Christian Encouragers ~ SEPTEMBER
 

:angel: Welcome Friends :angel:
--------------------------


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 Servant's Prayer --

Jesus, My Jesus....How marvelous are 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.


:angel:

:wave: HI FOLKS ~ well, another month has come and gone, so it's time for a new monthly thread. I guess technically September is still part of summer but I always thought it was part of fall when I was a kid; I guess it changes around the 20/21 of the month. It is cooling down here now, so that kinda feels like fall is coming for sure.

The labor day weekend is upon us; and some of the kiddies here have already started back to school, depending on which one they attend. Others will start next week, I think. I see that some of the trees are starting to turn a bit yellow and the vines & some bushes have just a touch of wine, so there's a hint.;)

It sure was a :hot: one this year, wasn't it? Well, now that is almost passed us, we can enjoy going outdoors again. I got lots of green beans from my barrels, and cherry tomatoes from my hanging plants; and will surely try them again next year.

We hope to add some LILAC BUSHES along the back lane as a natural fence so we can avoid all the rocks back there. They will look & smell pretty and they are one of my favorite bushes. I thought we had one here, but turns out they are something else; one is a pink honeysuckle and the other, I still haven't found the name for yet. It has tiny, light purple flowers near the top but they aren't lilacs (they have no scent and they only put blossoms in the top of the bush). :shrug:

Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend; and a Superbly Serene September ... :D

Bad news today was that I didn't get any exercise and I went over my calories by about 700 at the bbq I went to.

But I had a pleasant day today and I'm in good spirits. Lots to be thankful for!
#1- my back pain improved a lot overnight. It's about 80% better. Walked upright today
#2- lost another pound. officially lost 30 lbs total now. earned another cheerleader below. yay!
#3- got to go to a bbq with old friends I haven't seen in a while and got to go to scrapbooking club today. busy but fun day! And it was beautiful weather. 75 degrees and sunny


Looking forward to getting back to the y tomorrow and my routine and beginning my Sept goals!

Good job Laura! 30 lbs is amazing!!

I have not been doing well at updating. I have been on the Metabolism Miracle diet now for 4 weeks and I am really liking it....well...if one can LIKE a diet :)

Any how, I am experiencing something I don't ever recall feeling before and that is total satisfaction (most of the time), after eating a meal. I feel full and satisfied not needing to eat. Odd feeling but one that makes me understand that the diet is working.
I have only lost 2.6 lbs if we look at the average for the weeks, but I have lost inches. I was to measure and I have lost 2 inches on my bust, 1.5 inches on my bra line, 2 inches at my waist and an inch on my hips.

I don't feel much thinner but I think I am headed in the right direction. 4 more weeks on Step 1. I hope to see more results by then. I"d like to see the scale move more. I will start back with Zumba this week since it restarts, but only meets one time a week, so I need to try and take some small walks during the rest of the week.

we have HOT day again today, 106 !! Not supposed to last long, in the next few days it will cool off again, but it is dry dry dry, need some rain!:flow1::rain: can't wait for some wonderful fall weather around here!

yesterday and today went great. today my mama came with me to the Y and worked out with me. It was fun showing her around since she's joining on Saturday. Her new excitement renews my own excitement. And I'm doing so good on my Sept goals already. It's TOM but I'm trying to drink lots of water so I hope I don't retain too much. I weigh again Thurs and I'm hoping for 298 so we'll just have to see.

take care y'all

I'm doing good, just checking in. Hope everyone is well.

:wave: LAURA ~ that's nice that your mother is going to join you going to the Y; that will make it all that much more fun too. You are almost there; I'd bet you'll reach twosieland by the end of this week most likely the way you have been going. :D

NELLY ~ glad you are enjoying your plan and have fun with that rumba. I love to do chair dancing to Christian music. It doesn't really feel like exercise to me when I'm doing it becuz I'm having so much fun singing and bouncing away ... :lol:

We had a :hot: one today; in the 80's F but it kinda felt hotter with the humidity. Still, I spent lots of time outdoors early on watering my berry plants. I ate my first two raspberries off my own plants and lots are getting ready to ripen soon (I hope).

