Faith Based Support Groups - Christian Encouragers ~ May

CHRISTIAN ENCOURAGERS ~ MAY

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You've found a great place to come and vent, share or ask for prayer support. This is a great group who will be very encouraging, caring and loving....anyone is welcome to join!

A Servent's Prayer

Jesus, My Jesus....How marveleous your ways....
Far more splendid than my mind can envision.
What an honor to be chosen by you.
A lowly child I am, but empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great hope to which you have called me.
I give myself totally to you, Lord.
Take my imperfect heart and make it perfect.
Peel away the hardness.
Close the doors I have opened to the temptations of this world.
Gently remove the roots of painful memories, sins, doubts and fears.
Discard anything that separates me from you.
Lord, fill the emptiness with the light of your love that I might be a beacon calling the lost back to you.

To love as you love.....
To serve as you serve.....
To forgive as you forgive.....
Always mindful of my nothingness while doing great and marvelous things in your name and for your glory.
This I pray, Jesus, in YOUR name.
Amen

HI GALS ~ :wave:

I am home early today since I finished a project. I may go to another one this afternoon, if my brother gets home from his project in time.

I think I will get a few miles in on the treadmill in a bit. Angie told me this morning not to walk the dogs if I beat her home, they have a vet appointment and she/we will walk them there later.

If any of you are looking to focus on just a teeny-easy ;) 5 pound loss join us over in WEIGHT LOSS SUPPORT under EZ'S GUARANTEE! I don't know how to do the "link" thing and Angie is at work. I think C-D did it in April's Encourager....:thanks: We are getting a lot of support there! I have AWESOME ASSISTANT COACHES!

CHEETARA ~ I am guessing the man was not a christian. I say this because he was a friend of friends of ours at church, Pastor brought that up in the service but did not say anything about the assurity he would be in heaven as a believer....which leads me...again guessing...that he was not. When Angie and I told our friend and his wife how sorry we were to hear, he just said something about bad luck...not "well he is in a better place"...so again...just guessing....

CCMOMof5 ~great job on the devotions at the jail! I hear ya on the gas!! I drive a lot in my job, easily up to and over 200 miles many days!!

SHY ~ Hope the answer for your daughter's schooling comes soon :hug:

WILMA ~ Hey stranger ;) I am struggling on our wednesday weigh in's!! I was up to 178 this week...kicking it down hard :carrot:...I hope...I have to...I am in charge of the 5 Pound Guarantee thread! :D

ROSEBUD ~Prayers for Pierrette :angel: I have been doing a small project after work for a teacher friend of ours...she has 2 boxer boy puppies, about 6 months old...boy are they a handful :)

C-D ~ RED wine does make everything better :) I read last week that Columbia Crest Grand Estates 2004 Merlot is quite good for a cheaper wine....thinking about trying it :)

HELLO TO ALL! LAUREN ~ AUNT SUE ~ DORA ~ JULIA ~ SUZZYQ and all the others! C-YA soon :wave:

Well gotta hit the treadmill in case I go to work this afternoon...

Hi,

I was wondering if I could possibly get some prayer directed my way. I posted about it in "I don't normally venture in here, but..." because this month's thread hadn't been started yet.

So, anyway, the jist of it is that I'm having abdominal surgery in June. If all goes well, great. If it doesn't, I will require BRAIN surgery (long story). If you could pray that the abdominal surgery goes through with no problems, I'd appreciate it. :)

Thank you,
Caitlin

Heavenly Father, we ask for your comfort to surround CAITLIN as she enters this upsetting time of surgery in her life. We ask that Your will be done in all matters concerning her and her doctors, as they use the skills You have blessed them with. In Jesus name we pray...Amen.

Praying for 100% recovery for Caitlin.

I have bee struggling a little with feelings of accomplishment vs pride. I feel great that "I" have been able to lose weight. But have not really been giving God any credit. But I don't feel obsessivly proud of myself. I just want to keep myself grounded knowing that it is God who is giving me the strength to make healthier choices for me and my family. Does this make any sense? Anyone else struggle with this?

:wave: HELLO EVERYONE ~ We had another lovely sunny day today; it was a bit chilly, but I don't mind that at all with all this sunshine. We have been really busy the last two days. We went up to our lot like I said and built a rock garden around where we buried our girls there; it looks really nice. I want to plant some perennial flowers in there later.

YESTERDAY, was shopping and errand and bill day this week; so it was a busy one for us too. Our car was acting up on us, so we had to come home sooner than we had planned; something is draining the power out of our battery. Dh is out there trying to figure out what it is; he has been looking for the culprit all day and still isn't sure what it is. :mad: Me thinks we bought a lemon ... :(

:wel3fc: SUZZYQ ~ there are lots of nice supportive people here with lots of great ideas. You can look around and read a bit to get familiar with this site. Did you have a plan in mind yet? You can start off with walking for exercise which is pretty simple. I'm sure you'll find something here that will help you ...

GARY ~ Yah, male dogs are a little more work than females. Our girls were angels really. NIKO is sweet and fun, but he is a handful right now; which we kinda expected. He's all pooped out right now as DH took him for a nice long walk after dinner to tire him out. :D Oops, I spoke too soon; now he's running all over the place, throwing his ball around; well, at least he knows how to keep himself amused.;)

WILMA ~ that's OK; at least you didn't gain; poor Gary gained and now has to try and lose those 5 lbs again, and that's upsetting for sure. Best wishes for your building project (the garage); your DH must be really excited about that. Hope you don't get too pooped out moving all those gardens.

CAITLIN ~ as I posted in your thread, I have sent prayers for your upcoming surgery. Father, we ask that you bless the hands of these surgeons and give them your wisdom as they operate on Caitlin; and may you bless Caitlin with complete peace and a speedy recovery as well. We ask these things in Jesus' name and thank you, in advance ~ Amen and Amen.

HI TO SHY, COUNTING, SUE, JULIE, CCMOMOF5, BARGOO, ROSEBUD67, LAUREN, KAREN, LORIE, DORA, ALL OUR MIA'S too ...

We spent the morning putting up a new clothesline with one of those new-phangled pulley-rope-glider-thingys ~ LOL! Not sure what they are called, but it works great! Haha ... WE had a good day; and had fish for dinner tonight (one of DH's favorites).

AND THANKS so much for the prayers for my friend, Pierrette; I know that she will appreciate it a lot. Hope you all have a great evening; your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ continue, as always ...

Here's a link to GARY'S 5 lb CHALLENGE called EZ'S GUARANTEE A 5 POUND LOSS ~ in the Weightloss Support Forum ...


http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2180695#post2180695

ROSEBUD ~ Here are some of the damage my "girls" did last night ;)

JULIA ~ As Christians, we know that ALL of our strength comes from God. We need to acknowledge that in prayer...daily...for OUR benefit. I think what God really wants from us is to take that "new found loss...enthusiasim..energy" and GIVE IT BACK to Him! However you choose! He trusts You to do the right thing...which you will through prayer and guidance!

I have been blessed with a wife that "kicks" my butt...in a loving way...well most of the time! ;)...OK...at least by EXAMPLE to do "healthy things" for my body!

God wants us to do what each of us can to "encourage" others...in His WORD...I have found many ways here on 3FC to share the message...sometimes offending others...sometimes others have been very receptive...not up to me to decide.....

There are a lot of women out there on 3FC that need "encouragement"...maybe that is why you are here...to share...

God doesn't need the credit...but He wants you to share the blessings HE gave you!...

get moving ;)

Happy Friday to all those that work out of your home. I hate to say it but sometimes I dread Friday's cause it means everyones gonna be home for two days and I have to deal with complete chaos and of course, the wrestling they all do.

I have to go get checked out by a specialist, I guess there are lots of "nodules" all over my thyroid and they have to decide whether or not to biopsy them. So prayer for that would be welcomed.

Please know that I am praying for all who have requested it, specifically Caitlin right now.

Gotta go Hubby just woke up and I want to talk with him before he has to get ready for work. Trish

CC
Will keep you in my prayers. Please let us know how things are going. Oh I do understand, the weekends the kids are in and out and fighting all the time. My gosh you would think they were 5 and 6 years old instead of 17 and 21 lol.

Just
Could just be an alternator who knows, hope is it something simple and inexpensive. Clothes lines, oh don't even talk about clothes lines. I told my son I needed a new one put up. Well he did. I said double knot the thing, he said he did. I put up 8 blankets and went out and 4 of them were on the ground. Don't think he did as great a job as he told me he did lol.

Julie
There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments. After all, we are the one that doesn't put the food into our mouths and makes ourself get up and exercise. I do make sure I give God the credit for my strength and will power. He is where I get it from. Never hurts to let people know you understand thru God all things are possible. It is just another say to spread the word of Gods love and support that we all need.

Caitlin
Of course I will add you to my prayers. God's love is endless, he has enough for everyone.

Praise the Lord it's FRIDAY!!!! The baby shower is tomorrow and I"m real excited about that. I have just a few last minute things to do. I was able to get all of the setup and decorations done yesterday, it is so nice that my husband is the Youth Pastor of the church b/c I can get in any time that I need to. :D My Mommy is coming to visit for the weekend. YAY!!! Daddy is helping my brother add onto his little bitty deck this weekend and next and I think they felt bad b/c they haven't been able to come and visit in a while and they were just up a few weekends ago to visit Matt too. (f.y.i. I live 2 hrs from mom and dad, and Matt (the bro) lives another 1 1/2 hrs on the other side of me, I'm in the middle) Plus the Casting Crowns concert is tomorrow night. Wait, I think I've told you all this before. LOL My brain is fried after a long week of BLAH.

My prayers are with you all and the special requests too. I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend!

