Our family has traveled to the beautiful country of Panama to work with Found Ministries. Learn more about Found @ http://foundministries.org/
We have Homeschooled for many years with only one left to complete the task. This Blog is actually several years old and the name has been changed due to the change of seasons in our life.
Good Gravy this has been a hectic weekend. First, we have had a raccoon break into our chicken coop after 12 years of never having this happen. I will spare you the details of the headless rooster.....because thats exactly what raccoons do.... and the feathers all over the place from the brutal chase and attack.... okay and so I won't spare you. So I found the body in one spot and the head in another and before I could even catch my breath my dog was happily in the coop, grabbed the head and took off. When I found her she was gnawing on it with its comb sticking out of her mouth. I was aghast to say the least.No kisses from her that day. No way.
And of course just all the other events of life swarming and begging for attention.
Seems some days I have an hour or two to spare and others I have none.
I was driving home from Jail ministry and I stopped at Kroger. I knew to pass by the ice cream. I knew it. Because I am not able to have self control with ice cream. I do not have that turn off switch in my brain to compel me to stop. I will eat it until its gone, all of it....whether its a gallon or a cup... There is no other food that causes me this problem. I can control anything else but ice cream. I bought a box of drumstix and Ben and Jerrys ...as long as it has chocolate and nuts I'm good. The nuttier and chocolatier (thats not a word, I know) the better....got home, did all the things I do and then sat down and ate all of it. The box, the tub....all gone. I am still living off of it today. I have not needed food because the ice cream is still providing essential calcium for my bones and sugar for my energy. Its all good.
"Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is — where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge." — Robert C. Shannon
I really like the Lamb and Lion website - (Christ in Prophecy Journal) and as I was reading it I noticed this little link that says : Send a post-Rapture email to a loved one--------"We have set up a system to send documents by the email, to the addresses you provide, 6 days after the "Rapture" of the Church. This occurs when 3 of our 5 team members scattered around the U.S fail to log in over a 3 day period. Another 3 days are given to fail safe any false triggering of the system...."Interesting
What do you think of my Gorilla??????? Isn't he seriously handsome??? He is at the Fort Worth Zoo. I wuv him. I'm smiling because he had just pressed his face against the glass and I gave him a big smooch. Paul wasn't quick enough with the camera to capture the moment as he was probably feeling a bit threatened but, it was so sweet. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to become a zoo keeper.
"We believe that Christians should live consecrated lives of obedience to the Word of God. We are for holiness, health, and charity. We are against sin, sickness, and a weak powerless gospel that blames the sick and hurting for being sick and hurting."- Curry Blake
I had a very defining moment yesterday. I'm still chewing on it. It was disturbing to me because it was beyond a blonde moment...atleast to me. I mean I seriously stood back and thought... gosh, does my elevator really go all the way to the top or am I missing a few fries from my Happy Meal????
Seriously.
This is what happened. I was asked to train a lady on the front desk at the homeless shelter. She hadn't had a tour so I offered to take her on a tour. The thing is ...is that even though I had the tour and I have been there for a few months, I actually have never really been in the back. The back is really no big deal...there is this huge desk area which is in the middle of the 'circle' and then all around it stand 'wings' and the kitchen area, dining, donation wing etc.... so I started off with the Donation wing... and as I was telling her what everything was, I too was basically observing and learning...
but here is where I really thought ...wow... oh.... wow... gosh.. whats my IQ? Is it borderline something????
Like I said, I started at the donation wing which is a long long hallway.... I was looking up the entire time and pointing out to her "here is the family wing, here is the second family wing..here is the men's wing ...." explaining how families get their own room but the men share with about 3 other men and same with the women etc.... I hadn't realized that I had made the entire circle...gone full circle.... so when I kept going and looked up I noticed it said 'Donations'.... I stood there a little stumped and I said "Wow, I didn't know we had two donation wings.... I've never been down this one".... oh my gosh. Oh my good gravy. Please. I've been down it a thousand times. It was the first one, the only one blah blah.
Of course she was like "isn't this the one we started at"...and I said "no, never seen it before"... What????? There ya go... the elevator didn't go all the way up.
I've confessed here in this blog that I am direction dysfunctional. Seriously I am. I can get lost going around a little circle apparently..... And I am blonde... goes with the territory.... However...this goes beyond directionally challenged and a blonde moment...this was like ... for me... I think I must be missing a key element in my brain and I wonder how I have gotten through life ... Who gets lost going in a circle??? I do!!!!
