Devotional thoughts

There has been some GOOD stuff in my devotionals lately!   Here are some thoughts from today's devotionals.  May you be blessed by the Word and the Word giver!

First - from the New Day, New You:  365 Devotionals - Joyce Meyer
"You may feel that the Lord has told you to do something but that the enemy has thrown up a mountain in your path to frustrate you and prevent you from carrying out the Lord's will.  How would you like for all your mountains to become molehills?  They can, if you will do what God is saying and look not at the problems, but at the Lord and His power.  If God has told you to do something, it is certainly His will not only that you begin it, but also that you finish it."

From Made to Crave 21 day devotional -
"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it within us or we find it not" ~ Ralph Waldo Emmerson

John 1 - The Message
"The Life-light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out"

What I love Wednesday

I've been trying to think creatively on this Wednesday post.  The problem is, I'm having a bad Tuesday night (when I am actually writing the Wednesday post) and having difficulty thinking positively about anything :)  So stupid actually.  It's an aspect of my personality I don't like - when the smallest thing has me frustrated, then EVERYTHING is wrong.  It's an area I need to grow in.  I think I'll put that to prayer.  This is actually a trait I see in someone else in my household that frustrates me but as I type this I realize - oops - I think I taught them this one.... Always room to grow, isn't there??


OKAY.  So, back to the Wednesday post.  Maybe we should do this in picture form?  Yeah, I think we will.

Signs of spring!  For the first time yesterday, I really heard the birds chirping.  In fact, as the house sat quiet during the day, without a window open, I could still hear them.  It's truly music to my ears!!

Black Amethyst lotion from Bath & Body Works.  My friend Benit got me this.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  This stuff makes your hands SOOOOOOO smooth and smells INCREDIBLE!!  I love it!!

My phone and all the free e-book downloads I have gotten.  Bibles, devotionals, reading plans, books - it's awesome.  I really love it.  And all for free.  Did I mention - free?  As in no cost at all?  Awesome.  Free is good.

 

Sorry for the poor quality.  This pen is AWESOME.  Such a small thing - but the way it writes - makes me happy!!  I really like this pen :)

Yep, I'm lovin' us.  Just the way we are.  Although tonight, admittedly, we're getting on each others nerves.  Doesn't happen very often honestly!  That's okay though - 'cause I'm still lovin' us :)

Okay, so maybe this is a bit of a stretch.  I'm TRYING to love this stuff!  I haven't missed the dew - but tonight - stress city - I want a dew.  Sigh.  I'll just pretend the water tastes like dew...

Anyone know what this means?  Anyone?  It means I love YOU!  My faithful readers - from all over the globe!  I'm so excited to say that this week alone, I have had visitors from China, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Russia, Slovenia, Canada, USA, Philippines, Netherlands, Singapore, Chile, Vietnam - all over this beautiful world God has created!  Welcome!  Welcome to all of you -  I am so very happy you stopped by :)  I hope to see you again.  Please say hello in a comment below - in whatever language you speak!  Thanks for stopping in!


So that's it for What I'm Lovin' Wednesdays.  What about you?  What are YOU loving today??

Great Recipe!

Sunday I tried a new recipe - and it was AMAZING!!  Simple, few ingredients and a great brunch recipe.  I served it with sliced strawberries (on sale at Kroger) and an apple coffee cake (purchased on sale - I could make it, but it was cheaper to purchase it).  The recipe follows - but let me give you some tips before.  It did not specify - or at least I didn't take what they said maybe the way they meant it - whether or not to actually COOK the eggs before doing the layering thing.  I guess reading it now, that probably makes sense - but what I did was take the milk and eggs, lightly beat that together, dump that into the 8x8 UNCOOKED, drop the sour cream in there instead of layer, throw the sausage on top.  It did take me longer to cook, and I had to mix it up a couple of times to get all the ingredients mixed together properly.  I also did not put the cheese on until it was already cooked - and then just heated it long enough to melt the cheese.  You might try doing it the opposite way and cooking the eggs first - but whatever works for you:)  Anyway - it was YUMMO - and very bed and breakfastish.  I forgot to take pics (above not my own) - I'm sorry - but here's the recipe - enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 roll of Kroger pork sausage
10 eggs
1/4 cup milk (although I messed up and used 1/2 and it was still yummy)
8 oz container of sour cream
1 cup of shredded cheddar (I used 2 cups)

Lightly scramble eggs w/ milk.  (This is the part I think they meant to cook - but I took scramble to mean beat).  Brown sausage.  On bottom of 8x8, layer eggs, then sour cream, then sausage.  If you cook the eggs prior to layering, then go ahead and put the cheese on now.  If not - WAIT :)
Cook at 350 for 20-30 minutes (it took 35 for me plus 5 with the cheese to melt it)

It is SOOO yummy!  By the way - you may think 8x8 is not enough.  However - we have enough left over to serve this twice - so it makes technically 8 plus servings.