Hi Gals ~

Angie has saturday school today so I took the dogs out for 4 miles then added 2 more on the treadmill. I am down another pound this morning :carrot:

Went for Italian last night to celebrate my daughter in law's birthday. I split a pasta and shrimp dish and stayed away from the bread...I think I added "back" the calories on the split...I found a new Italian beer ;)

LAUREN ~Have a great time at the baby shower!

Hi SHY :)

I hope the chaos isn't too stressful CCMOM :hug:

ROSEBUD a friend of ours is supposed to bring her golden retriever puppy over for a playdate with mine today, should be fun!

HELLO ALL YOU MIA'S! Have a great week-end ~ WORSHIP WHERE YOU CAN!

:wave: HELLO EVERYONE ~ hope you are all having a great weekend; we have rain, but it's our first big rain of the season. Sun is supposed to be back on Monday ...

CCMOM ~ prayers for your tests; hope all goes well.
CAITLIN ~ prayers continue for you too.

SHY ~ DH says it has a brand new alternator; I wonder if they can be defective? He then thought maybe it was the starter; he's still not sure (it doesn't run at all now and needs more repairs). Well, DH put it up on the ramps and found some bigger problems; oil leaking all over the place: the oil pan is shot and the exhaust has a hole in it ~ :yikes: Oh boy, was he upset or what. But it's OK, becuz last Saturday I bought a newer car from a friend of a friend. We have been having problems with this car since April and Dh was upset, so I said 'OK, I'll pick out the next one'. Anyways, we got a call that she had decided to buy a new car this year and wanted to know if we would like to look at her old one. We went to see it last Saturday and I bought it right then. It is five years newer than ours and is in great shape compared to ours; the repairs to ours will cost more than what I paid for hers, as she was very kind and gave us a great deal. The final paper work will be finished on Monday and then we can bring it home. We hope this one will last us about 3-5 years. I think someone upstairs was looking out for us!!!

GARY ~ WOW, those girls had fun tearing up that ? stuffed toy ? :D Our neighbour's dog likes to do the same thing and the stuffing blew all over our yard; I was raking it up yesterday and my back is sorry for it today ~ haha! Well, at least I got a lot of walking in this week, but I'm taking it easy this weekend. NIKO likes to play with his rope toys and his yellow tennis balls the best; FETCH is his favorite game. Have fun with the puppy; aren't they cute at that age? LOL!!!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE ~ have a great Sunday everyone and take good care of yourselves, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ....

just
I am so glad you got another car. Sure they can be defective. Does it try to turn over if not could be the starter. Sometimes the cost to repair on is far more than another car. Darn cars cost money even old pieces of junk cost money. Think we should go back to horse and buggy. Hubby has been talking again about getting me a moped that I can go here and there with. Have to find out how many miles they are good for and can I ride the things on the roads around here. I don't generally go more than an half hour away from the house anyway if he isn't with me. We are going to be paying my car off in a couple of months and thought about trading it in on another car. I hate my car I have always hated my car lol. My gosh the price of cars. I was floored. They don't make the nice full size caddies anymore so there really isn't a car out there I like lol.

ez
Hello

Caitlin, you are in my prayers!

Julia, oh my, yes. I have often been ashamed of myself when I talk about all of my hard work losing this weight. I have been more mindful as of late to list prayer and devotions as my most important weight loss strategy.

Trish, you are in my prayers as well. Keep us posted on how you are doing!

Shy - I hear you on the moped. I ordered number 8 on Sat. Maybe I will FINALLY get one. Hopefully, I can talk to the vendor tomorrow to see if he is actually going to ship me a bike :crossed:

Rosebud - hope the shower wen't well! Let us know about the concert. I just love CC's music! I hope the car situation is finally resolved for you. I agree, I think there was some divine handiwork there!

GARY - thanks for posting the picture. They look like they had a blast! Congrats on the weight loss too :) We ARE gonna shed those 5 lbs. :)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I spent most of it researching mopeds and vendors - Patience IS a virtue, and I am definitely needing patience in this process. Three weeks and counting, just to get ONE moped. I think it took less time and energy when I bought my HOUSE.

Oh, and I cleaned my sewing room closet (long overdue). I never use it much any more. I was disgusted to find that the mice that moved in before we got Chloe, had done some nasty things in my fabric boxes. What a mess! But, I'm very happy that it is done :)

Prayers continuing for all!

Blessings :)
Laurie

Hi Gals ~

Well today, after a 4 mile walk with the mutts to Starbucks and Bunny Poo Park, we went to my nieces (Ron's sister) confirmation. Praise God!

Oh and that pound I lost...got it back ...thanks to ANGIE not eating her fair share of a large pizza we got last night!! ;)

Mopeds and cars.....you gals are movin'!

Good Morning!!!

I had a busy but fabulous weekend. Had kids running races and practicing basketball, I had praise team practice then hubby and I went to Evansville to see Ironman with my brother and his fiance. What a blast!! My brother and I are comic book freaks so that movie for us simply rocked out! We had some Mexican afterwards,:drool: I had to get up way too early on Sunday though to get ready to go sing. We took a team from our church and went up north to lead worship at a church in Elletsville. It was totally AWESOME! We're a little on the rockin side of worship but we tamed it quite a bit for a new crowd and they loved it and wanted more. Their pastor was afraid they wouldn't participate but boy did they ever! It was a beautiful weekend from beginning to end. This morning I was awakened by Mr. Woodpecker drilling on the side of my house, he normally doesn't show up until about 9 but he was here this morning at 5. I think he knew I decided to sleep in until 7. I can't kill him so I don't know what to do about him. Anyway, I have a busy week ahead of me I hope to be able to check back in from time to time.

Have a great day, Blessings!!! Trish

cc
sounds like you had a great weekend. Oh woodpeckers, heavens how I hate them and they sure don't look like Woody Woodpecker do they lol. There are a few ways to get rid of them ask for books at the local library.

Counting
Isn't it nasty what a few little tiny mice can do.

Trish - the church service sounds wonderful. We are trying to get a contemporary service started and it is taking way too long! I wish you were closer to me :)
Woodpeckers - ARGH. They led to the demise of my favorite hundred plus old tree. They kept at it until half of the tree couldn't support itself. It finally fell in my yard and JUST missed the house.

A GREAT day all around. Much accomplised at work. I think I finally have a bike coming :) It should ship tomorrow. It is a bit heavier than I wanted (200 lbs.), but I think I can handle it ok. It still is a lot smaller and lighter than a motorcycle.

I hope you all had a wonderful, blessed Monday.
Prayers continuting for everyone!

:wave: GEE, what kinda Woodpeckers have you gals got down there? Monster dragon woodies? Our woodpeckers only eat bugs out of the trees for ya; they get rid of bugs for us here. They only eat things out of dead old rotten trees and bugs ... did I say bugs? Yah, I did ~ lol! BUT then I love all GOD's birdies; and we have the loviest woodpeckers that only come by in wintertime, as the rest of the year, they stay in the bush here.

We had sun on and off today, but the winds were cold; had to cut my walk with NIKO a bit short becuz of them: next time, I'll just wear my parka.

TRISH ~ your choir group sounds fun; I was in a choir when I was a girl and loved it.

GARY ~ yah, PIZZA will do it everytime ... LOL! I am thinking of saving up for a four-wheel ATV (all-terrain vehicle) for some time down the road; just to buz around in for fun (to the lake and such) as they are much cheaper on gas too.

SHY ~ the starter does work sometimes; DH got it started once yesterday. He'll eventually figure it out, likely after we get the other car on the road though ~ lol! Our new(er) car is in for inspection; needs a few small parts (which are on order) and then we'll have a nice car to drive. The mechanic says that our car is in amazing condition, we got a great deal, and that it's a keeper ~ yeah!!!

Just stayed home while DH did the running around, but we will have some decent wheels this week. Speaking of gas, ours is about $6.35 a gallon now; England's got it worse than us though at about $12 a gallon (and I'm just averaging it out; 2.39/liter x 5 liters in a gallon, if I have it right). DH wanted to know the difference between the US gallon and the IMPERIAL gallon (how many quarts in each)??? Anyone know???

WELL, that's all for now; take good care everyone, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ going up for all ...

Hi everyone!

I've had a busy weekend and have a busy week ahead of me as well. I'm thankful for my job but sometimes it's pretty stressful. Good thing there's not much stress on the home front.

I've been doing okay with my eating and got some exercise on the weekend. DH and I moved a flowerbed on Saturday. He did the digging and I did the raking, moving plants and rocks. I was pretty sore on Sunday but not too bad today. Feels great and we're pleased with the bed too.

Niece moved into an apartment with her friend on Saturday so we helped move her stuff over too. She's pretty excited about being in her own place. It's much quieter here and I will miss her.

Rosebud: Isn't it neat how things work out like that? My son sold his car to someone who's had just died that morning. The timing was perfect!

Gary: So what's a little pizza!?! You can work that off in no time. You've been doing really great. Your girls are up to their usual mischief. Gotta love them!

Shy: I wish our climate allowed for moped use all year round. I would get one too. I work only a 10 minute drive from home and it would be perfect.

Well, I'm starting to power out here now so I better get off to bed.

Good night!

wilma
I would only be able to use it a few months a year but boy would it save on gas.

gas here is about 3.60 a gallon. When hubby when to Africa, I believe he said that gas was $24 a gallon. WOW!!! I'm just praying that something will be done about this. I hope you all have a great Tuesday. Please keep me in your prayers as I am having a bad week so far. Related to work. Also pray for DH and I, We are now officially TTC.

rosebud
Will sure keep you in my prayers. Hope things start to go better for you so your stress level is lowered a few notches.Gas was 3.56 today. We will go to the campgrounds again this summer but the side trips we had planned are now nixed. All the extra money will be needed to drive back and forth to the camp grounds. I sure hope they do something about it soon too.