Thats all for today. I don't need a pep talk. I don't need to be told anything sweet. Just tell me to be careful out there or something. I don't know. You can donate your brain cells to me. No, I believe in that transference stuff so probably not. I don't want to all the sudden start craving burgers when I 'm a vegetarian.
All the same.... may the daisies greet you in your path and happy bubbles pop all about you.....
Tomorrow is free pastry morning with a cup of Jo! Yay!!!! :-)
Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage. Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.
Visit the Starbucks website to print the coupon and received your free pastry! This deal ends at 10:30 am on March 23, 2010.
Off to read books to Annah, clean the house, do Spanish, cook something.... put the chickens away and tuck Annah into bed! :-)
"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply" — Hudson Taylor
I love corn. I love cheese. So, Wahlah. A cheesy corn casserole. It turned out a little bit mushier throughout than I wanted but, I followed the recipe ... well, okay...soooooooo, maybe I added more butter than called for .... next time I'll leave out the extra 1/4 cup butter! :)
If you love freebies... try out Walmarts Free samples! I have received lots of goodies through the mail from them. I have received shampoo, conditioner, dog food, cat food, diapers, etc....no limit. I just filled out the very short form (just my address and email) for Rachael Ray's new dog food free sample.
Why do blondes always smile during lightning storms?
Annah dolled us up in cowboy hats and she photographed us. My camera memory card fills up really fast from all her photography.
Annah resting on Crimson, our almost 30 year old mare. She's not actually spotty ... she likes to lay down and although she doesn't really roll like our boy horses do, she gets stuck sometimes because of her arthritis and gets super muddy. When she gets stuck, we have vet meds that are anti-inflammatory and shortly after the shot she is usually able to get back up. She's so old, so bony in some areas and a super picky eater. We often keep her on the house side just to allow her to be away from the boys as they can pick on her but you just really can't imagine how often horses poop. And she doesn't go way in the back where the woods and trees are and out of sight, nope...she has to poop right on the little hill that everyone that comes to visit has to pass to get to the cabin.... The aroma...the site of horse poop in little piles... "It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God Himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will." --- David Brainerd
Paul and Annah planted Marigolds in a planter and put them out on our deck. I just love Marigolds!
Annah asked me to make her a sandwich. She asked for toasted raisin bread with a slice of cheese in the middle. Ew. :)
When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."
Have a great big happy day with bubbles and sunshine!
This little one has been at the orphanage since birth. She smiles all the time with her whole face. She's the baby of 7 siblings at the orphanage. She's a happy story right now. One little boy just came in with his brother. He was removed from parents practicing satan worship, sacrifice...neck had been sliced almost ear to ear, body burned. Not such a happy story.
Again...I saw such poverty. I noticed that these people do not have any resources at all. No soup kitchens. No dumpsters to dig into for wastefulness....it just isn't there in Puerta Palomas. (Not to be confused with the resort Palomas in Mexico)... food is extremely scarce in the entire Puerta.
Last year 2,000 people vanished....never to been heard from again. 5,000 packed up their families and left. Mayor Tanis was working hard to change things and clean up the drugs and gangs off the streets and he was kidnapped in broad daylight and murdered 12 hours later. He was a GOOD man. El Paso...from Junction 9...is only an hour away.... If you know of anyone who is missionary minded...who is a missionary.... who wants to find a place to work hard and be a light in a dark place.... contact me! The church in Sante Fe...they go down every month so if your anywhere near there and want to go too...
As usual, I came home and asked Paul if God spoke to him yet... can we go now, is it time yet.... :-) Of course, I am drawn also to Costa Rica because that is where my son is a missionary. There are many corners of this world that are dark and need light. Sometimes right next door. Sometimes there are places that have no light at all. They can't walk outside and find a church... they can't find a soup kitchen...its just dark and wherever they go is dark because no one has taken a candle to them yet.
"If ten men are carrying a log — nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end — and you want to help, which end will you lift on?" — William Borden, as he reflected on the numbers of Christian workers in the U.S. as compared to those among unreached peoples in China
BTW, if you were just maybe perhaps a wee itty bit curious... My Spanish came in superdy duperdy handy and I did notice a rather nice improvement in communication!!!!! Children are very forgiving of bad accents, adults are just happy you try!
On my way out to the orphanage in Mexico !!!! These trips really make me wacky when I get back. It takes me a long time to acclimate. Short trip but really infusing. While I feel very indulged here at home, I don't feel guilty about it, just restless for a long time after and eager to go back, eager to someday be able to live it.
We shall see if my Spanish that I have been taking will help me communicate any better. This will really be a good test.
