A FUN BUSY DAY & WEIGH-IN

Well, as you can see, and I'm sorry to say, the little lady bug seems to be stuck!!!! Or rather, I am stuck. So this was a INDIFFERENT week AGAIN on my weight. One good thing I did walk 6 days this past week. Monday & Saturday we did our 30 minute walk around the outer edge of We*lm*art. On Monday we bought a DVD by Les*lie San*sone called Wa*lk A*way the Pou*nds a 5-day fit walk for indoor walking. I had owned a VCR by her a number of years ago and had given it away. It has 5 different workouts on it but so far I'm still working on the first one which is a 1 mile walk and lasts about 30 minutes. Mickey & I are doing it together.

My daughter, Suzette, had the day off and called me to have lunch with her and do go with her while she did some shopping. I always enjoy the time we get to spend together like that.

Then this evening Marc & Aric came over for dinner and Marc helped me with some computer questions and issues I had. We always enjoy having them and Marc has been so busy lately we've seen very little of him.

The temps have been in the 50's & 60's and all the ice is gone. YEAH!!!

That's it for today!!!

"Interview Me"

My blog buddy, Brenda, of It's All Right, posted an interview. These questions are from Brenda. If you'd like me to give you an interview, just leave "Interview Me" in your comments, and I'll shoot over some questions so I can get to know you better, too.



1. If money or time weren't an issue, what would you consider an ideal vacation? I would go The Netherlands. My father was Dutch heritage and I've always dreamed of going there. Since time and money are no issue, I would go all over Europe and end up in Norway & Switzerland. I had a pin-pal from Norway , from the 3rd grade clear until I was married, and I've always wanted to go to Norway



2. Who would you say has had the greatest influence on your life and why? Absolutely my father. I adored him and never wanted to disappoint him. He taught me integrity, honesty, to know who I was and that I could do anything I set my mind to.



3. If you had to be transported back in time which would you choose and why? Victorian Era, Pioneer days, or Bible times? This one was a hard one for me because I have always been so grateful to be born in the time period I have been because I believe we are the generation that will see the Lord return. I guess if I have to pick another it would be Bible times.



4. Who is your favorite woman in the Bible and why? Another very hard one because I'd never thought about that. I have often wondered how it must have been for Mary to know the child she was raising was the Son of God. I marvel at the verse "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19



5. What is one of the funniest things that has ever happened to you? It's funny now, but wasn't so funny at the time......my forever friend, Joan, and I getting locked in the Santa Fe Art Museum in the 5th grade. I had call my father and tell me and he had to call the Art Director to come down and get us out.

Your turn. Can I "Interview You"?

TESTING OUR FAITH

I, like I'm sure the rest of you, have been sitting in amazement as we watch what is happening in our country. I want to scream at the top of my lungs......

WHAT ARE THEY DOING?

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?

As you know I did not support Obama during the campaign and election. The very things we are seeing come to pass is exactly why I did not support him. Sadly, he is implementing his agenda at a MUCH swifter pace than I think any of us expected or believed he could.

After Obama giving the tax prayer's money to pay for MORE abortions and his soon to be enacted clearing the way for partial birth abortions I cannot keep quiet any longer.

Add to that Biden's announcement which he just made, this is coming true faster than any of us have even feared.

What they are doing is going to be the death blow to our GREAT country, as we have known it. If the Lord does not return soon they are mortgaging our children and grandchildren's future to a load of debt and servitude they will be unable to bare.

As a Christian, I believe we are fast racing toward the return of our Lord and Savior.

"If God doesn't soon bring judgment upon America, He'll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!"

This statement frequently attributed to Billy Graham, actually originated with his wife, Ruth, during a review of her husband's manuscript for his book, World Aflame, published in 1965. He had just finished a chapter vividly describing the sinful conditions in America, and gave it to Ruth to read. She was very much sobered by the writing and returned the document to the study where he was writing and laid it on his desk, saying, "Billy, if God doesn't come soon and bring judgment upon the United States, He's going to have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!" The account was recalled briefly as an illustration in a message by Dr. James Kennedy (pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian, Fort Lauderdale, Florida), entitled "Prayer and the World Crisis", at the National Prayer Congress, Dallas, Texas in 1976.

That book was published in 1965!!! Think how much worse everything has gotten in the past 44 years!!!! Some of you were not even born then.