Good Morning! I couldn't sleep anymore so here I am all fed and ready to go to work and it's only 7:10. I've had a stressful week at work so far and hopefully things will settle down today. I feel there isn't enough time in the day to get everything done that needs to be. Then I come home and can hardly function so I watch TV. I should probably go for a walk but I'm so tired that the thought of it is almost too much. Maybe I will try it tonight though. The weather is much nicer here and walking doesn't use any gasoline. Here it's around 1.25 a litre which works out to around $5.00 a gallon.

I weighed in this morning and my weight hasn't changed again. I'm not surprised because I haven't eaten properly for the past few days. I need to focus more on meal planning again and make sure I have fresh fruit and veggies in the house.

My prayers are with every one of you as you go through the struggles and triumphs of daily life.

Hi there everyone!!

Well I had my Dr. visit yesterday, I have several nodules all over my thyroid, it could be a goiter or it could be cancer. He said right now they are too small to biopsy and he's not doing surgery unless he know what it is, (good), so in 6 months I have to go back for more tests and if they have enlarged then we'll biopsy and go from there. He said he wasn't trying to freak me out but he wanted me to know that it could easily be cancer but the good thing is that thyroid cancer is easily treated and has a high survivability rate. My hormone levels are normal, so he thinks I'm probably very anemic and thats whats wiping me out. if they would have done a complete blood work up as I requested then that could probably be a definite yes or no right now, but it looks like I'll have to go have it checked again. I'm not worried, I have a peace about the whole thing. God will do what suits His purposes and I will roll on with it.

I have CRAZY woodpeckers!! He's got two spots on the house that he prefers, and he has an endless supply of trees all around my house and in the woods right next to our house, I think its a conspiracy.

Gas, gas, gas, I don't even want to think about whats its going to be this summer. My kids are driving me nuts with wanting to drive here and there and I told them, they better start getting used to hanging out here cause the running around stuff is gonna have to stop. I'm not popular.

Pizza, I love pizza! I make my own whole wheat pizza, with turkey sausage and turkey pepperoni and mushrooms, I have to do half with onions and olives for me and Big Sis. Yummy!

Gotta go, too much to do and so little time to do it in. Have a beautiful day!!

Trish

CC
Never worry early to avoid the rush. It could be something simple that could be fixed you just keep that in mind. We have far to many real things to worry about. There is no time to worry about things before we need to, I know, easier said than done. Will keep you in my prayers. Gas was 3.56 yesterday, today 3.79. Come on, you are telling me that gas in the ground all of a sudden cost them more money. I found some lower in fat pepperoni, the stuff tastes great and is really low in fat. Now the kids get to have pizza again :)

Wilma
Sometimes a nice walk in the evening is a great thing to relax a person. Try it more often. You might find it really helps to relieve the stress and help you wind down.

Well, gas was $3.89 today (up 21 cents since yesterday). I am very thankful that the moped is coming soon. Like Shy, I won't be able to ride it for about 6 months of the year, but I figure every little bit helps :)

Meetings ran late at church tonight, so I don't have time for a long post, but I am continuing to keep everyone in my prayers!

Good Evening (said with my best Dracula voice)

I'm doing really well it seems until the kids get home from school then all I want to think about is eating. I have been very good though. I think its just the way I have always dealt with stress and I'm adjusting to a new way of thinking so far its working for me but its not easy. The littlest man in the house has the belly bug, and thats not fun. I have to take the oldest to TN tomorrow for a test at the college he'll be going to next year, thats a 4 hr drive one way. I'm hoping the belly bug doesn't decide to ride along with me tomorrow that would not be pleasant for me to drive and be sick. The big boy doesn't know his way yet so I can't send him on his own. The rain just stopped and the sun came out, its been raining for the past two days, phooey! I hope it stays away, I have a lot to do outside.

I noticed gas here had gone up to 3.79 yesterday and was told it will be up to 3.89 tomorrow. My kids are gonna have to start walking to school. We live 5 min from the school theres no good reason to drive, except of course that walking is totally not cool. :cool:

Well I'm off, gotta go hop on the bike and then get dinner started. Have a good one!!

trish

Hi Gals ~

Well the knucklehead nephew finally got his second evaluation from the NAVY and he is in! :carrot: He will be here until Sept. so that gives him a good 3 months with no work to do after high school...like he did much this year anyway! :( This year I left him on his own...he will pass...but not by much. There comes a point where you just have to allow them to suffer the consequences of their "laziness"....I finally got tired of fighting :mad: it last summer and promised him I would allow him to do it "his way"...instead of "my way"...since according to him "that" was the problem. Well he managed to get mostly D's and low C's this year...oh, he will pass...but what a wasted year! On the other hand he is a good kid...a lot of fun and I really think the NAVY is a place for kids like him. Like he said, when I asked him why he wanted to join.."Uncle Gary, they will make me do it!"...I won't get the job done on my own and even though you punish me, I know you still love me and I have food and a place to stay...just maybe no TV or phone." Love 'em to pieces! :)

I got in 7.5 miles today with dog walks and treadmill work. My eating is pretty good for portion size and my alcohol intake is way down...almost to nothing! this makes Angie very happy ;)

And I am down to 174.0 as of this morning...from 178.8 ten days ago :)

well Angie is calling dinner...Bless You All! :hug:

Gary - congrats on the 4.8 lbs. Your support thread seems to be working for you :)

trish - of course you hit the nail on the head - walking isn't cool. And WHAT does that teach our kids about life-long weight maintenance? One of our elementary schools actually got a grant to improve the sidewalks and aesthetics on the major arteries to the school. It was then followed by a whole campaign to get the kids walking to school on a daily basis.

We also have GOTR (Girls on the Run) after school in our elementaries. Teachers take the girls from the school on a walk/run around the neighborhood blocks.

I really hope these types of programs can catch on and that we can get our kids walking again :)

I love to walk on the path from our City park to the junior high (where I have an office) - it is one of my favorite places to walk.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/7289/lakewalkee8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Counting, that is a beautiful place, who wouldn't want to go walking there. I have a good friend that really needs to get out and get some exercise, she would feel so much better and clear headed not to mention sleep, right now she only sleeps a few hours a night if she's lucky. I love when we go on trips and I get to find a place to walk or run, its almost like a secret thing between me and God. He shows me the spot and we go there together. Anyway, I'm rambling tonight, its gorgeous, you are lucky to have such a place near work.

Gary, glad to hear the nephew is going to find a place that he knows will turn him into the man he wants to be. Sometimes they have to learn the hard way, I told mine 2 years ago they better plan to go to college or else it would be the military, cause I'm not carrying a bunch of mooches on my back for the rest of my life. They didn't like the military idea, so we have a whole new appreciation for school. You're doing great, you inspire me to work harder. Trish

:wave: Finally getting in here to catch up; have been busy the last two days with stuff around here. We actually had some *** but it melted as soon as it hit the ground, so that OK. Later we had some sunshine; hope it sticks around awhile.

CAR UPDATE ~ we finally get to go pick up our new(er) car tomorrow; none too soon, as we have to take my friend, PIERRETTE, to the city to see some specialists on Monday. She called tonight to say that something happened a couple of nights ago; she turned over in bed an had a stabbing pain in her side. Next day, she went to the hospital and they gave her pain killers and anti-inflammitories; and she is feeling much better. They are now wondering if that cyst burst; so they did a blood work-up today and will likely do the test again to see if it is still there. We are still praying that it will go away; that would be great if she didn't have to have surgery after all. I'll keep you posted as we learn more. Thanks so much for your prayers ...

GARY ~ almost there; only .? and you'll have your five pounds; all that walking and working and worrying about nephew is what did it, I'm sure!!! LOL!!! ;) There's a saying ~ you can lead a horse to water, but you can't always make him drink ... :D

Our town is building a park by our lake in the center of town; it is going to be beautiful when its all finished. It will be a great place to walk for sure. I think that the kids should walk to school too; we did. The only ones in our day that had buses were the country kids and the very young ones.

CC ~ glad things are OK with your thyroid for now; had a friend with that and she's quite alright now. They eventually went away. Hope you and your son have a great trip to the college.

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE AND ALL OUR MIA'S ~ take good care everyone, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

I seem to always be behind these days, trying to catch up... I am doing well, had a client home w/ shingles so had to work alot last week or so, hopefully things level out soon. Rosebud- Prayers for your dear friend that she heals and makes a full recovery.. and congrats on new car...
Lauren- I didnt know DC Talk went to school at Liberty but could be, beautiful college.
Shy/Counting- I been toying with the idea of a moped to go to work and back, but I don't finish work most nights till 12 M. and not sure I would want to drive it home as 14 miles, so still thinking about it, but enjoy...
Counting- that was a beautiful pic of park, nice to walk in and relax.
Welcome to Hannah, Julia, Caitlin- Prayers for abdominal surgery to go well.
Trish- Prayers that thyroid issue works out well.
Wilma- prayers for less stress at work, E.Z. - awesome job with nephew, I remember when He came to live w/ ya, he trully has come so far, what a mess your girls made...
Prayers to anyone I missed as well, I am doing well, busy busy busy.. Taking the youth group on another excursion next weekend to a church near Rochester, they come to ours to enjoy the adirondacks, and our youth groups have become pretty close consider the wonder of technology today. So our youth is going to take over their services this weekend, Junior church, nursery, sunday school, ect. Should be fun... I have to work this weekend, have business meeting at church tonight, I will be done as secretary, there is another lady that wants the position, so I will not have to do minutes after tonight. Overall doing well, did a bunch of landscaping, gardening stuff yesterday, discovered muscles that I didn't know I had, hurt all over, should do it more often and would be in great shape. Well as allways gotta run.. Prayers to all, have an awesome weekend....

Hi all, a quick flyby to check in. We walked the lake after work and stopped a a favorite haunt for a veggie sub and a beer - gotta love Fridays after work! We will probably build a fire in the pit and enjoy our beautiful spring weather for the rest of the night.

