Faith Based Support Groups - CHRISTIAN ENCOURAGERS ~ August

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 marvellous 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 all! Hope you are having a good weekend!

Rosebud - thanks for starting the thread. I'm spending the morning paying bills too. Fortunately, I can now pay most of them electronically (phone or Internet), so the process goes much faster :)

This weekend is pretty routine around here - not much exciting going on. I do need to make more protein bars though. We seem to like my bars better than the processed ones, and they use up the okara (soy bean sludge left over from making soy milk) that is taking over my freezer.

Prayers continuing for all!
Blessings!

Laurie :scooter:

Hello everyone. I know its been like over a week since i have visited. Things have been a little crazy on my end. Last week I went out with the family to dinner for my b-day. Friday out to dinner again this time with friends then we went out for a few drink afterwards. Saturday i had a bachelorette party to attend and sunday a bridal shower. WHEW i have been super busy. Thanks for all the b-day wishes.

I had a great birthday except one thing.... So we go up to this little bar on friday and i go to the restroom. When im walking out i hear my sister yelling at someone. I run up to her and try to drag her out of the bar but of course she doesnt want to listen to me. (my sister is a very fiesty girl) Once her mind is made up there is no changing it. Well i guess they are fighting cause my sister was dancing with some guy and this other girl did not approve. *sidenote* Turns out that this was the guys cousin NOT girlfriend

Moving on. Well sadly we get thrown out cause things are getting out of hand. I tell my friend michelle (who was my DD) to go get the car. Well outside the screaming doesnt stop. I get this genius idea to get in the middle of it and try to like push my sister towards the car. HAHA that didnt work. This girl gets up in my face and starts screaming at me. I am totally unaware of why I am arguing with this girl besides the fact that she is trying to get at my sister. WELL... she pushed me. I did the wrong thing and pushed her back but it was instint. I did it before me brain could even say... HEY think about what you are about to do. Sooo.... all of a sudden

BAM! This guy who I have no idea who he is (turns out he is a relative of the girl) punches me in the side of my face. I fell backwards onto the cement and he got on top of me. FAst forward through all those details.

Cops were called he was arrested... but im pretty sure he got off the hook. Well needless to say i eneded up with 2 black eyes, 2 broken blood vessels on the side of my face, bruises up and down both arms and all over my back, and 2 cracked ribs. I look like i got really drunk and fell down 10 flights of stairs. Its been a week and i still dont look so hot. Im feeling much better though. The pain gets less every day.

Sorry for such a crazy long post. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Im going with my mom and niece and nephew to the rib off to taste test some ribs. Happy Saturday!!!

CandyKisses, sorry for all the trouble you had. I had a birthday, too but compared to yours mine was downright boring.

Candy :hug: Hope you are feeling better soon!

Good morning to all my lovlies,

I have been gone for awhile, Did you miss me, ugh, ugh, ugh? I cannot hear you!!!!!

My computer crashed big time and I thought I was about to loose it without it. I think God was trying to teach me something. And by George I think I have got it. More time to spend with him and not to put this computer before Him. It is not my god, and I think He thought I needed to recognize it and I did. Man on Man, God is Good.

Now did I do what I should have and spent the extra with Him, well sometimes I did and sometimes, I did not. I have got to keep it real here and tell the whole truth, but I am working on it, I am still a work in progress. And even when I did not do what I should have, He still cared for me and brought me thru my sickness. Today I can say I feel great and I owe it all to Him.

Looking forward to going to church tomorrow, it seems like it has been forever, was down for so long, but it's a new day and I am sooo ready for it.

Candy, glad you are feeling better. Sometimes sisters problems can really explode, the same thing happened to my two daughters and it got ugly. Guy dancing, girl upset, started fight with youngest, sister jumped in to help and it was out of control after that. They lesson they learned was to stay out of bars, well one learned, the hardheaded one Morgan, still working on her, she is very fiesty like your sis. Prayers for all of you babydoll.

Belated Happy Birthday to you and Bargoo.

Well I have missed all of you little darlin's, glad to see you all are still here.

Hugs, love, and many blessings to all,
Ags

It's been a while since I was here too. It's been a busy time for me. Family visiting - lots of dinners out. I have been behaving myself though.;)

This is a long weekend for us here in Canada and I am so enjoying it. I have cleaned a closet, made broccoli soup and am making turkey chili right now. I have the place to myself so my time is my own.:carrot: I love the quiet but will be very ready for everyone to come home!

I haven't had a chance to read all the posts but do pray for everyone on this thread.

Have a good weekend!

HI GALS ~ :)

Not much going on here...just watched my Dodgers lose while Angie puts a puzzle together behind me. I had to work today....getting tired of this overtime but our project needs us to do it. Really thankful for the work but again...tired ;)

WILMA ~ I am making chili tomorrow for my lunches during the week...hamburger...we are having turkey burgers tonight.

SCOOTER ~ Happy :) Baking!

COURTNEY ~ Humm...reminds me of some stories when I was 21 ;) You be careful! :hug:

AGGIE ~ Hugs! Sorry about the crash but glad to see some good came of it ;) Hope all is well..or better with daughter(s)

ROSEBUD ~ thanks for getting us going and your input on the other thread :hug: Hope the "lot" work went well this week-end if you went.

RONNI ~ KAREN ~ TAMMY ~ BOOTSIE ~ BEV ~ BARGOO ~ MAMADUCK ~ KATHY and ALL!...... HELLO.........

COURTNEY ~ :hug: Oh my, that's awful -- sometimes, when we are trying to be a good Samaritan, things can backfire; so I agree with GARY, you need to be very careful in these kind of situations, esp where alcohol plays a part. Sadly, when under the influence, many people do not use their best judgement (or any for that matter). Prayers going up for you that your body heals quickly. Have fun at the ribfest with your family and try to put the whole mess behind you ... :hug:

AGGIE ~ of course, we missed you; I thought of you often and wondered where you were, as I do all our special CE friends here. I just figured that you were busy becuz everyone is busy in the summer, it seems. Glad you got your pc working again and can join us here again.

If you are wondering why I am in here so late/early, it is becuz I put my legs up after dinner last night and fell asleep and didn't wake up until the middle of the night. So I came in here to catch up and read and send an email to my Aunt, etc ... and I'm still here. HA ... time to get back to bed!

:wave: to LAURIE, and GARY, and BARGOO, and WILMA, and KAREN, and KATHY, and RONNI, and TAMMY, and BEV, and BOOTSIE, and SUGA, and MAMMADUCK, and anyone else that I may have missed out there (it's not intentional, just got faded memory cells) ... :lol:

Take good care everyone, and do have a SUPERBLY SERENE and BLESSED SUNDAY tomorrow ... :hug:ROSEBUD :hug: ^PRAYERS^ ascending for you and yours ...

Ags - we DEFINITELY missed you! Glad you are back. God is INDEED GOOD!

Wilma - glad you are back too :D Enjoy your long weekend and family!

EZ - looks like you got some good soup recipes - you should be set for a while for lunches :lol:

Rosebud - I had to laugh at your post. I DID indeed notice the time of it before I read it. And DID wonder if you were OK, since 4 a.m. is not a normal morning start for you (and CERTAINLY not for me!!!!) I hope your legs are doing better!

A beautiful Sunday here in Northern MI. I had to laugh over the sermon this morning. Pastor talked about feasting on junk food (munchies) instead of on God's Word. He confessed about all of the junk food he eats. He asked for a show of hands regarding how many people had eaten chips, ice cream, cheese curls, etc. in the last week. As he went down the list, I just smiled, knowing that I don't have any of those foods in my house any more.

I finally raised my hand when he got to nuts and popcorn.

It was a great reminder of how much I have changed over the last two years. My emotional and boredom eating behaviors are gone, and I do feast daily on God's Word.

God is definitely more satisfying than cheese curls :yes:

Hope you are having a blessed Sunday.

Prayers continuing for all!


Laurie :scooter:

Hello everyone! Happy Sunday! Praise the Lord! Bless Him with all of my soul!

I've come to realize that I have a real problem with chronic dieting. I have come to the place where I can't even look at a food without thinking points. So the last two days, I have weaned myself from counting points and even keeping track of what I'm eating. And I'm not overdoing it at all. Yesterday, I went to the track and walking for 1 mile and jogged for 1 mile (alternating 1/4 miles). Praise God for this accomplishment!

It was really hard for me when I came home to switch off the "I should have a salad attitude" and just eat what I wanted to. All I had was a bologna sandwich which satisfied me and I felt good. I briefly glanced at the nutrition label. So my question to everyone here who would like to answer...what do you think? I plan to go to the track again tomorrow and move myself another two miles. Is what I'm doing intuitive eating then? Do you have any suggestions for me? I so want to get out of this "dieting" bondage and just get healthy. I think I'll really lose weight in the long run. :)

P.S. CandyKisses - wow! Girl, I learned a long time ago to not get in between someone else's fight. Actually, it was my mother who took a swing at my boyfriend. I got the black eye. In the end, I really won the fight though. We've been married for 26 years. :)

God is definitely more satisfying than cheese curls :yes:


AMEN!

I sure am glad everyone is coming back!

Mamaduck come join us under General eating, I am starting Intuitive eating but still have not got the book. But it sounds like it and i have threw my scales in the closet because they are depressing and using my tape measure and I have lost 8 inches! I think I am gaining muscle and firming up though ,not loosing but right now that is alright, really just want to be healthy.

Courtney! WOW! You must be from Texas! Your tough! I sure hope you get to feeling better soon.

Still missing Rayne and it seems like a few others hope to see you soon! I was wondering where everyone went? Have a great week! Oh it drizzled all night but cannot tell it!

HI GALS ~ :wave:

Angie and I are watching an old movie...Girls Just Want To Have Fun...my kids and nieces used to watched this one over and over when they were younger.

I just finished making chili for my lunches for the week and cheese enchiladas for tonight. Angie made some of her beef enchiladas...I can't wait for dinner :carrot:

Church was cool this morning. And I mean :cool:...very cold....the air was set at 71 which felt really cold.....Angie sat real close to me ;)

Our new vicar was there for introductions, he is 33 and has 2 daughters, 5 and 11.....his wife has a :o nose stud :o....oh my ;) Although it is pretty small...the old folks that complain probably didn't see it ;) Seem like a very nice couple right off the bat.

The new building is coming along nicely, the outside of it is almost finished but the gym still needs work and the groundwork.

The music director asked Angie if she would play a song with a few others on bells today. We went out for breakfast between services. We split a spinach and monterey jack cheese omelette with potatoes and a ham and cheese croissant with fruit on the side.

Have a great week gals!

Hi, everyone-just time for a quick post right now as I'm just beat.

DH's dad died last night about 10:00. Kinda made it sadder as it was DH's mom's birthday. She just joked a little about him not giving her a very nice birthday gift-lol! (they've been divorced for a long time) Anyway, it was a difficult last few days, as he suffered a lot with pain, then became unresponsive for the final 24 hours-I guess that's considered normal. Service probably won't be till Saturday, as family has to come back from out of town-it's gonna be a long week.

I'll try to come back tomorrow. Sleep well!

Prayers for your family Ronni.

Ronni :hug: Prayers are with you and your family!

Ronni, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Ronni, prayers for you and DH.

Ronnie: My prayers are going up for you.


I had a really relaxing day. I went to church and then came home for a broccoli soup lunch. Then I laid down on the couch to read for a while. Just as I was going to go for a walk or do something my MIL called and invited me over to play games. So, instead of walking I went. It was a really good day.

I woke up to rain this a.m. There go my plans to be in the yard! Oh well, I'll have time this week I'm sure. DH is coming home today and it'll be so nice to have someone in the house with me again.

Have a great day!

Hello to all God's people,

So glad to be in the land of the living, each day that we open our eyes is such a blessing from God. We must savor our days as such precious gifts from above and make the most of them doing exactly what God wants us to do.

Thanks so much to all of you who missed me cause I surely missed all of you, but you were in my heart.

Laurie you said a mouthful and thank you so much for saying it. Sometimes we need to hear things out loud. AMEN is right.

Oh my dear sweet Ronnie, hugs, kisses and prayers comming your way for you and your DH and the whole family.

Mamaduck, if it works, keep it up. I have been pondering throwing my scale at home out of my sight, and then I will not be tempted to weigh myself before weigh in day. I cannot imange weighing everyday, I am sure that could be frustrating. I just want to eat clean and get healthy as all of you. Well let's dance this dance together...ready, set, go........Doe see doe.

Bootsie, I just love your name, saying it or just reading it makes me smile.

Gary, tell me about all of these soup recipes, I love soup too. Hi di ho neighbor, I am sure you are doing just fine as always and Angie is keeping in good shape. Hugs to the both of you.

Well gotta run, will try to take a peak back in this evening.

Love to all,
Ags aka Trikerbabe (Thanks Gary, I really love that name) Oh yeah, getting one next week. Hot dang!!!

Hi all, Happy Monday!
Hope your August has started out well!
Today was a busy day since I took my lunch time to zip over to the blood bank. They were very busy!
And, I only had ONE cookie and black coffee while I was there. And those ladies make the BEST cookies :yes:

I did get in a yoga workout after work tonight :)

Not much else to report, just a typical Monday evening. Hopefully we can have a fire tonight on the patio - the sun is peaking out for the first time all day!

Blessings to all!

Laurie

Laurie, congraulations on your visit to the bloodbank. And cookies are required after donating blood so don't kick yourself for doing such a good thing as donating blood.

Hey, everyone! Thank you all for the prayers-we really need them.

I've managed to stay on plan all day, which is very good as I sure didn't over the last week. In fact, I really should change my ticker, since I've gained back 4 pounds:fr: And, I know the coming weekend will be bad with the memorial service on Saturday and being at MIL's house for 3 or 4 days.

We are trying to keep things normal for the boys, so came home so DS2 could attend football camp this week. As a senior, he's really excited to continue that this year and has really shaped up over the year!

School starts on the 17th, so must get registration done and the homeschool paperwork, as well...and senior pics! Oh, my gosh, I feel old!

Well, need to go-too much to do right now. Prayers for all. Have a great day tomorrow!

Thanks bargoo!

Ronni - I know the tasks at and seem overwhelming, but they will actually help you create some balance and perspective. Life does go on, and having to take care of these chores really does help in the long run. Prayers continuing! :hug:

RONNIE ~ sending :hug: and prayers for you, your DH, and your families during this time. Good idea letting the kids continue doing things they had planned; it does help, as LAURIE, says. Don't worry about the weight; you will get that back off in no time, when the stresses wane a wee bit for you. DH says that school is starting earlier this year for the kids here too.

This AM started out with a mix of :sunny: and cloud; it was a bit cooler and a bit windy, but it turned out to be a fairly nice day overall. Sat out on our porch for awhile this afternoon. Did some work on my plan: working on healthy recipes and fiber foods today; and my new exercise plan (credit moi).

I am trying to increase my exercise a bit, so after dinner, I got DH to take me up to a local school and we walked around their gigantic parking lot which is about the size of a football field; we walked around a perennial garden dedicated to a local girl as well. It took us 30 minutes going at my pace and we went a bit extra to get the time in. My back and right knee started acting up by that time, so I knew it was time to go home. My doctor had told me that when the pain starts, thats the time to rest. For my condition, pain is a sign of too much stress on the body.

I did discover some helpful things tonight while doing this walk: 1) if I felt pooped, stopping for a few seconds helped a lot; 2) that after a little while, my breathing leveled out, and I felt much better; and 3) after so many minutes walking, my adrenaline kicked in and I started to feel like a normal person walking again, without the undue strain I had felt at the start.

Another thing that was an answer to prayer for me is that my calves were actually sweating by the end of the walk -- that means the circulation is improving in them; so the exercises I have been doing is helping them after all. That alone made me very happy. So, kudos to me, for pressing on, and getting this done. All of this gave me some much-needed encouragement today.

