Fast Food Frenzy Forsaken lol

I don't know how it is with thin folks, but for me, when I am hungry.... I am hungry NOW! Clicking furiously on the keyboard, there was no time to stop for lunch today. This editor had a printing deadline for my sister's newsletter. So, by the time I left work at 5pm, my stomach was sending me a stream of instant message!

From sheer pride, I will not share the mulitude of places I considered pulling in and winding my way through the drive-thru. However, I will tell you that I DID NOT consider JBX's chicken brushetta for more than a nanosecond. Wanna know why? Ok, I'll tell you - it has 50 grams of fat, according to somethign that said so on the net. Isnt' that shocking? I found that out one day AFTER I ate one. Cholestrol, ldl, and mayo...oh my!

But don't panic; I have my healthy salad and chicken right next to me as I write. God is powerful, even when I'm not. Pray for me, though! I need addiction-to-food healing, and I mean it!

Yawn!

It's a new beginning! Me, getting up early, that is - yawn. I can hardly stand it! Of course, I only have to do it on Fridays, but here's the reason for this too-early madness: I'm switching my office hours to the wee morn hours, because our little square is getting crowded with too many of us in there at one time. But that's not the only reason I've beat the sun up, today....

See, yesterday I wrote an article for the homeschooling newspaper. Guess what it was on?- Procrastination! It's the blind leading the blind, for sure, but I did pray and felt the Lord gave me some great ideas. So much so, that I started living them right after the article was sent off! yay

With Susan and Amy confirming I live in stress these days, I knew that my procrastining ways were heaping stress upon stress upon stress, among other debilitating things. So, enough, I say! I'm up early to attack my small to-do list, before I traipse off to work. yay for a new way of living!! I love new beginnings - and it's not even jan 1st!

Such Joy!

Such joy is ours when we are hearing the Lord speak to us! Yahoo, I say! In case I forgot to tell you, Riverlakes called a coupla weeks ago and asked me to do a summer study. After much prayer, I felt led to not only do one, but -eek- to write the study! Now that takes praying upon praying....and lots of sitting still and listening. Not an easy task for this ADD heart! Yet, with God nothing is impossible!

And this morning that truth was proved yet again, as I sat on my bed waiting on the Lord for the first chapter. His faithfulness faileth noteth! :) I have five pages of notes that I am now going to turn into five days of lessons for chapter uno. I'm so excited and such joy has filled me.

Off to write!

Quiet on the Home Front

Ahhhhhh.... peace and quiet. I like when those two are dating. There is a quiet that has no peace, but today I have the pleasure of both. I'm very thankful. This day is reserved for spending time in prayer and listening, so that I can get the summer study written. Can't wait to see what the outcome will be!!!! :)

Happy Easter!!!

Hoooray! it's Easter!!! Jesus did not stay in that grave but rose up with salvation for all who would believe! And believe I did! Have you? Do!

This cloudy morning, I drove to Starbucks (of course they'd be open!) and got a fun coffee, so that when I pulled in front of the little Bakersfield lakefront, I could read my Bible with my usual java. He leads me besides still waters.... before me, looking out at the gentle wind-rippled water, and then in my heart.

It's a day to celebrate! God so loved the world that He did send His only begotten Son to die on the cross, and with it, put to death the penalty of sin we so deserved. Aren't you glad? Me, too! We'll rejoice together all day long! Thank YOu, Jesus!!! Happy Easter!

A Homebody Gone Bad.

