God is über-Good!

We all know that, right? Well, there are other times when we actually experience it... even in the little things. This was actually a fabulous weekend... after a pretty good week, too.

Allow me to share. :o) The other week, I was looking for a devotional book to download on the reader app for my iPhone, and I went back to a tried and true favorite. You can actually read his devotionals every day online, but I wanted something that I would have with me everywhere, and the electronic version was really cheap, so I bought it.

Here's where the God part comes in!!!

I have my options set up online for one-click buying. In other words, I don't have to go through a bunch of annoying steps to make my purchase. I just click on one link, and I'm done. Off to the download. So, that's what I did. One click. Download. Then, I saw what I did not expect. TWO books downloading. Both of which I apparently purchased somehow... unintentionally. No surprise to God, though, and OH-so-worth the second, also cheap price. I don't even know how it happened, except that God intended for me to have it. Both books had such a similar title that they had both showed up in my search results. I love this second book, though! I am actually wondering how I made it this far in my spiritual journey without ever reading anything from this man. His writing is completely amazing! Direct! Cut-to-the core. Challenging, yet easy to understand. IMHO, something that every Christian, without exception, needs to read!!! Another interesting fact... he was born a mere 51.1 miles from my home town! Of course, that was 114 years ago. I imagine the place looked different back then. Still. Cool. :o)

Then, this weekend. Y'all know how much D.T. loves to cook, right? Well, he loves to grill, too, and grill he HAS! We bought our grill 3 or 4 years ago, and we have used it well. I do mean, REALLY well. Now, spring is coming (YAY!!!) and we need to be prepared to contribute to our weight loss efforts with some yummy (and healthy) grilled favorites! So, we needed some new grill plates, because the old ones had pieces of metal coming off onto our food.




Yuck. Gross. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of our grill went out of business. It figures. So, off we headed to our local home improvement store with one of our yucky grill plates in hand (in a plastic bag, of course) so we could compare the size to any other grill plates they might have in stock. Not much luck, though. Nothing really matched, and if it even came close to being the right size, it wasn't the kind of material we wanted. We were hoping to find something cast iron since everything ceramic-coated quickly deteriorates and leaves off it's... well... coating. Alas, they had none. Except... that a sales person was very helpful and offered to look through their leftovers. Their spare parts. Until he found three smaller (to match the total size of our two bigger) grill plates that were, in fact, cast iron (woohoo!) and that he said we could have for... get this... NOTHING. Nada. Free. Can you believe it? He GAVE them to us, and walked us right out the front door.




Wow. God is good, regardless of whatever happens in our lives... but He also really showed His goodness to us this weekend. We certainly didn't want or need to pay for new grill plates. We had just returned from spending money on our upcoming trip to Romania, on a few new clothes for Mr. Skinny, and on some organizational things that make me über-happy. :o)

Our other shoe rack just wasn't big enough to fit
all of both of our shoes.
So, we bought this one for his shoes. Hehehe! :o)


Look! Now, there aren't any more shoes
piled up in our entry way!!! :o)

Of course, we tried to be good stewards of God's money by making our purchases at T.J. M@xx. You know, there is a reason I don't ever go in there. Good prices or not, it is really easy to spend a lot of money in that place, especially for two people that really like to spend $$$! :o) The best part of the day, though, was when D.T. tried on and purchased a pair of $17, size 34 jeans. Seriously! I am SO proud of that man! über-cool! :o)

Church was really good, too. We are starting to settle into this new place. We are still seeking God for which Sunday School class He would have us attend, but I really believe we can grow here. I am attending a women's Bible study that begins this Wednesday night. I can't tell you when the last time I attended a women's Bible study was. I also can't tell you when the last time I attended church on a Wednesday night was. Actually, I have really allowed the schedule of my life to get in the way of my spiritual growth, and I want to intentionally change that. I want to get back on His schedule. I am glad that God led us here.

How has God shown His goodness in your life lately?


Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...



P.S. oh, I almost forgot! I got an über-good sale on Sobe yesterday! You had to buy 10... like I wouldn't anyway??? and they were all $0.49 each! When I heard about that sale, I jumped right in my car and hopped on over! 40 bottles later... (for those of you trying to figure it out in your head, that's $19.60 all at once instead of $40 here and there!)

:o)

It did take awhile to find room for them everywhere in my kitchen. LOL!