I am also going to go look at a track that is at another place to see if it is accessible to me; it is a bit more private and would feel more appropriate than just walking around the perimeter of a large parking lot. I also hope that by snowfall, I will be in good enuff shape to be able to go to the arena this winter. I have to build up my endurance now though, starting with 3 days a week, then 4, then up to 6 days a week with one day off.

I am going to try and do this as often as my body will let me without hurting it too much. I want to pick us up some really good rain coats or ponchos this week too, so we won't use the :rain: as an excuse not to go for a walk. I can also go for walks in the stores on those days as well.

Anyways, that's all the news from here for now. Tomorrow, we will be also getting the last of the wood we need to finish the floor braces; then it will be all done. The floor takes a long time to do, but once it is done, then the actual cottage can start to be built.

Take good care everyone, and hope you all have A TERRIFIC TUESDAY ... :hug:ROSEBUD :hug: Remember, ^PRAYERS^ are continuing for you and yours ...

walk on ROSEBUD walk on!!!

RONNI...the more "normal" you make it....the easier it will be...death is hard but it is normal...KAREN is going through it now...

having been there I can only share this...it will get better!

TRIKERBABE I am looking forward to seeing the new ride!

WILMA....I always know you will come around...after 7 years here for me some things are solid...and you are one of them!

SCOOTER hope the patio time was fun!

BARGOO....MAMADUCK....KATHY....all others...hugs

Hi Everyone!

Life has been really crazy over the last few weeks with all the traveling. I have really missed you all!

We really enjoyed our trip to Florida for vacation. Got to see all our family and friends. It was great. As soon as we got back my dd and I turned around and left for Tulsa, OK for the softball tournament. Her team played good, but they lost. To make things even crazier the third game they played my daughter was sliding in to 2nd base and her foot got caught up in the dirt and she broke her hip and tore all the muscles in her hip away from the bone. She has been really sore and it's difficult for her to get around, but praise God she didn't have to have any surgery or anything just take it easy and it will heal on it's own. That's what the ER doctor said. We will see an orthopedic dr. here locally on Thursday just to be sure.

Being out of town so much has really gotten me off plan. I'm really looking forward to getting back into my routine.

I will go back and read and catch up later, for now I just wanted to stop in and say "hi." Hope everyone is doing well!

~Tammy~

Rosebud - :cp: Hooray for you! FANTASTIC! Keep it up as much as you can, walking is my FAVORITE form of exercise :)

Tam - glad to have you back, and sorry to hear about your daughter. I will keep her in my prayers.

A good day here - the weather is glorious, work was productive, and I'm off to visit another church in town regarding doing some training for them. They want some help with their media presentations.

After that, DH and I plan to do some wine tasting at a local shop, and then a walk in the park. Maybe finish up with a fire on the patio.

Hope you all have a great evening!
Prayers continuing!

Laurie

New to this thread - but I know some of you already!

Ronni - I'm sorry for your loss, I know how hard it is as I lost my husband 8 months ago. God is certainly our port in any storm!

I just want to say that I love posting on this site! For once, when I post something it actually gets read and even responded to - I don't know what to think! :dizzy: None of my husbands family is around here so they asked that I get on Facebook where all of them keep in touch everyday. I did and guess what - no one responded to anything I wrote or sent - same with phone calls and emails. Oh well, I will continue to try to keep in touch and if they chose not to then it's their loss.

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! :grouphug:


http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar070/bee01/lb/302/200/287/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/)

Ronnie praying for you and your family through this tough time.

Tammy! Oh my! Your poor daughter am praying for her ,hope she is in not to much pain.

Yep, Chubs this is a pretty neat group!

Laurie, just keep in mind that the one little cookie will not affect you in any way! Donating blood is sooooo good for you! I use to work with Red Cross as a supervisor with the blood mobiles. Not only did you help someone (possibly several depending on how your blood is used) but you helped yourself as well. Donating blood is great for your health, your saving lives and you get free blood tests! More people should donate!

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar070/bee01/lb/302/200/287/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/)

Thanks Chubbs - I agree - giving blood is a wonderful way to give to others :)

Hi to all - time for bed! Hope you all had a blessed day!

Laurie

Tammy-ouch, ouch, ouch! Praying for your daughter!

Laurie-after many years of being unable to donate blood, I was able to give a few weeks ago. To keep from feeling guilty over eating cookies afterward, I took along my own Kashi cereal bars to have my normal healthy snack. In fact, they had some other granola-type bars there, but they had hfcs in them, so the ladies looked over my wrapper to see what they could bring for the next blood drive:lol:

Rosebud-you're doing so good with your plan and walking!

Chubbs-:hug: sorry for your loss, but welcome to this site! I've noticed that about Facebook, also. People read, but don't reply very often. And, of course, there are those who just post about themselves all the time (you know, 10 times a day), but never ask or comment about anyone else. Just another sign of how self-centered society has become.

Hi to everyone else too! And, thanks again for all the prayers-we really need them at this time. DH's sister is being difficult and whining continually about all her "executor" duties and how much it's costing her (which can't really be much, as she never has to leave town and fil really had nothing to hand down), then scheduled the memorial at a time when DH's other sister had told her she could not come-just can't believe what she's doing:(. She's going to end up hurt in the long run, as no one in the family will want to be close to her anymore after all this. Memorial is Saturday, so hopefully life will get some normalcy after that.

God bless you all and have a really nice day! You're in my prayers every day!

Ronni :cp: on bringing your own snacks to the blood bank! Way to go!!! Prayers continuing for your family!

Hi all, a quick fly by. I worked an 11 hour day, then went straight to a church meeting, and just now got home. Thankfully, I had a protein bar in my purse :D

And, I walked, so I did get in about 4 miles today - but no other exercise.

I'm SO looking forward to the weekend vacation!

Why is it that when someone dies some people want to make it "all about them?"...

Prayers for you Ronni that you find a way to make it a memorable moment for your family, especially your dh, as you find closure.

HI EVERYONE ~ well, the skies were gray and overcast when we woke up this AM, but DH wanted to go to the lot anyways, at least to put up the new rails on the ramp, if nothing else. GOD was gracious and held the showers all day long, so we got the rails up on the ramp by 1 PM (and I actually was able to help DH with this).

He also got a row of crossbraces done in the afternoon. He started to get tired by 4, so we packed it in and came home. It seems that after 3-4 hours, he starts getting too tired and starts making mistakes. That's how I know when it is time to come home. I encourage him to take lots of breaks and of course, we always stop halfway thru and have our picnic lunch too.

TAMMY ~ am sending prayers up for your daughter; a hip fracture is something to be concerned about, even if she is young. If possible, a second opinion may be a wise decision becuz these old injuries have a way of coming back to haunt you years down the road.

LAURIE ~ you work very hard -- you deserve this holiday coming up; hope you and your DH have a great time too.

:welcome: CHUBBS ~ glad you joined us over here; these are a nice group of caring people.

:hug: Thanks, RONNI ~ prayers for you, and your DH, and his family for this Saturday ...


Yesterday, we went to the HS and looked at a large track there. It looks pretty big to me; it could be 400 yards or more, but I'm only guessing. We want to see if I can walk around it at least one time; but I'm pretty sure that I will have to stop and rest a lot. It's a goal to work towards anyways. DH helps support me though to make sure that I get around without falling; I wouldn't even try it without having his arm to lean on.

Tomorrow will be a rest day for both of us; I did get a small amount of walking in (so kudos to me), but my legs were very tired from the last two days, so I didn't dare overdo it anymore than I already had. I am pleased with what we did get accomplished this week already.

For dinner, I just had some leftovers and DH made himself some new jumbo dogs we bought this week; he liked them but they are much higher in fat and cholesterol (I won't be eating any), so that will be the last time that I will be buying them too. Our other superdogs are healthier for us, and we both like them too ... so much for trying another kind. :nono: Gotta read those labels!

Well, that's all the news for today; HI TO ALL OUR OTHER CE FRIENDS HERE and our MIA's too! Take good care folks ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^Prayers^ continue for you and yours ...

Hey ya'll! well, even though I haven't been around, I HAVE been on plan and working to loose it! yay! I'm so proud of my self. I have consistently lost for about 6 weeks now and it feels so good! I just wanted to come by and ask for prayer, I have started a First Place 4 Health class at our church and we are 6 weeks into it and a lot of the members have fallen to the side and I haven't seen them in a few weeks. And some of these ladies are older women who are sick with diabetes and other conditions and NEED to loose the weight. I want to say however that I am sooooooooo proud of one of the members, she is 15 and has lost 6.6 pounds! She also has been consistently loosing! Remember her as she starts back to school today in making good decisions. Well, I must be going. Thanks for the prayers!

Rosebud :cp: You are making such wise choices! Those choices DO add up and I just love seeing all those dragonflies in your signature!

Lauren - prayers ascending! Four-six weeks is a common drop-out time for folk from weight loss plans and programs. We see it here at 3FC a lot.
It is hard to lead a group and see folk that need the group, fall away. But, weight loss is a very, very individual thing. And, you can't worry about those that just aren't ready for the program/change right now. I WILL keep them in my prayers.

A strange day here. I woke up at 1 a.m. not feeling well, and then I couldn't get back to sleep. So, I worked from home today (took a sick day, but I can't afford to get behind) and did get in a couple hours of sleep.

I'm feeling better, and hopefully we will still have a fun weekend. We are going to try to get in the Jazz concert in the park tonight, since it is absolutely beautiful here today - 70 and sunny :)

Prayers continuing for all!

Blessings!

Laurie

:wave: HI EVERYONE ~ the day started out very dark and cloudy; but the :rain: didn't come til later, and when it did, it really did (around noon). It was like that on and off until late afternoon, and it cleared up nicely and we had glorious :sunny: up until now ... yeah!

DH went fishing today, but didn't catch anything. He also went to look at a truck, but it wasn't in very good shape, then he visited some friends on the way home. I just stayed home and did things around the house here. Also did some catch-up on emails, reading, and my extra devotions this afternoon; I was way, way behind. That pretty well took all afternoon. :D

THANKS LAURIE ~ gee, sorry to hear that you were under the weather last night; sending up prayers about that. You are working pretty hard, I hope you make sure to get enuff to eat with all that exercise and busyness: you need your batteries recharged too.

LAUREN ~ A I think that is great that you are doing this program for the people in your church; we'll pray about that for you. Maybe you could combine it with healthy cooking, or a fun exercise activity, like a walking club for good health, to create some more interest for more people too. Or maybe Christian yoga or tai chi or pilates, if anyone is interested in that kind of thing along with your FIRST PLACE PLAN for good health ... just some ideas for consideration. Nice of you to drop by too! :hug:

I had a toasted tomato sandwich on Bran W/G bread for lunch, cheese for some protein, and a pear. We had some very lean sausages (the long skinny ones) from a local butcher here with veggies, baby cukes, and new tators for dinner; yummy, quick, and filling. So stayed OP today; credit moi.

I also did my toning exercises this AM, and my stretchie band work today too; kudos to me. Just did walking around here today to give my back and legs a bit of a rest; my back was bothering me a bit when I got up this AM, so that's a sign to take it ez for a while ...

Well, we are just having a relaxing evening at home tonight; hope everyone has a FABULOUS FRIDAY tomorrow! Take good care, and GOD BLESS ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ continue for all ...

Hi to everyone! Hope that everyone's day went well! Makalia, my daughter, is feeling better - thank goodness. To be honest she is doing much better on watching what she eats than I - over the past month and a half she has gone from 154.6 to 138.2 - and she's only 11! I'm sooooooo proud of her. :carrot:

Rosebud :cp: You go girl, you are having a GREAT on plan week! I'm betting your ticker will be changing again soon!

chubbs - great news regarding your DD. AWESOME!

I'm off for our weekend trip shortly. I will catch up with everyone Sunday or Monday.
Hope you have a fun weekend all!
Prayers continuing!
Laurie :scooter:

HI FOLKS ~ had a busy and tiring day today at the lot. Got some walking in; and did a bit of cleaning at my Dad's place for them before they come up again next month. Good way to pass time and burn energy (kudos to me).

We got an early start, so came home early and poor DH is zonked (sleeping since dinner). He did well; kept going until he ran out of wood, so we'll stock up again for next week. We will be taking the weekend off to rest up well.

:wave: HI CHUBBS ~ glad your daughter is feeling better!

THANKS, LAURIE ~ have a great weekend mini-vacation!!!

Hope you all do the same; have a great weekend, everyone!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ ascending for you and yours ...

Hi All!

It has been such a long time since I've been here. Life has been very hectic, but I plan on getting back to posting.

Football practice has started and on the 24th school will start. This summer has gone so fast. I can't believer school is going to start. DH1 graduates this year. Last month we went and looked at a college he is interested in. It made me feel sad, but excited too. I want the best for all 3 of my boys.

I will write more tomorrow. Have a good night of rest to all of you and a blessed Sunday.

Kathy

HI KATHY ~ nice to see you drop by for a visit; hope DS1 gets into the college of his choice. Yah, summer whizzes by and before you know it, it's school time again. That must mean that you had some fun this summer too. This seems to be a busy time of year for many people.

:wave: HI TO ALL OUR CE'ers out there; and all our MIA's too, you know that we always miss you when you're gone. ;)

Take good care and hope you all have a very BLESSED Sunday tomorrow!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ are continuing for you and yours ...

I been working on my husbands tractor shop trying to get it cleaned up for 4 days, still don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. But I seen some baby rats and lots of signs of them! I have so much to do! Tomorrow after church need to feed and then let each dog run around the ranch some. Plus give two a haircut. Cut up some onions and freeze, clean house ,ugh! Cut dried up weeds and till and plant some potatoes , ewe.... think I better start thinking about going to bed .
My husband got me a sling shot and when the kids come up and get bored I take em outside and let them shoot rocks at tin cans , they seemed to enjoy it and even sold a few sling shots , in fact sold out!

I've been off my diet for the past 2 weeks and boy is it even harder to get back on! I've been doing good for the past few days and I've dropped a couple of lbs. :carrot: I just hope that I can stick to it!

http://www.3fatchicks.net/img/bar070/bee01/lb/302.8/200/284.6/.png (http://www.3fatchicks.com/)

:congrat: to you CHUBBS for releasing those 2 lbs forever ~ and credit you, for getting back in the ring, so-to-speak ... forget about the past and just focus on today!

HI BOOTSIE ~ sounds like you have lots of work lined up for yourself; just keep in mind all the energy that you are using up while doing them and suddenly, they take on a different light. That works for me; I keep telling myself, I'm getting healthier for doing all this! What about making up a list and ticking them off one by one, and maybe it won't seem so daunting. That sounds like a wonderful idea buying sling-shots for the kiddies to knock down cans. Keeps the kid entertained while learning a new skill; and great idea to sell some too, thereby earning a bit of pin money at the same time!

PS ~ got some walking in again today (so kudos 2 me). DH and I went window shopping (store browsing) this afternoon, and I picked up a new leash for NIKO (one of those retractable ones) for our walks together; and I picked up a new 3-quart crock pot to make those meals that cook while you do something else fun like come in here. This one is the perfect size for us and we got a great deal too; I love deals!!!


:wave: HI TO ALL OUR OTHER CE FRIENDS OUT THERE, and all our MIA's too ... hope you have a super restful day! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

Hi ALL ~

Computer issues and busy-busy

I will catch up

Prayers for all

Hi all, looks like everyone had a busy weekend!

We are back and now comes the fun of unpacking, laundry and "catch-up".

The weekend was great, we got in about 20 miles of walking/hiking in all. About 5 miles of hiking in the pouring rain. Thankfully, we had our rain gear with us.

I did a little shopping in Birch Run, but I didn't find near the sales I did last year at this time, which surprised me. Thankfully, I've built most of a wardrobe in this size, so I just needed a few tops and some work pants, which I did find (75% off) :)

Prayers ascending for all!
Blessings!

