NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

It’s been said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
And yet, year after year, we make New Year’s resolutions – often the same ones! – and within weeks or months, 98% of the resolutions fail. Or, more accurately, we fail to follow through on them.
One thing we need to  understand human behavior knows that resolutions that are too broad or too vague are doomed to fail. For instance, “I resolve to lose XX pounds this year" or “I resolve to balance my budget" are mostly wishful thinking, assuming that willpower alone will help you achieve what you’re hoping for. What’s missing is a plan or roadmap to help make it happen.

David and I every New Years Day would sit down at the kitchen table with pen and pad and write out our goals for the coming year. Sitting with a cup of coffee we would go at it. There were personal goals, physical goals, spiritual goals and material goals. We would stick them on the frig, and every time one was achieved we would cross it off. It was challenging and also fulfilling.

Changing your habits and behaviors is a hard thing to do. So, make it simple at first and check each others progress. Good luck and Happy New Year!   

Look at Patches

When a diagnosis plunges us into the unknown; when the sting of rejection leaves us scarred and alone; when our best dreams shatter and fall apart; when fear imprisons and worries flood our heart … we find ourselves wrestling with our questions in the darkness of disappointment and despair. And we wonder …

Will peace ever trump this pain?
Will joy ever replace this sadness?
Will beauty ever grow from this brokenness?
Will morning ever come?

It’s in these “long nights of the soul” where we can find great comfort in Scripture, especially the book of Psalms. Through these words, we peer into the hearts of other wrestling souls and hear the timeless echoes of our own impatient cries.

David, Jimmy and Sharon

When Mary received this news, that she was to be the mother of God, she didn’t react in fear or doubt. Instead her reaction was grounded in faith: “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’” (Luke 1:38a, NIV)

Mary responded with confidence because her confidence began with a relationship with God. Instead of building her confidence on something she could lose or have taken, she built her confidence on Him.

Not on something, like her reputation. That was outside her control.

Not on someone, like Joseph For all she knew, he would leave her once he learned she was pregnant.

Not on some place, like her home. After hearing from the angel, Mary actually left town, where she would have been comfortable, to visit her cousin Elizabeth.

Did Mary understand everything God was doing? Unlikely. Or resent what He was doing? Doesn’t appear so.

Would others judge her? No doubt they would, but Mary didn’t allow people’s opinions to prevent her from embracing God’s calling, even if she didn’t completely understand it. The lack of details didn’t impact her confidence in His plans for her life, nor her trust in Him to take care of her.

This baby in a high chair was my great grandmothers. If anyone out there knows how old this item is and what its value is , please let me know.

God’s love is very different than human love. God isn’t waiting for us to get it right to approach Him. Just as God extended the miraculous birth of His one and only Son, Jesus, to a group of shepherds on a hillside, He extends His gift to you today.

The angels announced. The shepherds responded. And when they went, they met the Savior, Christ the Lord.

Let’s stop trying so hard to impress God, and simply be impressed by Him.

You may have heard this story many times before, but have you responded? Today, let’s exchange our efforts to earn God’s love for the invitation to encounter Him right where we are.

Susan

Sprouting an Avocado

https://youtu.be/MRrrO45blc4

When you think of the phrase, “Christmas is coming!” … what sort of emotion does it evoke?

It might be any one of these:

Panic: I only have three more Saturdays of shopping before Christmas. I’m never going to get it all done!

Frustration: Ugh. There are so many activities this month. We are going to be running all over the place with very little time to just be together as a family at home, enjoying each other’s company.

Regret: Why did I say we’d host the family get-together? Now I have to straighten and scrub this place from top to bottom AND make the dessert I signed up to provide, as if I didn’t already have enough to do this month.

Envy: I noticed on Facebook the gorgeous holiday decorations my co-worker has in her home. They look like they are straight from an HGTV Christmas special. Our place looks like we bought ours from the clearance bin at the local secondhand store.

So many sentiments can invade our hearts and minds. But these emotions don’t stay there.

Are these the attitudes we want on display during the month of December? Or should we choose the attitude reflected in the old familiar hymn, Joy to the World?

Bowling Green High School Band playing in the Christmas Parade

 

Millennials are now the largest generation ever, surpassing Baby Boomers, and accounting for nearly one-third of all consumer spending. Which is why these young shoppers are putting their unmistakable mark on the fashion all of us – even non-Millennials – are wearing.
Here are just a few of the fashion trends driven by Millennials:

• Price check: Though they’re brand conscious, Millennials are particularly driven by discounts – so, the look is important but price matters more – leading to a resurgence of basic brands like Hanes underwear.
• Comfort matters: If you’ve been hearing about and seeing the legendary Birkenstock brand a lot more lately, it’s no coincidence. The 230-year-old comfortable shoe maker has been the most searched back-to-school brand for several years in a row.
• Global citizens: Price matters and so do politics and social responsibility, which is why Millennials particularly like brands that empower communities in the developing world.
• Gender non-conformism: The generation that’s grown up in the age of Kaitlyn Jenner and RuPaul and inspired by icons like Grace Jones, have fewer hang-ups about gender and are more comfortable buying unisex – or at least gender-fluid – clothes, fragrances and other products. Just channel your inner Annie Hall.
• Customizability: Millennials love classic gear that they can make their own – which explains the rise of brands like Adidas Originals, all tailored to the consumers’ tastes.
• Take two: If you thought the past was gone forever, you’d be mistaken. Just like many of us who are enamored with the 60s, Millennials are living for the bold and daring colors and designs of the 80s and hip-hop fashions of the 90s

Behold.