Prayers continuing for everyone - Rosebud - especially for PIERRETTE!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings, and prayers ascending!

Hi Gals ~ Just sitting here catching up on posts and watching a Laker game on TV and catching the scores of my Dodgers on the internet. Beats the old days of jumping up switching channels...before remote...and listening to the radio too! But that was many years ago, we have progressed since then...or have we? ;)

Angie and I had Mexican food for dinner at one of our favorites then she took off to spend the week-end up at her mom's. She will run a half marathon relay with her sister tomorrow and then spend Mother's Day with her mom. My kids will be going over to spend time with their mom on Sunday. For the newbies here, my mom passed away late last year so this will be my first one without her after 54 years :(

WILMA ~ I am sorry you had a stressful week :hug: I know you will miss your niece, is she living close? Is your younger son still at home? How is he by the way? I hope your flower bed grows awesome flowers :)

CCmom of 5 I bet you'll be busy on Sunday! we don't carry mooches around here either :D I think that's why my nephew joined the service! I think he knew he wouldn't get the job done in college...although he is way smart enough, he was accepted at every school he applied to.

ROSEBUD ~ Continued prayers for Pierrette. I hope the sun sticks around for you and the newer car runs smooth! The park sounds awesome. How's that mutt treatin' ya today ;)

AUNT SUE ~ Wow you have been busy! Gardening? do tell ;) The kids will put on a good show for your church on Sunday! :) Enjoy your trip with them next week.

SHY ~ I paid $3.97 for gas today...ouch! Low fat pepperoni?...I'm interested ;) Keep workin' Leslie until she drops! :)

LAUREN and DORA I hope all is well ~ HELLO to all the MIA's

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY LADIES!

Worship where and when you can!

I am having a great day. I went through my closet and purged clothes I hadn't worn for a while. I tried on last summer's clothes and was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the still fit. Now I'm making a sausage/potato soup for my guys for lunch. It's still cool outside and they're cleaning up the back yard getting it ready for the new garage. :carrot::carrot:

Later, I might go shopping. We'll see.

Gary: Thanks for asking about my son. He is still living at home. He's doing so well. Praise God!! He loves his job and is starting to make friends here in the city. I think he realized that with his brother moving so far away that he had better get out a bit more. We're very thankful!!

I do miss my niece. She lives just 10 minutes away and we do talk a bit. She's just loving her apartment with all it's hand me down furniture!

My week got better as it went along. We're going through some serious issues with staff and because I'm the supervisor I have to deal with them.

You've done awesome with your weight loss. I'm still glad I've maintained but with summer coming I should be able to shed some more pounds.

CountingDown: That firepit sounds so nice. We plan on adding one when we get the landscaping done.

Sue: Good to see you here and that you're doing well. I know the muscle pain of working in the yard. At least we're accomplishing something while we're working so hard - in the yard and in our bodies.

Rosebud: My prayers are with Pierette. Glad to hear you're getting your new car. We need reliable vehicles these days. AND fuel efficient ones too!

Counting: What a lovely place to walk! I'd get out more often if I had that. I have a new house construction area to walk through. The neat thing is watching the houses go up but no natural beauty.


Soups almost ready so better go get those guys in for a break.

Tomorrow being Mother's Day I don't have to cook. Hubby is bbqing pork chops and baked potatoes with grilled veggies. I get to choose the dessert. Better get thinkin on that!

Happy Mother's day to all you mothers out there!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Don't have much time, I just wanted to check in real quick. I have 3 down for the count with the yuckies.:barf: My house smells REALLY BAD! I'm not happy, and I'm exhausted. Not a good combo, no not at all.

I am praying for everyone, and I appreciate all of your prayers.

Happy Mothers Day!

trish

:wave: HELLO EVERYONE ~ that sun did stick around and we had 65F temps all day, so we just had to get out there and tour in our new car; DH needs to get used to all the buttons and gadgets and so on too.

THANKS TO EVERYONE for praying for PIERRETTE ~ she will be seeing two specialist on Monday, but they are going to do the tests again because they don't want to go ahead with the surgery for nothing.

CCMOMOF5 ~ seems your family has caught one of those stomach flus. Someone said in the grocery market last week, that everyone in our town is sick!!! Will pray for those kiddies and that it leaves your home as soon as is possible.

We went to pick something up today and the man's wife told DH to stay away from her as she was frightfully sick with a terrible flu; probably the one I had recently (one of the worst I've had in my life). It's so nice to breathe clearly again; thanks for all the prayers!!!

UNCLE TOM ~ finished round six on Friday, must have been OK as I didn't get any messages from my Aunt. They had originally planned on eight rounds. They are waiting to hear about the tests they did about 2 weeks ago; they are checking to see if the chemo is helping, but I haven't heard anything yet.

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY LADIES!!! Hope you all have a great day! NO COOKING NOW; get someone else to cook for you or go out for dinner if you can!

HERE'S a link to some pictures of NIKO and our new car ...

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2195374#post2195374

I seldom get to this thread, but today I finally got my housework caught up and even accomplished a few other things I've been putting off and actually have nothing much to do this evening! Of course it is right before we leave for a trip (Mon) so that's probably why...I work better under pressure. :D

I was reading about Joshua and Jericho and thinking about my own "jerichos."
One of mine is my eating behavior. I simply eat too much too often! Yet I know God's Word says Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and The battle is the Lords and I am seeking to understand how to realize this in my life esp in the area of food. Please pray for me.

Mary - you are in my prayers, girl! It is so much easier to take on the weight battle when you do it with prayer. I can't imagine doing this on my own!

Rosebud - thanks for posting the pictures. I'm so glad that you have a new car, and NIKO is just adorable. What a blessing that you adopted him!
Prayers continuing for PIERRETTE and TOM (thanks for the update on how he is doing).

Trish- your family is in my prayers too! I just HATED when my kids got sick. It is worse than being sick yourself. I hope that it passes soon. This flu has been a nasty one!

Wilma - congrats on the closet cleaning - it feels GREAT to find clothes that fit :D

Gary - my thoughts and prayers are with you too! It is hard to celebrate those events in our lives that remind us of the loved ones we have lost. And it is rare that Angie and the kids aren't around to keep you hopping. I hope you enjoyed your day and stayed OP ;)

A good day here - called my Mom and chatted for several hours. The kids will be calling tonight (most likely). We walked to church this morning :D and only had to dodge a few raindrops. I think we will have a late supper and enjoy a fire (and some wine) on the patio until the kids call.

I hope everyone has a GREAT week!

Prayers continuing!

HI Gals ~

Well I was busy today after church cleaning house. I scrubbed the floors, sinks, toilets and showers/tubs, vacuumed and dusted for Angie's Mother's Day present. She will be home soon after spending the week-end in a race with her sister and the week-end with her mom.

Thanks C-D :hug: actually my daughter came by to see me for an hour after I got home from church. She and her husband, my son and daughter in law went to late service with Brenda. I was going to go, we usually do go to the same service if the kids are all coming...and we know they are...but I wanted to get the chores done for Angie. Actually, unless we are having a family get together or party, it is pretty quiet around her now with my kids off and married. My step-daughter lives at her dad's, she just got home for the summer this week, and usually doesn't stay long when she comes by. Knucklehead nephew is with his mom today, but usually, when he is here, he is outside with his friends or they are in his room. Part of me enjoys the peace and quiet and part of me misses the noise :) Sounds like a nice evening headed your way.

ROSEBUD ~ Love the picture of NIKO! Great looking car, I hope it has many miles in it for you! Glad you had some sunshine too. Continued prayers for Tom and Pierrette.

TRISH...:( for all those sick kids. I remember those days and they were not fun! I hope you had a nice Mother's Day in spite of the "smell" :hug:

WILMA I am glad your youngest is doing well. I hope work is kind to you next week. Soup sounds awesome. Enjoy your Mother's Day BBQ! :)

:welcome3: MARY

Have a great week ladies!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone. Hope all the lovely ladies here had a wonderful mothers day. Sure glad the weekend is over. Will tell you about it tomorrow.

Thanks for the prayers, countingdown! I really appreciate them. We went out to eat and I did pretty well til dessert ...we were at a buffet and I felt I got the very last dry bits at the dessert bar so when my dh said they had put out new trays I went back for more! But overall I don't think I did too badly and tonight I've just had a little fruit. Not planning on having anything else unless it's some baby carrots. Still trying to get rid of produce before we leave tomorrow.:D

Thank you for the welcome, EZMoney, I have posted before but it's been a while. BTW, looks like both you and countingdown are doing very well on your weight-loss journey.

Hi! I have just discovered this wonderful community and I'm so glad to be here. I'm a middle aged woman who somehow accepted the idea that a thick middle and decline in fitness is inevitable. I'm not sure how that happened or why suddenly last week I decided that wasn't true. I think the Holy Spirit is telling me that my life on earth isn't over yet so I better start taking care of the temple! So I'm in the first part of transitioning out of a very sedentary lifestyle. I'm delighted to discover a place of Christian support and so happy to meet you!

Good afternoon all! I'm a newbie to this board, but I'm heading into what I hope will be my final battle with my weight and I need all the support I can get. :hug:

I look forward to getting to know each of you as we struggle to get healthy and lose weight, doing it all to glorify God in the process.

A little about myself:

My name is Laura. My title of "Auntie Dora" is in homage to my 3 yr old nephew Brady who calls me that. :) I have been married to Jason for 11 years this year and we have a wonderful marriage. No kids....I prefer being the cool Auntie. ;) We live in Eagan, Minnesota in an apartment and are looking to buy a home in the not-to-distant future. I have struggled with my weight since I got married and am still struggling. My hope is to lose over 100 pounds in the next year or two and get healthy so I can honor God with my life and see my precious nephews (Brady -3 and Logan - 9mths) grow up.

Can't wait to meet you all!