Laurie

Please pray for me. I'm home alone tonight and I'm not having a good night. It's been 7 1/2 months since my husband passed away and I'm feeling pretty lonely. I realized it won't be long and my daughter will be old enough to be going and doing, leaving me at home by myself alot. God has been GREAT to me and been there for me but I'm having a hard time trying to learn to live again - this is so much harder than trying to lose weight.:cry:

Oh Chubbs , I am praying for you and your daughter every day. Let's do a special exercise across the internet, raise your arms to heaven place your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder ,now squeeze, !!! That is a hug from two of your friends God and me. You have a great day Chubbs and I will be praying for you in Texas!

I forgot to put in I walked two miles by myself this morning. I feel so much better when I get my walk in but i did not want to go . My husband came in here and said you better hit the road before it gets to hot! So I got it together and walked.:running:

Hello! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty chill. And HOT it was 101 here with 100% humidity. Yuck. So we stayed inside for the most part cause being outside was just miserable. Exciting news for me I got offered full time at the Credit Union which i could not pass up so i took it. The drive is going to be a little farther than it is now since i will have to transfer brances but i think it will be totally worth it. Probably wont quit job #2 until i pay off the rest of my bills but im pretty excited to be able to have health benefits again. My boyfriend works for the city and they have been talking about big layoffs starting in november. He would be one of the firsts to go since he has only been there 4 years and some of the guys have 30+ years in. But he has an interview in another department which is not facing any layoffs so were keeping out fingers crossed that he gets it.

I bought a treadmill off of craigslist yesterday so im hoping this will give me some motivation to get back working out regularly. Only paid 80 bucks for it and its like a $1,000 treadmill. It came from some gym that closed so its pretty heavy duty too. Well i suppose i shall get back to work. Happy Monday!

Chubbs - I'm sorry for your loss and will pray that you feel God's presence and comfort.

Today the boss was back after being on vacation last week. What a difference in the office when both he and his brother are there. The stress level is through the roof. You can almost reach out and touch. I like the work I do at my job, but the stress is almost more than I can stand. I've applied for 3 different jobs, but haven't heard from any of them. I'm just praying God will give me what is best and what He wants for me.

My DH and I made a big decision this past week and that was to resign as foster parents. We will have our 3 boy that we have guardianship of, but the foster child we have will be moved on Friday. This was a hard decision and one we have prayed about for a long time. Our purpose for getting in to foster care was to adopt and have a family. The Lord blessed us with 3 great kids and we feel it is time to be that family and take care of the 3 boys we have. We are excited about our decision and know we are in God's will.

I trust you all had a good day.

Kathy

:wave: HI EVERYONE ~ We had :rain: on and off all day, but just before dinner, it cleared up and we have had nice :sunny: skies ever since. Lots of folks out walking off their dinners with this nice weather this evening. We had a meatless dinner tonight; had a
Mushroom & Zucchini Casserole that was in the freezer -- just popped it in the oven and came in here to read while it baked.

:hug:CHUBBS ~ sending up prayers for you that the LORD will wrap his lovin' arms around you each and every night. Your daughter will be with you for at least another 7 or more years yet, and who knows what can happen in that amount of time. You are still in the first year of grieving which is difficult. Do you have a church you go to where you can meet some friends and maybe call them when you are feeling down? Or meet and go out for a coffee or a walk with someone? Do you have any family nearby that you can call? What about a pet buddy? A feline furry friend or a canine cutie? I think I will always have a furry buddy. When DH was working before and I was alone; my furry babies helped me so much, and even now, our NIKO started out as DH's buddy, but he is also my Guardian Angel, and he stays home with me whenever DH is out and about. That is one thing that is great about this place too -- you can come in here and talk to people at any time really. :hug:

KATHY ~ I know that this has been a difficult decision for you and your DH; will send up some prayers for that little guy that GOD will find him a family of his own too. You know there are many couples out there that would love to have a child -- they just need to get matched up, and encouraged that they can have a family through foster care too. A friend of mine just adopted a boy that was a foster child in their home since he was about 3 y/o; and one of my sisters does foster care too. Taking on three children at once was quite good of you; may GOD bless you and your family!

LAURIE ~ I was wondering if you would mind sharing your homemade PROTEIN BAR RECIPE with all of us here; I would love to try them. I used to make my own granola and bran bars, and want to get back to that as well, but I would like to try and make them with more protein them. I also picked up some wheat germ to add as well; I put peanut butter and some nuts in mine for protein.

HI COURTNEY ~ so happy for you that you were offered a full-time position with your company (CU); will send up some prayers for your DB for favors and blessings for a more secure job with the city too.

HI BOOTSIE ~ that was so cute about the hugs from GOD and you for CHUBBS. Your DH was right to suggest walking in the AM; that is exactly when I do mine for two reasons -- my legs are stronger in the morning, and then it is done before I get too tired. Also, it gets much hotter in the afternoons here, just like where you live, so the mornings just make much more sense really.

HI GARY ~ hope your PC issues get straightened out real soon; and that you get some down time too.

We had good fortune today -- as DH went out for a bike run and came home with a nice trailer for a very good price. He has just a few modifications to do on it (some rails) and getting the plates, and it will be good for the road. So ... we say thanks to GOD above for bountiful blessings!

Well, I did get some laundry and some hand mending done today too; plus a bit of house cleaning as well, but I really didn't overdo it. By the time I had a shower and did the other stuff, the morning was gone; then DH came home for lunch and to tell me about the trailer, so I sent him right back to buy it.

If the weather is good, DH wants to go to our lot, and get those last crossbraces done on the floor; he picked up the wood for them this AM as well; so we are good to go. Take good care everyone, and we hope that you all have A TERRIFIC TUESDAY TOMORROW!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ are ascending for you and yours ...

Hi all! Happy Monday!

Chubbs :hug: You are in my prayers!

Courtney - the treadmill sounds GREAT! Prayers continuing for the job situation!

Kathy - prayers continuing for you as you move forward with your decision. You prayed about it, and I know it was the right decision for your family.

Rosebud - thanks for asking. My protein bar recipe is below:
Protein Bars
15 servings

1 1/2 c. quick oats
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c. milk powder
1/2 c. plain yogurt
2 eggs
1/4 c soy flour (can use more WW if soy not available)
1/3 c. Splenda granules (zero calorie kind)
1 t. agave syrup or honey or Splenda syrup (any flavor you wish)
1/4 c craisins or raisins or other dried fruit
1/4 c walnuts or other nuts
2 Tbs. ground flax seed
1/2 c. wheat bran


Preheat oven to 350º F. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and press into a greased 9x9 inch pan. If the mixture is too dry, you may add water as needed. The mixture should be thoroughly moistened and able to be pressed into the pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cut into bars while still warm. Remove from pan. Freeze or refrigerate as desired.
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/358/barsm.jpg (http://img44.imageshack.us/i/barsm.jpg/)

I finally downloaded my pictures from the weekend. While we had a lot of wet hiking this weekend, Saturday afternoon was awesome. Here is one of the pictures from the trail :)
http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2646/fawn.jpg (http://img41.imageshack.us/i/fawn.jpg/)

Oh Laurie that fawn is so beautiful! Just look at it's eyes!

I worked on the stores newsletter mostly all today and call me a tab bit crazy , which I most likely am but planted some Fall potatoes this afternoon before I got the goats in ,fed them and fed the dogs, gathered the eggs and had to fight off the rooster! His spurs are 3 inches long and real sharp at the end looking! Then fixed something for my David to eat. Sure am worried about him.

Hi Everyone! Today was another hot day and humid day. It seems like summer has finally come to PA.

Tomorrow our foster child will find out that he is leaving. He will be going to a family that he knows. My only concern with that family is that they have a son who gets in a lot of trouble and when Ryan was there on a respite he and their son got in trouble and the police showed up at the house because of what they did. I know I can't worry about it, but I do want the best for him.

Yes, this was a hard decision, but our 3 boys came to us through foster care and they have been through a lot themselves. Ryan at times has been mean to them and we feel it is time to close that chapter of our lives and give our boys the home and family need.

Chubbs - We are continuing to keep you in our prayers.

Laurie - Thanks for the words of encouragement. We know we made the right decision and the Lord will bless us for minding him.

Tonight I made stuffed shells for my boys and DH to have for lunch tomorrow. I've been struggling with my eating. I think it's because I am stressed out with the changes this week. Once this is all settled I'll be able to feel more relaxed.

Have a good night and a happy Wednesday tomorrow.

Kathy

Bootsie - what a busy day! Prayers continuing for your family!

Kathy :hug: transitions are hard, but you need to let go and let God...

Keep some quick, healthy snacks around for those stressful times. I find that when I stress eat, it is much better if I can grab healthy things. The alternative isn't pretty :yes:

Speaking of which - it is crunch time for me. The next month will be the busiest at work - probably of my entire career. But, I am determined to keep a balance in my life - keep my priorities where they need to be, and as I said to Kathy - let God do what God does. Which means I need to remember that I am not in control and I do not want to be in control. As much as I try to be in control - it never works out for the best. God is infinitely wiser than I am!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Blessings!
Laurie :scooter:

:hug: KATHY ~ am sending up prayers for you and your DH during this time -- you have made the right decision for you and your family, and Ryan. I am sure that you have been a great blessing to Ryan; and GOD will bless you for all of the good that you have done for him, and the other boys too! Laurie has good ideas there ... how about some of those Protein bars for a snack. I am definitely going to try some. :hug:

LAURIE ~ that recipe sounds great; and that is an awesome pic of a beautiful deer ... thanks for sharing both of them with us all here.

HI BOOTSIE ~ you have been a busy bunny again today. I have heard of people planting winter crops, esp when you live in the far south like you do, as your season is much longer than in the northern areas. Is David your son or your DH? Will gladly send up some prayers for him for you ...

Well, our morning was nice and cool with lots of :sunny:, so we packed up a quick picnic lunch (made mini-subs with whole wheat hot dog buns and they were yummy), and headed out to our lot. I bought a new retractable leash for NIKO and decided to try it out bright and early; but I decided to go in a different direction this time for a change of scenery. I have to say that I did pretty good; still had to stop about six times, but I made it back without collapsing on the ground. Didn't have to send out for a rescue unit or anything like that! So ... Kudos 2 me! :)

DH did fantasically; really got into a groove today and finished off all the crossbraces. He said he was determined to get those done today, and pushed himself a bit longer, even though it was getting really hot out there (about 90F and probably higher with the humidity factor, but it didn't feel too bad; just really HOT!!!).

It's supposed to be really hot for the remainder of the week; so we will likely be staying home or near some place that has air conditioning. We are wiped out tonight so it's time to go have my tea and put my tired legs up for a rest. Take good care folks, and hope you all have A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY TOMORROW!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:wave: HI to all our MIA's out there -- ^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

Hi Gals ~

I promise to catch up soon...I am reading daily and praying for all concerns.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. It gave me the strength I needed for this time. Ryan now knows that he is moving and seems to have accepted it. He knows that he is still welcome to come and spend time with our boys. We are excited about this change in our lives and know that we have made the right decision.

I'm going to get myself back on track food wise. I haven't eaten a lot of food, just not the right foods.

I'm tired and need to get to bed. Have a good Thursday.

Kathy

Hi all - a quick flyby tonight. Today is DH's b-day. We went to a favorite restaurant for dessert and beverages (free raspberry cheesecake which we split) and then had a fire on the patio.

I did get in 4 miles of walking today, but work has been so crazy that I haven't done much else, exercisewise.

Hope you are having a great week!

Prayers continuing for all!

Laurie :scooter:

:wave: HI EVERYONE ~ Well, it was very hot and humid here today; just yucky weather all round, so I stayed home today and worked on some things here. DH went blueberry picking with his sister; and brought home a half a basket or 10 cups went I put them up in containers for the freezer. Nice to have those on cereal or in muffins: which DH really loves.

Our NIKO is seeing himself as a reflection in the front door and keeps growling and barking at it and scaring the heck out of me while I am trying to type, so I may have to close it. I was leaving it open to let some cooler air come through here as it is really hot indoors, and cool outside. WE sat outside for an hour or so this evening to cool off.

We had a late dinner tonight becuz of the heat and tried something new that I picked up recently: chicken burgers and we loved them. We bought the Maple Lodge Chicken burgers and they are big; they don't shrink like beef burgers do, and there wasn't one bit of fat left in the skillet when we were done cooking them. So, we are converts; but we will have our beloved beef burgers now & then becuz we still love them too. We were surprised how good these are and I can see all kinds of possibilities for them; grill one up and have it with salad for lunch, for instance. They are half the calories, and very, very filling.

DH wants to go get a few more berries tomorrow AM; and take a small cooler with ice and water and lite snacks. One more basket would probably last us for quite a while, I suspect. We may go really early in the AM, just to get out; hmmm ... maybe even go swimming if we find a spot.

Well, it's time for tea. Hope that you all have A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE THURSDAY TOMORROW!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

Hi Rosebud and all. David is my husband who I just love and adore but he is way well built and I just wish I could talk him into losing weight and getting healthy with me. I got some advice from a good friend today and plan to take it. I plan on not saying a thing to him because I don't want to hurt his feelings , that would just break my heart. But to work on myself and pray for him, and then he may see how good I am doing and he will want to become healthy.That motivates me to work even harder for him! I sure hope it works!:exercise:

Good morning!

After a couple of really hot days I have woken up to rain. It's not supposed to last too long. We have had a very cool summer so the heat was nice for a bit!

I've had a good week so far. I've had a bit of exercise. DH has been building a fence in the backyard and I've been helping him by staining it. Lots of work! It's going to look so nice once its all finished.

I've also been doing well in my eating - lots of in season fruits and veggies.

Kathy: That's a big decision that you have made. It must have been hard for you. But, your family is ultimately the most important thing and you won't regret it.

Rosebud: I have been putting away a lot of berries in the past few days. The blueberries are really nice right now. My neighbour gave me some raspberries - too many to eat right away so I froze some for winter. Also got lost of rhubarb and froze that too.

Sounds like you're keeping yourself busy!

Chubbs: My prayers go out for you. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now. HUGS!

It's time to get ready for work again. Everyone have a good day!

Hi: I just recently joined this site and found your Christian Encouragers...Sounds just right for me. I am trying to lose weight....I have been on prednisone for over a year (yikes) and am now trying to lower the dosage. I have taken it for a condition that I have (temporal arteritis). I have most of the bad side effects of prednisone, and hopefully, I will be able to get off this drug.

I want to encourage others that faith will never fail you. We lost our daughter 15 years ago, and word cannot describe the agony we went through. I did not think I could go on. God has given me such strength and shown me such remarkable things. I know I can trust Him. So many life lessons and so little time. LOL I hope to be an encouragement to others as so many have also ministered to me. We are not alone, praise God. I look forward to reading posts from fellow Christians. :^:

hopeandfaith, Welcome! You will find this a great place for encouragement.There is also a thread called Prayer Warriors for those of us needing prayer for ourselves or others.

Hi all, I had a long post typed, and my computer overheated - kinda reflects my day. Crazy busy and HOT!

Prayers continuing for all!

Blessings!

Laurie

:wave: It's crazy HOT here today; over 104F and stifling! We did get some more blueberries this AM; another 4 liters, so now I am wiped out. Gotta go put my legs up and rest them again; I'm too old for doing these things! ;)

Will sure be using that air conditioner tonight! Hope you all have A FABULOUS FRIDAY tomorrow!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:


^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

HI GALS ~

I will catch up this week-end I promise.

I have been real busy at work with OT. The computer is fixed after the melt-down last week-end. Angie saved us $$$ :carrot:

She is off at her second class of knitting tonight. She has been busy with yoga at churcha nd is also now teaching it as a sub at the hospital. She will head back to school soon so she will really be busy!

We saw our daughter in law on TV the other night :carrot: It was a commercial for Direct TV with Peyton Manning. About 1/2 through he says something about high def and the cheerleaders pass by...my dil is the second one...I think...we didn't tape it, didn't know it was on but we rewound it...anyway there is a real good face shot of her (pretty brunette) and another "cheering" but you don't see her face.

I have been reading the posts and all are in my prayers!

Be back soon!