I believe this is a testing time for every living soul, not only in American, but world wide. I believe as Christians we are going to have our faith tested as most of us never have before.

One scripture that has given me pause for years is Luke 18:8b

"Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"

My constant prayer is that my faith will pass the tests whatever they are.

SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Leanne asked me to share the bread recipe, so here it is.

SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 (.25 ounce ) packages active dry yeast (I actually used 2 scant tablespoons of Fleisch*mann's active dry)

1/3 cup honey

5 cups bread flour (I actually used all purpose white flour)

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes, do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

From: allrecipes.com

ICY DAYS

I showed a picture of our front yard yesterday with the ice on everything.

This is our backyard. So.....as I said I was going to do Monday, I baked bread. 3 loaves of good, nutritious Whole Wheat Bread.


As always with my bread pictures, I have one that we have already cut into, because we HAVE to have a good, hot piece the minute it comes out of the pan and we can cut it. Hot bread with butter!!! YUMMY and in this case I opened up a jar of Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly that had been given to us by friends at Christmas. Oh my, was this ever good!!!!

The recipe made 3 loaves and here are the other two. As I write this we have already eaten (devoured!!) the first loaf and I had to get another out of the freezer this morning. Nothing like fresh, home made bread, and especially the good, healthy whole wheat type.

Yesterday I decided to make some cookies

Harvest Pumpkin-Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

That's Mickey's hand trying to grab one while I was taking the picture!!

These were absolutely one of the BEST tasting cookies I've ever made. They aren't the prettiest but the best tasting. Plus they are at least somewhat nutritious because of the pumpkin, oatmeal, raisin and walnuts.

I had a whole bunch of Spl*enda packets I wanted to use up. I got the recipe off of the Spl*enda site on the Internet. Oh, how did I do anything before using this wonderful internet??!! The hardest part of making these was opening a BUNCH of packets to make a 1/2 cup!!!! They are so tasty I am posting the recipe:

Harvest Pumpkin-Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup SPL*enda Sugar Blend (as I said I used the individual packets and I didn't use a full 1/2 cup, but close)

1/2 cup SPL*enda Brown Sugar Blend, packed (I did not have this so just used regular light brown sugar)

1 cup pumpkin

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Spray baking pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar & brown sugar in large bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets.

3. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Serves: 48 (I got 55)

Bake and ENJOY!!

We are still iced in so I'll go see what I want to bake today. I have 1/2 the opened can of pumpkin left so I'll make something with pumpkin. If it's good....I'll share it. Have a great day. "This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice in it!"

ARE YOU HEEDING THE WARNINGS?

The following is a devotion that our Pastor, Gary Rogers, sent to us yesterday. As I posted a few days ago, about having eyes to see and ears to hear, and paying attention to what is going on around us in our world today I wanted to share his timely words with you.

I found it timely because the ice storm that I spoke of yesterday, and he refers to did, arrive. All the schools in our area are closed and they are telling everyone who can stay home to do so and only go out if you absolutely must.

"The weather reporters are warning of ice, sleet, and snow. Every news cast and radio weather anchor is giving details of bad weather on its way. Warnings are being issued of how the ground temperature is cold and the roads will be slick and hazardous. It would be hard for anyone with any type of electronic communication devise to not be aware of the pending storm. We must all agree that we have been warned, and we have no excuse for not being prepared. For me personally I traded my light weight, rear wheel drive, sports car for Paula’s big, heavy, four wheel drive SUV. I’m ready for the storm.

It is easy to see that the news announcers don’t want anyone to be able to say, “You didn’t warn us!” If they happen to be wrong, people will forgive them for warning of potential problems that didn’t happen. But if a terrible ice storm was to hit with no warning, everyone would be trying to find out who wasn’t doing their job. No warning being issued would let people down. No warning being issued would result in people being caught unaware and then suffering the consequences of being vulnerable and unprepared in facing the elements of the storm. The warning gives opportunity for preparation. The warning is due diligence in the person issuing the alert.
Jesus is coming back! I know this sounds like a weather report you’ve heard before, but He really is coming back. John 14:3 Jesus said, “I will come again…” His integrity tells us that He is not a liar, so He will come again. Matthew 24 Jesus told us to watch for signs pointing to His return. These signs are like weather patterns pointing to an approaching weather event. Jesus said for us watch man in relationship to man in that there will be wars and rumors of wars, nations fighting with nations. Jesus said to watch man in relationship to the environment in that there will be famine, diseases, and earthquakes. Jesus also told us to watch man in relationship with God in that the gospel will be preached worldwide, but the hearts of many will grow cold. Jesus told us in Luke 21:28, “Now when these things being to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” There is no question that people need to act upon the evidence found in God’s word that Jesus is coming.

