CHRISTMAS is the BEST Season of the YEAR!

Christmas is the best time of the YEAR!

It is so much fun to have a few days off from school and to relax and get to do a few things that I don't normally do.  Cooking is my favorite pastime.  I love this adventure of finding yummy things for the holidays that taste great. 

Gathering together with my family is a big tradition.  My mom's family is large.  She is the middle child of 14 siblings.  So Christmas gatherings were centered around family and food.  There are all kinds of yummy foods that this holiday brings.  Some of those items are Chicken and Dressing, Spaghetti and Cheese, Transparent Pie, Hostess Cupcake, Chex Mix, etc.  When we gather together there are usually over 100+ people. My grandmother and grandfather are long gone but the sweet memories of our traditions are kept close to my heart.

Now we gather in smaller groups with our immediate family but it is always a fun time of great fellowship, playing games and great food.  My challenge this year will be to watch the number of carbs I am eating.  This weight loss process is going great and I do not want to blow what I have done. (Lost 25 pounds since August!)

More recipes have been places on my pages.  Check them out.  I hope you love them too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone! Most of all I am so thankful for Christ Jesus who was born.  May you enjoy celebrating His birth this season.  His path came to the cradle so that He would die on the cross for you and for me.  There is no greater gift than that.

It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas!

Christmas is my favorite holiday season!  I have always loved its sights and sounds.  Usually I begin listening to Christmas music in October.  It is my favorite.  This year was no exception since our West Park Worship Choir began practicing in October.  Not only do I love Christmas music but decorating the tree and creating special holiday food.

Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends and usually it is always centered around eating together.  It is so much fun to spend time in the kitchen creating those special dishes but this year...my dishes will be lower in carbs and sugar-free.  That usually scares people off!

I love the challenge of trying to find yummy recipes to use and also I enjoy converting my "old" unhealthy recipes into healthy ones.  Now, there will be some items that I just won't eat this year or I might just have one tablespoon of, but that is okay.  This healthy eating is a life-style change that is for the better. Please check out some of my newly added recipes on the recipe page!

What does Christmas mean to you?  Christmas to me also means the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the one who came because He loved you and I so much that He was willing to give His life for us.  John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Blessed!
I am so very thankful for the people God has placed in my life to influence me to make changes in who I am.  A true friend will encourage you when you are down and will confront you when  you are wrong. 

Proverbs 18:24 states "There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."  It makes me stop and think!  What kind of friend am I?


I can say I have some of those real friends who have stuck with me.  For them I am truly blessed.  


Why not let your real friends know today how much you appreciate them.  For you are also blessed!
 

On a Journey...

Can't believe it has been so long since I was last on my blog. So many things have happened and this journey has had its ups and downs. For these I am blessed and thankful for the growth in my life.

On August 12th Pete and I met with a nutritionist and began our journey on a "low carb" diet. It has not been easy but the results have been great! We have had to totally change our eating habits. In October at our first check-up (weigh in) Pete had lost 18 pounds and I had lost 17 pounds. WOW! This next week we will have our second check-up. Can't wait to see the results!

Summer 2011 - This picture made me realize that I need to do something about my diet.

Turkey Trott in Knoxville, TN  We did the Fun Run - 1 mile.  Pete and I made it in 15.04 minutes.

Since cooking is one of my passions...I thought I would like to share with you on my blog some of the recipes and secrets that I have found.  You can find these recipes on my RECIPES page.  ENJOY!!!

What happens to our time? Where does it go?

Have you ever felt like you just don't have enough time in your day to get everything done? I have and do.

This week we have had fall break and it has been filled with lots of projects. My folks arrived on Sunday evening and we started Monday morning early working on projects around the house. By the time Pete arrived home for lunch we had already painted the front and back doors and the shutters on the front of the house. Wow, it sure changed the look!

The projects have continued throughout our week. Our to-do list has been long but we have accomplished a lot.

- storm door put on the back door with PapaKee's help
- garage cleaned out and organized (PapaKee even hung the tennis balls so I would know how far to pull up in the garage and not crash into things.)
- library visit to get books to work on Megan's boat project
- visit with friends
- started walking for exercise
- planned and organized meals for next month and went grocery shopping
- sleepover for Megan
- and much more

Making time for everything is difficult. The one thing that I have tried to not squeeze out of my day is the time I set aside to spent with God. This time is a must for me. I need it to be energized and strengthened so that I can face the day ahead. Too many times it is so easy to get busy with everything else and forget to stop and spend time with God. I have to get up early when the house is quiet and have that time before the busyness of my day begins.