Rosebud you must have a lot of Blueberries! So glad your computer is better Gary , they get sick too. I bought a program called System Mechanic that helped mine get to feeling better. Wilma wish i could watch it rain like that here. It rained all around us again yesterday and today, I raced outside and got wild and planted some bush beans ,hearing the thunder and seeing the clouds and poof it parted and went to the west it went to the east , it went to the south, what is with this! I can watch it rain but I would love to watch it hit the dirt here on our land and at Mr. Lathams ranch!

:welcome3:Hopeandfaith! Love your name, I think you will like it here. I would name them all off but afraid I would miss one not meaning too , they are all just wonderful! Hopeandfaith you are already an encouragement to me. Faith will never fail me, thanks I really needed to hear those words.

I especially love the new weight loss Bible Study that Kelli is doing . i was wondering today why there was not one on here and poof there it is! It is even great to do even if you don't have weight issue, brings me so much closer to Jesus, but I do have a weight issue!;)

Hi, everyone! Such a busy week, but seem to be accomplishing nothing.:dizzy: Trying to get ready as school at the public school starts Monday and have to get some of the paperwork in. Not going to start the homeschooling stuff until after Labor Day, because that's just how we have always done it, but football's in full swing and there's just a lot to do.

I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer for and I'm hoping you all can help. After DH's dad died on the 1st, we started receiving cards, some having checks made out to us. DH's sister also received cards and some were left at the funeral. The cards sent directly to us had specified to use the money for whatever charity FIL would have preferred, but DH's sister is insisting that all money be turned over to her as executor so she can pay for funeral expenses (she had told us there was enough money in FIL's account to pay for it, but then she kept adding to the funeral and took money out of the account to pay for it, as well as for a dinner for her family after the funeral). Now, we know that people gave money assuming that we would handle it responsibly and we feel we should go ahead with the plan to donate it to a charity. But, just wonder if anyone knows if we HAVE to turn it over to DH's sister since she's executor? This is not the only issue we've had with her, but we're just trying to get some distance and get back to real life right now. She needs God and maybe a 12-step program, too!

Anyway, it's been hot here-hottest spell this summer-gotta figure the heat would come when football starts-lol! My dad's tests have come back with the possibility that his cancer has spread, so more tests coming next week.

You've all been in my prayers and I've been reading all posts-just didn't have the time or energy to reply-sorry.....Hope you all have a great day!

Ronni wish I could help but I am like you I don't know. How about seeing what expenses need to still be paid and also account of proof the money is going there, she should have receipts since she is the executor right? That is just my opinion though don't really know. Will be praying for you and her.

Ronni, I'm not sure about local laws, but here in MI you do NOT have to give it to her. In fact, my husband is the finance secretary of our church and when we have a funeral, all checks and money given go through him and then the church writes a check to the charity designated. If no charity is designated, it goes into our memorial fund in the name of that person.
Money in the memorial fund is spent on church projects, but we do usually ask family members if they have a preference among several projects.

In other words, that money should NOT go for funeral expenses, if it was designated to go to a charity. Undesignated money given to YOU, can go wherever you wish it to go - no obligation to give it to the executor.

HTH

I'm beat - the week was a long one, and now I need to get started on the presentations for church on Sunday. DH is working all day tomorrow, so at least I can have some quiet time. Well, maybe not - I'm not sure if they are working on the roof tomorrow or not. They started on Tuesday, and are progressing nicely! But, it is a bit noisy.

I am very impressed with the crew. They are extremely polite and helpful. Not my usual experience with construction crews (Gary, I'm sure your guys are great, too ;))

Anyone have any fun planned for the weekend? Mine is all work, I'm afraid. DH pulled the Michigan Waterfalls book out of my car, so maybe I willl spend some time picking a few to visit in October. Virtually all of MI falls are in the UP.

Gotta fly, the dryer is buzzing.
Prayers continuing for all - I will try to get caught up this weekend!

Laurie :scooter:

I posted this on Prayer Warriors but will post it here, too. My pastor and his wife were expecting their first baby and were thrilled but sadly they have lost the baby. They are heartbroken. Please pray for Erik and Lety at this sad time.

Prayers ascending bargoo!

Oh Bargoo, I will be praying from Texas for them.

Hi All. This has been a long week, but thankfully Friday is here. It's amazing how much quieter our house in since our foster child left. He was a little hyper. Our kids seem to be enjoying the quiet as well.

My oldest DS went for his drivers test today and failed. The instructor was so mean and nasty that he got very nervous. Needless to say DS was angry. So much so that he had my DH drive home. Now that he knows what he needs to do the next time should be much easier.

Tomorrow we are off to Lancaster for school clothing shopping. They have a lot of outlets there and my boys like to get more bang for their buck! It will be a nice family day. School starts on the 24th. DS2 and DS3 have started football practice and of course, it has to get very hot. The summer was very mild until now, but that always seems to be the case.

I trust you all have a great weekend. Keep close to Jesus.

Kathy

Kathy - the weather is the same here. Thankfully, MI passed a law that says schools can't start until after Labor Day. Thus, none of the practices have started yet. Though I do see some of the kids running our hill. We live on the tallest hill in town, so it is a great runner's destination. In fact, it was one of my NSVs - when I could walk up the hill without having to stop, and then walking up it without being winded at the top :D

I don't know what outlet stores you have, but both outlet malls we shopped at over the last couple weeks had some good sales. Rue21 had some GREAT sale racks - $5, $7, $10. Old Navy had some decent sales too.

A busy morning here. One of our church members has spent the last 4 years teaching in China. She comes back for a week every summer, and she always does an update on her ministry during one of the services. She wants a lot of maps and pictures and the like in the PowerPoint presentation. Because it is a lot of extra work, I usually schedule myself for that week. So, I am meeting her this morning (nothing like last minute extras) to get her ideas and materials.

Hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Stay cool!


Laurie :scooter:

BARGOO ~ prayers ascending for Erik & Lety over their loss; poor dears! :hug:

KATHY ~ one of my brothers failed his test twice, then got it on the third time. Like you said, he then knew what he needed to practice on more; and by then, he was 3 years older too (more matour, as they like to say ;)). Prayers for your son too ...

I posted this on Prayer Warriors but will post it here, too. My pastor and his wife were expecting their first baby and were thrilled but sadly they have lost the baby. They are heartbroken. Please pray for Erik and Lety at this sad time.

Bargoo, I am praying, I know their heartbreak, before I had my two girls, I had a few miscarriages. When you so desire to have a baby, every month, Mothers day, and Fathers day, is heartbreaking. God has a reason, If I would have had my daughter when I wanted, it would have killed both her and I, because of undiscovered complications with my bone structure, I had to have a C-section! So I thank God so much for those years of heartbreak.

I will be praying for them.

Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday morning. I have missed all of you on this board so much! I have been lurking for awhile, (that just sounds so devious! :o).

Love, Kelli

JustWant2BHealthy - Thanks for the prayers for DH1. He has to wait a month until he can take it again, so in that time we can help him practice the areas he messed up on.

Laurie - How did your service go today? I'm sure the presentation about China was wonderful. I always like to hear missionaries speak. I worked with the Sioux Indians in South Dakota for 8 years. It is challenging work, but very rewarding.

We got our school shopping done yesterday. YEAH. We shopped until I dropped. I think we are now ready for school to start on the 24th. I still can't believe the summer is gone and school is here. I'm praying for a good school year.

I would appreciate your prayers. I have a job interview tomorrow at 5:00 with our Chamber of Commerce. The last couple of years I have been very frustrated with my job. I've applied for 3 jobs and prayed that the Lord will give me the job He wants me to have. This is the only one that I have been called for an interview. The President of the Chamber of Commerce is the one that called me last night for the interview. I am nervous but excited. I'm trusting the Lord to work out His will.

Hello to Gary, Bargoo, Bootsie, Counting Down and anyone else I missed. Have a happy Sunday.

Kathy

Hi Kelli - glad to have you back posting!

Kathy - the service went really well. Everything came together, and people really enjoyed Jo's message. Which was good, since I think our pastor wandered a bit in his - I was scratching my head at the end, and I had the outline under my nose. I heard a few other folk comment as well. But, not every Sunday's message hits home for me.

It is going to be a hot one today - already 81 degrees with 70% humitity - UGH! I'm glad I got most of my chores done yesterday.

After church we went grocery shopping, which yielded some GREAT fruits and vegetables. I love buying local produce this time of year.

Meijer had 25% off their clearance stuff for today - and I picked up some great buys - a short sleeve sweater (black and white), a knit top (black, white, and brown), a belt (copper), a pair of wedge sandals (brown) and two pair of black tights. My treasures came to $17.00 :D The belt and sandals were much needed - my feet dropped a size when I dropped the weight. I got rid of all of my sandals. And, I didn't even own a belt at my high weight. Elastic waist pants and skirts don't require one. And I NEVER tucked anything in :o

I can't believe school is starting and it is time to dig out my "school clothes" again. We dress a bit less formally in the summer, but Monday we start back with "professional" attire.

I'm off to peruse fruit bar/crisp recipes since I went a little wild in the produce department.

Hope you all are having a GREAT Sunday!

Stay cool!

Laurie

Kathy praying for you in Texas. It is so wonderful, such a blessing to have a job you want. Laurie are you a teacher?

Still blazing in Texas so hot. I went on ahead and fried some catfish today and sure was good. I have some homemade bread in the oven rising for supper. Fried the catfish in an electric skillet works really great and not so hot but the bread, yea will get the house even hotter.

Bootsie, I can just smell that homemade bread, YUM! :drool:

Church was great today, my DH was still at his Men's retreat, so I went by myself, missed him, but it was still nice.

Hope everybody has a great rest of the weekend!

Love, Kelli

KATHY ~ prayers going up for you for peace and calm and wisdom, for your interview tomorrow ...

BOOTSIE ~ maybe you could let your bread rise all day and bake it in the evening, or let it rise all night and bake it early in the morning when it is still cool. I know that you may want it warm out of the oven for dinner, but if that isn't the case, both of these options have some merit. It is so hot here today that I wouldn't want to have the oven on as it is aleady over 80+F in here now; and 90F in the shade outside ... really hot for this area. Your bread sounds yummy indeedy ... I'm comin' for dinner! ;)

:wave: HI to EVERYONE ELSE out there ~ hope you are all having A SUPER-BLESSED SUNDAY!!! We are supposed to have some relief from this heat tonight and tomorrow; sure hope that is true!!!

Take good care all ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ...

I got the bread made and I guess I am so used to the heat did not even bother me to much. It is on the table but we decided to save it till tomorrow and invite a friend or too by to have some homemade bread & butter. It is not scratch butter but I will be making some in the coming next year! Thanks Kelli I did get a little done today and rested a little too. Daughter still has not had her baby yet.

HI GALS ~ :)

I am so happy to see all the activity going on here!

Angie is in Las Vegas with her mom and one of her sister. My mil loves to go and always has free rooms.

I too, went solo to church. Since Angie wasn't sitting with me most of the group in my area thought she was up in the choir loft :D We had some folks there that haven't been in awhile, it was good to see them. Several folks told me what a great job Angie is doing with the yoga class she is teaching too....

now...if only she can make that washrag she is working on in the knitting class, she is taking, without dropping a stitch (?) and move up to the bootie she will be a happy camper ;)

My son took me out to dinner last night. My daughter in law's Chargers had an exhibition game she had to cheer at, he didn't really want to see it and his mom didn't get a chance to sit in the cheerleader seats last year so he gave the tickets to her and my daughter. Angie was at a beach party for yoga that I opted out of. I called her later in the evening to see if she wanted to join us but she said she just got home and cleaned the sand off her feet....tea was on the stove and she was set at the computer checking in on her facebook.

My son and I went to the local sports bar, which is really nice, but the food...well...oh-SO-bad :devil: It was also buy one get one free pizza and discounted beer...a disaster in the making for me as most of you know :)

I did make a vegetarian chili today that I will take for lunch all week. Hoping to take down some of those calories from the mexican food on Friday and the pizza last night.

I am still working OT at work, now about an hour a day and we have had the last 2 Saturdays off so it hasn't been that bad....but the days are tough...real tough...a lot of stress! Still...it probably is a lot less stressful than for those out of work and having a hard time paying bills and feeding families :(...prayers for them!

I did get 6 miles in this week-end. Angie and I took the mutts down to Starbucks yesterday and I took them out after church...kind of hated to since they were so clean from their grooming yesterday :) We got a new Dyson, Angie has done all the vacuuming, since we got it a few weeks ago, and I had been working OT while she has been off....I used it Saturday and was amazed....scratch that ;)...disgusted at all the golden retriever hair in the canister in one week! Actually...not amazed at all :D I have emptied quite a few bags!....but seeing it in that clear container makes a person wonder ;)...why we have dogs :)...FYI...I'm keeping mine :carrot:

Gotta go...will come back later with some personals!

Prayers for all ~ Gary

BOOTSIE ~ I am still praying for rain. It is getting very dry here in California too, especially in our central valley. So many jobs lost because of it. We have fires north and we will probably have some down here too. I'm coming over for bread ;) Angie used to make it often...but we got to eating too much of it :) One of my downfalls. Prayers for your daughter.

ROSEBUD ~ I hope you get a break from the heat. It is getting cooler here a little at a time. How are those blueberries doing? The cottage?

KELLI ~ It sure is good to have you back. Your diet Bible study seems really wonderful!

HOPEANDFAITH ~ Welcome! I think you will like the support here :hug:

WILMA ~ Good to see you take a turn at posting ;) Great job on the fruits and vegetables. Is that fence all done? Stay cool :cool:

KATHY ~ I am sending up prayers for the interview! I am also praying that all continues to work out for your family and the foster child....that sure had to be hard for you. My nephew didn't pass his test for awhile either...but I didn't feel sorry for him because he had little effort! I don't miss those school shopping days! Have fun with football practice....stinky kids ;)...I know that "athlete" smell well :D

SCOOTER ~ Glad you scored on the clothes. I am sure you put on a super show at church today. Angie goes back to school next Friday...who starts on a Friday? Hope the weather is cooler.

BARGOO ~ Continued prayers for your Pastor and his wife :hug:

RONNI ~ I hope things are calming down. As everyone has said that money needs to go to where the givers wanted it to. Good luck to the football practices for your family too!

COURTNEY ~ TAMMY ~ KAREN ~ AND ALL THE OTHER MIA'S...:hug:

Well, I thought I would take a few minutes here and let you know that I am doing fine. Our son left here this past Tuesday to go to Florida. They are really going on a wing and a prayer! No house, no job and very little money! But they want to live there they think. They did go to Miami at first but found that they really couldn't afford much there. So they went back up to the Ft. Lauderdale area. Now they are looking for a house or apartment to rent. My son wants to go to the Le' Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy. So when you think about it-- kind of say some extra prayers that things work our for them there please. Now I'm watching the weather and seeing all the Hurricanes heading there way----pretty scary to me!

I am finally getting the basement (Woman Cave) set up for my exercise room. Did lots of cleaning and arranging down there yesterday. I want to see if I can find a small TV to use with my exercise videos down there and then I just need the kick in the pants to get started!!!

We went to a new church yesterday here. The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Carthage, MO. It was very nice and I think it will become our new church home. They are in the middle of expanding the building but people did seem to be very friendly. We may check out a couple others but this church was very much like the one I grew up in. It is also Missouri Synod. There is another Lutheran church closer but it isn't Missouri Synod.

I am sending prayers up for all and am hoping the fires don't get to close to you Gary. Take care everyone and I will try to get back more often now.

Hello 3FC family!!!
I know I have been MIA for a few days. I just returned to the office after a few days of training with my organization and its pretty much back to work routine. I was well and ready to come back to work. I am excited about the return of my students.
I hope and pray everyone has been doing great. I have been out of the loop so please fill me in!

Glad to be back and into the swing of things. I've been able to maintain my weight loss but not lose anymore. I think it maybe due to family issues I have been having to deal with. I will be needing lots of encouragement and support and i know I will find it here as always.