I had deli chicken breast for dinner the last two days with salad & veggies; still have a bit of chicken left for tomorrow's lunch if I want to. I was thinking that I like chicken so much that I'm gonna start to look like one soon; then I thought that maybe if I eat more fish that I might start to look like a nice, slim fish -- hmmm, I wonder if there's any truth to that? You know -- becuz they say -- you are what you eat!!! :)

Anywho ~ I can always dream, can't I? Hope you are all having a lovely week so far. Take good care now ... :flow2:

I am up one pound today. I had a calorie high weekend but am now back on track again. I will have to increase my exercise to make up for this pound. I'm not going to beat myself up over this because this is just life.

I am still connecting with my buddy and we both see changes in ourselves not only physically but emotionally as well. We are seeing our need for snacking not being as strong as it once was.

Laura: I'm glad your mom is going with you. Like you said her enthusiam will give you more incentive also. It's also nice to have someone to exercise with and to hold you accountable.

Rosebud: You are too funny! If what you say is true I should start looking green with all the veggies I've been eating!

things are good here, hope y'all are well. I have my lil nephew Aiden (age 2&1/2) to take care of from about 8 am till midnight starting yesterday and going thru 9/23. It challenges me to budget my time and I have to take him with me to workout so I can't do it for 3 hours like I want. So I took him yesterday for 50 mins and today 1 hr and 20 mins. So I took him to the park to walk and run and play so I could keep moving. I think we'll take the puppy for a walk in a while. Now I just gotta figure out dinner. Not quite used to having a puppy and toddler in tow all day long. My usual routine just doesn't translate to having a little guy. It would be tempting to stay home and watch cartoons and feed him happy meals but if it isn't on my diet it isn't going to be on his. And I don't want my weightloss to stall because I am not getting the same workouts. We watered my tomatoes earlier and he harvested all the red ones. And a couple green ones too, oops. Ok, take care everyone. Naptime is about over. Time for Auntie Lolo to get moving.

Laura, Fried green tomatoes are really yummy !

WILMA ~ me too; I eat a lot of veggies these days as well! :)

LAURA ~ hey, this is good practice for down the road when you have your own kiddies ... ;)

BARGOO ~ I've never tried fried green tomatoes, but I wouldn't be surprised if I like them though.


We had a good day yesterday; got lots done around here. Errands done and picked up a few groceries via DH and his cool bike. I went out for a walk again last evening. I am still getting lots of cherry tomatoes off my hanging plants. BTW, they are called TUMBLING TOMS. The temps dropped here quite a bit, so I may bring the plants indoors for the nights this week, but they say it will warm up again as the week goes along. Eating is going very well too; we had homemade chz burgers last night. Tonight will likely be fish and salad, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone ... :flow2:

Been trying , well cannot say trying when I goof up all the time and don't do what I am aiming on doing like counting my calories. I just don't understand why I cannot get that down. Since I fell 3 times and wreaked on my bike I just have not felt like exercise and scared of the bike , was going to sale it but it looks like it got ran over by a truck, don't know if anyone would want it. Well as you see can not sleep there goes my 8 hour sleep. Gotta finish some dishes.

BOOTSIE ~ there are other ways you can keep track -- just do the NO DIET-DIET PORTION PLAN I shared with you all here some time ago. Your life is so busy. Forget counting calories; forget counting carbs. Just have one serving of each thing (except veggies & salad -- they are unlimited) for each meal or snack. That is so EZ-PZY! The weightloss may be slower, but it is so much easier to stick with and is much simpler too.

Sorry to hear about your bike accident; give it some time, and you may get over your fears. We will pray about this for you. We bought my DH a cute 3-wheel bike for his 65th birthday -- he loves it! It cannot tip over (his last one always did that on him). It is stable and he just zooms all over the place in it. The kiddies tell him how cool it is, becuz this one has those higher handle bars like they had in the 70's on the banana bikes. Do you remember those?

Anyhow, it is a bright, bright red with a huge white basket in the back. He goes up town for me at least once a week and does errands & pick-ups for me. He can bring back at least 4 bags of groceries in it, but usually he just gets 1 or 2 at a time. Then in between, he does his runs with it for fun.