P.P.S. Did I tell you? The temperature was 55 degrees here yesterday! In January! The dogs enjoyed their walk and being outside very much!


Our backyard did not enjoy their digging quite as much.



We have some serious fixing to do once spring really comes. :o)

We rearranged the pantry...

You would have thought we would have done this a long time ago, but change isn't easy for me. ;o)

We rearranged a few things, threw out a lot of garbage (oops!) and moved around a few shelves, and it gave us room to do this...



The best two things about it are:

1. We now have a shelf to store the Sobe that is
so vital to my weight loss efforts.
It no longer has to reside on my kitchen floor! :o)

2. We now have an actual place to put a garbage can instead of
hanging a bag on one of the cupboard knobs.
That is pitiful, I know... but now it is all in the past! :o)

Does organizing thrill your heart as much as it does mine? :o)

Embracing His Joy, Hope, & Peace...

Lest I lead you astray unintentionally...

...I told you yesterday that the piece in this post had been refinished. Well, it wasn't. I was incorrect. I learned today that antiques should never be refinished. If they are, they lose all much of their value. Who knew? I guess all the marks and imperfections that we would think need to be fixed and polished over are really just the scars that give the piece its age and character.

Hmmm... I think there is a spiritual lesson to be learned there. We may wish to hide all of the marks and imperfections in our lives, but perhaps, these are the very things that God uses to show what He can do with a broken vessel that is surrendered to Him.

Just a thought.

Don't ever refinish your antiques! :o)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

My Grandmother does not live inside her china closet...

Interesting title, huh? :o)

It speaks to something, though. I have this problem with stuff. I like to keep it, even though I might not have room for it and am trying to rid myself of much of it.

Well. Recently, my parents gave me the opportunity to have a small antique china closet that my grandfather (my dad's dad) had purchased and refinished (at some point in time... it could use some more touching up now). My only problem was that I already had a china closet from my grandmother (my mom's mom). Of course, there are always positives and negatives regarding anything that you choose to own. My grandmother's china closet was... well... hers. The bad side is that it was very, very large, and I didn't really put it to the best use, either. I am a pack rat. I tend to keep papers... and more papers... and more papers. I kept a lot of papers inside the china closet, too.



**hangs head in shame**

So, I thought about it for a little while. I thought, It would be really nice to have something from my grandfather, too... and I could have so much more space... and I have another piece of furniture from my grandmother, anyway.

Then, the decision was made. It had to go. I didn't really care for the piece that much anyway. I only wanted it because it was hers... but, honestly, what I wanted was to have her back again.



*sigh*

I just had to come to terms with the fact that she does not live in her china closet.

No, she has been in heaven for 8 years now, and I will get to see her again someday. In the meantime, though, I am living here today, and I needed to get my house in order. Seriously. So, we did it.

We cleaned it out...




and gave her china closet away.




Have I mentioned that I LOVE to give things away? I know that the person I gave it to has really wanted a china closet for a very long time and will lovingly care for it.



Even better than I have. It did tug at my heart just a bit, though. Does anybody else get attached to furniture and cars the way that I do? No? I guess it's just me, then. :o) I'll never forget when we traded in her van...


With as many miles as we had gone together in that van, it was time... but still, I cried. What's new?!?

Now, this beautiful (and much smaller) piece sits in our kitchen.



There will be no papers. Just dishes. Lots and lots of dishes, 'cause you know... I like dishes, too... and crystal... and little Romanian porcelain thingies (plural for thingy)... hey, it's a word... look it up! :o)



Goldie wanted to get in on the picture to say hello. :o)



Ben, too! Um, does it bug anybody else that the rug is not evenly divided between the tiles? No? Guess it's just me and my Type A - OCD self, then. :o)


Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

D.T. funnies! :o)

Yesterday evening, D.T. said to me:

I really liked your Week in Review post today.

Then, he proceeded to recap for me, his style...

I worked all day.
I did the 30 day shred.
I worked all day.
I didn't do the 30 day shred.
I worked all day.
I did the 30 day shred.
Dang. The arms. I couldn't do the arms.

Ha! Sometimes, he is really hysterical! :o)

His recap not to be outdone by our later conversation.

D.T.: You know, now that we put the shoe rack
over my closet door, my closet smells like feet.



C.C.: Yeah, and mine smells like soap.
Just like it should be. ;-)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE..