Take care and God Bless

~Suga

Hello Everyone

Just a quick check in today. Glad to see that mostly everyone is doing just fine. Prayers goin up to those of you that need a little lifting up.

Work is CRAZY today! Our online banking is down and it just has people in a frenzy. This weekend was nice. Slightly relaxing. Well as relaxing as it can be working. DB hasnt heard anything about the new position but we are still keeping our fingers crossed.

Wel sorry i have to cut it so short but things are crazy today and i wont be able to get much more in. HAPPY MONDAY!

HI COURTNEY ~ nice to have you drop by and hope your bank gets back online; that seems to happen everywhere now and again. I guess people get peeved if they need money right away and there is a problem. Our banks here still do things on paper as a backup when the computers are down ... you know, the old-fashioned way -- with a pen and paper; it's a bit slower, but it never breaks down!!! :lol:

Prayers that GOD will guide your DB so that he will know whether to stay where he is, or go to a new position: maybe putting a fleece up about that would be helpful -- ie I get a new position: I go; or I don't get one: I stay where I am???


HI SUGA ~ the only way to know what has been going on around here (other than reading ALL the posts) is to look at the personals, esp one like GARY's which sums up everyone for about a week -- so handy really! Many of us have 'FAMILY ISSUES' so prayers going up for them -- we can all pray for each other's families.

May GOD rain down His pure love and His perfect peace and His healing grace, into the hearts and homes of all of our family members -- so that they can respect each other, and love each other, with the fullness of joy, that is available to all of us; in Jesus name we ask and THANK YOU ... Amen and Amen.


HI KAREN ~ glad to see you drop by; prayers ascending for your son and his desire to become a "CORDON BLEU CHEF"; and that his family can find a place to live, and be safe from storms (have prayed that those storms will turn out to sea too). Sounds like you have many good churches that you can choose from there; you are very blessed to have so many good choices ... .:hug:

HI GARY ~ the blueberries were late this year, but we got more than enuff for us and there were lots left. We didn't see many people picking this year; guess the temps were keeping people at home, but today is much nicer, thanks ... nice cool breeze, but so strong it broke one of my pipes on my church chimes; but DH says he will fix it for me later ... :D DH finished the crossbraces on the floor; he has to add one to each corner, as we want them to be stronger, but that won't take long; then it's on to the next step of this phase, which is the flooring.

We went shopping this AM for a few essentials and picked up a new toaster (as ours broke) and a really good stainless steel thermos to take coffee or tea on our picnics. I received my books that I had ordered and they sound realy good -- "Living with Thorns" and "Hurt People, Hurt People". Not only will they help me, but then I may be able to help others who are going through the same things too.

HI to all our other CEer's out there; hope you all are having a great week! Take good care ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ are ascending for you and yours ...

Gary - I have a Dyson too - and I concur - the amount of dog hair is enough to knit a sweater - EVERY WEEK! :lol:

Karen - prayers ascending! Glad you found a church :D

Rosebud - glad it is cooling down for you!

Hi to everyone else!

A typical Monday here - I just got home from work. I need to get some exercise in, but it is really warm. So I thought I would post first and then get to it.

Blessings to all!

Laurie

It's been so rainy here. It's the wettest and coolest summer we've had. And yet other areas of the country are in a drought with forest fires, etc. Crazy!

I had a really good weekend. Got lots done in the house and even had time to have friends in last evening. work is going well for me. There's so much to learn and sometimes I wonder if I'm too old to learn new things. Then all of the sudden something clicks. I just need a lot more clicking!!:o:D

Our backyard is almost finished. DH has been trying to get things done in between rains. I think staining the fence and deck will have to wait for a while.

Glad to hear you all are doing well. I am praying for the concerns and requests that I've read here. It's so nice to have you all to lean on when it gets tough out there.

Have a good night!

Hi all, it's been a great Monday, I was stuck at 161 for ages and now I have lost 3 pound in two days! :carrot:

Gary, thanks it's so nice to be back

Karen, I will be praying for your son. When my husband and I first got married, we just took off to Germany... let's just say we grew up fast, and that was the first time we ever really had to depend on God for our next meal, and He always came through.

Suga, It's great your maintaining even though it sounds like you have stress.


Hey Cortney! Don't you hate/love computers, cant live with um and can't live without um.

Hello Laurie, I'm tired of the heat too, in a few months we will all be hating the cold... We have had a couple of nice cool days, in the 70's ahhhh.

Wilma, we have had a lot of rain here in Colorado this year as well. I love it tho, it's great for the garden.

Talk to you all later, have a wonderful Tuesday, I took the day off tomorrow, so I know I will.

Love, Kelli

Good Morning!!!
Hello to all!!

Update on a previous post about our new home search. We really wanted to take advantage of the 8,000 stimulus plan for new home owners, but my fiance and I were feeling really rushed. We prayed about it and God told us to hold off for a while until the time seemed right. The process just started off wrong, so we will probably look into a different area and a different builder. Thank you all for you prayers! Praise God for helping us out on this one!

Thank you all for your prayers towards my family. I know God will bring them comfort, understanding, and love which we always need in his name.

As for today, back at work and getting ready to revise our annual orientation for teachers at my school.

Have a great day everyone!


Love,
~Suga :)

Hi All!

Yesterday I had a job interview and it went very well. I'm praying the Lord works it out that I can get this job.

I had a very bad day at work today. I coworker that I talked to in confidence went to my boss and told him about the job interview. When I confronted my coworker I told him that I could not longer trust him for betraying my trust. He accused me of doing the same to him, which is not true. I have never shared anything that he has told me in confidence. It crushed me because he was like a little brother to me and he said I was like a sister to him. I was so hurt I had to leaver work this afternoon. It just proved to me that I need to move on.

I received an email from my brother that said "When God is about to reposition your life know that the devil will begin to attack." How true that is. I'm just praying that God will help me to handle this situation I went through today with grace.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Kathy

POOR KATHY ~ you have all kinds of issues coming up this week; I don't blame you, that job with the board of trade does sound interesting and I hope you get your desire. I think that your brother has a good point there too; "attack" is the right word too! Am sending up some protective prayers for you concerning all this stuff too!

We had lovely weather today; nothing special going on today though -- the car needs a couple of minor repairs (DH fixed one already), so it's going into the garage tomorrow AM; should be fixed up in less than an hour though.

:wave: HI TO EVERYONE! Hope you all have A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!!!:hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Kathy: I'm praying that God gives you direction in your life. It's hard to work with someone you can't trust anymore. I'll be praying for you you for strength to go back there and carry on. God WILL give you that grace you're looking for.

Kathy, prayers ascending!

Hi to everyone else - sounds like everyone is doing well!

Kelli - congrats on the loss!!

Doing fine here! The guys are making good progress on the roof. It is supposed to rain tonight, so they are working long hours the last couple days to make up for it. Makes for a noisy dinner though :lol:

We had a wonderful dinner last night, and DS2 went with us. It was nice to have him along, and I think he enjoyed it!

Blessings to all! Prayers ascending!

Laurie :scooter:

:wave: HI FOLKS ~ the day started out with lots of clouds so we thought it would rain for sure, but it seems that it missed us. In the late morning, we had a humongous saucer-shaped cloud over the town; really awesome to see as someone took a picture of it and I saw it on the net. The gardeners would have liked to have had some rain today but when it passed us by, they pulled out their hoses instead. :lol:

We had a very blessed day today. DH was out and about on his bike, and was talking to a friend, who happened to mention that he had a camping trailer for sale, so DH went to see it. I bought it for our lot, so we can have a place of our own to stay out of the elements when we are there. It is an older one and needs a few minor repairs, but nothing that DH can't handle. They are going to deliver it to us later in the week. GOD has blessed us so much this month; and we are so very grateful and thankful to HIM for this awesome blessing ...

Well, kept on plan very good today (credit moi); just took it easy today and rested my over-exerted legs. Made a quick dinner tonight and DH wants some frozen yogurt for dessert later, so that will be nice too. Take care everyone, and we hope that you all have A THOROUGHLY, ENTHRALLING THURSDAY!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug: ^PRAYERS^ continue for you and yours ....

Rosebud :cp: for staying on plan! and :congrat: on the camper - sounds perfect for your needs!!!

God is so awesome to provide in so many tangible ways!

I hope that all is well with everyone! I've been out of town for awhile and then really busy trying to get my daughter, Makalia ready for school. It's been busy, busy, busy!

Please pray for my uncle who is havin surgery this morning for a stomach aneurysm that is the size of an orange! The doctor's say that he's had it for at least 2 yrs. now. He had gone to the hospital with back pain and they thought it was kidney stones so they did a CT scan only to find that it was an aneurysm. God is so good because the doctors said that they have never seen one that big and that it's a miracle that it hasn't ruptured. God had his hand on him!!!!

My prayers and best wishes to everyone!!!

Chubbs, we missed you! Prayers ascending for your uncle!

Another good day here - a wonderful jazz concert in the park this evening. The weather was brisk, but at least the rain has passed. We are blessed that, while we got a lot of rain and wind this afternoon, we didn't get the severe storms that others in the Midwest did!

Please keep my school technology department in your prayers. We are having some serious personnel issues, that I am praying will be resolved peacefully, and in a way that doesn't hurt the district or the kids!

I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC Thursday!

Stay strong!

Blessings!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi Gals ~

Just goofing off around here tonight as I reliev some work stress!

I posted some pictures in General Chatter from the Saturday we went to see my daughter in law in her cheerleading gear for the San Diego Fan Fest....One Old Guy thread....

Prayers SCOOTER for your school tech. dept.

Prayers for CHUBBS uncle

WOO-HOO! ROSEBUD!!

KATHY and SUGA for your work situations!

KAREN's son and wife as they head to FLA.

Hi WILMA, KELLI and COURTNEY..

and all

May not be around to often daughter having baby today or tomorrow and I want to go down there and see them but have to get this place ready for me to leave. Please pray for a 10 inch rain Husband said he would take me if it rained 10 inches or more. You know Jesus knows that David does not want to make that 8 Hour Drive, so I pray he shows David who the Boss is and sends a 10 or more inch rain, not just because we need one; but to make my husband take me to Marfa! Because my husband just knows that it won't rain 10 inches or more, he thinks he is so smart! I say God can do what we can't do and he better buy a boat!

Gary, I saw the pics - very nice! Your DIL is such a cutie!

Bootsie - LOL, loved your post - <rain dance> and prayers ascending ;)

I'm glad it is Friday! It was an awesome day at work. So many people needed help, and I was just in the groove - I got so much done, and I was able to help everyone that needed it :D

But, it has been an exhausting week! I'm ready for some R&R.

Prayers continuing for all! Have fun this weekend!

Laurie :scooter:

PRAYING FOR RAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You SCOOTER...she is a cutie and sweet too....son says she has a "mean girl" side when she has been "worked over" but I've never seen it. i do know she is not a weenie when it comes to standing up for herself!

Working tomorrow....be back this week-end to update my boring life!

Prayers and hugs for all...

anyone seen AGS....aka...TRIKERBABE?

Happy Friday all,

Bootsie, praying for rain, and a happy, healthy baby!!! Congrats. :carrot:

I'm glad it's Friday too Laurie,

Gary, when I'm done here I am going to try to find those pics. I'm still not real proficient at navigating around here!

Chubbs, How's your uncle after his surgery. I will be praying for him! I'm glad they found it before it caused more serious complications.

Rosebud, Yay you! for staying on plan!

Suga, I know you will find your perfect home, and it will be in the perfect time. You are way better at that than I am. Sometimes I have a hard time trusting God, when I think the time is right NOW!, but He says wait...

Kathy, I will be praying for you about the Job. There is nothing that hurts worse than a friends betrayal. It sounds like he was trying to take the focus off what he did by putting the blame on you, when all you probably wanted is for him to say he was sorry, but ended up hurting you worse :hug: I know I've been on both sides of that one.

I'm planning on cleaning carpets tomorrow, we have a little chihuahua, she thinks the living room is her potty place, :mad: and we can't seem to break her of that. We plan on buying her a doggy door tomorrow to see if that will help.

Love you all!!!

Kelli

G'morning all! Happy Saturday!!!!

It's quiet and rainy here in Northern MI. Bootsie, I'm trying to send the rain your direction!

Since it is raining, the roofers aren't here yet. DH is working, so I have the day to myself. I plan to get some deep cleaning done, and organize some closets, and get bills paid.

A pretty normal Saturday for me :lol:

Oh, and my Kohl's order should be here today - two summer dresses from their super-duper clearance sale :)

Hope you have a blessed and on plan weekend!

Prayers continuing!

Laurie :scooter:

Laurie! Maybe I should get a roofer! Ha! My fifth grandchild enter into this world this morning at 3:20 It is a girl! 8 pounds and 1 ounce. This one is the smallest she has had!

Woohoo :congrat: That's wonderful, Praise the LORD! What's her name? I'm still praying for that Ten inches of rain.

Love, Kelli

:congrat: Bootsie!

Hi Everybody,:wave:

I found this thread because of Bootsie and Kellie and would love to join. I love meeting Christian brothers and sisters. I am doing Kellie's Bible Study Diet so I think this is probably where I belong. I'm reading through the thread hoping to get to know all of you. I love how you pray for and support each other.

Bootsie :congrat:How sweet A baby girl and she was born on my birthday.:) I'm praying for your 10" rain joining in on the "rain dance" or DH to change his mind.

Look forward to getting to know y'all.

Happy Birthday Trish!http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk313/NitaAnn_2008/happy-birthday-1.gif


Thank You all can hardly wait to meet her!

Good Sunday Morning to All.

It is a beautiful Sunday morning. I pray everyone has a terrific Sunday.

You are all in my prayers.

Hi everyone, today is a very good day, hubbie fixed or he is in the process of getting my kitchen sink working and he fixed to water leaks outside! So thankful for that should within a week have my kitchen sink working!

They named my gran daughter, Johnnie,Elizabeth,Fay Walker, she was born on his Dads birthday, so that is where Johnnie came from, my daughters middle name is Elizabeth and Fay comes from my Mother in law.

Bootsie-:congrat: on the new granddaughter!

Pattygirl63-:welcome2: Always glad to have new people here! And, Happy Birthday, too!

EZ-Your pics are so cute-all of you look very nice!

Hello to everyone else, also! Been missing you all. Don't know why but when things start getting me down, I have a tendency to stay away from here, which is just the opposite of what I should be doing, I know. My lack of weight loss this summer is proof of that. Hope you all have a great evening. Gotta go-Dh needs me to hold a light-he's putting in some kind of cable so the kids have internet for the PS without losing the wireless connection all the time...talk to you later!

Trish :welcome: and belated - happy birthday! Glad you jined us!!!

Bootsie - what an unusual name! I'm glad you will have the kitchen back in operational order soon!


Today was busier than the usual Sunday. DH and I had to work both church services today, then shopping, then getting stuff done around here.

I have been craving lasagna all week, so I made a big pan of WW spinach, mushroom lasagna. It is GREAT!
DH wanted me to make cookies, and since the oven was already heated, I made walnut, pluot, WW and bran cookies (with Splenda). The recipe calls for extra NF milk powder and soy flour - and of course I substituted the okara (soy sludge left from making soy milk). Healthy little things, and quite tasty :D

I called my mom and chatted for two hours (normal for us) ;)

Hope you are having a blessed Sunday!

Laurie :scooter:

:wave: HI EVERYONE ~ we have been tres, tres busy; which I am sure you realized when I was MIA. Our family has been receiving many blessings from the LORD lately (I posted about some of them in the Prayer Warriors thread). This has been a great month for us: we got some fab deals -- a nice small trailer for DH's ski-doo and for smalls wood; a garden shed for our stuff at lot; and a 20-foot camping trailer for a fabulously low price. It was delivered to our lot yesterday; we had to go up there 3 days in a row to make preparations.

Today is truly a day of relaxation for all of us; DH has conked out but will likely be up for a coffee or snack later. We had a really nice roast beef dinner tonight; got lots of walking in this week (kudos for me). I'm a little behind on posts, so forgive me if I forget to mention something important.


