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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Swing Flags #2

See http://abdemoss.blogspot.com/2015/06/swing-flags-diy.html for more details!

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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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 More than once of late (duh!) I have been told that this is a new creative season for me.

 It has been some time since I wrote an actual post.  Awhile ago, I gave myself the nod to plant Theme Songs on Thursdays for growing seed.  Time to tend the shoots.

 So what do my eyes see in the natural world?  Impossibility.  Where do the hours go?  And then when I have some discretionary minutes -- energy and motivation have evaporated.

 My faith eyes counsel me to believe and to walk.  Off we go. . .

 I have resisted mentioning our kiddos directly in blog posts for a number of reasons, which I will not enumerate here.  Just chalk it up to my desire for privacy for them and for me.  From now on I may or may not be more direct in my references to them.  But I won't default to never referencing them.

 That being said, they do inspire and teach me things often.  Many of them write constantly and consistently.  I want to be like them.

 Then there are my friends who inspire and teach me, also.  One such woman made a comment about all of us having "perceived obstacles."

 Recently a saw a meme that said something about when we see obstacles we have taken our focus off of Him.

 Kris Vallotton shared that God is looking for one person to stand for Him and to step out and do what He has called him/her to do.  With God on my side, what can man do to me?  He is the majority!

 My heart also sings to this tune:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

 The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, is he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. . ."  (Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic") 

  After years of shying away from the arena all too often, I am daring to step in and strive valiantly.  Will you join me?

 What are you being challenged to do differently?

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Creativity -- Yes, This is So

Renowned neuroscientist Alice Flaherty theorizes that the key biological ingredient in incubation is dopamine, the neurotransmitter released when we’re relaxed and comfortable. “People vary in terms of their level of creative drive,” writes Flaherty, “according to the activity of the dopamine pathways of the limbic system.” More relaxation, more dopamine. More dopamine, more creativity. http://www.openculture.com/2014/12/why-you-do-your-best-thinking-in-the-shower.html

 A life of doing the next thing and then the next thing and then the next thing without interruption robs me of creativity.  I was made in The Creator's Image and am wired to be creative.  Busyness is an attack on my very purpose and destiny.  I must make time, guard my time for relaxing and creating. 

May 2015 be the year of new beginnings.



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Merry Christmas Advent Season #1

Snow globe. +
Packed away in Christmas Crates with fabric items to cushion. +
Christmas Crates stored in attic.+
Bitterly cold winter.  Decently warm spring and summer.
= Molded handmade, quilt-as-you go stockings.

12 hours one day + a few more hours = handmade quilt-as-you-go stockings version 2.0

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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. 

The Promised Pictures; Sewing for CHDT, part 2

 Here are the 3 pattern pieces that will become the bonnet.

Two pieces of the brim are sewn together, seam trimmed and turned right sides out.

This picture and the next two are of the long rectangular crown piece pinned and sewn onto the half oval back piece; this was a mind-bender when the instructions were first read and pondered.

The brim is now attached to the crown/back piece.  Top stitching the front of the brim is the final step before:

The bonnet is sewn!  Ribbon ties which coordinate with each schoolgirl's dress will be attached at the next rehearsal.  Seven bonnets completed, with an assist by my #4 daughter on the sewing of one.  By the way, the bonnets are black, although it looks blue in some of the photos.

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Sewing for CHDT

It's that time of year again; I am making hats for the 2nd Stage CHDT.  The play we will be performing is "The Little Princess."  Stay tuned for pictures of the process. . .

I also helped with costumes for the Main Stage production, but sadly, have no pictures of that

Theme Song Thursday

Nothing like havin' a HS party on the way home from the bank in our little 'burg.

Finding life in this song lately, I am pressing in and seeing Him, spending time with Him and sensing His favor.


"I have found a peace that ploughs on through the storm. I have found a joy that jumps over sadness. I have found a love that lights up every room. I have found, I've found You!

You are all I want, You are all I need, Everything my heart could hope for. We are longing for, the Glory of the Lord, Cause we know there's so much more!

I have found a trust that teaches how to rest. I have found a grace that guides me by the hand. I have found a strength that stands like a mountain. And I have found, I've found You!

Only You, fill my soul!"


What song is playing in your spirit today?

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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. 

Regarding Facebook posts

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 It's not the differences that bother me; it's the bickering.  I am caught with the idea that if we would use our energies toward the things we agree upon rather than our differences, then we would have more peaceful and rich lives all across the board. 

Costume Construction

http://1voicekki.blogspot.com/

 

 

 Our family is blessed to be a member of a King's Kids USA Go-Network team based out of Cedar Lake, Indiana.  The name of our team is 1Voice, as pictured in our logo above.  God has led us on many adventures where we have ministered to others and been ministered to by others during the past few years.  Some of our fun is recorded on the blog, and if you are a Facebook friend, you may have seen my postings about 1Voice.

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:

One of My Favorite Things

Because peaches were on sale this week, I was motivated to bake a peach pie today.  Fruit pie in the summer is one of my favorite things!

Ankle Deep

100 degrees F yesterday!

Despite the out-of-routineness of yesterday (an early morning walk with a dear friend whom I haven't connected with for years and a trip to Bell Parts for the magic fridge part to get our main fridge up and running again), I made significant progress in the school planning project, which allowed me to finish off the changes to the coming year's subject assignment sheets -- Yah-hoo!

Knee Deep Still

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400#

What's up with me today and since last I blogged is school planning.  As a result my shoulders, neck and upper back are growing more and more stiff and sore.  I'm considering a wireless keyboard as a helpful, ergonomic solution.

Flying Under the Radar

I'm not braggin', just informing...Ok, so here it is:  for at least 10 years, thanks to the influence of many of my friends from our former church, I have milled my own whole wheat flour and then made 100% whole-wheat bread from the freshly ground flour. 

Project: Enjoy the Process

Post-It Notes to the rescue again!  My quilt sketch, not to scale, in progress.  The orange squares represent the quilt squares and mark the width and length of the combined squares.  The white space in between is for sashing as is the abutting white space around the outside of the squares.  The outermost white space represents the binding.

One of the projects I hope to finish this summer is a Helen Keller’s Rose quilt that I started in (yikes!) 1997. 

My DIY Perpetual Calendar

While poking around on Pinterest, I was inspired by the perpetual calendar idea someone pinned recently.  I likewise pinned it to one of my boards and began pondering.  I confess that I do not like to dust, so the more things I have sitting around collecting dust the less I like it.  I love pens, paper, journals, books and office supplies, but the thought of yet another one of these sitting around seemed like too much to me.  Because I spend a decent amount of my day doing something on my computer,  I searched for something that I could use on my laptop.  Perusing images as well as blogs and other articles for ideas helped me to form the basics of what I wanted.  

I love using OneNote and have much information stored in notebooks via this program.  Here’s what I came up with for my very own DIY perpetual calendar (along with an entry):