Do you not have a dishwasher? You are such a busy lady, it would be so nice if you had one. Maybe your DH would get you one for Christmas. I don't use mine unless we have lots of company becuz I don't have as much to do as you do. If I had to work full-time and do all that you do, I probably would use mine more. You have so much on your plate. I'm so glad that you popped by for a visit; -- don't be a stranger, we love to hear from you.:hug:

Well, my eating has been going very well this month so far; and I am very pleased about that. Today, I am making chicken & riblets for dinner with some of our very own green beans plus some baby carrots & new potatoes. It smells very yummy in here. I may also baked up some more apples like a light apple crisp (and you know, lite on the crisp part). ;)

Yesterday, was a big fish day for me: toasted tuna/tomato for lunch; and baked sole + a few tators + coleslaw for dinner. Friday, we had homemade lean chzburgers for our fun meal. I had a veggie pita pizza for lunch today. For breakfast, I had an egg + bacon + one toast & coffee, of course. Yesterday, I had a medium bagel + PB; and Friday, I had an eggmuffin (that is, an english muffin with one egg with chz/ketchup).

I often have a banana or orange with my first coffee of the day, or for my morning snack, or with my breakfast if it is low in calories. Just thought I would share what I am eating this month, just in case anyone finds it helpful in any way.

Hope you all have a Super Serene Sunday ... :hug:

Just got through breaking up a fight two of my pet male cats pickin on a 18 year old lady cat boy was I hot! They should be ashamed of themselves !:devil: Ethel my new dog got brave or really forgot about claws and helped me break em up!She is so sweet just love her.:hug: She even sleeps with me at night time . My dishwasher has been broke for years ,hard water around here but thankful for it!:smug: Been going through my brothers boxes today and it sure gets depressing but i need to get it done.:(

hi everyone,
all is good here. just checking in. hope everyone had a good weekend. looks like its gonna rain a lil here. guess taking the kiddo to the park tomorrow isn't gonna be the best idea so I think I'll work on a plan B. Ah, library will work! Nite everyone.

oh yeah, progress on my Sept goals:
weightloss goal of 13 lbs... 3 down, 10 to go.
miles goal is 100... 51.25 miles down and 48.75 to go
60 hours of cardio... 16.25 done, 43.75 to go
I'm really pleased with that since I have almost 3 wks left to work at it

Rosebud, I want to come to your hiose to eat, my meals sound so boring compared to yours. I do eat a banana every day, though. I put it in a smoothie , I do it for the potassium. I like fish, too, and will probably have some today.

BARGOO ~ :lol: Thanks, I try to make meals that we really enjoy. I want this to be a long-term lifestyle change, so this is a must for me; and so far, it's working well. I took our family favorites & just made them healthier. There was no revolt in this house (by DH or any of my family or friends either). It took some experimenting, but I've tweaked & tweaked until I found lots of variety. This strategy has helped me to stick to my plan so much better too. :)


LAURA ~ you are doing great with your short-term goals; I love your list of the things you want to achieve. It's so positive and helps to re-inforce a positive attitude too. Congrats to you on your many mini-successes. :D

Well, today I had leftovers from last night for lunch; and we had some Homemade Texas Chili that I had made before and put in the freezer. I am planning to do the same with some pasta meat sauce next; and since the weather is getting cooler, I'll be making some pots of soup soon too. I like to be able to just take something Homemade out of the freezer when in a hurry.

Hope you all have a wonderful week ... :flow2:

Rosebud Texas Chili sounds good , though I like cornbread with mine and mashed potatoes. Been a long day so tired . Worked in my shop and read letters from my Mother to my brother, it is so nice to have something from my Mother to hang on too. She died when I was 21. Got a call from cousins cheered me up just love them and a gift in the mail from them!

thanks rosebud!

I'm so tired today ladies. But excited that tomorrow my mom is gonna watch Aiden so I can work out alone. I hope to put a few hours in. My arms are a little sore from my strength training. Food was good today. I only had around 1300 calories but it felt like more. Only got to do a little over an hr of cardio today.

Wanted to fix my Grandmothers house up but was told if I did the taxes would go up, they are already high enough, so I guess i will let it slowly rot to the ground. Why does the world have to be like that when you are trying to do something good?

Another way to look at it, Bootsie. If you ever decide to sell it , it will get you a better price if you do some fixing up.

BOOTSIE ~ you need to look into that more becuz I am sure that cosmetic improvements like a little paint, wallpaper, and trim won't cause the taxes to go up. I read the letter from our assessment division and they said major structural repairs/changes are what cause the taxes to go up (i.e. like a new porch, adding a room, etc). Since the house is older that should make a difference too.

I am honestly shocked how much our taxes are for our place; esp since it's an older home too and it hasn't had any major changes in a mega-years. I can't even imagine what the taxes on a new place would be. Our taxes went up this year but not becuz of any changes to our place -- it was just becuz they wanted more money.

