Sunday, November 30, 2014

DownSizing Update ... So To Speak



It's been 8 weeks 
Therefore it's time for a downsizing update

Down 21 pounds
Down 11 inches

Happy to have survived Thanksgiving
Without too many indulgences


Enjoyed a Super Fun Day
With my siblings and mom
And a few of our kids

My brother is in town from Idaho
So this afternoon we will ALL hang out together
I think that means 23 of us :)

Have a super week
I start my December Daily Tomorrow
So looking forward to the Christmas Season
Blessings!!
 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Thankful For...


Tonight I wanted to share
One special Thankful Moment


My oldest grand daughter is going into Jr High next year
(sigh...where does the time go?)
So, this was her Last Turkey Trot at school
 

It did my heart good
To spend some fun time with her today
As her school celebrated their 25th Annual Turkey Trot
 

Here's My K~Bug getting ready to run
I actually ran with her (a little)
 

Mostly
I watched and took photos
 

After the 10 minute run
We ALL got to have fun doing the
'Turkey' Dance :)
 

My K~But and a couple of her good friends
 

AND
A Selfie!

On This Thanksgiving Day
I pray you are all safe and surrounded 
By people you love and who love you

You are each a Joy in my life
I am SO thankful for my bloggy friends
Enjoy your Thanksgiving
And eat a bite for me

 


Saturday, November 22, 2014

CREATE...

It was so much fun to go to 
Green Table Gifts last night
For a night of creating and shopping

All over the country gift and craft shops were hosting
Annie Sloan Fun Night to promote her newest book
 "Room Recipes for Style and Color"

With a small glass of goodness
I enjoyed shopping around and taking in all the beautiful decor



I definitely want to make a JOY sign
I mean, It IS My Word


Darling Bags and Banners


Fun ideas for Tree Trimming


Lots of White, Silver and Gold



After shopping we got to participate in Creating
I chose the Red with JOY
Are you Surprised???


Then...
We each received our special purchase
Annie Sloan's New Book


I have certainly enjoyed scanning it's pages throughout the day
But mostly I enjoyed getting out of the house
And creating with folks I've never met before

Becoming Pro~Active in my Pursuit
To Embrace Widowhood
And
Enjoy The Holiday Season!!

Thank you Green Table Gifts and Staff
For a Very Fun Evening :)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

I've Never Done This...But...

 I don't believe I have actually ever done this before
But a post I wrote a long time ago
Has spoken to me recently
I hope it speaks to someone now!



PAIN: It's Good For Us!

Pain, according to World Book Dictionary means: a feeling of being hurt, mental suffering, grief, sorrow, punishment, and penalty.

In recent months it seems pain has been my constant companion. Physically, mentally and spiritually I have experienced pain to some degree. Why would I state that this could be good for me?

Pain is usually a symptom that something is wrong. I am not a believer of the often taught doctrine that says: If you are sick it is because you are in sin, or if you have financial difficulties it is because you are in sin, etc.

I do believe that there are times when we are reaping the harvest of our behavior therefore we may end up sick because we have treated our bodies poorly or we may face financial crisis because we have made poor financial choices or that we may suffer spiritually because we chose to ignore God’s voice and run like Jonah did. But I also stand on God’s word that clearly teaches us that some illness and pain in our lives is merely caused so that the work of God may be displayed in our lives. Read John 9:1-3
During the times that pain seems so prevalent in my life I find myself seeking answers more than ever before. If the pain is physical I purpose to find out why it is there and if there is some cause for it. A broken bone, an infection, a pulled muscle are a few things that may cause physical pain. Treating the pain is not going to heal the bone, infection or muscle. You need to treat the actual cause.

The same holds true for mental or spiritual pain or suffering. I can seek treatment for depression, anxiety, fear, addiction or many other symptoms but I will never be completely whole until I can find out what is causing the symptom.

As I have studied and sought the Lord over the past months and even years I have come to realize that most of the mental and spiritual symptoms I face are caused because of a breach in my relationship with my Lord. When I face times of loneliness, anxiety, depression or fear it is usually because I have failed to keep my relationship strong with my creator. I have allowed outside influences to sever my ties with Him. I have chosen to focus more on circumstances rather than to focus on God.

Psalm 42:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
For a time the writer of the above Psalm focused on self but came to the realization that turning the focus to his Savior and God changed everything. When symptoms well up within me I have a sure answer to the problem. Turn my spirit, my soul (mind, will and emotions) back to the Lord and find rest and refreshing. I am grateful that God has placed a built in warning system within me. He’s given me times of pain, suffering, sorrow, grief and even punishment to bring me back so my focus is on Him.

And, in those times when my eyes are on Him and my relationship with Him is strong yet the pain comes flooding into my soul, I still can stand strong and trust that even through this His Work Will Be Displayed!!

