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

A 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.

Well people, they say that this is the month of ... So may GOD rain His everlasting, pure sweet LOVE, down upon us -- like a soothing, liquid balm to comfort us, and to heal all our hurts, and to restore our good health, all throughout this fabulous month of February ...


We had a good day here; just doing stuff around home. I spent my afternoon doing some prayers on another prayer group; so many needs these days, everywhere. Then I did some reading while dinner cooked in the oven: we had leftover deli bbq spit chicken and homemade potato scallop with onions & carrots, and that was sure yum ...

Sending up some ^prayers^ for our BOOTSIE and her beloved furry girl, SAUSAGE, at this time. That angel is 19 years young; and been a wonderful friend and worker for Bootsie all those years. We also pray that her DH, David, is feeling better too.

I included my BIL, TOM M, in the Current Prayer List on the first page of the Prayer Warrior's thread as well -- for some continued prayers, as both he and his wife, can use them on a long-term basis ... thanks in advance.

BTW, I sure hope all the NEWBIES that joined us last month make their way back to visit us again this month; it was so nice have them along ...

Hope all our friends are having a wonderful weekend; and keep warm now, cuz it's cold out there -- well, where we live it is ...

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful week. Sorry I wasn't around much. Things were really hectic at work and at home. I didn't have much of a chance to even contemplate turning on my computer when I got home last week. LOL!

I am having a bit of a bout of insomnia tonight, which explains my posting at 3AM. Not sure why, but it is what it is. We went to bed really early last night though (around 8:30PM). I'm not used to going to bed so early. That may have something to do with it, since I normally only get 6 hours of sleep a night.

Good Morning Rosebud, thank you for the prayers. My husbands shingles spread some last night think he needs to call the doctor and get some more medicine. I am fixing to go see how Sausage is doing , bless my dear friends heart. She stays out in our barn and if i did put her in the house she would be crazy that would be like me going to a rest home to her ,she needs her freedom in this time of life, she deserves it and anything she wants to eat. Thankful for God sending us some cooler weather for she loves the cooler weather for some reason she just cannot stand being hot, she spent the biggest part of last year in a little swimming pool for children. , though I did put a light blanket over her and she has a warm sleeping bag to lay on, for it felt cold to me! I would want my last days to be the place i love the most and she loves the barn and the yard. When there is no chance of rain will move her to the yard. Well best go and see about my friend. Have a wonderful Sunday and a HAPPY new week!

I helped Sausage walk to outside, while it is not raining. Went in to make her a chicken pot pie for she just loves em; looked back out and she had went back into the barn! She was nibbling on her chicken pot pie when I left, gotta go feed the rest of my critters. Brought Rufuss (cat) back in for he picks on Sausage and weighed him ,he has gained a pound, now weighs 26 pounds! Gee! I thought he would loose weight staying outside.

BOOTSIE ~ that's it -- spoil her with all her favorite things; we did the same with our SWEETIE & PIN PIN over their last days. They loved hot dogs (among other things), so they had them for dinner, and just loved that. Glad Sausage is holding her own today; and sent up some specific prayers for your DH too ...

WOW, that's a big cat! We had an adorable kitty (almost full grown) come by our place late last night; just after 1 AM -- I think she is lost. She does have a cute pink collar and looks well-fed but seemed to think this was her place (maybe she lived here before?). Of course, NIKO went bonkers barking his head off which got her mewing, so had to put him in the bedroom. Well, she disappeared about 5 minutes after that. Well, I just saw her across the street; looks like she spent the night in the neighbour's shed. I'll get DH to put a bowl of food out on the front porch just in case it takes awhile for her to realize where she lives again.

HMWB ~ glad you were able to drop by; don't worry, we know that life happens and you can get really busy. Yes, if I go to bed too early one night, then I am up late or early the next day too. DH goes to bed early, but I usually go a bit later, although I often do a devotion, a puzzle, and read a bit before I go to sleep.

I figured out how to use my new portable phones today; finally heard my answering machine messages and deleted them. One wasn't even for me ~ this lady keeps calling here and we have the same first name, but I don't know her. I told her that she had the wrong number many times, but some people just don't want to listen ...