:congrat: BOOTSIE ~ on the new grand-daughter!!!

HI RONNIE ~ that's right -- do come in here and share with us, esp on the prayer thread when things are hectic for you, so we can send some prayers up for you!


:welcome3: to Trish ... and happy birthday too!


Hope everyone here is feeling well; and having a SUPERBLY BLESSED SUNDAY!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:
^PRAYERS^ ascending for you and yours ...

HI GALS ~ :wave:

Hope this finds everyone doing well :)

Angie and I went to church last night so we were able to take the dogs to the beach and do 4 miles this morning, stopping at the beach cafe when we were done for coffee, tea and croissants.

It was our Vicar's first sermon last night and he did real well. My son called me a few hours ago, looking for baseball scores since he and my dil were at the beach, anyway, he said they went to second service today and were impressed with him too. The young man seems to have a lot of energy :)

My :love: daughter :love: and the :p kidnapper :p came by yesterday afternoon to visit. They brought my daughter's car up so my ex's SO could look at her brakes. Isn't GOD great :) He knows I can't stand car issues so He allows my ex-wife to hook up with a mechanic....a good one that has done wonders for me :)

I have been working OT most days, yesterday too. We have a 30 million+ project going and hope to open by New Years Eve....boss is all over me saying my end is losing $100 thousand (a figure he over-uses!)....I tell him fine, we are doing the best we can...talk to our estimaters and find out why....and if I'm not good enough...C-Ya later chief...which turns into..."What? Do you think I am firing you?....are you crazy!....we will make $$$ on this job overall...just get faster"...which I reply....Fine chief...I'll get faster but then quality goes down...which turns into...can't have that....and on and on it goes....the circle.....quality vs. quantity. aaaarrrrgggghhhh....

The cool thing about it is the owner of the project is a Christian and has a nice outreach program for teens!

Angie and I have been watching Little League World Series games together today, and our Dodgers, we have a team from our county in it again this year. That makes it 3 teams in the last 8 years! Always fun watching the kids play.

Angie is calling dinner....so I will be quick...

SCOOTER ~lasagna recipe please! I make a killer spinach one! Have posted the recipe several times.

RONNI ~ Thank you...I know what you mean...we do have to keep coming here dear...we do :hug:

BOOTSIE ~ Sweeeet name!

TRISH ~ Welcome and Happy Birthday :)

KELLI ~ Did you find the pics?

HI ALL :)

Which reminds me ROSEBUD... roast beef....time to get the crock-pot recipes out for fall!

have fajitas cooking in the crock-pot right now!

Good Morning Everybody. At least I think it is good. DH woke me up doing our lawn early this morning.:dizzy: I'm usually just now getting up. Oh well, "This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it". There must be a reason I'm up so early. :)

Any way, I just wanted to write and say thanks everyone for the warm welcome and the birthday wishes.

Have a great day and prayers coming your way.

Hello and Good Morning to you all.

I just wanted to declare that the enemy will be defeated!! Today I am getting back on track with my my eating habits and my exercise. My vacation is over, I'm back to my routine of things, and this weight must come off!!! I have approximately 2 1/2 months to lose some serious weight before I go wedding dress shopping. I am asking for you help and prayers to get me through. I've been realizing that I need change in my life, and I am picking up where I left off with my weight loss. Gotta do it ya'll I gotta do it!!!

Welcome PattyGirl. You will love this group of extradinary people! They have helped me so much and they make it so much fun!

Congrats Bootsie on the new grandbaby :-)

Hope everyone has a blessed day! I feel motivated today :)

With love,
~Suga

I am asking for you help and prayers to get me through. I've been realizing that I need change in my life, and I am picking up where I left off with my weight loss. Gotta do it ya'll I gotta do it!!!~Suga

Suga Thanks for the welcome. :hug:And I will definitely be praying for you.

Hi all, recipe follows:

6 oz. Boca burger crumbles (can use lean meat if desired)
3 c. spaghetti sauce (I use Sockarooni – Newman’s Own)
1 ½ c water
1 15 oz. container low-fat ricotta
4 oz. tofu
1 c. 2% cheese, shredded (mozzarella or cheddar)
6 oz. spinach, raw
6 oz. baby bella mushrooms (or mushroom of your choice), sliced
2 eggs
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
Seasoning as desired (I like spicy spaghetti seasoning)
9 whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked

Heat oven to 350 F
Brown/thaw burger and drain if using meat. Add spaghetti sauce and water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together ricotta, ¾ c. cheese, tofu, eggs, parsley, and seasonings.

Pour 1 c. of sauce mix in 9x13 pan, coating the bottom. Arrange 3 uncooked noodles on top of sauce. Spread half of cheese mixture on top of noodles. Top with half of the spinach and half of the mushrooms. Repeat layering. Top with another layer of noodles, remaining sauce, and last ¼ c. shredded cheese.

Cover with lid/foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove lid/foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 12 servings.

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/3985/lasagna.jpg (http://img252.imageshack.us/i/lasagna.jpg/)

Gary - The Little League World Series is only 20 miles from where I live. I have never gone to it because I'm not into crowds or baseball. I have watched it on TV some. I hope your local team does well.

Bootsie - Congratulation on the new grandchild.

Thanks everyone for your prayers last week. It was a rough week. The Lord helped me through and gave the strength that was needed. I still have not hear about the job. The last I knew they were still reviewing applications. I would really like to have this job, but I'm praying the Lord's will be done.

For the past couple of years there have been some problems in our church. This past week they came to a head and sadly we are leaving the church we have grown to love. There are things happening that we do not approve of and we felt it best to leave. I don't know where we'll go to church, but I'm trusting the Lord to guide us.

Our kids started school today. It's hard to believe the summer is over. Our first football game is Friday night. I'm looking forward to watching my boys play. DH2 plays for varsity and DH3 plays 8th grade.

I have not been doing well with my food intake. Last week I did a lot of stress eating and I'm up almost 5lbs. I need to get myself back on track. I also need to get back into walking. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to get my act together.

Have a good night and a happy Tuesday.

Kathy

I just found the Fat Chicks site yesterday.... I did alot of reading on the forum and thought I might chime in on this thread ... This looks like a thread where ones can come and be real about they are walking though in there own lives .. Its nice to have a place to be real and share from the heart .. Hugs & Prayers to all who might read this forum ...

Good Morning ! Hi Oatmeal! Welcome! :hug: It is another sizzling day in Texas , Saturday night we watched the Lord's fireworks but no rain:?: I walked with my dog Lee this morning 3.5 miles . My partner did not show up or call, hmmm... hope she is not under the weather. Still working on this house and beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. They say we got a 70 percent chance we will not get any rain Friday. Well best go feed the animals.

Thank you Trish for your support!!!

Welcome OATMEAL! Love the name ;)
You really can be real here that is what I have found has helped me alot as well as support for everyone!

I pray for all of you who have children that are getting ready or are in their first week back to school. I pray we all have a blessed school year ahead of us!!!

Keeping the faith through with the strength my Lord Jesus gives me everyday!
~Suga

:welcome2: Oatmeal. I'm new here, but I think it is a great place to be. Glad to have you here.

Bootsie Sorry about the rain. Still praying for y'all to get it. My family lives in Central TX and I know they need the rain.

Laurie Thanks for posting the lasagna recipe. I copied it as it will be a great meal for when DHs kids come to visit.

Kathy Sorry you feel you have to leave your church. In a little different way, Tony and I went through looking for a new church when we moved to SC leaving a great church we loved in FL. Although I love the beauty of SC, I just couldn't understand why the Lord was moving us to this place. However, "God is sooo Good" and He "always" has a good plan for us. Turns out the Lord was leading us to just the right place for us and to a ministry in the church we are in now. One Sunday just before we left FL our Minister said that "most people come and stay in this church for about 3 years" and then God moved them out to ministry in other places. We were prayer partners with the internet prayer ministry in that church. It wasn't a prayer chain like most churches have. They would email prayer requests daily as they came in. Then one day a week they sent out a list of all we had received the week before with updates etc. When we came to SC, the Lord led us to a particular church because we saw this Pastor on local tv and we knew he was supposed to be "our" Pastor. Tony and I could see that God was doing something special in this Pastor and wanted to use him in a mighty way. We knew this church would have to eventually make a decision to go the way God was leading him or not. We were new so we didn't know that this was already happening behind the scenes. We did know that God already had us praying for him and the church. So when the decision was made for him to leave and start a church, we were excited because now we knew, in part, why God had brought us to SC. He wanted us to go support this Pastor with prayer etc. Turns out that our experience in the internet prayer ministry in the previous church in FL was God's way of preparing us to start and be in leadership of the internet prayer ministry in this new church. I hope our experience will help you to remember that you may not know where you are going to go to church, but God does. He has the good plan and a special place for you and your family and He will guide you to it. You may find it in a short time or it may take a while. We set and watched ministries on tv for over a year. Knowing the importance of putting our tithes in the right place, we gave to one of those ministries as God led us to do until we found our church home. So be patient and trust Him. He will make you a blessing to the people in the church He makes you a part of as He makes them a blessing to you and your family. My prayers will be with you. I look forward to hearing how the Lord leads you in answer to our prayers.

Praying blessing to all of you.

:wave: HI FOLKS ~ we have been very busy lately, but for us, that is a good thing really -- actually, I prefer that to being bored as that is when I start munching needlessly. I am the type of person that likes to keep busy.

I mentioned on the PRAYER WARRIOR's thread that I need prayers for both my legs and health at this time. Seems that I have a small scrape on the shin of my left leg too -- I don't have any idea how or when this happened, but it has me concerned becuz my left calf is swollen a bit too (well, I am just glad that I finally noticed it as it is very small): I sure pray that it doesn't mean that I have an infection in that calf again (as I had one in it before). I have a doctor's appointment on Friday morning, so I am hoping that this new doctor will have some fresh ideas for me what to do, and I am going to ask him if I should be on antibiotics again just in case. I really appreciate your prayers for my skin, circulation, health, and giving my new doctor wisdom too -- so Thanks very much for that!

DH has been working so hard lately, but we got our camper up on our lot. Now we have some things that need fixin' (all minor stuff that shouldn't be a problem); I'll do the planning and cleaning and some painting; and DH will do the minor repairs and/or changes. I am so glad to have a full bathroom; can't tell you how pleased I am that this camper has a 4-piece bathroom.

:welcome: OATMEAL ~ that is indeed a cute name; I like to have oatmeal for breakfast now & then. I agree in that I like that we can talk about our needs here; plus give and receive prayerful support for each other on this thread. We're not perfect here -- we make mistakes, but with our faith and the LORD's help and His Grace, we will all overcome someday ...

HANG IN THERE KATHY ~ yes, these issues and pressures come up for us all; the fall is hectic for all with kids, and will send up some prayers for you concerning where the LORD is leading you and your family to worship.

LAURIE ~ thanks for that healthy recipe; wow, you even have the nutrient charts on your recipes too! That is very thoughtful and helpful ...

BOOTSIE ~ still praying that some rain will show up there sometime ... you know that some will show up, maybe in the fall or winter, as that is when some precipitation usually comes there in snow or rain. Sorry, that you had to sell off some animals though. Too bad it costs so much to dig wells these days; it would be helpful to have a back-up well just for the animals. We had two wells on our farm when we were kids; the old farmer who owned it previous to us, was very wise to do that.

GARY ~ we picked up a new 3-quart crockpot to use this fall and winter for a fab deal recently; it's just the right size for DH and I. I look forward to many soups & stews & such ...

TRISH ~ I loved the story of how things went for you, when you moved and had to change churches. Sometimes, we may feel unsettled or a kind of divine discontent. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason; but sometimes, we don't always know what that is at the time, but in GOD's own timing, we then find out that He had a good purpose all along. We just have to be patient and trust Him ...


HI TO EVERYONE ELSE and that includes our MIA's becuz I know that life has a way of getting hectic at this time of year ~ hope you are all well too; and ^PRAYERS^ are ascending for you and yours, just in case ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Oatmeal-:welcome2: We love new people and I'm sure you'll find this to be a wonderful, helpful place!

Rosebud-Your new camper sounds nice! We've wanted one for years, but just haven't been able to swing it yet, but someday..... Glad you are keeping busy too, as I'm reminded daily of winter coming and we know how hard it is to keep active then:p. I'll be praying for your legs-with so many 'bugs' out there now, it's very important to take care of any injury or infection carefully.

Kathy-Prayers for your situations with jobs, church, and the kids starting school-I definitely relate on how the stresses affect our eating. :hug: We're all here for you.

Bootsie-still praying for rain-wish we could send some of ours down your way...

Laurie-the lasagna sounds great! Never tried Boca burgers in any recipes-can you tell much difference from beef or turkey? My DH is picky, picky, picky-if a dish doesn't taste the same from one time to the next, he'll complain, which, of course makes me wanna :rollpin:!

Suga-Getting back into a routine will help-I'm counting on the same thing;) We're all in this together and thanks to God for this support group!

Hi to everyone else, too! Hope you're all having a great day. I'm just trying to have a quiet, non-eventful day and reading a totally non-thought-provoking book:) Take care and God bless!

HI RONNI ~ thanks for the prayers; they are so needed and appreciated. You know, we have been looking for a camper for a few years; but when we'd go to look at one, we'd find it was sold already, or it was way more than we could afford (in the thousands of $$$).

I had been praying more specifically about this, just days before, and DH was chatting to a friend about building a cottage; one thing led to another and he mentioned that he has a cottage too near our lot (how odd -- we didn't know that), and that they stayed in a camper while doing theres. Turns out, they weren't using it anymore and so DH asked if he would sell it to us for a good price.

Funny thing is that this man also lives on the same street we do too; this is all Serendipity, no doubt! Isn't GOD awesome; and when I say a great price, I mean it ... He didn't want to charge us very much becuz someone gave it to them for doing them a favor. EDIT TO ADD: oh yah, this man was laid off his job, so he needed the money and we needed a camper -- it was a win-win solution for both of us. GOD DOES WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS!

I now make a list of our needs and wants; and about once a week, I read them out loud. We share them with GOD and ask for his assistance; always thanking Him in advance for all His blessings and benefits in our lives. In JOHN 10:10 Jesus said "I come that they (and you) might have life, and that they (and you) may have it more abundantly." I often say this scripture before the prayers. I do the same for health or whatever; I quote a health scripture before our prayers and such. I can't tell you just how much this has made a difference for us over time ...

GOD BLESS and have a great day; prayers continue for you and yours as well.:hug:

Oatmeal - glad you joined us!

Ronni - your husband would just hate my cooking. I never make anything the same way twice! I love Boca crumbles in things - much healthier :) Maybe you could try putting SOME in the recipe, along with the meat. I've been a vegetarian for 27 years, so I'm no judge of how different they taste. :lol:

Rosebud - you always have such good ideas - your prayer list is an excellent one!

A good day here - my walls are rattling with the drilling and nailing going on right over my head :yikes: But, they are making great progress on the roof. :D

DH and I plan to go out tonight if the weather holds. "Date Night" :)

Hope everyone is having a great start to the week!
Prayers ascending!

Laurie :scooter:

Rosebud I do that a-lot but it is mainly a old goat gets me with her horns as she passes out the gate but its weird never feel her hit me. I think to myself, looks like I would of felt something hit me that hard. Then I wonder if I sleep walk because I have woke myself up talking to myself! Ha!
I will be praying for healing for you Rosebud and I will be praying for all the rest of you too! We have two wells but they are getting weaker and weaker, all the wells around us are running out of water and so far ours have slowed down, which frightens me. I can't even imagine being without water,electricity,food and toilet paper.:eek:

Hi all, I was MIA yesterday, back to school night last night.

:welcome: Trish and Oatmeal, so glad you are here. You will find this is a great bunch of people!

Bootsie, I will put your wells on my prayer list. I love the way you talk about your life! It sounds like hard work, lot's of prayer, and... very happy.

