Trim Healthy Mama Blast and Good Intentions

The scoop is that I decided to join the members site at TrimHealthyMama.com; I chose the three month membership, because I want to see if I will visit there enough and utilize the resources there enough for me to feel like I have spent that money wisely.  As of this day, about 12 days in, I can say it has been well worth the money.

So far I have found answers to some of my recent questions, along with the Stubborn Losers Menus and some delicious recipes.  The Chocolate Milk, and the Eggs and Hash recipes are repeaters, and the FP Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin will be. I enjoyed the muffin this morning, completely surprised at how delicious it was and how much I enjoyed the texture as well.  I do so love it when I follow a recipe as written, taste it tentatively, and then blissfully inhale the end product.  Thanks so much, Pearl and Serene!

While out running this morning, I was reminded that I should start thinking about blog posts for the week.  I remember promising updates about some things, one of which I covered above.

I am still school planning, although I added in a major writing project to this month, which is requiring lots of my discretionary time.  Alongside of that I have had some wonderful, amazing ministry opportunities open up to which I have said yes and run after.  Nonetheless, albeit slowly, I have been working my way through a library book by Cathy Duffy and feeling inspired and motivated.  That in itself is worth the investment of time reading the book and doing the exercises.

On the employment front, I have not heard back a second time about an interview, at least not as of yet.  I am praying about following up somehow.  HE knows how much I would love that job, as well as all of the other details that would be affected by me working part-time.

And that's the scoop as of today.


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Checking in on My Poor Neglected Blog

Dear Escapades,

I have missed you and longed to spend time with you.  Dashing off "Theme Song Thursday" posts as a way to stay connected, though somewhat lame, has ministered to my heart and given me hope that indeed I will once again be regularly posting here.  Thanks for your grace, patience and understanding.

Miscellany

WARNING:  I cannot remember, nor verify if I blogged about the following gems, "freebies," or not. The new layout of my blog has me flummoxed; do you feel the same way?
 
Officially The Ark Christian Academy opened for classes on Monday, August 17.  Happily The Ark Christian Academy logged in two days of field trips mid-week last week.  Never having started school in this relaxed manner before, I find it exactly what I need this year, especially given that I have been sick for a week now.  Thanks be to God, I am steadily improving!

Freebie #1:

If your dentist offers you Nitrous Oxide before your dental procedure, gladly accept.  You will thank me later!  (Now you can write me and tell me all of the reasons this is a bad health decision -- I am that certain that it won't change my mind:)

Freebie #2:

Are you a Google Calendar and an Outlook Calendar user?  (Yes, I do keep two different calendars on two different platforms; it works for me.  I have tired various approaches over these many years. Feel free to make other suggestions!)  If so, you might want to try initially scheduling your appointments and events on the Google Calendar, and then invite yourself via an email address that you open with Outlook's inbox.  You can then simply accept the invitation with the drop down choices that show up in the email; I choose "accept and do not send a reply," since I am the one who invited myself.

Freebie #3:

Bullet Journaling is worth a "look-see" if you are some who writes things down even though you use other digital means to organize other parts of your life.  There are many, many fabulous videos and blogs out there with lots of amazing ideas about how to use a Bullet Journal.  Find the originator's video here:  http://bulletjournal.com/.  I pretty much follow his basic plan, though I love the creativity and beauty of other bullet journals I have seen.  When I find that I have time to make mine more beautiful, I'm sure I will.  For now my simple analog journal is keeping me on track in this digital age!

As a matter of updating on some topics I know I have blogged about before, I am still living the Trim Healthy Mama way, though I don't always stay on plan.  I hope to do better now that we have more of a routine.  Ultimately I know that it is what's inside of me that will determine how diligently I follow the plan.

Also, I have not written much about our summer adventures as of yet -- finding it difficult to put into words.   I can say, however, that something I blogged about earlier is something I seem to be putting into practice more and more.
(http://abdemoss.blogspot.com/2015/04/fingerprints-and-next-dot.html)
Saying "yes" to God, even when every part of my soul and body are saying "no" is a faith builder. And faith is most definitely spelled "risk."  More on this in a soon-coming post.