One was my DAD, but he called back today; that's how I knew he had called. So I figured I'd better learn how to use it correctly; I even set the right time -- it wasn't that hard once I looked at the manual ... That was really nice of NUMPSTER & her DH to buy them for us; what a couple of Angels ... and that Floor Whizzer (sweeper) too ... awesome!!!

Well, since we had chicken last night for dinner, we are having baked fish & chips & coleslaw tonight (that's what we usually have on Saturday nights around here). Nice and ez for the house chef ...

Have a great week everyone ...

Hi, everyone! Visiting here on our old, old laptop, so hope this actually posts when I'm done! Right now, I've got the desktop computer backing up our entire hard-drive just in case we have a terminal failure, which could happen any time based on some of the weird things that it keeps doing. Guess we're gonna have to use some of our tax refund for a new computer--probably overdue, since the one we have is 6 years old now and I guess most people don't expect one to last more than about 3 years. So.....rats!

Rosebud-how do you make your baked fish and chips? Is the fish breaded? I love baked fish, especially unbreaded, but DH likes breaded, of course So, ideally, I need to learn how to make a healthy version of both that can be baked at the same time-lol!

Bootsie-You're in my prayers--I know how hard it is to lose our furry friends. Your Sausage knows how much you love her.

Not much going on here the last few days. Watched the big game last night. Had a nice church service yesterday, too. Baked about 15 dozen chocolate chip cookies on Saturday-some are being sent by our church to the college and military kids of church families, but a few too many are being eaten by us! Sent a box of them to DS2 also, so he'd have some extras-he's kinda picky, so he ends up sharing most of what the church sends with the other boys in the dorm. They all appreciate all the treats they get, you know!

Took Mom to her psychologist visit today and then got the back-up hard-drive. But, didn't try to do any other shopping, because it's too hard on her. Really praying her pain doesn't get any worse before her hip appt. on the 28th.

Well, I'm gonna get going now. Hope you all have a great evening!

RONNI ~ I have made both: breaded and unbreaded; and most of the time now, I just buy it that way. DH likes the English or Beer Battered "Fillets" -- so I get those for him, and get myself the breaded. If I am making Salmon or other plain fillets (like sole, cod, etc), I put them in a glass casserole with some seasonings & water or soup broth (I make my own with the soup bases). Mushroom soup base/broth is nice, but I can only get that at the bulk food store. Sometimes I put in a bit of onion, salt & peppa.

One of our favorites is to put the fish fillets on the bottom of a glass casserole dish, and sprinkle a homemade crumble over top; then bake at 350 F for about 35-45 minutes (I cover it with foil to keep from drying out too much). For the crumb mix, you can use bread crumbs or wg crackers, and add 1-2 tbl Parmesan cheese too (season to taste).

I have made fresh fish with minced onion, 1 tbl soya sauce, 1 tbl lemon juice, and salt & pepper ... BUT, our favorite is dry-fried in a bit of oil/margarine in chunks that have been rolled in a flour & seasoned salt mix. You have to use a fairly firm & dry fish for that though (like cod, haddock, pike, pickerel). Fish is getting really expensive here, so we have to watch for sales, or send DH fishing ...

Sometimes, I buy the bagged tators (DH's favorite), or some other kind he likes (we both like the seasoned ones with the skins on). I have made baked real potato fries in a bit of oil but found they can turn to mush too easily ... so more often, I dry fry them in a non=stick skillet with a bit of oil (1 tbl) only. I just make sure that I have only a serving (about 100 calories worth) to stay on plan. I always have salad with mine.

I make a mix of homemade foods & purchased items for taste & convenience, if they are on for a good price (otherwise, I make my own). We usually only have fish for dinner once a week; and once for lunch (ie tuna or salmon).

Hope you get your PC woes fixed up; I am so glad I now have a back-up for this one (our desktop, which I am using right now). I bought a laptop for a really good price last summer. You can get some really good deals on PCs these days; a lot better than in years past. They know that students need them for school, so the prices have come down quite a bit recently ...

Have a great evening everyone ...

Hi Ronnie! She must because she ate all her pork roast this morning and seems to be getting a little better. Don't know if I imagining that are not. I can not get any medicine down her she bit me 3 times now, trying and spit it out, and she does, but when i squell she lets go of my fingers! i went to Bertram and worked on cleaning my grandmothers house up my brother left me ,picked up 4 bags of large trash and still not finished. Bless his heart he saved everything I guess to recycle it. I took some artificial flowers to make it look pretty and loved. i need to take a Bible over there every house needs one, especially my Grandmothers home.