Laura

Oh my weekend was wonderful lol. My daughter went to a choir field trip to Kings Island this weekend. That was going to be great. I was going to clean house and pack and head to the zoo for the weekend Saturday morning. Sunday she was going to be home, I was going to be home and we were going to spend mothers day together.

The day started off bad lol, it got worse. First I go to the doc for a weight in because they have recalibrated the scale. The snooty nurse that refers to over weight woman as " the big fat woman " tells me how I better expect to add 5 pounds to what I think I weight because that is how much the scale is off. ( she enjoys talking like this to people trying to lose weight ) Well Wednesday my weigh in was 142 and friday it was 143 and this was after the 5 pound ajustment to the scale so that is great. I really lost more than I thought lol. I can't stand this woman and she is so mean to everyone. Use to really get me down when I first started going in for weigh in's but I am use to her now but darn .

My daughter calls me 3 hours from home. She forgot to take her Dramamine first thing in the morning and is sicker than a dog on the charter buss will I come and get her. Oh my gosh. I get on map quest and figure out where she is. I am going to get about an hour from her right in the middle of rush hour traffic in Columbus, oh nooooooooo. I have no house work done. No packing done. I throw a few things in a bag to take with me just in case she starts to feel better and I can stay down there ( I had ONE sock, a pair of undies that were 2 sizes to big for me, 4 sleeveless shirts ( it rained most of the weekend but at least not on Saturday) No pants, no t shirts, no sleeved shirts lol and remember the ONE sock lol. Anyway, I get about an hour from where the traffic is going to get real bad and she calls me that the meads have kicked in and she is feeling better ( at this point mothers day is going to be the girls funeral day lol ) but will I still come down in case she gets sick again. She has IBS and anything that is upsetting to her can really do her tummy in. Ok, well I am already on my way I might as well keep going. I get about 1/2 hour away and now she is feeling great and can't wait for the rides lol.

Well, this is ok. The house is clean enough I just wanted to run the sweeper and such. I took care of the animals. There are people there to take care of things. I was going to spend the weekend down there anyway just hate to be so unorganized ( at this point I had no idea what I had packed or didn't pack as the case may be ). I get to the peoples house we are going to stay the weekend at. Everyone is sick, I end up having to take care of everyone for the night lol. Hubby is thrilled lol ( oh by the way he took off work ( he works nights ) so I wouldn't have to face the rush hour traffic because I had no real idea where I was going except a map ). I go to get a shower and change clothes and now I find out about the ONE sock lol. The hubby calls his mother ( who we are meeting the next day for the zoo ) and is laughing about the one sock ( she isn't going to have a mothers day either with this kid because his funeral is going to happen at the same time as my daughters ). She takes me shopping Saturday morning and gets me clothes because you can't just wear ONE sock LOL. I am telling her no just get me a pair of socks she is saying forget it kid, you look like a bag lady and you are getting clothes. Happy early birthday and Christmas lol. So she gets me some pants and shirts and under clothes. We are at the zoo with a group of people. Does my hubby and his mother keep quiet NO WAY. I am being called the sock lady all weekend and everyone thinks it is just great fun.

Pinkcarnation
Hello, nice to have you with us.

Laura
There is always room for one more.

Thank you for the welcome Shy Moment! :)

I'm about an hour away from going home for the night - Yippee! Not much planned. I bought some new furnishings for my bathroom, so I'm doing a switcheroo tonight. We have 2 bathrooms and right now my hubby's using the one that the guests normally use, while I use the one in the master bedroom. I decided I'd like the larger one for myself ... heehee, and he doesn't mind so we're switching tonight. I can't wait to see how the new fixings look!!
Otherwise, there's a playoff hockey game on to watch - Wings vs. Stars and it's early to bed. Gotta get this week started right.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and I will be here to chat tomorrow.

Laura

Hello all,

Well I'm thinking of changing my log in name to "The Bucket Lady", somehow it seems to fit right into the theme of my household. Ah well, as long as I don't get it I'll survive the mess.
We had some dastardly wind yesterday, uprooted 5 of my trees and where I live we don't get a lot of strong wind, I'm fairly well protected but it found its way in and went right to work. I cleaned outside today for about 4 hours and you can't tell I was even out there. I have soooo much to do between now and graduation its scary. If I can't get outside to finish that work I'm in big trouble.

Hi to the newbie's , gotta go hubby's calling

Trish

Hi Gals ~

:welcome: AUNTIE DORA and PINKCARNATION! I think you will like it here!

SHY ~ :carrot: You made it home alive....and the kid too! ;)...WILD!

TRISH ~ :hug: I hope the kids are better tomorrow! Bucket Lady...funny....:rofl: Is it your oldest son graduating? My nephew graduates in 3 weeks...big "BEACH BOYS" theme party here the end of June.

I will be back tomorrow...bless all of you! Gary

Just a quick update (and some comments) for anyone who cares-

27 days til surgery, and counting. I'm getting more scared by the minute.

When I was 13, I had to have the "hardware" replaced, and waking up and feeling that half of my hair was gone was the single most traumatic experience of my life. If I have to have the hardware replaced this time, I won't know immediately- it could take days for me to find out. So, in the mean time, if I get a headache I'll panic.

Sometimes it honestly feels like God hates me, and that He's making me go through all this just to amuse himself. I feel like I'm a little Barbie doll (heh..I wish I looked like that) in this big "Play of Life" and that he does whatever he wants with me, regardless of how I feel. Like all the praying in the world won't help if God feels like f'ing with my life again.

Any chance I could get a hug, somebody? :(

pen
You talk like that about God and a hug won't help you. I am sorry you are going thru such a hard time. It is terrible when horrible things happen to us. Hey, I woke up to be told I would never walk again, I understand. All we can do is go thru life and do the best we can. I bet you are nervous. Surgery is a scary thing no matter what it is for. Will keep you in my prayers that surgery goes well.

Dora
How do the furnishings look in the bathroom?

CC
Wow uprooted trees. Hope you didn't have more damage than that. Sorry everyone is sick.

ez
Yes, I let them live. I want to touchier them when I get old lol.

pen: So sorry you are going through a scary time. Right now is when you need to lean on God more than anything. He NEVER leaves you, and NEVER does anything that is not for His will and the good of those who trust in Him. Even when we don't always see His plan. You will be in my prayers, that all would go smoothly and that you will be healed completely.

Shy: The bathroom actually looks really good! I'm happy with the results. It took me all night to get everything organized - I have a lot of junk:p - but now I really like it

Well everyone, it's another day. I had so much trouble getting out of bed this morning, so I look like a mess..thrown together hastily. I'm hoping to have a relatively slow day at work so I can get my bearing before the week is half over.

Tonight my sister and I attend bible study and then afterwards we head back to my place to hang out and talk, so I look forward to that.

I'm off to grab my morning caffeine and start digging in to the pile on my desk. I'll be back later to chat.

God Bless,
Laura

Morning everyone!

pen, oh my lands, I can't tell you how many times that I have felt like God was amusing himself with my life. I just wasn't trusting Him. I know its hard, trust me, I KNOW! However, if you don't trust Him it is so much harder to get through these things. He is faithful no matter what. Just like Dora said we may not understand His plan but He has one and its for His glory not ours. So trust that He knows what He is doing and give Him the glory for it. I'll be in prayer for you today. Whaddaya mean, if anyone cares????????????

Gary, yes my oldest graduates on the 24th. I have 3 that are each a year apart in age but I separated them 2 years in school. Thanks heavens that I did I would go to the poor house that much faster if I hadn't. $$$$$$$$$$$ That boy is in need of a dose of reality and he's about to get it. I Love It!

gotta go, kids to take to the orthodontist, too much to do so little sunlight to do it in.

Trish

I haven't been here for a long time. Sorry. Shymoment, I didn't quite get all that but it was still funny. A cheerful heart doeth good like a medicine........or something like that. What plan are you all using for losing weight loss?

:wave: HELLO EVERYBODY ~ I have so much GOOD NEWS to report today. We have been tres, tres busy this past week and had a good weekend too. We are enjoying our newer car: it so nice to have a car that's more reliable. DH is having to learn how to use all the electronic items like the 'CLIMATE CONTROL PANEL'; and I will be giving him some lessons this week too, I think ~ LOL!

:wel3fc: PINKCARNATION & AUNTDORA ~ nice to have you both with us.

:hug:PENMAGE:hug: ~ Dearest CAITLIN, we are all sorry to hear that you are so scared about your upcoming surgery, but GOD had nothing to do with any of your health problems. However, He is aware of them, and is using these wonderful doctors to HELP YOU to get better: that is how GOD is!!!! GOD LOVES YOU just as much as anyone else and does not want any of us to suffer.

GOD never promised to prevent us from problems, He only promised to be with us and help us through them. You have made it through all your previous procedures; and we know that a positive outlook helps patients recover much faster too. We will continue to lift you up in prayer that JESUS and GOD's PRECIOUS HOLY SPIRIT will fill your heart and mind with PEACE and COMFORT right up to, during, and through your recovery.

TRISH ~ a mother's job is never done ... prayers continue for you and your kiddies; these flu bugs are playing havoc this year for sure!

CAROL & MARY ~ glad to see you both drop in again; come by more often!

HI GARY, SHY, COUNTING, WILMA, SUE, + ALL THE MIA's ~ thanks to all for the many prayers.

GOOD NEWS UPDATES ~ PIERRETTE just had a consult yesterday; next week she has more prep tests, so it will be a while before they do anything like surgery: will keep you posted on that. She is in very good spirits and seems to have peace about it all.

UNCLE TOM has just completed his 6th Chemo round with great success once again: my aunt sends mega-thanks to you all for your faithfulness. She says she can't find enough ways to say thank you as TOM is still sleeping well and breathing pretty good. He has been getting quite a bit of work done despite what he has been going through so that has to be answered prayers ... so thanks again!!!