Planning ahead always works best for me. I love to cook but usually feel so exhausted when I get home from school that I don't want to cook. So I have decided to pick dishes that we would like to eat and then go grocery shopping and purchase the things we need and plan out my menu for the next month. Here it is!

Time is precious and a special gift from God. I want to organize my time wisely and use it to its fullest. What happens to my time? Where does it go? Too many times I fill it with things that are not important (like watching TV). There is so much more that I could be doing if I would just wisely use the time God has given me. This is a challenge for me but I want to make the most of every minute God has given me. How about you? What changes can you make to have more time in your day?

Does Your Talk Walk?

I've heard the phrase "Does your walk talk?" but I've had to live out does my talk walk!

One of the privileges of teaching in a Christian school is that I can incorporate Biblical Truths and Promises about God into my lessons. This week at school when I was teach the seasons and weather in my Spanish class, we talked about how the seasons are like the different experiences in our lives. God allows us to go through good times (summer), bad times (winter), growth (spring) and change (fall). Our response to these seasons in our lives is that we are to praise God at all times, no matter what season we were experiencing.

That same day...my talk had to walk. I experienced some difficulties that caused me to stop and praise God for. It wasn't easy. I didn't like it but it was my choice. I could wallow or I could praise. What was I going to do? Was my talk really going to be lived out in my own life? God delights in our obedience and even though times get tough, it is always best to praise HIM.

What a hard lesson I had to learn...I do want my talk to walk!

When Our Plans seem to be all messed up...

How do you react?

Today Megan and I set out for our trip to Mississippi to visit with the McKee family. We even left town about 15 minutes earlier than we had planned. Before leaving, Pete check the car to make sure everything was in order.

After we got about 1 1/2 hours from home we decided to stop for breakfast. (This was not our usual stop.) We always stop about 2 hours from home but today we were ready to stop earlier. As I pulled up to the fast food place and parked, steam started pouring from under the hood of the car. Since Megan and I were traveling alone I was going to have to be the one who had to check things out. What was I to do? What was happening? I took a deep breath and opened the hood.

Of course I quickly called Pete to get some instruction. Pete was feeling badly because more than likely he had left the cap loose on the radiator since this was one of the things he had checked before we left this morning. So now we had to try to get some water to fill the radiator. What would be our next step? Where would we get water?

Off we went into the fast food restaurant to get breakfast while I tried to think things through. After waiting for 10 minutes and our order still not being done, they kindly refunded our money and off we went. Megan and I walked across the street to a store to buy a gallon of water. I needed something to be able to pour the water into the radiator. This would work! Then back we went to the car to check things out.

We talked to Pete again who told us what to do and now we began to fill the radiator and make sure there were no leaks. AND there were none! Now I needed to start the car and check the levels and see if there were any other leaks. (All the while I was thinking: "If only that cap had not been loose." Our immediate reaction is always to blame others. It was not Pete's fault. It was all just part of God's plan and protection for us today.)

In the background we heard sirens but were more concerned with what was going on in our world with our car. Everything check out okay and then back to the store we went to purchase another gallon of water to take with us on the trip.

By this time we had wasted about 1 1/2 hour with the stop and repairs. As Megan and I discussed the events of our morning we reminded ourselves that it was not an accident that we had stopped in time and that we were able to get what we needed and that it wasn't more of a problem. Was this a coincidence? NOT at all! For we have a Heavenly Father who always is in control of our lives.

We were finally headed out again but we didn't get far. One exit down the road we were faced with a major traffic jam. The cars on the interstate were only going 5 miles per hour. We continued for at least another 30 minutes this way until we found the source of the traffic jam. It was a bad accident! We noticed several cars involved in the accident and a semi-truck had run off the road.

AGAIN, I was reminded that if all of the car problems and inconveniences had not taken place this morning, it could have been us in that accident. My perspective totally changed. Why had I reacted wrongly to the changes to "my plans?"

God holds our lives in His hands. Every details of our lives matter to Him. Every event in our lives should be used to glorify Him. This was a teachable lesson for myself as well as for Megan. I was reminded that my Father's plans are the best for me whether they are thought of as good plans or bad plans but HE IS ALWAYS GOOD. He never changes. He always has our best interest at heart. By the events that happened in my life today as we traveled, this was a great lesson that I needed to be reminded of today.

Thank you, God, for your protection. You are El SHADDAI.

We arrived safe and sound but two hours later than we had expected. It didn't matter after all because we were thankful to have arrived in Mississippi to be with our family.