BOOTSIE ~ I'm glad that SAUSAGE is feeling better. I had to be really sneaky with our Sweetie giving her meds becuz she wouldn't take them if she sensed or tasted them either (once had to hide her antibiotics in a tsp of jam). I'm glad that your brother left you your grandmother's house -- will you be using it for a home away from home and/or a guest house? Sounds like a plan ... Hope Bertram isn't too far away from where you live now.


It's nice & here today, but the temps have gone way down to -17 C (or about 0 F) here. It should warm up for a couple of days and then we have another cold one. We've been spoiled this winter, so we can't complain really. Time has been flying by for us since we moved into our own house; there's always something to do, but we love that. Here we are in February already, so only a couple of months of winter left now ...

Well, that kitty is still hanging around our place; I think either her family has gone away and left her outside (sadly, this is all too common) or she can't remember where she lives. She looks like she is about 1 year old, give or take a little. My Dad said to put some food out for her so she won't starve at least. SHe made herself a little home under the bottom of our house; there's a little alcove where she is out of the elements, and can get some warmth from the basement. Today, she was following DH all over the place and basking in the . She may find her way back home eventually ...

Last night, we had steak & veggies for dinner; I had steak and DH had his pork chop, which I cook in the same pan with stir-fry veggies (mushrooms, onions, etc). I made some new potatoes & other veggies to go with them also. Tonight, will be a less fancy meal -- Dh likes to have his favorite Chicken Super Dogs once a week, so he will have those tonight. I will likely have a chicken burger & a salad. I cook them in the same pan to save dishes/time ...

Have a great day ...

Bootsie: My thoughts and prayers are with you. I once had to say goodbye to a dear dog that we had for 14 years. She followed me everywhere and never judged my bad moods.

I've had a good week. I've started exercising each morning. I started with a small amount of time and am building the time each day. I find that if I tell myself that it won't be for a long time I get started and once I started I want to do more. Wierd isn't it how one can fool themselves?

With DH on the road a lot I am busy quilting after work. I have to get it finished before grandbaby #2 enters our family in late March/early April. I must admit that I do like winters here because I have an excuse to sit and quilt in the evenings. Come spring and summer I really should be outside more.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful week!

HI WILMA ~ yes, it really can be "mind over matter" can't it? I can recall that happening a lot. You say to yourself, "ah, I don't feel like doing that" -- but when you push yourself to do it, you end up enjoying it and are glad you did ...

I do stretches & toning exercises every morning for 20-30 minutes a day; then I do other stuff later on; plus hand-weights 3 x times a week; and a few more toners & flexers just before bed too. It is starting to become a good habit now; and I am thankful for that.

Yes, I did have my chicken burger & salad for dinner tonight. These are very lean chicken patties that are only 145 calories each -- very healthy & tastey. I'm glad I stocked up, cuz the store that had them are now sold out. Just when I find something healthy & economical, they can't get it anymore.

Have a great evening everyone ...

Bootsie , when I had to give my dog meds I would bury it inside a hot dog, no problem , he scarfed it right down and never noticed the pill.

Rosebud you know me so well and you don't even know me! Yes that is exactly what I plan to do with my Grandmothers house unless my dear daughter and family want to move back then they have a place to go. With the fire so close to us that destroyed all those homes it is good to have a place to go if need be. It is going to require a lot of work and money to get her back into shape but the yard is done. Now I can keep it mowed. I feel so much at home there when I do go I don't want to leave.
I sneaked an aspirn in some hamburger this morning and gave Sausage . She looked at it looked around and a cat headed toward it and she grabbed it right quick before the cat could get it and she ate a whole can of dog food for Breakfast. She walked into the barn tonight with my help and stood with out my help and drunk water, I am hoping the aspirin helps her get going, my vet told me to give her with food one a day, but have not for if she thinks I put some medicine in her food she will not eat it. I think her smeller is off today for she ate it. I pray when God decides to take her he does it quick. Thank you so much for the prayers for her, God is so listening to you.

I have been havng some problems for the last several weeks, medical in nature. I have had tests and more test, waiting for results.