MORE GOOD NEWS ~ I sent my 22 y/o niece KRISTA's name out to prayer groups at the beginning of May for work, and she was offered two jobs this week. She is outgoing and so smart with three colleges degrees (almost had four; but just shy a few credits). I want to publically thank GOD for his wonderful provision and all his benefits (Psalms). She took the full-time position with a private company; and is so excited to be able to finally get some experience. GOD IS GOOD!

GOOD NEWS #4 ~ I want to thank you all for your prayers for my brother RPS as he is now in a great new place where GOD is helping him to heal, grow, and get healthier: physically, mentally, and spiritually. We ask that GOD send lots of good Christian folks to help him over the next year; and that when this ordeal is all over, He will be totally healed and a wonderful strong Christian man that GOD can use to help others for the rest of his life. Thank GOD for hearing and answering our prayers for our dear brother ...

GOOD NEWS #5 ~ I want to thank GOD for our lovely new car and ask Him to bless all those who have prayed for us and made this to come about. And, please bless all our many, many Prayer Partners, family members, and friends for their continued faithfulness to us all during the difficult times we have been going through.

SO, I pray every day that GOD will heal our family and mend all the hurts they have endured in the past; and fill our hearts and homes with Love and Peace, so that we can move forward to enjoy all the many blessings that GOD has bestowed upon us all. And, may all the glory and honor and praise and thanks be His forever and ever, Amen ...

HOPE you all have a blessed and good week; and for those of you who need prayers, they will continue ~ Your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^^^PRAYERS^^^ ascending every day ...

just
Isn't it fun to watch them learn to play with their new toys lol. You are very right. God never said he was going to make our lives perfect. He is there to help us along life's road. You have had such great things happen. God truly is there for you each and every day.

Carolr
I am on the " Rennie plan " lol. I stay within 1200 to 1400 calories, 30 to 35 grams of fat and 180 to 210 in carbs most of the time. Nothing is written in stone for me. I have general amounts that I follow. I don't do without a thing. I eat reasonable portion sizes and make sure if I have a snack today I have to wait until tomorrow for another snack. I also exercise most week days. If for some reason I skip a day I make up for it on the weekend. At lest 6 miles walking/aerobic videos Monday to Friday and at least 40 min resistance training 3 times a week. If the knees or hip are bothering me I slow it down a bit and pick up what I didn't do another day. For me this journey is about commitment. I don't diet. I eat the required amounts of the four basic food groups, stay within good ranges for myself generally and exercise. The side effect of all this is weight loss :)

Dora
I finally got the master bathroom done. Heaven knows how long I will be without curtains and such lol. I put a cheap shower curtain up because I want what I want and I am not going to buy something just to put it up. Heck, I haven't had curtains in my bedroom since I bought the house just blinds because I haven't found what I want yet lol. I bet your bathroom looks lovely. It is great to get things organized and right where we want them.

Good afternoon friends! How is everyone's day going so far? Mine's actually pretty good. Work has been slow, so that's nice. It's getting gloomy out though. We're supposed to get a few thundershowers tonight. Yuck!

Trish: Sounds like a busy, busy day. Good luck!

Carol: I'm actually going it on my own right now. I've done WW before with a lot of success, but right now life is so busy I'm just watching my portions, eating 3 healthy meals a day and only 1 snack, and no eating after 7pm. I also try to exercise every day when possible. I'm addicted to Dance, Dance Revolution on the Wii..that's a workout! :D

JustWant2B: Praise God for all of the wonderful things He is doing in your life and the lives of your family and friends. God is SO good.

Shy: I'm not much of a "homemaker" per se, so this was a major feat for me. HeeHee. I'm with ya on the curtains and shower curtain. That stuff is too expensive already without buying something you don't really like.

Alrighty, I'm off to do a few reports and will try and check back before I go home. Have a blessed afternoon!

Laura

The "Rennie" plan......that's a good one! I wonder if you could google that. ha! As for shower curtains, I got 2 lovely ones at IKEA when I went there with my daughter this spring for only $12.95! I won't be going there often as it is 4 hr. away but it was fun to visit. They have rooms all set up to give people good ideas of what they might want. I've had lots of answered prayers lately, too..........one son got a job and another came through surgery ok. Another son is moving back from Alaska. I miss them so and they have a little boy age 2. Another daughter is expecting and she is in her middle 30's. So lots of thanks to be given to the Lord. I've always prayed that I could get the weight off so I could be a good example for the kids with weight problems. I still have about 40lb to go with 20 gone.

carol
Sounds like the Lord has smiled on you. I have a certain kind of thing I want for the bathroom and until we find it we will do without lol. I have even been looking for the cloth to make them myself if I can find what I want. I want the swags to hang a certain way over the tub and such.

Just a quick check in and letting you know my prayers are with all of you. You have all said it so well to Penmage there is nothing I can add but a ((hug)) ~ Gary

Good morning! Just a fly-by for me this morning as work is crazy! I have a very cranky co-worker, so it's going to be an interesting morning. I'll check back later to see how everyone is doing.

Have a blessed day!

Laura

Weigh in day - I'm up 2 lbs but that is mostly because of PMS. I've been doing okay with my eating and know that this will drop next week.

After a couple of cloudy rainy days we woke up to sunshine this morning. Tonight hopefully I will be able to get my front yard raked. It's looking kind of shabby and the exercise will be good for me.

Laura: I don't think I've welcomed you here yet. So, welcome. You'll find great support here.

Shy: Your story made me tired!! and so funny. It's so good to see the humour in things or you'd just go nuts, right?

Penmage: I was reading John 9 this morning. It has the disciples asking Jesus who had sinned to cause the man to be blind. Jesus answered that no one had sinned but God was using the situation to glorify him. He cares so much about YOU. Just cling to him. We are all praying for you and your upcoming surgery. HUGS!

Rosebud: Wow! Praise God for all your good news.

Hello to everyone else! Have an awesome day!

Whew! Taking a quick break from my insane day to pop in and say hi. :wave:
My work day is exploding in craziness!!!!!:dizzy:

At least I only have a little more than an hour to go. I have absolutely NOTHING planned for tonight. I'm going to go home, throw in a quick load of laundry, eat dinner, throw on my jammies and plop down to watch some Little House on the Prairie. I'm addicted to the dvds now. :D I watched this show as a little girl and I'm really enjoying watching it again. Such a wholesome show. It really reminds me of how much the world has changed.....morals in particular. We definitely need to pray for our world today.

Alas, work is calling me back. Have a great afternoon all and I'll try to pop on later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Laura

Wilma: PMS is the pits!! I always go up a pound or two around that time it seems. Enjoy your yard work!!

wilma
I tend to always find the funny side of things. I was told one time...you can be oh so very clever or oh so very nice. I lived for many years oh so very cleaver and made lots of money. Now I am Ohhhh so very nice and poor lol. Laughter is the best thing in the world and I didn't have much of that in my life when I was oh so very clever.

Hi all - just a quick flyby to let everyone know that I am continuing to keep you all in my prayers. Church meetings every night this week! Whew - some weeks are like that. Hopefully, I will have more time to post tomorrow.
Blessings to all :)

Good Morning one and all,

I've got a day of cleaning ahead of me, and the plumber is coming to look at my drain. I think we need new pipes run out from the kitchen. This house was built by the building trades school and I think the day they did plumbing someone must've been sleeping or drunk cause whats down there makes no sense, no sense at all. My little man last night had an allergic reaction to something, I had to take him to the clinic. He was swollen and broke out with hives all over, he had been like that most of the day at school and no one bothered to call me and ask if he had poison ivy or anything. He got worse when he got home and ate some of the red icing I made for Kylee's cupcakes. He has never had that happen before, so I was concerned. I don't have any allergies, so thats something I don't comprehend, hives and such. He's doing better now, and we still were able to take lil sis out for her b-day meal.

shy, I know what you mean, I had a great job making good money but the environment I was in pulled me down and to survive I had to be cutthroat and I hated it and the closer I grew to God the more I knew I had to get out of there. So now I'm a stay at home mom, and money is one of those things I used to have but find now was not all that I thought it was.

Dora, I was watching Little House the other day with my lil princess and I thought the same thing, wow look where we as a society are now. That show ran for so many years and if it were on now it probably wouldn't last one season.

just, Awesome to hear all your praises.

Trish

Trish, I see you have 5 kids. We have 10 and the youngest is now 17 so the empty nest is upon us. What a joy they have been! Of course there are lots of trials but that comes with life.

Good morning everyone. It's been awhile and my weight shows by that. I'm not where my ticker says I should be and I think I'm going to skip WI tonight too. I'm in a funk and can't get out. DH has quit going to TOPS with me, which is a huge reason to why I'm not loosing anymore. and when I do loose it's the weight that I gained the week before. UGH!

I have a HUGE prayer request. A co-worker of mine, Janet, her cousin was pregnant with quadruplets and delivered one on 4-30, her cervix closed up and the labor stopped. On 5-5 she had the other three, the day after one of the girls passed away. She had fluid in or on her lungs and wasn't very healthy. And then Tuesday two more passed away. While in the hospital they got a respiratory infection. The 4th baby is a boy named Cannon and he is on a respirator. Janet went to go visit the mom (Beth) today and I won't know if he has pulled through until tomorrow. So I have been praying for a miracle. Beth was having problems conceiving and was on fertility meds and that is how she got pregnant. She carried them 30 weeks, they had a huge baby shower and her community has really come together to help out with the costs of the babies. Please join me in a prayer for a miracle that Cannon WILL survive. I do not know if Beth is a Christian, I know that Janet is catholic...

Thank you for your prayers.

Please pray for my friend Arlene, she had cancer surgery in December and is not doing well she will be seeing her doctor tomorrow to see what they can do, she has had chemo and radiation but her situation is not good right now.