This is SPOT. I don't have one yet but I hope to have one by my next trip. Its a personal satellite tracker and it has a 911 button on it that you can push if you are in distress and you can be located anywhere in the World. Not only will it be really great to take to Mexico and Paul and my friends can see me wherever I am via computer...but it will be good to have when I go jogging or hiking or anywhere. I can't wait to get one of these!!!!
No reason for this picture of a bale of hay. I just took it and thought it looked cute,
I am as sure as I live that nothing is so near to me as God. God is nearer to me than I am to myself; my existence depends on the nearness and the presence of God.
... Meister Eckhart
Happy a wee bit late birthday to my fabulous oldest daughter, Tiffany! Tiffany, you have always blown me away with your intelligence, your diligence, responsible nature, funny, serious, beautiful ... an old soul.
Have you ever wondered how they lived without toilet paper back in the days of old? The thought of using a leaf on some consistencies of poo just seems incomprehensible and down right messy. If you’re a visual person I’m sure this is leaving you with an image of disgust but, the truth is that poop can tell you a lot about your health. Back in the days of old when people munched on crunchy vegetables and fruit and nuts and berries, their stool was more than likely non-messy and shot out clean as a bean. There would be very little residual left to wipe up. But in our day and age with all the processed, fatty, greasy, chemical added foods our poops come out resembling just that, drippy and greasy and leaving a mess to clean up. So, here are a few things that will tell you about yourself regarding what your outtake in the toilet is.
Although the majority of your poop is water, about 75%, the rest is ‘other stuff’ such as dead stuff …dead bacteria along with live bacteria, undigested food pieces, fiber, mucous, proteins and salts and other material waste that is being eliminated from your body.
Healthy Poop Explained: Oprah used to have Dr. Mehmet Oz, a Turkish-American thoracic surgeon and author, appear on her show fairly regularly although now he has his own tv hour. During one episode Dr. Oz made a comment regarding poop. He explained that a healthy person should be producing poop that is more or less "shaped like an S, you don’t want pieces.” He has also stated that “At the end of the day you can analyze your body really effectively by looking at what comes out of your body." Dr. Michael Levitt, Author of the book called “The Bowel Book” states that healthy human stool resembles the shape and consistency of an unripe banana. (Although not the same color of course.) Healthy poop will be a golden brown color, almost odorless and close to 18 inches in length.
A very healthy individual will also poop out what they eat on a regular basis and ideally 3x a day, however, most healthy people will only poo once per day.
So, what exactly does the consistency, smell and color of your poo say about you?
Let’s take a peek!
First of all poop will smell worse if you eatfoods or drink liquids that are processed with chemicals, artificial coloring and other non natural material. By eating natural foods you may reduce the odor a great deal.
Also, according to the PooNurse, poop of meat eaters usually smells worse than that of vegans. Poonurse is an RN with 25 years experience in labor and delivery. Her qualifications include seeing a lot of poop, and owning a computer. PooNurse also states: Incidentally, I change about 10,000 diapers a day at work. The baby's first poop is called meconium. While tarry, black, sticky and yucky to look at, it does NOT STINK.
What about the color of poop, what does that tell us?
Red, very dark red or black: this may be an indicator that you ate a bunch of stuff with red color to it such as watermelon, cherries, licorice, beets. If your poo is black and tarry it may be due to taking iron pills or Pepto Bismol But if your stool remains black, you may have bleeding in your upper gastrointestinal tract or a bleeding ulcer. Bloody streaks on the outside of your stool may come from hemorrhoids or if you are constipated and straining to much red blood may appear.
-White or pale - If your poop is light grayish or white and also crumbly, this can mean you are not getting enough water into your diet. It may also indicate that you consume antacids or calcium supplements. If you have had a barium sulfate milkshake for an X-ray you may have white poop. You could also have simply consumed a very large amount of pale foods such as rice. A white or pale stool may also be an indication of problems with the gallbladder or liver. Pale stool may also be shiny or greasy, float, and really stink. This may be due to undigested fat in the stool
-Yellowpoop may mean your food is passing through your digestive tract way to fast and may be seen in people with GERD. (Gastro esophageal reflux disease). Insufficient bile output. Bile salts from the liver gives stool its brownish color. When bile output is diminished, it often first appears as yellow stool. It can be indicative of something more serious such as a contagious disease called Giardia.
-Green – You may drop out green poop if you eat a diet heavy with leafy green vegetables, consume too much food that contains coloring such as in ice cream, cake frosting, jelly beans, M&Ms and the like. Green poop can also be caused by excess iron in the diet, or even from diet supplements or natural supplements that are very rich green such as barley, or spirulina. Regarding foods rich in iron, if you body doesn’t absorb it all, the iron will literally stain your poo green. You can also have slimy green poop when you have a stomach virus and mucus gets all mixed in with your poo.
