Since cold is coming, I’ll share the recipe for my husband’s favorite homemade soup. I usually make this soup and can it in quart jars for later, but it freezes well too.
I have made it for a large crowd. It serves 20-30 people depending on the size of your soup bowls. It’s also good to serve those friends coming to watch football.
Chicken Mexican Soup (for canning) Continue reading CHICKEN MEXICAN SOUP
Lord, I praise you for all these clothes that are now too big for me, 41 pieces total. Wow! Now I have the joy of giving them away or trading them for new ones at the consignment shop. I do enjoy shopping for new clothes. You give me all that I need and for a price I can afford too. Thank you. Continue reading HALLOWEEN CANDY and VICTORY
Lord, I don’t like water. It’s so boring. I love drinks with fizz, coffee with cream, and southern ice tea. Now I have a bladder infection, the doctor says I’m dehydrated and need more water.
I asked her opinion about a skin test. (If you pinch up the skin on your hand and it stays pinched up then you’re dehydrated.) She confirmed the test was correct.
I thought maybe this was just extra skin due to my weight loss. (64 lbs.) “Could my skin just be loose like that of an old hound dog?” Continue reading WATER FOR LIFE
(Note: Please accept my apologies if you are receiving a duplicate of this post. When I posted this the first time, only half of the article went through. I don’t know why this happened. I did have a virus and carried the computer to the repairman. I thought he had fixed it. I do appreciate your patience and understanding.)
Today Lord, I decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and there was a light breeze. The sunshine felt warm and wonderful. I enjoyed visiting with a couple as they decorated their yard. Further down, I talked with a young mother as she supervised her daughter. Instead of it being the drudgery of exercise, this walk was a pleasure. At one point I was singing praise songs to You and I felt Your Presence with Me. Continue reading SHOULD I EXERCISE? (Trying again)
Today Lord, I decided to go for a walk. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and there was a light breeze. The sunshine felt warm and wonderful. I enjoyed visiting with a couple as they decorated their yard. Further down, I talked with a young mother as she supervised her daughter. Instead of it being the drudgery of exercise, this walk was a pleasure. At one point I was singing praise songs to You and I felt Your Presence with Me.
I have been reading about all the exercise programs that others are doing to lose weight. Do You think I should be exercising? With Your help I have already lost 63 pounds, but all these others are working so hard with their plans. After yoga, aerobics, and running, one lady said she dances while she cooks supper. I think I’d die if I tried to keep up with her. I get tired just reading about her exercise.
Although, I am beginning to wonder if I need to do some type of exercise. A sister in law used to talk about taking belly dancing lessons. After looking at this outfit I decided that belly dancing is not for me. Lord, You have seen my belly and it’s not a pretty sight. Sometimes, it even dances by itself. No, I don’t think belly dancing is for me.
I downloaded an app to measure my steps as I walk and was able to walk a mile today. That was quite an accomplishment for me since I was considering a nap instead. Everything in me screams in rebellion at the idea of a structured exercise program. Everywhere I look people are working hard to work off their excess weight. I rather curl up with a good book. Lord, what do You think I should do?
I designed your body for flexibility and strength. You have heard that if you don’t use it, you will lose it. That’s true. Exercise for the joy of moving is good. When the exercise program becomes the focus of your life, that’s not good. Your focus should be to help those struggling with life, rather than the number of repetitions in your workout. But, you do need to move those body parts to keep them loose and moving freely. Otherwise early stiffness will set in just as rust will set in metal that has been sitting in place.
My child, you get to choose to exercise or not. Your decision to or not does not affect My purpose or My plans. Did you see My daughter that chooses to work out and run 10 miles everyday? She is 77 years old with a body any 20 year would love. The difference is that she shares about My love and the strength that is found in My Presence. She reads My Word every day and that is her greatest exercise.
I have given you free will to chose and I have made a provision for you in case you choose not to exercise.
Last night, I looked out the back door, stepped forward, then backward to look again. What is that? I stared in amazement. It’s a possum, eating my cat’s leftovers. I opened the door and turned on the light to get a closer look. His snout is long and pointy, his hair looks greasy and his tail looks scraggly with a kink . For a few minutes, he ignored me as he continued to eat without looking up.
I yelled, “Get away, get out of here.” He looked at me, slowly slunk under the lounge chair to hide and waited. I yell, “You’re ugly, you know that. Get out of here.” He slowly wobbled under another chair. I continued, “You’re so ugly. Do you even know how ugly you are?” He hung his head as he slunk toward the end of the patio. I wonder if he understood what I said. Then I shut the door without bothering to see where he went. I guess he’ll finish the cat food after I turn the light out.
Seeing this sign made me angry. My first thought was “No, I deserve more ‘life’ than a cookie.” The advertiser implied that because I’m good I deserve a cookie. I differ in opinion; I am incapable of ‘being good’ enough. Also, it was too many cookies, and other excesses, that took away the quality of my life, my relationship with God, and stole my victory.
But God had a better plan for my life, more than cookies. I don’t deserve His love, He loves me anyway. I don’t deserve His blessings, but He chooses to bless me with the reward of His love. Cookies don’t give us life, God does. Without Him, I am nothing.
God has a better plan for your life too, more than cookies. That’s for sure. You deserve more than cookies. See the truth, hear the whispers of His love calling unto you.
My child, I do have plans for your life, plans for a hope and a future. Come to Me, seek My face for I have more sweets waiting for you than what you’ll find in a cookie jar. I plan on filling you with the sweetness of My love and My forgiveness. As you look to Me, I will direct your steps to your personal victory, the one I have planned for you alone. Today, seek My instructions and follow them with each step you take. Know that I have victory waiting for you. Cookies cannot bring you peace, strength, wisdom, comfort, and certainty not victory. Taste the sweetness of My love, for only I hold your victory in My hand. Come to Me and receive what I have for you, the free unmerited favor of My love.
—You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures evermore. Psalm 16:11
—For whoever find Me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:35
Lord, I’m so down. When I look around all I see is things that didn’t turn out like I thought they should. It seems that nothing has turned out right. My beloved friend, now with You, once told me that I was like ‘Pollyanna”. She said, “That’s why I keep you around, you’re so positive.” But I feel so depressed and disappointed. Since June of 2013, I have lost a friend, my brother-in-law, my precious Mother, my Mother-in-law who was a second mother to me, and now my best friend. Continue reading DON'T EAT THE MULLY-GRUBS
You have brought me so many victories this past week. Last night I was so exhausted, but You provided a distraction that kept me too occupied to eat. At night the gluttony monster shows up, but I was too busy to pay attention to his temptations this time. Thank you.
(My child, I saw how tired you were and provided.)
Now here I am at the ‘all you can eat’ buffet. Help me. There’s so much food here, it’s difficult to breathe. The salad bar looks pitiful with wilted lettuce and I don’t like any of these soups. Oh, I can’t eat this salad. The vegetables look so boring, it’s all just the same old foods they had the last time I came here, months ago. I’m getting anxious, what if I lose self control and eat everything? Hmm, the steak portions look about half size, I ‘ll try that. Guess I’ll get some carrots and cabbage, squash too. Maybe this will be alright after all. My plate looks full and satisfying. If I chew real slow, I can make this food last until he gets finished. I hope I’m not still hungry when this plate is empty. But I will eat only one plate of food, hear me, just one plate. Continue reading ANGEL AT THE DESERT BAR
