Thursday, March 29, 2012

YET...We Have Hope

Loss
Is such a difficult part
Of Life and Love

It is true our family suffered a
Great Loss This Past Week

My niece wrote a beautiful post on FB
the other day (which I don't have permission to share)
But through her deep pain she has
Shown Great Faith

Yet in our loss
We can 'smile'
And have Hope
To hold our loved ones again
On the other side of Heaven

And in the mean time
We are grateful for the Joy
And Hope of adding another little one to our family of Love
In just about 6 weeks 
Consider It All Joy,
Cindy

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Weight Loss Wednesday

Here Goes

I am beginning something tonight
That I have avoided during the entire
4 years I have been blogging

Posting a photo of my whole self


Although I gained some weight during my adult years
I always had Mark to help keep me accountable
But since his passing 15 months ago
I have 'eaten myself under the table'
(as my pastor friend used to say)

6 months ago I hired a life coach
Who has been helping me in numerous ways
Emotionally, Spiritually and Physically
Although she has taught me so much
Regarding food choices
I clearly have not followed her advice

It is time for a change

Tonight I begin a new weekly series
Each Wednesday evening I will take a photo of myself
And journal how I have done 'health' wise during the past week
It is a way for me to stay accountable to myself
And you, my friends:)

So, my first photo is posted
Fairly sad commentary on my poor eating habits
But
A new day springs forth
 In the AM

I hope you will join me in my journey
Through encouragement
By sharing your own weight loss/health stories
Or even by sharing recipes or tips on living a healthy lifestyle

Looking forward to our times together

Considering It All Joy,
Cindy

Sunday, March 25, 2012

My Water Weekend

Since becoming a widow
I have been challenged with Priority setting
It seems I find myself in crisis mode
More than I would like to admit

Finding time to be everything to everyone
Has rocked what once was my simple way of life
Working full time, caring for a disabled son,
being mom and dad, as well as nana and papa
Laundry, cooking, cleaning the inside
As well as the outside of my home
Making necessary repairs and upkeep
Are keeping me in crisis mode
Instead of managing my life

With that said
Today was taking care of another of my
'I let this go too long' tasks
My pool had become a swamp
As spring has more than sprung in Arizona
My family is anxiously awaiting the moment
They can jump in and cool off
SO
I had to tackle this:
 Last night I drained the pool
 Today
I became best friends with this:
 Mr PowerWasher
We spent 5 hours together this afternoon
And my arms are 'reeling' from the vibrations:)
 But now my pool is Clean
And soon its beauty will be
Calling us to come and play
As soon as I get the yard cleaned up
I'll share some after photos

Now to tackle dinner before it become tomorrow:)
Oh, and take 2 Tylenol, put Aloe on my sunburn and eat a couple Oreo cookies!!!

Considering It All Joy,
Cindy

Friday, March 23, 2012

Another Angel in Heaven

My heart is terribly sad today

I just received word

That my precious niece 

Lost her little unborn baby today

Into the waiting arms of Jesus

This little angel is now with it's sibling

Who left us 2 1/2 years ago

But our hearts are broken tonight

Mark,

Please take care of these precious little ones

Until Jesus calls us home

Thursday, March 22, 2012

update...


Thank you to those of you who prayed for my nephew
His surgery went well
They completed one of the two necessary repairs
They will hold off and wait to see if he needs the second part done

He is still in recovery but will go home later tonight
Believing that this will be the answer he needed
And a second surgery will not be required

On another sweet note:
I opened a drawer today
And found this:


I was so excited
My 'stash' from Christmas
This may come in handle over the next few days

What are your plans for the weekend?

I need to drain my pool
And scrub, scrub, scrub
Let's just say
Taking care of it hasn't been on my Priority list
So now...

Lots of work ahead!!!

Considering It All Joy,
Cindy


Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Prayer Request Please

My nephew, Michael,
will be having heart surgery tomorrow 03/22/2012 at 7 AM Arizona time.