Behold. It’s a word we don’t use very often, but one that’s rich with meaning. Behold means to see or observe, gaze at, contemplate.

We’re always beholding, even if we’re not aware of it.

We behold the shiny purses and glittering things in storefronts, believing somehow, “This will make me happy.”

We behold the number on the scale when holiday bites catch up with our waistline, groaning, “This will ruin me.”

We behold the Christmas family photo we posted, hoping to get more likes than her photo did, whispering, “This will validate me.”

Behold. Look at the wrong things, and they determine your life’s direction. But … train your gaze on the right things, and they’ll transform your heart’s affections. Because when you stop to behold Jesus, His beauty and majesty will captivate you.

Jesus’ arrival and mission consumed John — it was all he ever talked about. John declared, “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34, ESV). Because what you behold is what will take hold of you.

 

TRYING TO HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

1. Every morning I open my eyes and say a prayer of gratitude to God.
2. I enlist at least 3 things I wake up to for which I am truly thankful.
3. When the thoughts become uncontrollable, I write them down on a paper and in the end I tear the paper and throw it in the garbage. It somehow helps me align myself to the most important things in my life.
4. When I find myself obsessing about something, I intentionally surrender it to God with a prayer and an acceptance and the belief of God is in control.
5. I enlist my strengths to counter every weakness that my mind draws my attention to.
6. I share.
7. I acknowledge the presence of my friends and family, by letting them know how glad and grateful I am to have them in my life.
8. I meditate and attend yoga and Pilates classes that make me light and happy. 
9. I try to let go of being the judge. I let go of seeing things as black or white, right or wrong.
10. Just before I end my day, I kiss DAVID good night and together we say a short prayer to thank the Lord for the bounties present in our lives.

These little things help me cleanse my mind of all the clutter

During the holidays or any day of the year, I can easily morph into a Peppermint Patty if I’m not careful. I don’t want to be someone who gives thanks with her mouth and not her heart. A person so distracted by the less-than-desired details that she overlooks the indebtedness she should have in her heart for Christ — not just for how He blesses, but for Who He is.

Life’s not always easy, and holidays aren’t always perfect or peaceful. But we can always have a heart full of thankfulness if we remember Who gives us reasons to be thankful, not just what we’re thankful for.

 Out with the old

And in with the new

Ok! When we moved in I thought to myself wouldn't it be great to have a new washer and dryer. One to match my kitchen appliances. But at 1000.00 dollars each I opted not to. Listen to this; I was walking through Lowes last week and I saw this wonderful washer and dryer, the same color as my kitchen appliances for half off. I was elated! Talked to Nick, a salesman that I know and asked him why the appliances were so cheap. He ventures to explain that a couple bought them and didn't care for their performance. Hmmm I thought. I will give you this certain amount, which was a steal. So here are my washer and dryer in my utility room. I am as happy as I can be. Super appliances and a fraction of the cost.

TEX

David's Painting 

This holiday season, don’t let your too-packed calendar knock the joy right out of you. Plan to look for ways to do good and share with others for whom the coming yuletide season isn’t the most wonderful time of the year.

Remember, the holidays are an excuse to make someone else’s life better. Go find that someone. Do good and share. And if you’re the one who’s struggling this season, I pray God meets your needs in practical, heart-felt ways.

David's painting

 

Without enough vitamin A, your mouth will not produce enough saliva that gets rid of harmful bacteria. 

 When you aren’t getting enough vitamin A, your saliva glands can’t do their job and it can contribute to pits on the surface of your enamel.'

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, teeth chief among them. But that is not where vitamin D's benefits stop, he says.

'There’s actually a little immune system within your teeth, called your odontoblasts, which needs vitamin D to be activated. Your ordontoblasts are the cells of your teeth that produce dentin and are vital to tooth regeneration,' he explains.

Without vitamin K2, taking calcium supplements is useless. 'Vitamin K2 is like the traffic cop for your calcium, telling it where and when to go,' he says.

When people with K2 deficiencies take calcium, it goes to their kidneys and arteries instead of their teeth.

Lastly, vitamin E, an antioxidant, makes sure the levels of bacteria in your mouth are under control.

The supplement regulates the microbiome in your mouth, which houses viruses, fungi and bacteria.