{Week in Review}

I literally cannot believe that I have gone over a week without blogging. I guess I just do not have anything to say. That may be something that you cannot believe.

Allow me to give you a brief update of my week. Excuse me for a moment while I check my calendar to see what I have done. My brain is a bit fuzzy these days.

MONDAY

I was grateful for a day off for Independence Day! I did not post a "Not Me! Monday" because I was out of my routine, and I forgot about Memorial Box Monday. Oops. That was ok, though, because Linny took the day off, too.

TUESDAY

I worked all day. Not happy to be back to work, but grateful that it would be a short week. :o)

WEDNESDAY

I worked all day. In the evening, I did Day 1 of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Technically, this was the second time I did Day 1 because I needed a two day break after the first time I did it. Man, is it HARD!!! I will do it, though. I will. I will. Not so sure about the push-ups, though. My arms are just not strong enough yet to hold my weight. Even doing the modified ones. Next time, I will do them against the wall.

THURSDAY

I worked all day. We went shopping for groceries because we have a friend and her daughter coming for dinner tonight. That will be fun. I did not do the 30 Day Shred because I had to do homework for my class. Priorities, you know...


We did accomplish a few things this week, too. We got rid of the gargantuan pile of clothes! Off to Goodwill! We bought a cheap $2 holder for our paper towels to get them under the cupboards and off the counter. We also bought an over the door hanger for our shoes. Not the metal kind. The one with the material pockets. We like it a lot. It hangs inside D.T.'s closet. So, now there are no more shoes laying around. :o) We also took a bunch of stuff that we do not regularly use, and stored them up in our attic. There is more heading that way soon. Slowly, but surely...

On a dog note, Goldie has been sleeping on the couch at night. Finally. She did it on her own. As long as we leave the gate open and our bedroom door cracked open, she stays down there. Ahhhh... more room for us!

That's it. I know. We live an incredibly exciting life. Y'all want to be me now, don't you? Well, maybe you do. Total weight loss = 17.2 pounds! I know y'all want to do that! I am loving my clothes one to two sizes smaller! :o)

What's going on in your exciting lives?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE..

Not Me, Monday! ~ Cheater, Cheater!!!

Welcome to "Not Me! Monday!"
as hosted by MckMama!

This week, no matter what you heard about me, I was absolutely perfect on my diet! Aren't you so proud of me? That is why there is absolutely no way that you would have found me eating Nutella directly from the jar on Friday night. Or Saturday. Or Sunday. Nope! Not me! Nor, did I actually eat three quarters of the jar by the time the weekend was over!



That would be a crazy number of calories! I didn't dip European butter biscuits in it either. If I had done any of this, I would certainly not have been most pleased that it was actually the store brand of Nutella because that only has 160 calories for 2 tablespoons instead of 200 calories for 2 tablespoons. I do not think that would justify my indulgence. Um... if I had indulged in such decadence! Which I did not.

On an organizational note, D.T. and I did not go through drawers and closets and laundry baskets this weekend. We did not decide to get rid of a LOT of stuff that we do not use or wear any more. So, we do not have a HUGE pile of stuff now to go to Goodwill.



Yay!!! We are not very happy to have a little bit more breathing room, now! :o)

So, what did you not do this week?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Tuesday Tidbits: Tick - Tock...

I have a few closing pictures to share with you from D.T.'s brother's visit. I have the post almost ready to go, but I am trying to gather everything all up, so it might be just a little while longer...

Tick-Tock.

So, I am up to 12.6 pounds lost now. I started doing this on April 14th, so tomorrow will be 9 weeks. At this rate, it will take me until October to reach my goal. That is too long! I need to step things up a bit...

Tick-Tock.

I've been doing the 19 minute / 1 mile program on the treadmill in the mornings, but this morning, I did the 30 minute / approximately 1.5 mile program.



Boy, was that not what I expected! The program goes at a 3.5 speed (no big deal) fluctuating among an incline of 3, 4, and 5. Um. Wow! I thought I was in better shape than before, but I guess not. I will just have to keep at it, and maybe it will get easier the second time. I was definitely pleased that I was able to burn 251 calories!

Last night, I took each of the dogs for a walk. Separately... while D.T. cooked dinner. Works for me. I need to get my steps in. You know, I am motivated by trying to beat a record. Any record, including my own. Yesterday, I got in 9,113 steps, by far my highest yet for one day, and that included 454 running steps. Woohoo! I need this to happen faster, and being that I like to eat something during the day, my best bet is to increase my exercise...