Normally, I prefer home sweet home to just about any other place on the planet. However, here it is almost 8pm, and i just got home 20 minutes ago! Whew! a long and fun day (two in a row, go figure!) Do you want to know what I did, hmmmm??? Okay, I will keep you in suspense not one second longer --- I ran errands (ooo fun lol), worked, then got to meet Susan and Casie for lunch. yep, Casie is back in town and it was very fun yakking with her again! But that's not all I did... Oh, no! I went and bought another scooter - another brand new one, and I hope this one lasts. lol I pray big time for safety, as you might imagine. anyhoo, to me, this one looks like a motorcycle. when i said that to noah, (who sweetly went with me and brought it home for me), he laughed and laughed. :) It's got him craving one, though. then, back to work, walked with karen and randy and brandon. I got to push the stroller and having brandon laugh and be jolly with me was great auntie fun! So, another nice, long day, and I am home sweet home and needing a bath and a book...and pjs. So, sweet dreams, ya'll!

Summertime, Summertime....

Okay, it's not really summer yet, but it is sneaking in! Shan and I were supposed to play today, but by the time she got my message, I was already pedaling along Old River Road, enjoying every roll along that 10-mile trek. I'm surprised at myself, really, because I could've wasted the day pouting for messed up plans. But ya know, I was already in party mode, so why waste it? Bike riding is enjoyable and slows down the hurried pace of life, and that's what happened while I sat upon that bicycle built for one - I took time to sniff the fragrant blooms, sang praises, prayed, got a bit sunkissed, and well, it sure felt like summer!

And then, Lyn and I got to put the beautious touches on the surprises she is giving out in Bible study. We were going to do it tomorrow, but this worked out just perfect. Such yummy fun and fellowship! Hooray for good, honest friends! (She sure does call it like it is, which saves my fanny from getting singed from sin!)

Then, after that, like a glutton for punishment, I called Karen to walk. We took Jayme and her darling Brandon, and then my darling Amy and Mika. Now, Jayme is young and hyper. She challenged me to run, walk, run, walk - for two whole miles! Imagine what I must've looked like barreling and bouncing and jiggling down the roads. Well, nix that. It's just not a pretty sight, but it felt marvelous!!!!!! I honestly didn't know my body would still jog! Surprise! In fact, lots of surprises today, a new one around every corner! We plan our steps, but they often get washed away in the ocean's flow, leaving new ones.... like riding a bike in the summerish sunshine! Thank YOU, Jesus! xo

So Glad!

Okay, now I'm really glad that I pushed past my lack-o-motivation! Here's why: "Poor is he who works with negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich." OOOOOh, I do not want to be poor, but rich! (Proverbs 10:4.)

How happy I am to have not used a slack hand today, or been remiss or careless in my work. Some days I am. What happens then is that everything seems to get slack. I'm destitute of joy on those days, and the rich, full peace of God's that I have in ample supply when I work diligently, is void. I want to be rich in those things of God, don't you?

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." Ecclesiastes 9:10

I Must Be Part Ocean

Wanna know why? Because my mood ebb and flows along with the changing weather! Like right now... I should finish cleaning this totally messy place I call home, but the sun and my motivation both disappeared at the same time. Yep, all that water in me is sloshing around in laziness, right this very minute!

Anyhoo, I learned a lot about discouragement today and will pass it along in the Encourager, probably in May's issue, which will be soon, since April is already half over!

Okay, motivation or not, vacuum, here I come!

The Heat is ON!

Wasn't today gorgeous? Thankfulness to the Lord has been pouring from my lips all day, because that Easter egg hunt was bathed in sweet sunshine! Yay - rain did not reign! I had to set that thing up all by myself today, since no one else showed up (well, Theresa did in time for the start, and Tim the Bunny showed up half asleep and not willing to do the job right....). So, I got plenty of exercise as i carried four bags of 1,500 stuffed eggs around that huge Pin Oak Park! All that bending down to reclose opened eggs made me have one sore bootie! But, the day was perfect, the hunt was the best one ever, and it's over! Yay, oh, yay!!!

I was soo tired from all this Easter hunt madness, that I came home and napped till 4!! Thinking I was done in for the day, I slipped into pj's. But you know what? Who could waste God's provision? - Mika and I went for our two-miler tug-o-war. Another thing to be thankful for - a huge dog that needs exercise! I've walked more since I've had her than I have in five years. Maybe I won't be so huge in a few months!