Without these four supplements, your teeth are not being cared for properly. 

He writes: 'I can’t emphasize this enough, you must get the right nutrients, vitamins and minerals so your teeth can continue to regenerate throughout your life.

'Many mistakenly believe that they can prevent cavities and periodontal disease simply with good brushing habits and the right toothpaste - but this isn’t the most important factor.'

 

HOW TO GET THE NUTRIENTS YOU NEED FOR HEALTHY TEETH

Vitamin A: dairy products, eggs, carrots, yellow or dark vegetables

Vitamin K2: butter, eggs, salami, soft cheeses

Vitamin E: broccoli, spinach, nuts

Vitamin D: mushrooms, fatty fish, some dairy products

 

One Of David's Paintings

While it seems like there’s no end to the debate about the legalized use of cannabis, even health experts can no longer deny that marijuana lets individuals enjoy certain medical benefits. Several studies have proven that cannabis is a preventative medicine that can reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, and certain neurodegenerative diseases.

There are studies that have also gathered proof that cannabis is a viable treatment for chronic pain and seizures. Others even believe that the regular use of cannabis oil can help treat cancer. 

Picture Day at Goddard School

Beauty, as the saying goes, may be only skin deep. But, whether we like it or not, much of the way we see ourselves and others see us rests in how skin looks. And it may explain why the global skincare market is expected to reach $135 billion this decade, with a virtually endless supply of often high-priced anti-aging creams, sunscreens, body lotions and other products and regimes designed to protect our body’s largest organ.

Your skin sheds about 30,000 cells – every minute! In fact, it’s estimated that more than half the dust in your home is really made up of dead skin cells.  

Have you ever tried to quiet a loud room? Attempting to yell above the crowd usually doesn’t work. It’s far more effective to hush the crowd with a shhh. That’s the method God employs. His whisper quiets us, calms us, stills us. “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’” (Psalm 46:10a).

The “white noise” of the world might be the greatest impediment to our spiritual growth. By definition, white noise is a sound that contains every frequency a human can hear. And because it contains every frequency, it’s very difficult to hear any frequency — especially the still, small voice of God.

When our lives get loud, with noise filling every frequency, we lose our sense of being. When our schedules get busy, we lose our sense of balance, which is a function of the inner ear.

Thomas The Train In Lancaster Pennsylvania. 

 For years, I’ve warned that humanity is a suicide cult which has engineered its own destruction by relentlessly poisoning the natural world with chemical pesticides, heavy metals and GMOs. Now, the collapse of living systems across the planet is accelerating like never before, with ocean fisheries collapsing by the day, topsoil vanishing by the inch, and wildlife populations being decimated by the accelerating destruction of habitat.

The stunning news of this insect biomass collapse is, of course, just the beginning of a series of events that will ultimately spell doom for humanity unless causative factors are quickly reversed. Insects are the pillars of the food web, providing protein and nutrients to bats, birds and reptiles, among other animals. When the insect population collapses, nutrient depletion cascades up the food chain, causing devastating declines in populations of larger animals upon which ecological diversity depends.

Side view of our House In Saint George.

 

Finish harvesting beans and peas. When beans and peas finish cropping simply cut the plant away at ground level, leaving the roots in the soil. These crops fix nitrogen which is slowly released into the soil as the roots break down.
If you plan to grow beans next year, start preparing the site by digging trenches and filling with manure or kitchen waste.

Harvest Squash and Pumpkins

Harvest squashes and pumpkins before the first frosts. They will quickly turn mushy if left outside!
When you harvest your cabbages, leave the root in the ground and make a cut across the stem to encourage a flush of smaller leaves.
Any plants with green tomatoes or peppers remaining can be hung upside down indoors to ripen.
Protect autumn cauliflower heads from frost by wrapping the outer leaves around them and securing with string. Alternatively use a cloche or fleece.
Continue to plant autumn garlic bulbs now for a bumper crop next summer.
Plant autumn onion setsfor cropping next summer.

OUR TIME AT SAINT GEORGE ISLAND

 Our house.

 The pool.

 Dylan and I by the pool.

 David, Jennifer and I down at the beach.

 Dylan and Landen at the beach.

 The ocean.

 Kevin, Jennifer Alex and me. 

The boys.

 I Am So Sleepy

About Me

Patches went to the vet and received her shots and got weighted in at 8 lbs. The vet said she was two to three years old.. Patches is a gentle cat and very loving. She has adapted very well. She had her first stay for a week at All Cats and Dogs while we were on St. George Island. More about our vacation later.

Our Pilates Class

Pilates

Pilates is a physical fitness system  (working the core) developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, and especially in western countries such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States.

I wanted to share, this woman was said to appear unto children in they're time of need , to show how to live, pray & trust the lord, a woman of holiness! I have to say when I walked around this place it definitely had such a peace & serenity, now is she the one to worship, no she was sent from her father in heaven to serve others, what a mighty honor!