Babies can have light green poop if they have excessive sugar in their diets. Even infants can have this is their caretaker gives them karo syrup or sugar water.
What about poop consistency?
-Pellet poop- Typically this will indicate that you are somewhat constipated. Your poop remains too long in your intestine and then falls into bits of hard pellet like pieces. You really should increase your water intake and fiber and fruit!
-Very Loose Stools - You may have loose stools if you are in the process of losing weight. Caffeine can also cause loose stools. As a matter of fact, many things can cause loose stools! Too much Vitamin C, magnesium, sickness, and a degree of bad food, antibiotics, chemotherapy, and the list can go on. Milk may prolong it and if you have it all the time to where it is concerning, you should have your doctor check you out to rule out Irritable bowel syndrome.
My parents got a new car. A Lexus 2010 very sporty looking SUV. Beautiful. Stunning. It kinda blew me away....when we went out in it, the entire inside looked like a computer... key less...push a button and the engine revs...my mom doesn't even have to use a key to get inside, she just walks up to it and by having this thing... a microchip piece type thing in her pocket or purse, it opens automatically for her. When she gets in, the seat automatically lifts her up and moves her into the position she programmed it to be in. The GPS system is built in the size of a laptop computer...it is also a navigation system so when she puts the car into reverse it switches to camera mode and she can see everything behind her...if she gets to close to something it beeps. The whole thing is programmed... we wanted to go to a fried pie place in Gainesville, TX so she looked it up on the computer and it downloaded directly to her car and onto her GPS system.
AS she was approaching the car, key less...I thought...wow, why not just ditch that microchip thing in her purse and get it implanted under her skin in her hand.... its all programmed....how convenient right? I started to think how possible the whole chip thing could be.... I mean i've always seen the possibility...but this seems so much like technology, not like the evil mark of the beast that we hear about...Or like the movies where everyone lines up and gets this hideous looking 666 mark on their hand or forehead and the Christians are beheaded if caught and refuse to get it.... this seems more tricky...more confusing.... because honestly, I have always been taught the mark of the beast would be this scary thing we are forced to get if we want to eat ....but this seems like a more technical move into a new generation...high tech... awesome technology... If technology comes up with a way to put all our stuff on a chip and implanted into our hand... how convenient... a little chip that will open my car... scan at the grocery store, lock my house as I step away.... and truthfully, it doesn't seem beastly....
I can see how 10 years from now technology could be such that our world does become "Keyless".... so high tech that everything is readily available on a little chip under the skin. My husband sais that people won't go for that because they don't want the government to be all in their business ... but the next generation will love it... they will see it as super quick, super convenient and probably absolutely super necessary to be able to buy or sell... sure you can buy 'old fashion' cars with keys and perhaps for awhile use a bank 'card' but can't you see technology moving towards an absolutely cashless, cardless society... and to even buy a new car without a key you need some sort of microchip and if a replacement chip cost a hundred bucks or more, why not just implant it under your skin??????
If it looks so convenient and innocent... more or less... not scary and beastly...a forced thing...how exactly will people know that they are taking a mark of the beast and how will one know it is actually THE Mark of THE Beast and not just way super cool technology... my husband says one will know...we shall know... but I'm not so sure .... it looks so wonderful and perhaps, what if...disguised even... I personally can't see how a little chip with all my information and car key and house key etc... under my skin is equal to a Mark of the Beast... but could it be????
"Jesus's presence always brought astonishing peace to me no matter how bad the situation I was in. Whenever I was in a prison, he was always there for me. He transformed the jail into a heaven and the burdens became blessings". ---Sundar Singh - Disappeared taking the gospel to Tibet in 1929.
And of course just all the other events of life swarming and begging for attention.
I was driving home from Jail ministry and I stopped at Kroger. I knew to pass by the ice cream. I knew it. Because I am not able to have self control with ice cream. I do not have that turn off switch in my brain to compel me to stop. I will eat it until its gone, all of it....whether its a gallon or a cup... There is no other food that causes me this problem. I can control anything else but ice cream. I bought a box of drumstix and Ben and Jerrys ...as long as it has chocolate and nuts I'm good. The nuttier and chocolatier (thats not a word, I know) the better....got home, did all the things I do and then sat down and ate all of it. The box, the tub....all gone. I am still living off of it today. I have not needed food because the ice cream is still providing essential calcium for my bones and sugar for my energy. Its all good. 
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