Have you faced pain in your life lately? Put your hope in God, and continue to praise Him while he works it out.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Preparing The Palette


What started out as a weekend
That I was going to just do some yard work
And relax a bit
Became much more

After completing several projects outside
There was one cabinet I wanted to clean out
So I could move my red wine glasses up there

WELL...
Little did I know that when I opened the cabinet above the refrigerator
I would find
Black MOLD :(

SO...
My weekend became a mission 
To Clean, not only the cabinet,
But the kitchen in total
 

The small cabinet above the refrigerator
Became an unintended victim of a broken water hose
From my refrigerator in July
Unbeknownst to me
Water from the hose was spraying up into the cabinet
And caused mold to grow

Fortunately,
When I had the frig fixed in July
The water leak stopped and everything in the cabinet was dry


Although it was a HUGE project to
Bleach and clean and bleach and clean 
The cabinet
I'm SO thankful that I wanted to move these glasses
Otherwise, Who knows When I would have noticed the mold
 

Now, not only is the cabinet totally cleaned
The top of my refrigerator is cleaned and prepped
For Holiday Decor

Since I am not hosting Thanksgiving this year
I decided to clear my fall decor and start getting ready for Christmas
Usually, once Thanksgiving is over
I just start decorating for Christmas
However, this year I have decided to start with a clean, neutral palette
 With the exception of a few necessary items
I'm putting everything away
And going to start fresh


The above photo was my kitchen window this morning
Filthy windows that needed Major cleaning
Older black/white/tan checked valance 
 

I took the valance down
Pulled the windows out
They both come completely out of the sill
For easier cleaning
They are heavy and it is NOT an easy job
But they were in Desperate need of cleaning
I removed the old curtain rods
And added a simple tension rod
plus a set of white Battenburg valances
That I purchased a few months ago
 

It feels SO much cleaner and open
Now when I wash dishes or prepare a meal
I have clean windows to look out of
AND
A fresh clean palette 
For my Holiday Decor
 

I do like this simple valance

As difficult as Christmas has become for me
I am actually looking forward to decorating this year
Maybe doing some downsizing and 
Clearing out the clutter
Has helped me to look forward to 
Preparing The Palette 

Speaking of downsizing:

6 weeks on the NS programs
And I am Down 17 pounds :)
Today, the cute black capris that I wear to do house work
Kept falling off...

Might be time to find a new pair of grubbies!

Have a Super Week

Monday, November 10, 2014

The Great Shoe Release


NOT~~

I wanted to do a Great Big Shoe Release
But once I started going through them
I just couldn't let them go

Does that mean I'm a shoe hoarder?


I really don't have That many pairs of shoes
Only 2 pair of boots
 

Just this small coat closet with slippers and
Everyday  shoes
Oh, and my Christmas flats :)
 

Only a *few* pair of nice heels
 

And these *junk* 
Wear in the yard shoes
 

I'm getting rid of these pairs

So, I think I did fairly well
Don't you?

Honestly,
I wear about 3 pair of shoes all year long
3 pair of sandal~flops almost every day
 Even in the winter

Once in a while I will put on a pair of closed toed shoes
(IF I really have too *wink*)

If the truth be known
I'd go barefoot Everyday
However, living in AZ, I'm sure I'd burn the bottom of my feet
Whew...the cement gets Really HOT here in the Summer!!!

Okay, so that's my shoe fetish for this year
Unless, of course, I but a new pair
I'll share that with you :)

I hope you don't freeze in the days ahead
I hear it's supposed to get Really cold in some areas
We are supposed to get down into the 40's next week
But that's just the overnight Low's

Stay Warm !!
 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Down Sizing


I'm on a journey
And I've kept it off of social media
But it's time to share

Weight was never an issue for me when I was younger
But after a complete hysterectomy at the age of 26
With the many adjustments of synthetic hormones
And other challenges I was facing at that time
I began to gain weight quickly

I've attempted various diets and programs
With some success but none of them were long lived

In the few years since Mark passed
I have allowed myself the pleasure of eating whatever I wanted
Whenever I wanted it with no real thought to the damage I was doing to my body

In recent months it has become more of a health issue
So, I decided, with Lots of prompting from my doctor, 
That I needed to make some Major changes
Thus, the Journey began

After some research, prayer and understanding my own needs
I decided to join NutriSystem
It's strict, well planned, and exactly what I needed

As sad as it may sound
I really needed someone (plan) to make the bulk of my decisions for me
 It has been easy
The food is good and I like what I am seeing

Today I begin my second month
What happened during the first 28 days

Downsizing

Pant size: down 2
Inches: down 7
Pounds: down 13

Ummm....Yes, I am one happy adventurer!

Why am I sharing now
The journey gets tougher as you go along
I rather love support and encouragement
I don't have my Mark around anymore to nudge me in the right direction
 So, once a month
I hope to chat and share here in hopes of being encouraged
And nudged toward my health goals

Next week I go for my annual lab work
I'm hoping to see a nice decline in my cholesterol
My blood pressure is already better (yay)

Thank you for allowing me to share

NOW
Here are a few photos of Halloween
A Few Sweet Visistors


My youngest and one of his buddies
Yes, they went out and came home with 
Waaay too much candy
 

K~Baby
 

K~Bel
 

K~Bug
 

My 3 Beautiful K's
Besides the fact that they came late
Had already been out for a couple of hours
Were rather tired and wired
They are still beautiful girlies!
And make the Nana's heart Smile