Counting
Hello

cc
Isn't it funny. When we fill our life more with God we find we don't need all the things we needed before. I, like many, was very close to God and very church oriented and then in my early 20's let all that fall by the way side. It only lasted a few years but my life was very lonely no matter how much money I had or how many people were around. I am sure glad I smartened up and brought God back into my life. The money, the job, the clothes, the car...none of those things filled my life.

Carol
With 10 kids I am sure you aren't going to notice if I drop off a couple more at your house lol. I only have two and use to wonder how many kids I had. When I looked at all the faces at the dinner table, all the body's sleeping on the family room floor and all the toys in the back yard. I am sure I only have two but there were always 1/2 a dozen in and out of the house lol.

rosebud
Will sure keep your friend in my prayers.

bargoo
Will add your friend to my prayer list. God has enough love and comfort for everyone.

Rosebud, I am praying for your friend and her remaining baby.

Helloooo Ladies ^ Gents,

Had a rough start to me week. Decided in laws and mothers day should not go hand in hand! They like to stir up the drama pot.

Anyways, to more important things like the above prayer requests. I have added them to our list.

Carol - I have a hard enough time with my 3 plus 3 babysitting kids. I could not imagine 10. Wow you must have amazing organiztional skills!

Rosebud - Go for your WI. Honestly sometimes it hurts to go. But God will help you to the next level. If DH is not going anymore is there someone else you know from the group that you could car pool with?

Hello all! Prayers ascending for everyone mentioned above. God is powerful and gracious. All things are possible and I pray that each brother and sister will be touched by God's love and grace :D

Not much new here - doing well. The weather has been great. Been working too many hours (typical May for me).

But, I am incredibly thankful that my boss is a devout Christian person. I can't imagine staying in such a demanding job without him!

Blessings to all!

Hi Gals ~

Really busy at work this week, which has cut into my posting and my miles! i did get 3 in today on the treadmill...I have a dog with a boo-boo :( so no walks for them today. We think reba has a foxtail in her paw, it is all red and swollen...she will see the vet in the morning.

I have lost 5 pounds in a little over two weeks...less alcohol...better choices and more miles is paying off for me right now.

JULIA ~ Sorry your Mother's Day wasn't so good :( Good luck in the 5K!

BARGOO ~ ending up prayers for Arlene :hug:

SHY ~ I am so glad to see you rocking Leslie's CD's!!

LAUREN ~ Prayers sent up for Beth and family/friends.

CAROL ~ Now that is quite a crew!

C-D ~ Hello :)

TRISH ~You are just having one tough week dear :hug: on top of graduation!!...Hope things get much better real soon!

LAURA ~ I loved The Waltons growing up but didn't see much of Little House.

WILMA ~ I hope the sun stays and you have a nice work-out in the yard!

AUNT SUE ~ HI! Hope the trip with the youth is awesome!

Angie has dinner ready...hacienda chicken....as Rachael says...YUM-O!

Quick post, before I leave with youth!
E.Z. Thanks ! so much As long as the church van runs well, should be great!
Wilma- soup sounds yummy- I made cab and potato cream last night for dinner, it was higher cal. but yummy.
Trish- Prayers all are healthy soon!
Maryea- Amen!!
Rosebud- Nice pics of Nikko, new car! So glad to hear all your answers to prayer, and uncle tom and pierrette doing well!
Aunt Dora- Welcome- Happy decorating always fun!!
Pink Carnation- Welcome!
Shy- LOL! Sounds like me forgetting stuff packing ( being hurried) your attitude is a blessing !
Penmage- Prayers! Ditto to all responses!
Counting- Busy lady prayers for you as well!
Carol- wow! 10 kids, half the number of my youth group, amazing!
Lauren- Keep your chin up, try to stay focused, and definitely prayers for Cannon, and his family how sad!
Bargoo- Prayers for friend w/ ca.
Julia- Sorry about such a bad mom's day!
Well gotta run, leaving tom. at 10am gotta make junk for the kids and get packed. prayers!

Sue, hope you have fun!

Gary, hope Reba is doing better today. How did it go with the vet?

Got in a walk with DH tonight along the lake path. It is supposed to be cold and rainy all weekend :(, so I will probably have to exercise indoors.

Time to go get some gardening done :)

Prayers ascending for all!

Blessings!

hi all thanks for the prayers. Cannon as far as I know is still with us. His kidneys however have begun to shut down, but of course this information is very old. I got all of it from Janet this morning when I got into work. I am still praying for a miracle and I hope you guys are too.

i'm beat, we are taking the youth to see the Prince Caspian movie tomorrow, should be great

good night!

:wave: HELLO EVERYONE; quick post tonight as it's late. Been busy the last two days. My SISTER called late last night to tell me that she had to have emergency surgery yesterday in her lower abdomen; she is in a lot of pain and would appreciate prayers for a quick healing and relief from pain too. Thank you ~ appreciate this so much!

PRAYERS FOR YOU ~ am sending up prayers for all requested: for Arlene, Beth and her baby, Trish and children, and Reba's paw too.

Have a good night everyone and thanks again! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Justwant
Of course I will remember her in my prayers.

rosebud
Your friend will be remember. Can't wait to see that movie. Think it is going to be next weekend before we get to see it. You can tell me how good it is :)

doit
I learned many years ago. If you don't laugh you will cry lol.

ez
Might start doing a lot more walking outside along with my resistance training to give my body a change.

Julia
I decided years ago I would have the people around me who made me happy and wouldn't be around those that don't make me happy. Life is way to short for drama :)

Hi everyone!

I'm in need of an attitude adjustment, seriously. I'm tired, tired, tired. I'm going so many directions right now, I don't know which way is which. I'm really going to have to maintain a positive outlook this next week or I'm gonna eat everything in a 100 mile radius. We've got a crazy weekend this weekend and from now until the end of next Sat. it ain't looking much better. I haven't been doing my regular workouts, just one day of riding my bike and some yard work and housecleaning, and thats it. I really had wanted to lose 5 lbs before next Sat. but I let stress get the better of me, I hate that.
Gabe is pretty well over his hives and his belly bug, so thats good. The pipes all had to be replaced but at least everything is draining again, so thats good. I got the garage completely cleaned out, so that is good. So what is wrong with me?????? I need to spend some time with God and in His word today to get my thoughts back on track, I've been lax about that this week too.

Prayers for everyone right now.....

Catch ya Later, Trish

Trish - I think you answered your own question - some devotion/prayer/reading time is exactly what will help you get back on track :D I will continue to keep you in my prayers this week. I know how hard it is when the schedule gets crazy!

Shy - I have been walking a lot more outside too. While I miss my date with Leslie, I think it is good for my body to do something different. And I am definitely enjoying our spring weather :) Hope you are having a good weekend!

Rosebud - will keep your sister in my prayers, thanks for letting us know of the situation!

Lauren - prayers continuing for little Cannon. Keep us posted. Let me know how you like the movie as well. I really enjoyed the book (actually the whole series).

Gary - Hope Reba is better and that you got your walk to Starbucks in today. Congrats on the 5 lb. loss!


A beautiful Saturday today, so I need to get myself moving and clean so I can get out and work in the gardens.

Hope you all have a blessed weekend! Prayers continuing :D

HI GALS ~ :wave:

Taking a few minutes to check in while Angie goes for her massage. I did 5 miles this morning on the treadmill while she went to bell choir practice at church, after I was done with the vacumming of course ;)

Thanks for asking about Reba, she has athletes foot! evidently she has been licking her foot and it is staying moist, she had a steroid shot and some antibiotics so she should be much better in a few days, she is not to take long walsks until we know it feels better for her. Angie and I didn't do our Starbucks walk this morning because of it...and it was so beautiful at 6am when we usually take off...the sun shining and it was nice and warm...it is hot now!

C-D ~ Are you taking that :scooter: for a ride today? enjoy your "garden" time.

ROSEBUD ~ Prayers for your sister, Tom and your friend Pierrette. Thanks for the prayers for Reba :hug:

LAUREN ~ Prayers continue for Cannon. Enjoy your movie.

TRISH ~ Wow! you sound like I did so many times years ago when my kids were running in all directions with sports, church activities and school! Throw in I was a single dad many times heading off to work at 4am...yep I remember those days. Sometimes I would skip church on Sunday to catch up...seems like I never did catch up...until I went to church to start my week! ;) this too shall pass :hug:...enjoy the graduation time...worry about the weight later...you know what you need to do...one day at a time...one project at a time...through prayer...take a breath...enjoy those kids...they grow so fast.

AUNT SUE ~Praying for "the van"! have an outstanding time with those youth!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE! get out and WORSHIP! when and where you can ~ Gary

:wave: THANKS EVERYONE ~ for the prayers for my SISTER. I was surprised when she called to say that they rushed her into surgery so quickly, but it was serious. I also found out in that converstation that she has what they call 'a leaky heart valve' that regurgitates blood. They are going to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse; so I have been busy sending out prayer requests for her.

Poor thing was quite nervous about 'going under', but now it's the pain and healing that is more important, as she has been quite uncomfortable. They have her on massive antibiotics for infection to aide the healing process and protect her heart too. I know that she really appreciates the prayers as well!

GARY ~ Glad to here Reba's foot is going to be OK!
TRISH ~ Prayers for GOD's grace and blessing in your hectic life; I love my devotions and prayers in the morning: helps me to feel directed and calmer too.
SUE ~ yes, have a wonderful trip with the young folks; prayers ...

We had some rain and sun later in the day; and a full moon out there tonight. Our first hummingbird showed up yesterday and we have noticed many new birds here too; what a pleasant surprise, probably a gift from GOD, I'm sure!

HELLO TO EVERYONE ELSE; and take good care of one another. Love one another the best you can each and every day; and thanks again, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^^^ PRAYERS ^^^ ascending for all ...