Tick-Tock.

It seems like our home is in need of a lot more cleaning and organization. While D.T.'s brother was here, we took a look at increasing our floor space in the attic. Unfortunately, the construction up there wasn't quite what we needed to handle additional weight. So, we cleaned out half the stuff and put all the rest back. I'd like to get rid of some more, though, and figure out some storage things that we can implement with what space we do have. I'd like to look at some things for under the beds, too. All this eating healthy sure does cost a lot, and it would be so nice to be able to buy things in bulk to save money. Oh well, little by little, we will get it done.

Tick-Tock.

So, what is on your agenda this summer? Time is ticking away... :o)

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

Tuesday Tidbits~ cleaning out!

I feel like I am in a stage of cleaning out my life. You remember when your parents told you to red up your room? Come on all you Pennsylvania people. I know you've heard it and probably said it to your children now! :o) Well, like most typical children, when I heard that phrase, I proceeded to pile all the junk laying around my room either under my bed or in my closet. Unfortunately, I still have those same cleaning habits. Piles move from one place to another, paper rarely gets thrown away or shredded, and not many items get tossed out the door. When you live in a 1,000 sq. ft. town home, things can start to get a little tight! I am finding that one of my problems is that over the years, I have begun to equate my memories with things. Now, I am not saying that it isn't okay to have items that remind me of a time in my life or a person that is special to me. It is. It's just that I don't necessarily need everything. Or multiples of things. I need to use discretion and find a way to let go of some things that really are not that important. For instance, and this one is not associated with a specific time or person, but tell me... why in the world do I have two nice glass pitchers and four plastic ones? When in this lifetime will I ever use six pitchers of liquid at one time??? I would need a very thirsty army of men to come over, and that's not going to happen in our little place! :o)

***shaking my head***

It is time to clean things out... not just red things up!

We were planning to finish the floor in our attic to provide more storage (i.e. more redding up places to put things), but we have run across some structural questions that need answered first, so that is on hold. In the meantime, we did clean out (and throw out!) half of the stuff that was up there. A little breathing room to move some boxes that still need to be gone through out of our hallway. Aaahhh...

The project will continue!

***
The weight loss seems to have sloooowwwed down, so I am going to have to step things up! Just under 7 pounds for now, but I am pushing toward that goal of 34! Anybody up at 5 a.m.? Wanna pray for me then that God would kick me out of bed and onto the treadmill?

***
Our visit with D.T.'s brother is going well! 3 more weeks to enjoy him... as long as that ash cloud over Eastern Europe will go away. Flights are canceled again. :o( Oh well, his visa is good until October! :o)

***
On the child-front, no news, but I am BELIEVING God for a miracle! I will wait for His timing, but I am not giving up on His answer or His promise!

***
Anybody else ready for some warmer weather to return? Things are a bit too chilly for my taste in May!

What's the temperature and the weather like in your neck of the woods? It's all rain here.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...

The Eve of a New Year!

Well, it's upon us again. New Year's Eve... to be followed by, well... a new year.

This has perhaps been the most difficult year of my life, but I am also grateful for the many ways God has blessed us this year.

It has been a rather healthy year for me.

God has also given D.T. extra work that has allowed us the funds to fix things in our house, to take care of all of our obligations and some of our debt, as well as to care in extra special ways for his mother and one of her friends in Romania.

We have also been able to save more than two-thirds of the fees we need for whenever placement time comes of a special little one. Now, that is something I thought would never happen. Have the money to adopt, that is. I mean, I used to say that we couldn't adopt because we couldn't afford it. Fortunately for us, God can. He has taken away all the fear of finances with His mighty provision! More than I could ever imagine! It's like money doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I mean, in a good way. I just don't worry about it anymore. You know, in many ways, I am not the same person I used to be before we started this process, and money is just one example of that. Praise God!!!

I must admit (since I am being honest) that I wonder if this will be the year. So many years have gone by, and they seem to be going by more quickly with every passing moment. I pray that God will continue to give me the strength to endure whatever His plan and timetable might be.

Resolutions. I'm not always one to have them. Losing weight would be an obvious one, but that is pretty much an all-the-time effort, not just a beginning-of-the-year one. I could have a spiritual resolution, but then again, that is an obvious one, too, and one that I want to commit my life to, not just a month.