Anyhoo, Easter vacation has officially been proclaimed and frolicking is in the air; a celebration of the death and resurection of Jesus, for us, yahoo!! And that's what I'm most thankful for!! :)

Yay, the Sun is Up!!

The sooner the sun dries out my soppy backyard grass, the better! Every time I walk out to paint the pool house (hut?), my feet just squish, squish, squish across the grass, and it makes a mess. Hurry up summer heat!!

Being out there by the pool has me very excited for summer swimming. Nothing tones better! And it's fun, to boot! Wanna come swim and loll by the pool with me?

Amy just told me this morning that she is moving out in May. All of a sudden, I will have two rooms to clean and use.... My little darling is moving across town to Carolyn's. Carolyn has two teens, and while she works out of town wishes for someone to be around. That someone will be my Amers. Room and board, a gas card, and $100 per week were a beautiful lure, and Amy bit! (But she still gets to come home and mom-sit when Mike's outta town. Good daughter!! lol)

So, the seasonal weather is not all that's changing!

Call Me The Scarecrow From Oz

....because I need a brain!!!! Below, I meant NOAH, not Abraham!! hahhahahahaha, thanks, Emily, for pointing that out. I was really just testing you guys. hahahahahahaa

Raining and Hailing and Thunder, Oh My!

Mika and I sat on the front porch bench and watched it pour. Of course, I thought of many things...like, wondering what is was like for the folks of Noah's day to see rain for the first time. And how yukky and just their punishment was (thank You, Jesus for saving us who deserve the same!). I bet Abraham was sick to death of rain, after all those 40 days and nights! It's only been four days and I'm already begging for that spring sunshine!

I also thought of how the voice of the Lord sounds like thunder. Revelation 14:2 says, "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps." With nation rising against nation, even here in California (think recent protests....), can the end be far when we will Jesus say, "Yooo hooo!" ?

And then, naturally, all this led to Hosea (that sweet - and hard - story of love) 6:3, where He will come to us like the spring rains. What Mika and I just saw was a torrential gush -- just as God's love pours over us - yipppee! So, let us press on to know the Lord!

Oh my Garsh!

I just peeked, and March 18th was my last blog entry! Garsh - time does fly!!! I guess I've been flying around, too, doing a little of this (housework) and a little of that (writing)...and wondering what you've been up to!

Little Mika is not so little anymore. That dogger grows 15 feet a day....well, maybe that's an exageration. lol

Mike asked me what my Saturday plans were (last Sat) and I told him I was finally gonna empty out Tim's room. Well, oh happy day - he went right in there and began before I ever got up!!! Hoooray for helpful-husband day! He's a fast, non-distracted worker, so it got done lickety-split... if you call three hours lickety-split! However, alone, it would've taken me three weeks, so yay! Now all I've got to do it is pull the staples, spackle the holes, buy the paint, paint, shampoo carpet, find a bed, make the curtains, get the bedding..... and have Tim move back home. LOL - just kidding!

I can't decide exactly what I want to do with that room. A bed will go in there for sure, unless Amy moves to her friend Carolyn's. But, should i make it a sewing room? EXercise room (though it'd rarely get used, then), a quiet time room, a room to escape when I'm mad at Mike? hahahha
Well, I know that I am painting the ceiling and trim a soft white, and the walls a cape-codish Laura Ashley blue. I have a handmade quilt that we bought years ago at the MCC auction (which is this weekend at Fresno Pacific) that should be quite darling in there. But, fiddly-dee...I'll think of this later. :)

For now, I need to think of work and get myself flying around this place; I hate coming home to a messy house, don't you? It's so... so uninviting. Actually, kinda repelling. I know that some really don't mind messyness about them, but I love the peace and order and welcome I feel when I've done my inside job before my outside job (which I need to get to!). So, off to fly about my day - tootly-ooo! xOxoX