If you feel so led, please pray for him!

Thank you so Much!

Monday, March 19, 2012

I Shall NOT Fear a Challenge

A late afternoon Text message from my son
Informed me that our kitchen sick was leaking
Upon my arrival home
I realized what I would be spending my evening doing
Yep...
Replacing a Faucet
A quick trip to Home Depot
And home again with a new faucet
First order of business
Remove old faucet
Easier said than done
But it did get done
 Next
Assemble all new parts and necessary tools
 Followed by
Playing with putty
Remember rolling worms?
Fun Times:)
 Followed by
1 hour under the kitchen sink
Drip, drip, drip onto the face
Drop, drop, drop tools and screws
Aahhh...
New Kitchen Faucet
And I did it all by myself

I Shall NOT fear a Challenge
For God did not give me a Spirit of Fear

Considering Success With Joy,
Cindy

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Today, I Was A...

 Handy {wo}man

 I was A Carpenter


A Kitchen drawer needed repair


These tools and I have become good friends



Voila~
Drawer Fixed

I was a Dog Groomer


Sam


And Bodie needed baths
And toe nail clipping


Tools of a different nature


Bathed and drying :)


I was A Cabinet organizer


Turning this pile


Into a functional space


I was A shopper


I could not 'bare' to take my naked face into public

I was A Treasure Hunter


These will come in handy in the next few weeks
And I only spent $2.75

I was A
Smart Widow
Who knows when it's OK
To call the Plumber


Who had both water shut off valves
Replace within 1 hour of my phone call
No drip, drip, drip tonight :)


Because I was NOT A Plumber Today
I got to be So Many Other Things:)

Considering Life With Joy,
Cindy

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Just Play~Fun

After Church on Sunday
My sister, her hubs and I
Met 2 of our kids and their kids
At the Carnival
For some Just Play~Fun
Though I took 75 photos
Here are just a few






5 of our 7 grandchildren
With 2 more on the way :) 
We ALL had a blast
And then felt like my little K~Bel


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Oh, I could so see myself in her...Book Review

Insecurities: Oh Yes!  We all have them!
But this author 'Stephanie McAfee' has put them together in 'Diary of a Mad Fat Girl' and made us laugh at ourselves and life.

I just finished reading this book for BlogHer and admit I was hooked from the start.  The author draws you in to her Southern life with wit, sassiness, a little sexy, and a bit of sarcasm.  Raising children in a small town allowed me to 'get' her life in the small town of Bugtussle, Mississippi. Nosey neighbors and gossip mills run amuck in small town America and it was no different for 'Ace'.

This book is a quick read and is sure to cause you to laugh, cry and cheer for 'Ace' and her friends as they travel life's bumpy road.  The ups and downs of work relationships, friendships and love lives are woven in a fun and ever moving tale of trouble and 'how did we get here'.  This author does us language that may be offensive to the younger or conservative reader.    

Though I received a copy of the book and will receive a small compensation for my post, the views and opinions are mine alone. 

Monday, March 5, 2012

Forgiveness ?!?!

Many months ago, soon after my husband's passing, I was deeply wounded by a friend who totally knocked the wind from my sails.  After a very brief e-mail exchange there has been no communication for 11 months.  I have spent time in prayer, seeking the Lord, laying my pain at the foot of the cross, and choosing to forgive. 

In forgiveness alone I found peace.  Choosing to reconcile an unhealthy relationship seemed to me to be more than above and beyond.  Yet as I read God's Perfect Word, these words convict my spirit.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.   Colossians 3:12~14

So today, after a couple of texts, there was a face to face moment, hugs, smiles, kind words and Great Peace.  It's interesting though, no apologies were made, no I'm sorry said, yet God melted my heart to love again in the way only HE can do.

Question for the day:

Is there true forgiveness when there is not communication or attempt at reconciliation? 

Considering Forgiveness A Must,
Cindy