Like BARGOO says, what you do could make a difference in the sale price; you need to compare that against the gain in the resale value. You could likely recoup that when you sell it anyways; and if you keep the repairs simple, there may not be any increase at all. It really depends on what you do to it. I would check into it before making a final decision. :hug:

BTW, about the Chili -- I skip all the extras to save calories, but DH has bread or toast with his too. ;)

LAURIE ~ you are eating less calories than me; I don't go that low becuz my blood sugar levels would dip too low and I would be too hungry if I did (I tried that and it didn't feel good; dizzy spells are not wise). :nono:

Speaking of that; our dinner is ready (Pacific Wild Salmon with barley/rice and veggie mix and a salad). Have a great evening ... :flow2:

Yes, to this. I believe this is what I have heard as well.Check into what they actually use to determine tax value. I know ours takes into consideration very very general condition of the house as well. Look into it, it might be you could do some things and the value wouldn't change much if at all.

I checked into it today and yes the taxes go up because any improvements make it more valuable. Stinks ! It just is backwards to me now I know why people let all those buildings go that i seen riding on my trip I seen and could not understand why ,now I do!

I don't want to sale my Grandmothers home, I feel so much at peace there. What I want to do is fix it up in case of an emergency like the fire we had out here and burnt houses up , where we are another family would have a place to stay till they rebuilt, have Christmas and Thanksgiving there with my side of the family. My cousins may come visit and they would have their own place to stay , so many things. My heart is there, Christmas, Thanksgiving most of all Sunday dinners, Mama and Daddy , my Grandmother , my Uncle , my sisters and their families lived in that house at one time or another and it deeply saddens me that they punish people for trying to make things better. No common sense at all, I never want to sell it and I don't want it to slowly die either. I made the yard beautiful I hope that does not raise the taxes...geee. I have a big decision to make to do or not to do and i so much want to do, but I just need to think on it.

I agree that it's not right to increase taxes for properties that are being improved cosmetically. It sure doesn't give incentive to keep your place looking nice.

I have lost the pound I gained last week. Up and down! I have been eating properly and staying within my calorie allowances this week so hopefully I will show a loss next week!

Hubbie and I talked it over and i am going to go ahead and fix the outside up as soon as my contractor can get to it. The place means a lot to me and when something means something to you need to take care of it or get rid of it so it will be took care of. Not ready to part with it. Besides who knows what tomorrow will bring may need a place to stay temporally don't think town could stand me to long, I am too country.

sorry I haven't been checking in. we have had a chaotic few days. minor emergencies to deal with. I think I've explained I am caring for my 2 yr old nephew for 3 weeks because my sister and her husband run 4 booths at the fair. (our fair here is very large, one of the biggest in the US) I also am puppy-sitting for my sis's MIL who has her own booth. My sis called in a panic on thurs because my 24 yr old nephew (one of her booth workers) felt like he was gonna have a seizure. He's epileptic. So I rushed across town to get him. He had a grand-mal seizure at home. Had to have my mom leave work early to help with the toddler during all this. And my nephew's girlfriend, also working a booth, had a breakdown of sorts. I had to make a second trip to the fair to pick her up too because she just wasn't able to handle the stress and worry. When my sis brought them up from California to Washington we did not know her needs. She has some emotional instability issues in addition to a mild form of autism (Asberghers. Spelling?) So along with watching the puppy who isn't trained, a 2 yr old, playing nurse on seizure watch, we also had to help the girlfriend navigate through a breakdown. Had to stop her from swallowing a bunch of pills. It was just a lot to deal with at once. But the crisis is over now. They both went back to work at the fair today and I got caught up on everything I'd fallen behind on. I haven't gotten to work out except walking and I'm looking forward to getting back to the Y tomorrow.

Anyway, I just wanted to explain my absence and say I'm back. I managed to keep the stress eating to a minimum. Thats a success in my book. Nite, y'all. Oh yeah, lost another pound today. yay!

Laura bless your heart , you work so hard , and a caring heart, so glad everyone is alright and you got caught up. That is one thing I think I will never get caught up! We went to a reunion today then to a car derby and sold tickets from 4 to 9:30 and I am so tired had to come home and feed the animals, gee... someone was suppose to take our place at 7PM but no show and I am wondering if they are alright. We went by my Grandmothers house and her red flowers are fixing to bloom ! It is going to be beautiful when they bloom! We also got a 4.5 inch rain! YEAH!!!