Jesus’ return is far more important than an approaching ice storm. If Jesus returns tonight and I didn’t issue the alert then you would have every right to condemn me for not having due diligence in ministry. But if I tell you and warn you to be ready, and Jesus comes and finds you not prepared then that is you not heeding the warning that was issued. Facing an ice storm is no big deal when you’ve been warned and have time to prepare. Anticipating Jesus return and knowing you are completely prepared gives a wonderful assurance for both today and tomorrow."

This is a picture I took of our front yard this morning. You can see the ice covered tree branches and it is solid ice under the little snow on the streets and walks. The pine tree lost it's top 1/2 in the last ice storm.


Please, I pray, that you prepare yourselves for the storms that we are being warmed about as we read The Word with open ears and open eyes.

MONDAY MORNING & CATCHING UP

I missed my weight report last week because my internet was down for 4 days!!!!! So I'm catching up with it here. Last week, 1/12-1/18, I did BAD and gained a lb. This week, 1/19-1/25, I did INDIFFERENT and stayed the same. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time getting with the program this time but, as I've said before, I am not quitting and I am not giving up.

We had Aric with us from Friday afternoon until this morning when Mickey took him to school.

Aric all ready to attend church with Grandma & Grandpa


Mickey & I. Doesn't Mickey look great 3 1/2 months since his double bi-pass heart surgery? Praise God!!!! The tie Mickey has on is one of my Christmas gifts to him. The new slacks and sweater I am wearing is my Christmas BD gift from my daughter, Jacque. I had to have the slacks hemmed up because I'm getting shorter!! I still can't get over that fact.

One of the woman, Judy, in my church began a home Bible study on Monday, January 12th. I am so excited about this!!!! The first week there were only three of us: Judy, a friend she used to work with, Linda, and me. Last week there were 5 of us: Judy, Shirley, Wantha, Peggy (a friend of Wantha's) and me. Linda could not make it because she was ill. We meet at 11 o'clock. I have ALWAYS wanted to be part of an in-home Bible Study and am very excited about what God is going to accomplish in and through this group. We are praying that God add those woman who He wants to be part of this group. It is not a "church" function as such, but just a desire the Lord placed on Judy.

I am hoping we will still meet together today, but that is kind of up in the air at the moment. They are predicting sleet and rain beginning around noon today and it could turn into an ice storm.

I'm praying it doesn't turn in to one like above that we had in December, 2007 when the above picture was taken.

If you remember, one of our goals this year is to entertain more. Well on Friday night, the 16th, we took Ronnie & Carol out to one of our favorite Italian Restaurants for dinner. It is a lovely place that even has a violinist playing as you eat, and he is very good. He was doing a lot of Classical Spanish songs, which is a favorite of mine. Ronnie and Carol attend church with us, they are LONG time members, and Ronnie is Mickey's bee mentor and was such a blessing and help during our Anniversary trip and during the months that Mickey was unable to take care of his bees. Can you believe I didn't get a picture???!!!! Anyway we had a grand, good time.

This past week, since we had Aric all week-end we did not do any entertaining.

The prayer group is aware of this because they have been praying with us, but I hadn't posted on Penless about it. One of our friends, Lee, has quadruple heart bi-pass surgery on Thursday. On Friday he began bleeding and they were afraid they were going to lose him. They finally got the bleeding stopped but then he was unresponsive. Mickey and another friend, Jack, drove over to Oklahoma City and the VA Hospital to be with him and his family on Saturday. Yesterday we got the report that he is responding. His blood pressure is way to high and they are keeping him sedated at they figure out the proper medication to get the pressure under control. NEVER under estimate the power of prayer!!! I don't. Praise God for touching our friend, Lee, with His Mighty Hand.

I just got a call that our Bible Study has been called off for today because of the impending storm. Judy lives way out in the country so a long drive was deemed not the best choice for today.

Since I'm not going to Bible Study I'm going to go make some home made bread. See ya.......and enjoy your day.