table, but kept finding other things to do in the meantime.. like the laundry..
Supper was great.
3oz ham steak- ultra lean
1/2 c baby peas
3oz baked potato
Mini tossed salad with my wine viniagrette.  Tonite I put ranch dressing on hubbys salad, as he tends to use a quarter cup on a mini salad- I gave him 3 tsp.  I'm trying to convince him to not augment what I put on his plate, but to just eat the good food.  He likes to add cottage cheese to EVERY meal, and normally this wouldn't be bad if he could do portion control.  A cup of cottage cheese with every meal is insane.  There.  I said it.
I'm trying to get him to not fear the lack of food, for that's what it seems to be.  I have nutritious snacks for us.. like tonite...
Slice of angel food cake with 3 thinly sliced strawberries and a half orange sliced thinly so it looks like you are overloaded with fruit, but not really.  I added a Tbsp of Cool Whip to the top.. and WOWZA! 
He seems to try to understand.. it's gonna take some time.  We've discovered that there are foods which cause our blood sugar to spike the next day- pasta, ramen noodles, and instant oatmeal to name a few.  These things will be packed up and given to whomever wants them.  I bought spinach spaghetti which I am anxious to try.. but not just yet.
Regular cereals don't seem to bother the blood sugar. 
We are learning.