LAURA ~ wow, you had a lot on your plate for sure; I'm glad that you didn't stress eat. You are stronger than you know, girl; and it's so nice that you are there for your family. What a blessing you are for them!

BOOTSIE ~ I'm so happy about all the :rain: you are getting down there; have been praying about that. I bet your flowers look wonderful. You are a busy lady too; may GOD bless you with strength and peace. I understand why you don't want to sell your grandmother's place; it could be a much-needed sanctuary away from home for you and yours.

We finally had some :sunny: yesterday and today, it is supposed to be warmer too. I can see the leaves are changing on the trees already to yellow, gold, and a wine red -- so pretty though. Fall comes earlier here than the calendar allows for. ;)

Eating has been going super this month -- PRZ GOD! I am baking a whole chicken with lots of veggies for dinner tonight; plus some apples for dessert too (with a handful of raisins & a little maple syrup & cinnamon). It is low calorie but oh, so yum ... :D

Hope you all have a Superbly Serene Sunday today ... :flow2:

Wow-such a stressful few weeks for us and for some of you all as well. Satan's definitely on the move, but our God is moving, as well, and we know Who wins in all this!

Rosebud-I second that I want to have dinner at your house!

Laura-I think your friends and family must count you as one of their greatest blessings. Sounds like you kept a very cool head in a couple stressful situations. God bless you!

Bootsie-you've gotten more rain that we've had all summer! I know how you feel about your grandma's house. It's sad that the gov't makes you pay to try to keep things in shape. We're on the other end right now-our tax value has gone down, which doesn't help when you want to sell, but the assessment value is much less than what we have into the place. And, we definitely don't have one of those sub-prime McMansion homes-we only paid 70,000, but the tax value has dropped to 50,000 now:(

Wilma-I'm still having such good luck with my 'diet' buddy. I think it's because we knew each other in high school, went our own ways, but have faced this struggle alone for so long, and didn't know how much it would help to have someone who came from the same place to share the journey with.
I'm so glad you shared your success with us!

The last 3 weeks have been so incredibly stressful, but God has worked and worked and DH goes back to work tomorrow! DS3 got his driver's license on his 16th birthday on Wednesday, then ended up with a broken windshield after football practice on Thursday, when someone threw a football at his truck, so, thank goodness, DH has his job back! Would have been nice if the kid who did it would have come forward and offered to help with the expense, but that just doesn't seem to happen anymore.

I was applying for jobs right and left when DH was fired, but haven't even gotten a phone call on any of them-makes me feel kinda unwanted, but I'm going to try to take a class for substitute teaching authorization, then maybe work on a teaching cert. in the future. Of course, still homeschooling DS3 for another year and a half, so I guess it's ok to not have a job, for now.

With the exception of a cold, cough, sinus, and eye infections, I've been feeling so much better since finding out about the wheat and dairy allergies and getting the stuff out of my diet! I seem to lose weight effortlessly now and rarely get hungry. I just eat when we decide it's time to eat and make myself wheat- and dairy-free brownies when I want a special snack. I don't even seem to have to count calories, as I get full much faster and don't have cravings, especially not for carbs! I need to go have some testing done, but had to cancel that appt. when we lost our insurance. Now that the insurance will be reinstated, I'll be able to reschedule and find out for sure if there are any other food allergies I need to watch for.

Well, must go and see if DH wants some dinner. Take care and have a great evening!

thanks guys! That is such wonderful encouragement because I'm pretty much out of steam these days. I am being pulled in a dozen different directions. I'm thankful Mom has been around all weekend to help me out. The nephew/girlfriend aren't going to be finishing out this 3 week long fair so I just have to entertain them for a couple more days till I can get them on a train to go home. Your kind words really help when I am feeling like chief cook & bottle washer, chauffeur, and Cinderella all rolled into one! It's just a couple more days. Although getting them acrossed town on Tues to the train station means I have to reschedule an appointment I've had on my calendar for a month.
My mom watched the kiddo today so I could work out alone. I did 45 mins of strength training and 2.5 hrs of cardio. I'm tired but I feel great. Got to take yoga for the 1st time since the fair started. I needed that.
Oh, just 1 more week of this fair business. Can't wait to get back to my routine.