No, I think my resolution this year will be a practical one. One that will help me to prepare for a new little one and to make my home a safe sanctuary for myself and my hubby. Yes, my resolution this year is to get rid of all my junk! ALL of it. We've already been doing some downsizing the last few months, and I am pleased with our efforts. It's just that there is a lot more to do. So, my resolution is to declutter, reorganize, and to do it every day.

Hey, maybe this lady can help me! :-)

What is your New Year's resolution?

Happy New Year! May God bless each of you this year beyond your wildest dreams!


Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...


***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Wordful Wednesday ~ memory problems!

My newest way of organizing and taking FULL advantage of the limited space in our cramped cozy townhome is to put up 3M hooks on the inside of every door I can. TOTALLY recommend them. You should get some. :-)

The good part of that is "out of sight" means no slightly less clutter laying around.


The bad part of that is "out of mind."


And my mind has definitely gone "bye, bye," which is not a good thing when I need a plastic grocery bag in the morning, am running late, and wonder why I can't find one under the sink where I used to stuff keep them.

Goodness, I'm having a hard enough time writing a research proposal for class. Does anyone seriously think I will remember where I put my plastic bags???

*Sigh*

For more Wordful Wednesdays from people who still have their brains ;-)





visit Angie at Seven Clown Circus!



Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...



***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Wordful Wednesday ~ Organization...

...as seen through the eyes of one very distracted dog reporter.

Hey, everybody... Ben and Goldie reporting to you LIVE from um... Psst... where did you say we live, Goldie? Oh, never mind. LIVE from the corner behind our crates. Word on the street has it that our Mom thinks our Dad is WAY cool and VERY smart.


This past weekend, he got this great idea to use what was previously thought to be unusable space. Well, unusable except for the big air machine that sucks in all our hair and then spits it back out onto the floors. Ahem.


Two W@lm@rt hooks later... Psst... Hey, Goldie. When are we gonna get to go to this W@lm@rt place? Is it anything like Petsm@rt? Oh, sorry folks. Two W@lm@rt hooks later,


and now we know where to sit and stare every time we want to go outside for some fresh air. Oh, and Mom thinks it looks better than them sitting on the kitchen table. Or on hooks on the kitchen wall, in plain sight, which was Mom's original, but not-so-aesthetically pleasing idea.

Speaking of fresh air, it's really nice out today. Maybe they'll take us for a walk when they get home from wherever it is they go all day.


Psst... Hey, Goldie. I have this itch in my ear. Can you scratch it? Ahhhh... that's better.


This is Ben and Goldie, signing off with a Woof and a Hooowwwwwwl. Thanks for listening. Come back soon, and don't forget the dog biscuits frozen green beans! Goldie is a bit biscuit intolerant.

Oh, and Mom says that Angie over at some Seven Clown Circus has more reports for you to read. I wonder... are there any dogs jumping through hoops over at that circus? Sounds promising. You should check it out!

Oh, yeah, that's it... just a little to the left Goldie.

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...



***Don't forget to pray for someone today!

Remember when...

...our guest room / future nursery closet looked like THIS?

and THIS?

Well, let me just tell you. NOW, the closet (thanks so much to my good friend, Leigh, who donated much or her precious time and energy last weekend) looks like THIS...

and THIS...


Some room to hang baby clothes...

and we're going to retire this teeny old dresser to my parent's attic and steal back a larger one that doubles as a changing table on the top. That one was mine when I was a baby and I think with a fresh coat of paint, it could be really neat looking. Of course, I'll have to push a few more things aside to make a couple more inches of space, but I think we can do it. At some point, we will be taking out the vanity that sits on one wall in the room and putting that back in my parent's attic too. That will be the wall where the baby's crib or bassinet goes.

Then, we just continue to wait. :-) Oh, and clean up the rest of the stuff junk we took out of the closet. And paint.

Um, yeah. Can someone say "Pack Rat?"

So what color do y'all think we should paint the room? I mean, half of it will still be for guests, and the side designated for the baby will (eventually) have a mural that we paint... HA! I mean, pay someone to paint! ;-) So, considering all that and the color of the bedding, etc., give me some ideas. :-) Then, maybe I'll put up a poll and everybody can vote!

Here's what the room looks like now. I mean, when it is clean. ;-)

Watcha' think?

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...



***Don't forget to pray for someone today!