Gotta dash out to the bank and to buy some beloved local farm-raised EGGS!

What'supwi'you?

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Planting a Faith Seed

  It's a small seed, but it's mine.

  Today's lesson so far is:  take time to understand; pray (listen), think deeply and talk out loud to myself about it before talking to someone else in any format, written or spoken.

  Some lessons recent:

• say "yes" to God.  All of your "yes"es add up to steps on your journey.
• listen and believe
• my negative feelings are often misguided

    What lessons, insights are blooming inside of you today?

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Right Writing

Most of my kiddos write as a hobby alongside of writing required for school; journaling, blogging, participating in NaNoWriMo, creative writing for fun and probably in other ways of which I am unaware -- they write and write and write.  I admire them.  They make me long to write more consistently.  Generally I do journal every day in some form, which is a good thing.  Then there's this forsaken blog.  I also bought some books about writing to fuel my passion and have read some of the chapters, feeling excited and inspired while reading them -- then running out of time to immediately write from the inspiration of the reading.  And then I sleep, and I forget. 

Contrariwise

  It could be jealousy (in Christian love, of course).  It could be because I am hurting due to lack of friends.  It could be hormonally induced...

  Well...I take issue with some things she wrote.  I agree that life is hard, but that is not a hope-filled statement.  What about "the joyful anticipation of good in every area of my life"?  Remember "do hard things"?   Am I more concerned about me looking stupid than I am about misrepresenting Jesus?  Do I ever have "control" of my children?  Is it a learning opportunity to think through and recognize that I chose wrongly to begin with, knowing all that was likely to occur?

  Now, do I feel better and smarter than she?  Does this help me to feel like I could be valuable to someone as a friend, even though my blog is not even close to hers in content and eye-appeal?  Naw...actually I feel kinda cheap and small...and still lonely and not so valuable.

  Yeah, this is what happens when I try to provide for myself or to protect myself.  Time to lift my eyes up to God, where my help comes from. 



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Exactly

EXACTLY...well, kind of...

My "to do" list sits beside me surrounded by piles of school related written material of one form or another.  I wandered off track when I checked my RSS reader for blog posts to read or to delete and then I chose one and read it and then right-clicked links to explore further and then made a new wish list to add books to at Amazon and then...

This flurry of distracted activity consoled me and made me feel like I was accomplishing something important, all the while I was feeling sorry for myself because I didn't write that blog post that said EXACTLY what I wanted to write...

Word for 2013

 D'ya ever feel under it when it comes to the stuff of life that has to be done?

Sometimes when I feel like that, I remember that making a decision and/or accomplishing a task, no matter how small, lifts the pressure - and then I act.  That's why the picture of the bread machine to the left; I just ordered one, after months of being without one.  I look forward to its arrival!  I am capable of making breads by hand, but this handy time-saver has been sorely missed by me. 

Finding the Path again

I've been feeling "lost" and aimless for a couple of weeks now.  Beyond doing the daily responsibilities, I had not been motivated to do much else.  The snippets of time available in many of the weekdays did not inspire me to pursue much other than reading books. I very much enjoy reading,

100 and Counting

Somehow hitting the 100 posts mark seems significant to me.  Fun stuff! 

Something else fun I've been pondering is related to the following verses:

Confession

Ok, so I'm contemplating starting a different blog on a different blog site (I don't even know

if that's the right terminology).  I do like new things and have tweaked this blog to reflect

me at the present time.  But, I feel that inner nudge to step into new territory -- cross that

chicken line!   I also hear the caution to research and understand more about the other blog

host site.  And I have some ideas that I'd like to discover if they are do-able or not.  Stay

tuned, because I will be here until further notice.

What are you thoughts, advice and opinions about my quandry?

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