Gary, I never did find those pictures.

Rosebud, Praise God, how nice to have a home away from home! I will, and have been praying for your legs.

Trish, your story about church re-confirmed to me that it's all in God's time. He will pull things together that need to be together.

To the rest of you, have a blessed Wednesday!

Love, Kelli

Blessed Morning to all!

I have a question for everyone. So, I have fought great temptation in the past and it feels good when I do so, but there are times, when I feel like I'm in a cell and I really have no options but to go along with what everyone else is eatting. For example, we have some family out of town and we are spending alot of time with them and of course eatting out alot, for the most part, I done well, but how do you manage when I feel trapped? I've been trying hard and praying so much! Its like your family cares that you are trying to eat well, but its like they dont consider that when they make a choice as to what to eat.... not sure if I'm making sense.... if anybody has dealt with something similar, I need some advice....

Thanks and God Bless,
~Suga

Hi my Name is Lynnie and I am so glad to find a place for encoragement. I have been riding the diet roller coster since my 30's and u would have thought as a believer I would have figured out that it is not up to me to do this all alone, that I have the Lord to shoulder the weight.
Please pray for me to remember this and to let the Father do the work.
Thanks and once again it is so nice to find like minded folks.

Lynnie

:wel3fc:LYNNIE

Just here at work:comp:
Almost the end of the day. Been quite busy trying to finish up the orientation power point for teachers about our program. Going to spend time with my family tonight thats visiting from California. Will do some walking down the boardwalk!!!

Hope everyone has a pleasant and blessed evening!

~Suga;)

Lynnie-:welcome2: Glad you found us! Looking forward to getting to know you better!

Suga-What I do when having to eat what others prepare or when eating out is to just choose the best option available. None of our families will even try to prepare food that is on my plan, even though I just count calories and don't have any really special issues (except that garlic causes me to have migraines). My mil (who I love dearly) still believes that everything must include butter-even sandwiches! and the only milk she'll buy is whole fat:p. When we visit my family, it always involves eating at restaurants, so I go for the things that fit most closely in my plan. Even at McD's they have grilled chicken sandwiches, so that's my choice. We went to a place that all my cousins love this last June and they all had fried chicken wings and fries and dipping sauces and all I could think was how much fat they were putting in, while I had a lean shrimp stir-fry (and only ate 1/2 of it). There are almost always healthier options you can get. Some things I won't compromise on, like no pop (diet or otherwise) or any kind of artificial sweetener, but as long as I keep away from fried things, I seem to do ok when we're visiting and eating out a lot. When we were at my dad's in June, I managed to not gain anything except water weight from driving so long (and it was gone 2 days later), and we ate out every lunch and dinner for 10 days! You can do it-just think about what's available and make the best choice possible.:D

Trish - Welcome and thanks for the words of encouragement concerning my church search. I'm asking the Lord for His guidance and where he wants us to go.

Thanks to all of you for your words of encouragement. This past week was a rough one, but the Lord gave strength and this has been a better week.

Oatmeal & Lynnie - Welcome, you will find great support on this site.

I am working on getting back on track with my food intake and exercising. I need to get my head back into the game.

Still haven't heard anything from the job interview. I'm just seeking the Lord's will and what He would have for me.

Trust you all had a great day and wish you a happy Thursday.

Kathy

Lynnie :welcome: Glad you joined us!!!!

Suga - Ronni hit the nail on the head. You make the best choice possible, and if you MUST have what everyone else is having, portion control is the answer.

I carry a protein bar in my purse, and will often eat that, and then only nibble on the healthiest thing when I go out. Or order a side salad for myself and eat that while everyone else eats the main dish. I do not feel self-conscious or make excuses for eating differently. Don't feel pressured to have what everyone else is having. It is your body, and your health that are affected. YOU and only YOU control what you eat.

I do the same thing at work. If someone brings in a birthday treat, I join them for their celebration, but eat my snack that I brought from home instead of the cake (or whatever).

Kathy - prayers continuing regarding your job!


All is well here, working long days, but that is to be expected given the season. The weather here is cool - which I love. Gotta fly - chores need doing!

Prayers continuing for all!

Laurie :scooter:

Hi GALS ~

Angie has her BUNKO BABES over tonight so I am stuck in my bedroom ;)

She brought me up a couple of burgers but when I went down to get some more chips the abuse I took wasn't worth it...you think they never saw a man before :D

Work is still stressful but better. I posted a couple of prayer requests in WARIORS....

KELLI ~ here is the link to the pics with my daughter in law http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/general-chatter/179712-one-old-guy-two-cute-gals.html

SCOOTER ~I carry a prtein bar in my truck and backpack at all times...several...been stuck too many times on the freeway and airports w/o food and nowhere to get it! I copied the recipe...all by myself!

KATHY ~Praying for "interview" success and football!!! If I lived there my son and I would be at the Little League game! :)

SUGA ~Enjoy your california visitors...down south by me?

RONNI ~ Football prayers too and for the funeral fiasco!

LYNNIE ~ WELCOME!!! :)

BOOTSIE ~ Let it rain ~ rain ~ rain!!!! Prayers :hug:

OATMEAL ~ WELCOME !!! :)

ROSEBUD ~ Enjoy the crock-pot...camper! Prayers for leg :hug:

TRISH ~ Good to see you sticking around.


Be back soo.....Gary

Buenos Dias (Good Morning)

Ronnie: :thanks: for the advice! I really just needed to hear how someone else deals with it. I guess I just feel overwhelmed because of all the eating out. But I feel like I did much better yesterday. I was also thinking that I am probably going through one of those standstill moments when I know what I need to do, but Ive been doing it for a while, I tend to fall into eating the bad stuff. But, with prayer and commitment, I hope for the best and I will try my best.

Laurie: I tend to do better at work with what I intake, its around the family when I tend to weaken. I am glad my fiancee and some of my family is supportive and they try and keep me on track. :)

Gary: The family visiting from California are from San Diego. They are actually my fiancee's family. Thanks to them I was about to visit California a couple of years ago. It is BEAUTIFUL!:beach:

Hope everyone has a blessed day! Sending prayers up for all of you! :dizzy:

Staying strong in the name of Jesus!!!
~Suga:carrot:

Lynnie,:wave: welcome to the group! So glad your here! Hope you stick around!
There are a-lot of neat people here as you have seen.
Today I really don't know what is going to be like , know that I am fixing to go wash some eggs and clean the store today. I worked on cleaning it yesterday and made some progress with it but that was just the feed part.
I got my morning walk in with my friend and she is fixing to go on a trip wish I was going with her because she is going to where one of my best friends live that I met in the outlookministry.

There is an 80 % chance we will not get a rain today,...Gary praying you get rain too. Thanks for all the prayers for rain, it gets close but no show, maybe I should give the county where I live, Burnet County, the whole county needs rain plus surrounding counties. Yesterday it rained in Burnet county but when it got to us it rained out already. If it is as cold this winter here in Texas as it has been as hot we just might freeze solid! Well best get to washing those few eggs we have.

:wave:Hello Everyone,

Lynnie ~ :welcome3: I'm fairly new here too and I can say that it's a great support group. I love the fact that we are like minded and that we pray for each other.

I missed writing here yesterday. I've been in a strange mood lately. Good because I feel a transition going on. Suddenly eating is good. I am doing Kellie's online BS, and my eating has fallen into a pattern. Although I don't think of myself as "on a diet" per se, it turns out that I am eating the way I ate when I lost over 75 lbs about 7 years ago. It really is my favorite way to eat and doesn't feel like a diet. I believe finding this faith group where we pray for eact other is a big help. I am a firm believer that what you do for others comes back as a blessing for you. I'm praying for each of you as I know you're praying for me and I am being blessed. Another thing is that I've decided to take things "one day at a time" and not look at it as having sooo much weight to lose and how long it is going to take. Also, I am keeping things, food choices and preparations, "simple" this time too. I also remember something I learned "many" years ago in my old OA meetings, "everyday do 3 things that I don't really want to do". Sometimes that may be exercise or even staying OP.

Gary ~Thanks for lead to the pics. You have a beautiful family. Your devotional today was a real eye opener. Makes me appreciate my blessings even more. I always pray that if I ever have to face that kind of thing that God will make me strong enough to.

Suga ~ I agree with all that has been said. When you eat out or in places where you have no control over preparations, etc of foods, make the best choices possible and portion control. It is so easy when you're with family to "mindlessly" eat. So I usually do what normal thin people do. I give myself permission to eat things you like, but in very small amounts. I heard someone say that after 2 or 3 bites that it doesn't taste as good. So if it is a food I know doesn't trigger a craving, I allow myself a few bites. Then at the next meal or snack, I'm right back OP. This works for some and not for other so by all means go by what works for you.

Kathy ~ You are welcome. Praying for you're job situation as well.

Rosebud ~ Praying for you health issues. Enjoy the crockpot. I found me a rather small one last fall. I love soups and stews which DH dosn't care for so it is perfect for me. Saw one even smaller yesterday at the new Walmart. I think it is mostly for dips, but it would be great for one person cooking. DH has been telling me I need to start thinking of things I want for Christmas. Just might put that one on my list.:)

Bootsie ~ Still praying for that rain for you. Which way do you live from Waco? I have family all over TX, but my Daddy and one sister lives in Waco. Watched the weather and it is "really" hot there and all of TX needs rain bad. I pray you get it soon.

Laurie, Ronni, Kellie, Oatmeal and all others:wave:

You are all in my prayers and have a Blessed day.

HI all - a quick fly before we head out to the jazz concernt in the park (last one of the year). It should be a good one!

Cold weather here - very weird for this time of the year. Down in the low 40s at night :brr:

Hope you all have fantastic Friday!

Prayers continuing!

Laurie :scooter:

Just wanted to Thank all of you for the warm welcome, I look forward to getting to know all of you. I hope all will have a wonderful Friday.

Lynnie :chockiss:

Just a quick note to say hello. Trust you are all doing well.

Gary - If I had kids in Little league I would probably go, but I'm not a baseball fan. Now football, that is another thing. In fact DS2 & DS3 both have a scrimmage tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to the football season.

Pattygirl63 - I like the way you are looking at your "life change" journey. I also try not to think of it as a diet. I like what you said about doing 3 things you don't really want to do. One for me would be exercise, something I need to get back into.

Bootsie - Trust you soon get rain. It rained here today and looks like we could have rain the next couple of days. Our area has seen a lot of rain this year.

Have a good Friday!

Kathy

Trish I live about 100 miles or more from your parents, rain missed again today but maybe your parents got some! I like your outlook to toward life to Trish. Cold weather! :dizzy: Should my friend take some winter clothes for up north? Do I need to call her?

:welcome: TO LYNNIE ~ yes this is a very supportive group: they have lots of great ideas and tips to share, and nothing beats the prayer support we have here ...

THANKS KELLI ~ for the prayers for my legs; I appreciate that very much. Spent all day yesterday cleaning our camper as it had been sitting unused for quite a while -- now it will be used from spring to fall.

TRISH ~ thanks to you too for prayers for my health; I like to add new ideas from others to my new lifestyle plan. I'd also like to add 3 things that I DO WANT TO DO today to my to-do list (becuz I always want to keep OP and do my exercises).

LAURIE ~ the temps dropped down to 0C last night (32F); we had 40F for a few nights before that too. Seems like fall weather is here early, but we may have some nice days in September and October yet ...

BOOTSIE ~ we are still praying for the rain; glad that the clouds at least got there, even if they were all rained out. Am now praying for BURNET COUNTY and surrounding areas specifically -- sure hope that helps!!! Yes, we sure know how blessed we are when we lose something eh? My legs were so sore yesterday; boy that nice comfy bed felt like such a relief to them early last night -- I literally thanked GOD over and over for that bed! :lol:

Made a nice beef HOT POT today; it was so fab smelling that delicious soup stewing all day long. Even NIKO couldn't wait to have some; we put a bit on bread for him; he's our furry baby and we love to spoil him rotten. :lol:

We went up town for our weekly grocery shopping; just picked up some veggies (baby carrots and cukes; tomatoes) and some strawberries besides the essentials. I picked up some non-salted nuts to put into my homemade snack mix; this is a nice treat. I made a point of walking all around the outside of the store to get my walking in for today (kudos 2 me). My eating was very good today too (credit moi).

As I was mentioning to Kelli, we spent yesterday up at our lot -- me doing cleaning of our camper and DH cutting a bit of grass. I made a list of things that we need to do (the minor repairs and changes); we will just take our time and enjoy the journey. We have a lovely view; from the kitchen window, I can see the neigbours gorgeous garden and from the east side, I can look straight at our cottage and watch the progress there too.

I tried to take a picture as we were leaving but it was just starting to get dark there and so the pic wasn't too good. Next time we go up, I will take a picture in the daytime so you can see it too. It actually looks pretty nice on our lot; it makes a great mini-caban, as the French call it. :lol:

Dad and SM (Grace) are both looking and feeling much better (will put an update in the Prayer Warrior's Thread); so thanks for your prayers for them. We had lots of time to visit this time as we were up at the lot three days in a row preparing for the camper arriving. They will be going home soon, as the temps are starting to get much colder at night here much sooner than normal it seems ...

:wave: HI to all our CE'ers and our MIA's as well; hope all is well with you and yours -- GARY, KATHY, RONNI, SUGA, OATMEAL, AGGIE, BEV, TRISH1 & 2, COURTNEY, WILMA, SHY, SUE, ROSEBUD2 et al ... Hope I didn't miss anyone; our list is getting very long, but that's a good thing too!

:hug:ROSEBUD:hug:^PRAYERS^ still ascending for those who have needs ~ especially for rain in California and the southern states.

Oh Gary I hope your safe! I seen on TV all the wild fires starting in California, that is scary! We have had some around here but our fire department jumps right on them, if they see it is getting out of hand they call in for help. Year before last someone set a bunch of them for meanness! They almost did not get one put out! With all the mountains in California I know how hard it must be to get the fires put out. I just hope you are safe and others too!

Almost forgot, and it is a start...I got sprinkled on a few minutes ago!:yay: It smells like heaven!:yay:David came running in here said I think it may be fixing to rain!!!:yay:

I am safe BOOTSIE....thank-you...just busy tonight

Woohoo, look at all the encouragers in this place. :carrot: I feel like I am with family...:hug: I'ts late, my daughter (16 years) had her friends over tonight and we spent hours making sushi... but it was fun.

Welcome Lynnie, so nice to meet you, I love this place and all the people here too.

Gary, thanks for the links, your family is beautiful!

Trish, thanks for you wisdom, that is such a great idea for a procrastinator like me, to do 3 things I don't want to do (like clean up this horrifically messy computer desk) And I also like what someone else said (Kathy I think) about doing 3 things you really want to do also.

Rosebud, I would love to see pictures of your "little cottage".

Bootsie, Still am praying for rain, maybe we need to be specific and pray for a real wet fall....:^:

I hate to say this with how hot you have been, but we have had a real cool summer here in Northern Colorado... weird...

Well I guess I better get to bed, it's late and I'm tired.

Love you all, Kelli

Ohhhhhhhhhhh! my husband thought we was gonna get a down pour, but ya might say he counted his chickens before they hatched because we got just that sprinkle I told you about and another one of those natural firework shows. But that is a start!

Hey all...
Hope everyone is having a great day. Just have a little time to post but I really wanted to share with all of you beautiful lyrics to a song. I heard it this morning and God told me to share it with all of you! Its from a Contemporary Christian group, Third Day. Enjoy! :)

Born Again
Third Day

Today I found myself
After searching all these years
And the man that I saw, he wasn't at all who I thought he'd be
I was lost when you found me here
And I was broken beyond repair
Then you came along and you sang your song over me

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
In my life

Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
That the love that I feel is so much more real than anything
I've a feeling in my soul
And I pray that I'm not wrong
That the life I have now, it is only the beginning

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
For the very first time

I wasn't looking for something that was more
Than what I had yesterday
Then you came to me and you gave to me
Life and a love that I've never known
That I've never felt before

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
In my life
~Suga:)

Thanks for sharring Suga! I sung it all ,glad no body was around ,can't hold a tune.