LAURA: I got stressed just reading your posts! You are handling it very well. You are a very caring person.

Ronni: I'm glad your buddy is working well for you. Mine is too. The weight is coming off very slowly but it is coming off. My buddy and I post what we eat each night. I need to start posting the exercise instead. I think (no, I know) that I will lose faster if I did.

Rosebud: It's gotten pretty cold here this week. It's hard to take after the hot summer we've had. We don't have those lovely autumn reds here in Manitoba. I've been to Ontario twice during Thanksgiving and I couldn't get over the beauty. Enjoy!

Bootsie: What kind of flowers are set to bloom this time of year?

Wilma they are somekind of Iris my Grandmother planted years ago . So they are sort of a gift in Springtime and Fall from her, they are just beautiful. Maybe get back over there before they die out, but they will be back. You know I can not find a diet Buddy that will stick with it and encourage me except on line. gotta go feed hubbie he is wheat free too Ronni!

Bootsie: It's tough to find someone who sticks with it. At least you do have us here! I'd be happy to be your buddy if you want. Are you on facebook at all? I private message my buddy there each day. If you want to do this private message me here with your name and I'll find you on facebook.

RONNIE ~ PRAIZE GOD, PRAIZE GOD, PRAIZE GOD ... that was sure fast; we were praying for you on the weekend about this as I was worried about your financial situation. Congrats to DS3 on getting his license on the first try; that is fantastic! Glad you have found out your issues and are now seeing the scale come down. That's 3 awesome blessings from GOD -- you were way overdo! :hug:

BOOTSIE ~ those flowers are German Double-Blooming Irises; they bloom spring and fall. I had some spring blooming ones at the last place we lived but I'd love to get some doubles for here. I know Vesey's carries them, and I hope to get some in a bright color that would look good here.

I have a friend in Southern Ontario who I buddy with through email. She used to live here but we lost contact when she moved away (they moved around a lot). About 2 years ago, she saw a relative on facebook and asked if I would contact her. In our case, we write to each other 1-2 times a week. She has always had to battle her weight too, so we have a lot in common that way. I do eat less complex carbs & dairy than I did before, but I have to find a balance. Yesterday afternoon, I felt nauseated; so we prayed, then I took an aspirin, and I ate 1/4 cup canned baked beans. Within a very short time, I felt much better.

WILMA ~ that's true; it takes some getting used to the chilly, cold weather we get here every fall but I won't complain as GOD blesses us every year with spring & latter rains, so our grass and most of my flowers are still green and my rose peonies (the bush ones) are still producing flowers, albeit much slower right now. :)

LAURIE ~ glad things will be easing off for you very soon.

You know, ladies -- I make these meals the simplest way possible. I take a medium roasting pan, put in the whole chicken or roast, then surround it with whatever veggies I have on hand (fresh or in the freezer); top with some herbs & spices, and about 2 cups water. Pop it in the oven at 375 F and let the stove do all the work. I do that every Sunday now that the hot weather is gone; then we eat the leftovers over the next few days and for soups. In the summer, I use my crockpot or have something quick.

We have more :rain: here again today; but we had lovely :sunny: for 2 days in between. Have a great week everyone ... :D

That is awesome you know your flowers so well Rosebud! If I can find what I did with my camera gonna take a picture of the place and see if I can get it on here. I am trying to find someone to do the electric work and plumbing in the house. To me it is like a cottage so small but so full of love.
Wilma will email you, yes I am on Facebook.
Well I did something never done before today and that is I shot an automatic pistol with some friends and it was fun trying to hit the target. Was afraid of the gun at first but once I got the hang of it loved it! Saturday I go to a class to get my license. All I really want to do is learn safety and carry it with me when I walk in the back of the pasture never know what is gonna pop out at you.

BOOTSIE ~ wow, talk about going for the brass ring; you are taking on the world! Kudos to you, girl! I admire your spunk. I understand the dangers where you live with the cougars and coyotes, etc. You know, I took ARCHERY in high school and loved it too. We have a club here that does PAINT-BALL SHOOTING at targets, etc. Sometimes the paint splats on them too so they have to wear protective outfits and gear; but I bet they have lots of fun. :)

Rosebud When Hubbie opened the feed store this morning he said the coyotes were across the road howling about 100 yards. I practiced again tonight getting better an better but I am kinda concerned if I have an object running toward me to attack ,could I hit it! Not so sure?