Rosebud - you are so right about starting the day with prayer and devotions. When I don't, the day just seems to fall apart! Thanks for the update on your sister - I will continue to keep her in my prayers!

Gary - glad you got in your walk, even if it was indoors :)

OK, the scooter is catching on around here. Boss wants one, as do several of the teachers. And now DH thinks he might just need to get one so we can scoot together.


Hope you all had a blessed Trinity Sunday :D

Prayers continuing!

Good morning everyone.

I will have an update on Cannon when I get to work today so I will fill you all in this evening.

Prince Caspian was really good. It was "darker" than the first one, however there was some comic relief thrown in as well. The message was still excellent. Well I neeed to get in the shower. Hope ya'll have a great day!

Please continue to pray for Arlene she is having surgery tomorrow. She had surgery in December but has had some complications.

The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Job1:21 M son who was to move home can't move now and his wife had a miscarriage. My 32 yr. old daughter also had a miscarriage.

Carol prayers for you and your family.

Prayers for Arlene continuing!

Carol, prayers for your family as well. I mis-carried four little ones early in my pregnancies. While it is incredibly hard to deal with, God does provide comfort and solace in times such as these. May you find peace and grace showered upon you as you move through this difficult and painful experience.

Laurie

rosebud
My daughter saw it yesterday. Said it was really good. I can't wait. The hubby and I are going to see it next Monday :)

:wave: THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS ~ they are so very appreciated by all; just knowing someone is praying for you can give you so much peace and calm; very comforting ... So many people today are facing so many challenges; it sure helps to keep our focus on GOD. Look up, look up ... for your help draweth nigh ...

CAROL ~ sending up prayers for you and your family too: miscarriage is very disappointing as I know from personal experience, like Laurie (CD), but GOD does send his comfort and in time, even the memory fades somewhat, which helps a lot, and I am grateful for that.

BARGOO ~ have already sent up prayers for ARLENE, and her surgeons for tomorrow that the LORD will give them His wisdom; and peace and comfort and a speedy recovery for ARLENE.

GUESS WHAT??? We got *** SNOW *** ... all day long, but it all melted and now it's raining. Here May showers bring June flowers ~ LOL! Oh well, at least there's no buggies; the few that came out in early May have died off: yeah! Someone says that spraying LISTERINE is supposed to kill them and keep them away, but I've never heard of that before, but it just may be worth trying to see if it works!!!

WE'VE had two good days; stayed in mostly becuz of the weather; got some letters done and worked on our backup PC for DH (as his old one gave up the ghost). Spent yesterday moving thing around and setting things up; it's a good excuse to do some spring cleaning while we're at it ~ LOL!

FOR some reason (unbeknown to us) they moved our May 24th holiday long weekend up one week here in Canada; many people are not happy about it and many up north here, didn't even go to their cottages becuz they knew the rain and *** were on there way. They are gonna go next week just like they traditionally do; that's the weekend many put in their early cold-loving plants like the salad gardens. Down south has an earlier start than us.

ANYHOW, hope you all have a great week coming up; take good care, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^^^ PRAYERS ^^^ ascending ...

update from yesterday on Cannon

No changes. This is a praise! Please continue to pray for Cannon that God will perform a miracle. The two other babies that died last week, they are holding the bodies and haven't had the funeral yet. They are waiting to see how Cannon is doing so they can bury them together. I pray that there will be a significant change in Cannon so they will go ahead and bury Luke and Molly. Thank you all so much for the prayers.

Hey Everyone

Thankyou for all the prayers, there is a lot going on around here lately and I really need them. We're going thru some stuff with our church and it's very disappointing added on top of the craziness at home right now it has been no fun. I'm just trying to get done what I can get done and whatever I have to let go I'm lettin it go.

Prayers for all of you, Rosebud, Carol, bargoo, justwant, gary (is it possible to survive a day without a Starbucks run?), thinking of you all.

Trish

A quick fly-in to let everyone know that prayers are continuing!

Thank you for the prayers. Just this morning I was thinking that we now have 10 grandchildren........2 in heaven and my mom gets to see them first. Oh the joy she must be experiencing!

:angel: PRAYERS are continuing for CANNON (and his parents), ARLENE, CAROL'S DAUGHTER + SON + DIL, TRISH & family, SUE'S TRIP, and of course, REBA'S feet; everything that is important to us is important to GOD! :angel:


HAVE A GOOD WEEK EVERYONE! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Letting everyone know you are in my thoughts.

Thanks for the prayers we had an awesome trip, good weather, rained all the way home, but Sat. was awesome- The teens were really good, they always are.
Rosebud-Prayers fopr your Dear Sister-
Shy- Life is trully to short especially w/ drama
Bargoo- prayers for Arlene-
Trish- prayers all is well!
E.z.- Thanks ! we had a great trip!!
Rosebud 76- Prayers continue for cameron, I can't wait to see the movie- going to drivein hopefully sat night. One of last nights out w/ niece she is going to oxford for summer session, home sometme in late June- Just in time for her brother to take off to Romania- He is going on a ministry trip to Romania- working w. orphans- he is so excited.
Well gotta get ready for youth group meeting prayers!

Hello all, just checking in. A cold and rainy day here in northern MI. Thankfully, prayers don't depend on good weather. I'm continuing my prayers for all, God is gracious and powerful and faithful.

:wave: JUST wanted to come in and tell you all that I am continuing to keep your friends and loved ones in my daily prayers. I know that I have more free time than some of you, so I don't mind doing this at all. I rather enjoy being a 'Prayer Warrior for GOD' as it makes me feel more purposeful too.

I wanted to mention a couple of people to you in passing; and if any of you have a minute to spare this week, they could use a prayer. They are both neighbours of ours and need prayers:

#1 ~ Rick J. came by tonight and was visibly upset (and intoxicated) becuz he just came back from specialists (doctors) who told him that they believe that he doesn't have long to live. He is only in his forties and has children and a partner; he had a very rough and abusive childhood which has resulted in a drinking problem (he is an alcoholic), smokes (is trying to quit), and has a serious weight problem (and can't seem to lose the weight fast enuff to please the doctors). Apparently, his heart is finished (his words) and the weight is causing him a problem; so I'd say that the writing is on the wall. I do already have his name in with two large prayer groups. I told him that we would pray for him: what else can you say to that kind of prognosis??? This is a tough situation and Rick needs lots of prayers ...

#2 ~ James M. came by yesterday, and he is only in his twenties; he has diabetes, and a couple of years ago, he weighed almost 500 lbs (in the high 400's). Well, over the last 1-2 years, he has lost a lot of weight (over 200 lbs); that is ... "WITHOUT" dieting or exercising, as we know it. SO, his doctors are concerned with 'why' he has lost so much weight in such a short time, WITHOUT EVEN TRYING! I had asked him jokingly yesterday 'what is your secret: you've lost so much weight and I need help'. And he then told me they were going to do a battery of tests on him today to find out why. I told him that I hoped it wasn't becuz of something bad. Anyways, I started praying for him right away, becuz I sure hope it isn't his heart or cancer or anything like that ...

ANYHOW, I'll let you know what happens with these two fellas, if you are interested. I really don't know what else to do but pray for them. I am a firm believer in prayer and its positive results. About 4 or 5 years ago, I started journaling all the answers to our prayers and the blessings that GOD has given to us, and I was absolutely amazed at just how many were answered. Actually, almost all of them were answered; there is 'only one' that is started, but not quite finished yet (but it was only a desire, not a need; so I wasn't that concerned about it). Isn't that interesting??? I think it's good to journal so that we don't forget how often HE DOES ANSWER OUR PRAYERS, becuz I think we forget all too fast!

OUR WEATHER here is cold and rainy too, which is usual for our area though. Had a busy day spiffing the place up, as the landlord of our complex is sending yet another real estate agent to view the building tomorrow. So it will be a busy day, as we are going into town in the morning, then have to get back in time for the viewing.

ANYWAYS, glad everyone is doing well; and prayers continue for everyone as requested. Take good care, your fellow encourager :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Rosebud, I added both James and Rick to my prayer list. May God's healing touch be on both of them!

HI GALS ~ :wave:

I have had a busy week at work but I should be off a little early tomorrow and have 3 more days off :carrot: Angie and I hope to do 3 5K's of various locations and levels this week-end, she may add one tomorrow running and me walking the dogs too...hoping to have more than 12 miles in over the next 4 days. If the weather is nice we may do one here in the neighborhood, one to Starbucks, one at the beach and one at duck pond.

We shall see, we also have a BBQ, dinner at friends, church and other family stuff too.

I am so :) happy :) this thread is striving!

C-D...aka Scooter :moped: Mama ~ I hope the weather perks up a bit for you and you have a great week-end for that 5K!...have a dark beer on me ;)...I'll stick to light...and here's hoping not too many! :)

ROSEBUD ~I have added James and rick to my list also. Amazing how many prayers God does answer that we forgot about! I hope your weather gets nicer too for the week-end :hug:

AUNT SUE ~WOW! Oxford and Romania...how exciting...bet you're gonna miss them! Glad your trip was cool :cool:

SHY ~ Awesome with Leslie as usual! Hope all is well with your family :)

CAROL ~ Prayers for your family as they struggle with the miscarraiges.

TRISH ~ Prayers for the struggles at your church. Yep, I can go a day w/o Starbucks ;)....in fact I am a Folgers kinda guy...just on Saturday's when Angie and I walk the dogs that way to start the week-end...if possible, Angie gets tea and a scone and I get a coffee...then we haul butt home so she can get off to bell choir practice at church! I hope the graduation goes/went well...have a great family week-end.

LAUREN ~continued prayers for Cannon.

BARGOO ~prayers for Arlene.

WILMA ~ Boys treating you OK? ;)

Have a Great Memorial Day Week-End Ladies! :hug:

Arlene's surgery went well and she is out of ICU but will be in the hospital about one more week. Thank's to all who prayed.