ENJOY!!

FYI

Stories like this - both break my heart and make me angry. Jesus be with your children today!  Protect them- wipe their tears - show them your love the way it was meant to be!  Equally grateful for justice - because a lot of kids don't get to see their perpetrator given consequences for their crimes.  It's happening everywhere people - someone YOU know has been or is being abused.  It's time to say enough - to speak up - to protect those who can not protect themselves.  May we all be willing to take a stand!

Click here for article:  Leipsic, OH man charged for 3 decades of sex crimes against kids

Blogger Problems?

Hey fellow blogger users.  Tonight my followers, recent posts, and comments suddenly disappeared (right side).  Is anyone else having this problem?  I'm not sure where to look to see if blogger is having issues or if I'm going to need to re-do those elements.

Leave me a comment if you have any info.  Thanks much!

Happiness Project - Boost Energy

Well folks - unlike last month - I have been very intentional about this month - boost energy.  Let's review and talk about this upcoming week.

Review - Week one - no pop

I am happy - and proud - to say - I am pop free.  I have not had a Mountain Dew in 7 days.  If I was honest - only once was it difficult.  It was beginning to make me sick - every time I drank it, my stomach hurt and the heart burn was horrid.  It's been NICE to be free of that this week!!  Do I miss it?  A little - but it hasn't been half as difficult as I thought it would be.  I have focused on NOT focusing on it!!  I found it difficult when Marty and I had free time.  It was such a habit to go grab a .59 cent dew from Circle K, using our change jar.  It was entertainment for me - cheap entertainment.  But - hey - I figure - this week alone - we've probably saved at least 20.00 if you count all the times I wasn't the only one who would go grab a pop or treat.  I will continue on the no Mt. Dew thing this next week.  One of my 40 in 40 goals is to be pop free for 60 days - I have 53 days left.  I will say no caffeine has left me exhausted people!  I'm not a coffee drinker and I can't say no pop has boosted my energy yet.  I know it will result in that in the end - but for now - it's tired this girl out!


Looking forward - Exercise

Gulp.  I am an all or nothing exerciser.  Either I go all out and do something like P90X (and almost kill myself might I add) or I do nothing.  I am working hard at resigning in my head that I will STICK to what I said in my happiness project goals - 3 days - 20 minutes each day.  Now, I know that needs to increase.  I realize that.  Yet, I'm working on making healthy choices permanent habits - so I need to start off with something more reasonable, manageable, and something I know I can accomplish.  Once I make that a habit, then I can add more.  I have a nice bike and trainer (the thing you stick your bike on so you can ride indoors - a necessity where we live) and I'm going to drag those out and that's what I plan on doing.  Also thinking about going over to the Y and signing up for a water aerobics class.  That's just a thought at this point - but it's something I once enjoyed doing and gave us because I didn't consider it "difficult" or "intensive" enough (and now I do nothing!).  We have a family membership at the Y I got when I worked there - we get the membership dirt cheap.  Jon uses the Y quite often.  It's stupid for me not to.  I'm humiliated to get in a suit at this weight in front of people I used to work with - but whatever.  I need to get over that and just do it because I enjoy it.  Once it gets nice out, I'll take my biking outside.  I can honestly say I LOVE bike riding.  I wish we had an extensive trail system here - or sidewalks - but we don't.  I can drive to a nice park though and use their trails and those are good enough.

I have not stepped on a scale to see if the no pop thing has resulted in any weight loss.  My goal is to not focus on the scale this month.  That's enough for now.  At the end of the month, I may do that - but right now, I don't want to become disappointed, discouraged - which always results in giving up.  One week at a time - one day at a time if necessary.

What about you?  Have you been doing anything this month to improve your overall health?  Leave me a comment and tell me what you find helps to boost your energy.

Sunday thoughts

From Made to Crave - 21 day devotional:

"We were made for more!  More than this failure...more than this cycle...more than being ruled by our taste buds (or whatever rules you), body image, rationalizations, and guilt."  We were made for victory.  Sometimes we just have to find our own way to that truth."


From New Day/New You - Joyce Meyer:

"...from time to time God calls us to lay it all on the altar as proof of our love and commitment.  He tests us by asking us to lay down our most treasured blessing as proof of our love for Him."


From my prayer journal:
Your timing Jesus, is always perfect.  To trust you with my most treasured blessings is so difficult Jesus.  Yet, I know you have called me for more.  More of you - and to get more of you, I must be willing to lay down the things I love most at your feet.  You say in your word it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven.  I may not be rich in the things of this world, but I am richly blessed with an incredible family - and that is what I find difficult to lay on your altar.  Yet I know, I must love you more.  Teach me Jesus to love you more.