Suga, I love Third Day - I have many of their songs on my mp3 player :)

Cold and rainy here today. DH is trying to get the roofing felt on the garage before the weather gets worse :(

I just finished making chocolate pudding. I had a craving for some - weird because I haven't made it in years.

So, I dug out the cookbook and found a quick and easy recipe that I could tweak to make it calorie friendly.

And, because I know Gary will ask - here is the recipe:

Combine in a sauce pan:
2 c skim milk
2 T cocoa
2 T cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 C SPLENDA No Calorie

Optional: 3 Tbs. peanut butter (which I did use) - adds fat, calories, and protein. The nutritional info below is without the peanut butter.

Stir mixture over low-medium heat until thickened. Pour into serving dishes and refrigerate.
Makes 4 half-cup servings.

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/1640/puddingo.th.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/i/puddingo.jpg/)

Prayers continuing for all!
Blessings!
Hope you have a GREAT weekend!

Laurie

Hi Everyone,

I joined 3FC about a week or so ago and I am so happy I found this Forum! :carrot:

A little bit about me. I was raised in a church until I was 11 then my parents split and never took us back. Through my adult years I would always feel this "nudge" to read my bible or find a church home but I never did.

I finally stopped ignoring the "nudge" because I now realize that it was the Lord himself and I am now embracing Him. I thank the Lord everyday for even the little things that he has given me, including finding this forum.

I have read a lot of postings and they have really helped me through my day so I thought I would say hello.

Angela

:welcome3: NURSE2B (Angela) ~ glad to have you join us here; nice group of folks here too ...

SUGA ~ I also have some of Third Day's songs on my MP3 player too; may even have that song, not sure.

LAURIE ~ thanks for sharing that recipe; sounds easy and very healthy too. Could save some money making your own SF puddings.

Had a busy day; lots to think about. Have some big decisions to make and sure could use some PRAYER around that.

Met my new doctor; he's very nice and very aggressive about finding solutions for my health issues (and I'm so glad for that). He put me on antibiotics, plus water pills to get rid of the excess water in my legs (which is contributing to my leg ulcers not healing). He was very informative and explained a lot of things to me; and he is very uptodate on the latest methods of healthcare.

Lots to do next week; will let you know how things go as we go through the process ourselves ...

Take good care and have a wonderful weekend folks ... :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

:welcome: Angela - so glad you joined us. This is the BEST group of Christian Encouragers! Everyone here is just great!!! I love them so much!

Rosebud - prayers ascending for you! Do keep us posted. Sounds like your new doctor is going to work out well. If he can help with getting your legs healed, then that will surely be a blessing!!!!

Rainy and cold here in MI this morning. I'm going to take advantage of it and get to work with my chores.

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Laurie :scooter:

Laurie: What part of MI do you live in? I went to school in Grand Rapids and my parents still live there. I do miss the fall there. It is so beautiful!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I know that I am going to love it here!

Have a Blessed day everyone!

Angela

Angela :welcome3:, that is great you have joined us! This is a great group,
Not even going to mention what the weather is today, it has become a four letter word here in Texas! Found a little rabbit starving for water in the well house, took it a can of water . Coyottes surrounded our house last night afraid they are going to attack our dogs, cats and goats but they will have to go through me first and what ever i have in my hand. Not gonna stand by and let something kill my animal friends without a fight. I have a baby monitor in the barn and my bedroom so I can hear them when they are fixing to attack or they are attacking. It is going to be like ah..oh she's up let's go somewhere else.

:wave:Everybody,

Angela:welcome2:We are glad to have you join us. Ditto what everyone else has said. This is a great support forum. Like family, but then we are family ~since we are all in the family of God.:) I look forward to getting to know you.

Suga~Sounds like a good doctor. Praying for God to give you wisdom to make the right decision you need to make and also that the doc will be able to help you get all your health issues healed.

Laurie~Good idea to make the pudding. That way you know what is in it.

Bootsie~Still praying for rain for you and will be praying concerning the coyotes. I'm sure if it would rain that it would help in a lot of ways.

Not doing much here today. Only what I have to do to keep "moving". I'm wearing pedometer and try to get as close to 3000 steps each day as possible. Read somewhere that when you have to go potty to go to the bathroom farthest away. So I make a point to go to master bedroom. Should go to the one upstairs and get more exercise but haven't progressed that far yet. It's too hot up there.:D

Praying for all of you. Have a great Saturday evening.

Hello all....

I have been sick for a few days..plus had to work again today...

I will be back soon...

Angela, I'm about 100 miles north of Grand Rapids, but I get there often :) And, ironically, my mother and brother live in TN (though quite far from you, over near Knoxville).

Bootsie, prayers still ascending for rain! I wish I could send you ours :yes:

Trish - the pedometer is a good idea! And, I think all those little lifestyle changes (walking more for everyday tasks) really do add up!

Gary - hope you are feeling better soon!

Today was busy - I did get all my chores done. I also took a pic of my new haircut to send to my Mom. I'm sure she won't like it, but she will be polite and tell me that it is "different". Well, I wanted something different (exactly what I told my 19 year-old hairstylist) and I got it :lol: I think I might actually like it, but I'm still trying to decide. There is actually a poll (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/looking-good-feeling-great/180483-new-hairstyle-help-needed.html)on another forum about it :yikes:

Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday!

Prayers continuing for all!

Laurie :scooter:

Gary~Praying for you to be well soon.

Blessed Sunday everyone!

I am glad you all enjoyed the song lyrics. Third Day is one of my favorites.
Sunday morning ready to go to church just waiting on my fiancee. I have an interview today to join our volunteer ministry and then I have a class to go to for volunteers. Wish me luck! :)
Bootsie: The weather has been similiar over here too. Lots of clouds but no rain, I pray that the clouds head over to you and have a rain downpour!
Welcome Angela: I am sure you will love this group!!!
Gary: Hope you are feeling better. Praying that you get well soon!

Have a blessed day everyone!!!
With love,
~Suga

Gary, praying for complete healing for you.

Gary hope and pray your well soon. I hope that while you can you are getting much needed rest.
Suga never noticed before, your a Texan! :woohoo: I been looking all over for other Texans and I just knew I could not be the only one!

The zig zag thing really works. I have been doing it for about a week and darned if I did not step on the scale yesterday and I lost 2 lbs. YAAAAHOOOO:carrot:

Thanks for all the support and advice!!!

That is a total of 10lbs. Yippy.

Angela-:welcome2: Glad to have another newbie! You'll find lots of support and friendship here!

Gary-hope and pray you feel better soon. There's a lot of stuff going around here right now. You don't have H1N1, do you? Not looking forward to flu season this year....Get plenty of rest and fluids:hug:

Hello to everyone else too! Not much going on here. Weather's chilly today and the last couple days. Only 64 degrees F right now! Seems like I feel colder now that I've lost weight. Anyone else find that? Of course, for the couple years before I decided to get the weight off, I was having constant hot flashes, so maybe it's just the normal course of events for my age:dizzy:.

DH had to go to MN to take his mom for an endoscopy tomorrow-she has those every 6 months or so because of prior hiatal hernia repairs, so it should go ok, as long as nothing tears. So, things are kinda quiet here:D

My dad has more tests this week. He had a biopsy last week of one of the spots that was "glowing" on the PET scan and they removed a tumor the size of an egg. Now, there is suspicion that he has Hodgkin's lymphoma along with the cancer in his throat-I guess we'll find out more by Wednesday. Pray for him to turn to God through all of this, as I don't think he's going to attempt any treatment.

Well, gotta go get some supper for the boys. They played soccer with some of the other men and teens from church and now seem to be hungry-can't imagine why!? Have a nice evening and great Monday!

Hi Gals ~

Not much better today...missed church...BUMMER! Angie went and filled me in.

I don't get sick often so I am pleased for that. Most of my guys have had this in the past week or two. Sore throat, fever, achy bones....I am on my third day so if it goes like the rest of them I should be feeling much better tomorrow. Right now...being sick stinks!

Angie and I watched the team from our county win the Little League World Series just a bit ago...perked me up! Big thing around here.

I am not feeling well enough to personal everyone but I will get back to all of you soon!

I am so blessed to have you all and YOU are all blessed to have us!

Praise God!

Gary, Rosebud, Bootsie - prayers ascending for healing and strength!

:hug:

Ronni praying for your Dad,and you for I know this is hard for you too. Sure hope your feeling better tomorrow
Gary. :getwell: like you think you will be.

Mddieter :goodscaleSounds like your scale is being a good scale :congrat:

Mine was good to me this morning too, lost one more pound!

I stayed on my menu today and will make me another one out for tomorrow , will be going to town tomorrow so will buy Dinner and bring home. I weed eated dry weeds down, hmmm.. you know that is harder to do than green weeds! Still got a -lot to do! Tomorrow I will get a-lot of walking in for exercise. So I will be burning a-lot of calories!

Suga needs to exercise:!!!

Hey ya'll! Hope ya'll had a blessed weekend! Sending love to all of you!

Bootsie! Howdy! Im in the home of the Astros!!! :)

Just wanted to share with you all my stress in exercising.:stress: I haven't gone around to doing it. I dont know whats wrong.:?: I've tried a few times to get up before I get ready for work, but I can't. Then in the afternoon I get lazy or get busy doing something else! I need help and prayer! I need a boost!!! Anyone else going through the same dillema?

On a good note, my volunteer interview went really well. God called on me a couple of weeks ago and I decided to start volunteering with my children's ministry. I am excited! I can't wait to start!:)


Hope ya'll are staying blessed!

:hug: for everyone!!

Much love,
~Suga

Bootsie :congrat:

Suga - no excuses, girl. Tell yourself that you WILL exercise. When you get home, put on your exercise clothes and do it.

Or, when you get up - put on your workout clothes and get to it. I've been half asleep during some of my workouts ;)

Commit to 10 minutes. Now, you can surely do that! A walk, yoga - SOMETHING!

Maybe pick a goal reward that you have been wanting. If you exercise X number of days, you can Y.

Hi to everyone else. A good and BUSY start to the week. Teachers are coming back and the next 3 days will be training. I got the labs set up today, so I should be all set for the first session in the morning.

Blessings to all!

Laurie :scooter:

Suga wanting to exercise is the biggest step ,you have taken that step, now finding something that is fun for exercise will help you. Also think why exercise is good for you. Take it slow and even ask your doctor what kind of exercise would be good for you. I love to walk and it is so dry but every time I walk, Jesus has a little flower along the road for me, and I wonder to myself how does it even live much less bloom in this weather. Never the same kind of flower.

I have been told exercise helps reduce the risk of developing type two diabetes, helps your heart, promotes weight loss, promotes brain health just 30 miutes a day and its better if you divide that 30 miutes up during the day for some reason and start out slow .

They are starting the exercise contest and weight contest in the Chicks ready for a Challenge I joined both of them. I like to walk with my friend but i also like to walk with my dog Lee. I like to work outside if it is not to hot and I been cleaning my garden up and the outside , that is planned exercise if you plan it. I have a wood pile ,I move from one place to another that is planned exercise when I do. You can get up and walk around the couch as many times as you want that is a start. Get involved in sports, mowing grass, and believe it or not Housework use's calories, playing with the kids etc....... Just find something you like doing, you can have fun washing a car . You said your volunteering at your children ministry they like to play games, have some fun, get involved burn them calories . There is all kinds of reasons you should exercise but mainly is that you will feel so much better mentally for doing so.

LAURIE ~ where's the pic of your new hair cut? How come I can't seem to find it. I looked in your profile but it wasn't there ... did I miss it somewhere?

BOOTSIE ~ sent up prayers for ANGELS to surround and protect your home, barn, and animals too!

RONNIE ~ glad the doctors are being aggressive for your Dad and things are improving for him a bit; prayers ascending for you and yours at this time ...:hug:

:wave: HELLO to everyone else and prayers are continuing for you and yours; thanks for you prayers for my DH: put some updates in there for you all (Prayer Warriors thread). He is feeling much better; they put him on aspirin therapy (good idea).

Take good care all ... Rosebud:hug:

Hi ALL ~ Feeling better but still sick...work was a battle....I was counting the minutes from 2-3pm then boss walks by me about 2:30 and says "What time we leaving today?"..."I say 3"....he says "Wrong answer"...I say "4"...he says try again...."I say 4 (again)" he says "fine" but not happily....he was lucky he got the day out of me and my sick brother in law. I then had to find my 10 guys scattered through the building and give them the joyus news. Wouldn't be so bad if it was 102....but the heat justs zaps ya!

Anyway that's all I got for today...

I will be back and visit for real sometime soon...I promise!

I did not go to bed till my husband got up and then slept to 8:30 so afraid coyote's would come back and would not get there in time but they did not come back. Yeah! Was afraid they would catch on that this old girl just had a big mouth and just a stick in her hand and get after me!

Today is first day of dove season so figured that might scare them back into the hills and not have to worry about them attacking the goats and dogs. But don't hear any shooting outside, hmmmm.....hunters probably can't afford the license this year to hunt and the cost of bullets is high, especially if they miss.

Gary ~ Still praying for your healing. I also pray that God will give you the strength to do what you have to do as well. Are you close to those fires?
Praying for rain for y'all.

Bootsie & Rosebud ~ I prayed the same thing for you Bootsie. I thank God the coyotes have not returned. Still praying for that rain y'all need.

Busy day ahead of us. So I won't linger. Just wanted to drop in and say Hi:wave: to everybody and I'm still here.

Hope everyone has a blessed Tuesday. Continued prayers for all of you.

Haircut pic is below. I took it off the thread after I closed the poll. But for you guys, I don't mind a re-post :D

Gary :hug: hope you are feeling better soon!

Bootsie - good idea joining the contest. I did the BL contest 3 times during my journey - it really did help!

Whew - glad today is done! Work was insanely busy (it always is the first day that teachers come back). I trained teachers from 8-5 and it really zapped me. I hardly have a voice left.

Tomorrow is a day of training secretaries. I think I'm going to bed early tonight :lol:

Prayers continuing for all!
New asymmetrical hair
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/7582/haircutd.th.jpg (http://img79.imageshack.us/i/haircutd.jpg/)

Laurie ~ Love the haircut. Wish I could wear mine like that, but it just isn't the right type. Hope you get rested up for tomorrow. And have a good day.

Feeling better but not groovy today....I will leave that over in our Prayer Warrior section....

SCOUGAR ~ Love the new do ;) Glad work has got you hoppin!

TRISH ~ I am about 100 miles south of the fires. Thank you for the wishes on my health...it's working! :carrot: :hug:

BOOTSIE ~I live in a tract of homes with some country...you would laugh at the "country" part :D...but we have coyotes around and they sure seem to be getting more and more brave each year. Plenty of cats and small dogs lost over the years here....a couple of ours...no more kitty's for us :(

SUGA ~ RONNI ~ KELLI ~ BARGOO ~ Prayers over in Warriors.

NEW KIDS ~Keep coming back!!!!!!

Outta here for now but tomorrow I will show you a surprise from my job...if I can get a good picture! I haven't told you about it because it is something very unusual for a car dealership or any business to say the least ;)

HEY LAURIE ~ I really like it and the color too. It suits your kind of hair as well ... thanks for sharing the pic with us as I missed it in the other thread.

We have been having a lot of issues to deal with lately; but GOD sent an Angel to help us tonight. We sure needed help after being put in an unexpected bind by someone else. May GOD bless all strangers who help those who have no-one else to help them ...

Ate well today; stayed on plan, and got lots of walking in. I am keepin' on, keepin' on ... no matter what life tries to throw my way. May GOD give us some inspiration and wisdom to help us in our journey to good health!

Take good care and remember that ^PRAYERS^ are ascending for you and yours ... always!!! :hug:ROSEBUD:hug:

Time to wrap August up and move on to September, Encouragers!

So, QUIT POSTING HERE!